Abstract: For dam construction quality control, it is of great significance to study the effect of water evaporation retardants on the interlayer performance of low-heat cement concrete under different environmental conditions. This paper examines the influence and mechanism of water evaporation retardants on concrete interlayer performance through experimental tests on the influence of water evaporation inhibitor on concrete penetration resistance, surface water content, and splitting tensile strength in the condition of complicated environment. The results show that at low wind speeds, water evaporation retardants can effectively slow down the decrease in water content in the concrete surface layer, and reduce penetration resistance; while at high wind speeds, retardant solution cannot stabilize its film formation, resulting in a poorer inhibitory effect on water evaporation from the concrete surface. At low wind speeds, water evaporation retardants spraying can also be used to improve the interlaminar splitting tensile strength of concrete to a certain extent, but it poses an adverse effect under high wind speeds, which may be related to the inability of retardant solution to form a stable film and the formation of laitance on the surface of the lower concrete layer. This paper presents a quantitative analysis on the effect of water evaporation retardants on the interlayer performance of concrete, thus helping improve its performance control.

Key words: low-heat cement concrete, penetration resistance, surface water content, splitting tensile strength, water evaporation retardants