- Retarders slow the hydration of concrete and are used in large or difficult pours where partial setting before the pour is complete is undesirable. Typical polyol retarders are sugar, sucrose, sodium gluconate, glucose, citric acid, and tartaric acid.
Neil Moore, PE, SE
I am not saying this is a good thing.
On 11/16/2011 3:10 PM, Charles Canitz wrote:
I was recently contacted by a colleague who advised that a contractor for his project used a few pounds of sugar (purchaed from a nearby grocery store) to prevent concrete from curing. The concrete was placed for a communications manhole afterwhich it was realized it had the wrong compressive strength. Using the sugar allowed the placed concrete to be easilly removed in a viscous state (versus use of a jack hammer).Anyone previously encounter a previous situation? I'm assuming that the sugar reacts with the cement such that the hydration process is negated.Thanks,Charlie CanitzAnnapolis, MD