The Improving Effect of Admixtures on GRC Performance and a Discussion of Prohibited Admixture Types

In the field of building materials, admixtures are like a double-edged sword: they can endow GRC materials with superior performance, yet improper use may also plant hidden quality risks. As an industry player with 28 years of deep expertise in UHPC/GRC/GRG/GRP materials, Qinglong has always approached the application of admixtures with a rigorous attitude, seeking a precise balance between enhancing material performance and ensuring project safety.

GRC Performance Optimization: The Scientific Approach to Admixture Application

As a lightweight, high-strength composite material, GRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete) relies on the scientific proportioning of admixtures for its performance improvement. In actual production, water reducers can effectively lower the water-cement ratio, significantly enhancing the compressive strength and durability of GRC components; retarders extend the initial setting time, providing an ample operational window for the casting of complex shapes; while air-entraining agents, by introducing evenly distributed micro bubbles, not only improve the material's frost resistance but also reduce the formation of shrinkage cracks. During the detailed design phase, Qinglong customizes admixture solutions according to project requirements (such as the weather resistance requirements of theater exterior walls or the molding needs of special-shaped components in commercial complexes), ensuring that every batch of GRC products meets both the design strength and service life standards.

List of Prohibited Admixtures: The Red Line for Safeguarding Project Safety

Not all admixtures are suitable for GRC materials; the introduction of certain chemical substances may corrode glass fibers or undermine the stability of the cement matrix. Admixtures explicitly prohibited in the industry mainly include: chloride-containing early-strength agents, whose free chloride ions accelerate steel corrosion and reduce structural safety; activators with excessive alkali content, which tend to trigger alkali-aggregate reactions leading to component cracking; and colorants containing harmful heavy metals, which pollute the environment and impair material durability. Qinglong has established a strict raw material screening mechanism—all admixtures must be certified by third-party testing agencies to ensure their composition complies with the requirements of the Technical Standard for Building Applications of Glass Fiber Reinforced Cement (GRC) (JGJ/T423-2018), eliminating quality risks at the source.

Whole-Chain Control: Quality Commitment from Laboratory to Construction Site

As a national high-tech enterprise, Qinglong has incorporated admixture management into its whole-process quality control system. During the detailed design phase, the technical team uses BIM modeling to simulate the effects of different admixture combinations on GRC performance; in the manufacturing stage, an automated proportioning system ensures that admixture dosing errors are kept within ±0.5%; during construction and installation, technical personnel dynamically adjust admixture usage plans according to on-site temperature and humidity. This closed-loop management model of "design-production-construction" has enabled Qinglong's GRC products to demonstrate excellent mechanical performance and decorative effects in benchmark projects such as the Dongguan Women and Children's Activity Center and Century Plaza on Nanjing East Road; in particular, its translucent concrete components won the first UHPC Building Engineering Innovation Award.

The rational application of admixtures is the key to breakthroughs in GRC material performance, while strict control over prohibited categories is the bottom line for project safety. Building on 28 years of industry experience, Qinglong always puts material innovation and quality safety first, providing designers and owners with GRC solutions that combine aesthetic value and structural safety through professional technical solutions and a rigorous quality control system. In the field of new decorative building materials, only by upholding science and responsibility can we fulfill the mission of "Creating Beautiful Architecture."