• @bacon_pdp
    link
    01 month ago

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315398069_Effect_of_Sugar_on_Setting-Time_and_Compressive_Strength_of_Concrete

    And I quote: Beyond 0.06% use of sugar it is found that the both initial and final setting times drastically reduces.

    and a ton is 2000 lbs and we need only 0.1% to 0.2% of the mass to be sugar to significantly reduce setting times and cause concrete to be prone to crumbling Or 2 to 4 lbs for those that can’t math.

    So not far off in terms of sabotage but not precisely correct in terms of the exact effects produced.

    But the lesson can be better generalized, altering things from the engineered specification can with only subtle actions make breaking changes.

    Like the loading dock manager in the 1980s in Intel that cost them billions by opening the wafer containers and trying to count them… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGFhc8R_uO4

    • SadSadSatellite
      link
      fedilink
      11 month ago

      So it benefits up to .06%, but can be more prone to crumbling at much higher amounts. 2 to 4 lbs isn’t unreasonable to carry, but it has to be mixed in, and unfortunately the average cement truck is loaded with 32000-48000 lbs. Sneaking 40-75 bags of sugar into an active construction site seems a bit more risky.