Influence of Chloroprene Rubber Latex on Set Times and Early Hydration of Cement

This study was carried out in order to investigate retardation time of chloroprene rubber (CR) latex on the cementitious system in relation to its effect on the heat of hydration of cementitious system. Set times, consistency and heat evolution tests were carried out on ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Three different curing environments were selected with different CR to cement ratio i.e., 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. The data revealed that consistency was increased under high temperature and low relative humidity for cement pastes. While achieving standard consistency, water required by the controlled specimen was reduced by 43% with the addition of 20% CR latex. Regarding heat of hydration, it was found that heat of hydration of latex-modified cement pastes was higher than the controlled cement paste after 48 h.