The Improving Effect of Admixtures on GRC Performance and an Analysis of Prohibited Admixture Types

In the field of building materials, admixtures are like a double-edged sword: they can endow GRC materials with outstanding performance, yet improper use may also sow hidden quality risks. As an industry leader with 28 years of deep expertise in UHPC/GRC/GRG/GRP materials, Qinglong Group will analyze, from the dual perspectives of technical principles and engineering practice, the mechanisms by which admixtures improve GRC performance, while clarifying the types of admixtures prohibited in the industry and providing a professional selection guide for designers and owners.

I. How Admixtures Redefine the Performance Boundaries of GRC Materials

As a new type of composite decorative material, GRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete) owes its performance improvements to the scientific formulation of admixtures. Qinglong Group focuses on optimizing the admixture system as early as the detailed design stage: through the synergy of water reducers, thickeners, and air-entraining agents, the flexural strength of GRC components can be increased by 20%-30% while water absorption is reduced to below 8%. Taking a landmark project as an example, after adopting a polycarboxylate-based high-range water reducer, concrete fluidity rose by 40%, enabling one-time casting and forming of hyperbolic curved components and cutting formwork loss by 30% compared with traditional processes.

During production, precisely dosed retarders effectively control the initial setting time; combined with Qinglong's self-developed fiber dispersion technology, the uniformity of glass fiber distribution is improved by 15%, avoiding strength weak points caused by localized fiber agglomeration. At the construction and installation stage, dedicated curing agents can shorten the time for GRC components to reach target early strength by 50%, keeping projects on schedule. Behind these technical breakthroughs lies the crystallization of Qinglong's 28 years of full-chain experience; its Guangxi production base, with an annual capacity of 600,000 square meters, is built precisely on the ultimate control of material performance.

II. Beware! These Admixtures Are Undermining GRC Engineering Quality

Not all admixtures are suitable for GRC materials. Some early-strength agents containing chlorides or nitrites, though they accelerate hardening, will trigger corrosion of steel reinforcement, causing components to crack and leak within 5-8 years. When Qinglong's technical team took part in drafting the Technical Standard for Building Applications of Glass Fiber Reinforced Cement (GRC) (JGJ/T423-2018), it specifically emphasized banning water reducers with formaldehyde as the main ingredient; such substances not only corrode glass fibers, but their volatile emissions also compromise indoor environmental safety.

Even more noteworthy, the sulphoaluminate-based expansion agents used in violation of regulations by some small factories, while temporarily solving shrinkage cracking, will undergo alkali-aggregate reactions with glass fibers, causing a sharp drop in component strength after 3-5 years. As a national “Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, and Innovative” enterprise, Qinglong always upholds its environmental protection philosophy: all admixtures have passed safety assessments by its provincial-level R&D center, eliminating quality risks at the source.

III. Full-Chain Service Ensures Maximum Admixture Effectiveness

Delivering a high-quality GRC project requires whole-process control from material selection to after-sales maintenance. What Qinglong Group offers designers is not merely products, but a systematic solution that includes admixture adaptation plans. In the Nanjing East Road Century Plaza light-transmitting concrete project, the technical team raised the light transmittance of UHPC to 25% by adjusting the defoamer dosage while maintaining a compressive strength above 120MPa—an achievement that won the Silver Award of the AALBORG WHITE Cup UHPC Building Engineering Innovation Award.

Addressing the durability concerns that matter most to real estate developers and public project managers, Qinglong has established a complete material traceability system, with every batch of GRC components accompanied by an admixture test report. For its overseas projects, admixture formulas are customized for different climate conditions, ensuring that products remain stable in Malaysia's hot, humid environment or under Saudi Arabia's extreme temperature swings.

Choosing GRC materials is, in essence, choosing a mature technical system and service standard. Guided by the mission of “Creating Aesthetic Architecture,” Qinglong Group will continue to pursue technological innovation so that admixtures truly become “enablers” of GRC material performance rather than “risk sources.” Whether it is the free-form curtain walls of a grand theater or the artistic components of a commercial complex, Qinglong can provide full-cycle assurance from detailed design to after-sales maintenance—this is the professional confidence that 28 years of industry experience confer.