The relation between the structure of a ring and the structure of its additive group is studied in the context of some recent results in additive groups of mixed rings. Namely, the notion of the square subgroup of an abelian group, which is a generalization of the concept of nil-group, is considered mainly for mixed non-splitting abelian groups which are the additive groups only of rings whose all subrings are ideals. A non-trivial construction of such a group of finite torsion-free rank no less than two, for which the quotient group modulo the square subgroup is not a nil-group, is given. In particular, a new class of abelian group for which an old problem posed by Stratton and Webb has a negative solution, is indicated. A new, far from obvious, application of rings in which the relation of being an ideal is transitive, is obtained.

This paper presents new results concerning the structure of $\text{SI}$-groups and refines and purifies the results obtained in this field by Shalom Feigelstock [‘Additive groups of rings whose subrings are ideals’, Bull. Aust. Math. Soc.55 (1997), 477–481]. The structure theorem describing torsion-free $\text{SI}$-groups is proved in the associative case. Numerous examples of $\text{SI}$-groups are given. Some inconsistencies in Feigelstock’s article are noted and corrected.