Performance and Use of Non-Vinsol Resin Air Entraining Concrete Admixtures in South Dakota

Current specifications only allow Vinsol Resin-based Air Entraining Admixtures (AEA) in concrete mixes used on South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) projects, and the use of synthetic AEAs is not allowed. This restriction reduces the number of AEA products available for use on SDDOT projects, which could potentially delay projects if supply issues develop related to the production of Vinsol Resin-based AEAs. The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) previously completed research project SD98-03 which determined that synthetic AEA products were the source of the concrete strength issues experienced by the Department at that time. As a result of this research, SDDOT discontinued the use of synthetic AEAs and removed all synthetic AEAs from the Department’s approved products list, thus effectively prohibiting them from use on SDDOT projects. In the last 20+ years, the technology of synthetic AEAs has improved and AASHTO has developed a recommendation for evaluating AEAs (NCHRP Report 578). Research demonstrating the acceptable performance of synthetic AEAs would expand the supply of products allowable for use on SDDOT projects. This research would give SDDOT guidance on which synthetic AEAs produce acceptable results and could be added to the department’s approved products list and provide changes to the current specifications to include non-Vinsol resin AEAs. On April 15, 2023, the sole manufacturing facility for Vinsol Resin experienced an industrial fire which put the facility out of production. In June 2023, the owner of the facility, Pinova Inc., announced plans to decommission the facility and permanently end operations. As a result of this fire and subsequent closure, it is expected that Vinsol Resin-based AEAs will become increasingly difficult to acquire until all existing Vinsol Resin-based AEAs currently in the market have been exhausted. Ultimately, having additional AEA products available for use by SDDOT will be necessary to ensure that the AEA products used on SDDOT projects are compatible with the other materials used in SDDOT concretes.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $200,000.00
• Sponsor Organizations:

  South Dakota Department of Transportation

  700 East Broadway Avenue
  Pierre, SD  United States  57501
• Managing Organizations:

  South Dakota Department of Transportation

  700 East Broadway Avenue
  Pierre, SD  United States  57501
• Project Managers:

  Border, Michael

• Performing Organizations:

  Oklahoma State University, Stillwater

  School of Civil & Environmental Engineering
  Stillwater, OK  United States  74078
• Principal Investigators:

  Ley, Tyler

• Start Date: 20250130
• Expected Completion Date: 20260731
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Admixtures; Air entrained concrete; Synthetic resins
• Geographic Terms: South Dakota
• Subject Areas: Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01950457
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: South Dakota Department of Transportation
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Apr 1 2025 8:53AM