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Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2020) | Viewed by 49478

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
TU Dresden, Germany
Interests: fiber-reinforced cement-based composites; impact resistance; fresh concrete processing; concrete durability

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Guest Editor
TU Dresden
Interests: cement paste; concrete; hydration; rheology; processing; sustainability

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Guest Editor
Institute of Construction and Building Materials, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
Interests: multiscale modeling; hydration and transport modeling; sustainable binders; thermal energy storage; ultralight foams
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

The processing of cement-based building materials is the technological core in the construction and maintenance of structures. Although formability in the fresh state offers almost unlimited possibilities for shaping the structures and the development of new construction techniques, today, only a little fraction of this enormous potential is used. To master rheology-based processes and develop novel and highly innovative construction technologies, further significant progress is needed in the widening and deepening of the scientific framework for the rheology of fresh concrete and related materials. This Special Issue invites original articles dedicated to the following topics: • Interactions of reactive (hydrating) particles on the microscale, including the quantification of influences (morphology, chemistry, temperature, time, etc.) and the modeling of particle interactions; • Strategies and concepts for the description of deformation and flow processes of fresh concrete based on microscale processes and taking into account mesoscopic processes (segregation, deaeration, fiber distribution, etc.); • Analysis of the relevant processing operations of fresh concrete (transport, casting, compaction, finishing, etc.) using scientific tools and methods of rheology; • Measurement methods for the detection of the fresh concrete behavior at different levels of consideration and for various claim scenarios; • Constitutive material relationships for fresh concrete to simulate the phases and actions of processing.

Prof. Viktor Mechtcherine
Dr.-Ing. Egor Secrieru
Prof. Dr. Eddie Koenders
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Fresh concrete
  • Processing
  • Rheology
  • Measurement methods
  • Interactions of reactive particles
  • Constitutive material relationships

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Published Papers (15 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1109 KiB  
Article
Modeling SAOS Yield Stress of Cement Suspensions: Microstructure-Based Computational Approach
by Neven Ukrainczyk, Mareike Thiedeitz, Thomas Kränkel, Eddie Koenders and Christoph Gehlen
Materials 2020, 13(12), 2769; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13122769 - 18 Jun 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2880
Abstract
Two static yield stress models, one known as YODEL and the newly proposed BreakPro, based on inter-particle bond breaking probability, were employed to comparatively simulate the yield stress of cement suspensions, induced by oscillatory rheological tests with small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS). This [...] Read more.
Two static yield stress models, one known as YODEL and the newly proposed BreakPro, based on inter-particle bond breaking probability, were employed to comparatively simulate the yield stress of cement suspensions, induced by oscillatory rheological tests with small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS). This yield stress occurs at a critical strain in the order of 0.01%, and is commonly attributed to the limit of the linear viscoelastic domain, where attractive forces bridge the cement particles and form a flocculated particle network. YODEL is based on van der Waals (vdW) interaction forces to describe the yield stress for flow onset at a critical strain of a few percent, developed for simple non-reactive particulate suspensions. However, due to the high pH and reactivity of cementitious suspensions, their particle interaction forces are much higher than vdW. Therefore, until now, the YODEL adaptations to cementitious suspensions did not explicitly consider the microstructural-based salient feature of the original model, but used it as an implicit fitting parameter to scale the average attractive force. In this paper, the force is inversely estimated using the full power of the two microstructural-based models, presenting a new mathematical tool for investigating the fragility of the rigid percolated structure of cement suspensions. The model parameters were calibrated on measured yield stresses obtained by SAOS measurements in a high-sensitivity rheometer. The estimated forces were found to be 5.57 (BreakPro) and 1.43 (YODEL) times higher than typical van der Waals forces. The YODEL percolation threshold of 21% turned out to be significantly lower than the one found by the BreakPro model (37%). This indicated that BreakPro modeling assumptions are better suited for the description of yield stress at SAOS critical strain than the YODEL model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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19 pages, 28788 KiB  
Article
An SPH Approach for Non-Spherical Particles Immersed in Newtonian Fluids
by Nadine Kijanski, David Krach and Holger Steeb
Materials 2020, 13(10), 2324; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13102324 - 19 May 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3085
Abstract
Solid particles immersed in a fluid can be found in many engineering, environmental or medical fields. Applications are suspensions, sedimentation processes or procedural processes in the production of medication, food or construction materials. While homogenized behavior of these applications is well understood, contributions [...] Read more.
Solid particles immersed in a fluid can be found in many engineering, environmental or medical fields. Applications are suspensions, sedimentation processes or procedural processes in the production of medication, food or construction materials. While homogenized behavior of these applications is well understood, contributions in the field of pore-scale fully resolved numerical simulations with non-spherical particles are rare. Using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) as a simulation framework, we therefore present a modeling approach for Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of single-phase fluid containing non-spherically formed solid aggregates. Notable and discussed model specifications are the surface-coupled fluid–solid interaction forces as well as the contact forces between solid aggregates. The focus of this contribution is the numerical modeling approach and its implementation in SPH. Since SPH presents a fully resolved approach, the construction of arbitrary shaped particles is conveniently realizable. After validating our model for single non-spherical particles, we therefore investigate the motion of solid bodies in a Newtonian fluid and their interaction with the surrounding fluid and with other solid bodies by analyzing velocity fields of shear flow with respect to hydromechanical and contact forces. Results show a dependency of the motion and interaction of solid particles on their form and orientation. While spherical particles move to the centerline region, ellipsoidal particles move and rotate due to vortex formation in the fluid flow in between. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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16 pages, 2433 KiB  
Article
Effect of Pre-Shear on Agglomeration and Rheological Parameters of Cement Paste
by Mareike Thiedeitz, Inka Dressler, Thomas Kränkel, Christoph Gehlen and Dirk Lowke
Materials 2020, 13(9), 2173; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13092173 - 8 May 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2827
Abstract
Cementitious pastes are multiphase suspensions that are rheologically characterized by viscosity and yield stress. They tend to flocculate during rest due to attractive interparticle forces, and desagglomerate when shear is induced. The shear history, e.g., mixing energy and time, determines the apparent state [...] Read more.
Cementitious pastes are multiphase suspensions that are rheologically characterized by viscosity and yield stress. They tend to flocculate during rest due to attractive interparticle forces, and desagglomerate when shear is induced. The shear history, e.g., mixing energy and time, determines the apparent state of flocculation and accordingly the particle size distribution of the cement in the suspension, which itself affects suspension’s plastic viscosity and yield stress. Thus, it is crucial to understand the effect of the mixing procedure of cementitious suspensions before starting rheological measurements. However, the measurement of the in-situ particle agglomeration status is difficult, due to rapidly changing particle network structuration. The focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) technique offers an opportunity for the in-situ investigation of the chord length distribution. This enables to detect the state of flocculation of the particles during shear. Cementitious pastes differing in their solid fraction and superplasticizer content were analyzed after various pre-shear histories, i.e., mixing times. Yield stress and viscosity were measured in a parallel-plate-rheometer and related to in-situ measurements of the chord length distribution with the FBRM-probe to characterize the agglomeration status. With increasing mixing time agglomerates were increasingly broken up in dependence of pre-shear: After 300 s of pre-shear the agglomerate sizes decreased by 10 µm to 15 µm compared to a 30 s pre-shear. At the same time dynamic yield stress and viscosity decreased up to 30% until a state of equilibrium was almost reached. The investigations show a correlation between mean chord length and the corresponding rheological parameters affected by the duration of pre-shear. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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13 pages, 2413 KiB  
Article
Effect of Different Shear Rates on Particle Microstructure of Cementitious Materials in a Wide Gap Vane-in-cup Rheometer
by Mahmoud Eslami Pirharati, Hans-W. Krauss, Carsten Schilde and Dirk Lowke
Materials 2020, 13(9), 2035; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13092035 - 27 Apr 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2704
Abstract
Rheological properties of cementitious suspensions are affected not only by their mixture composition but also by process-related factors such as shear history. To enable a model-based description, investigations were carried out on the effect of shear history (shear rate variation over time) on [...] Read more.
Rheological properties of cementitious suspensions are affected not only by their mixture composition but also by process-related factors such as shear history. To enable a model-based description, investigations were carried out on the effect of shear history (shear rate variation over time) on the cement paste agglomeration state. Therefore, a Focused Beam Reflectance Measurement (FBRM) system and a wide gap rheometer were coupled to study the relation between shear history and in-situ chord length distribution simultaneously, indicating particle agglomeration. Hence, the effect of average shear rates (resulting from the applied shear profile), as well as shear rate distribution within the gap (local shear rates) on the particle agglomeration state have been investigated. The rheological properties of cement paste were evaluated with the Reiner–Riwlin approach. Furthermore, the agglomeration state of the particles was compared for different average shear rates and local shear rates at various positions of the FBRM probe. The results show that the median chord length increases in all positions when the average shear rate is decreased, indicating increasing particle agglomeration. Moreover, due to variable local shear rates at different FBRM probe positions, different agglomeration states are observed, resulting from two factors, shear rate dependent particle agglomeration and shear-induced particle migration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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20 pages, 8672 KiB  
Article
The Influences of Cement Hydration and Temperature on the Thixotropy of Cement Paste
by Julian Link, Thomas Sowoidnich, Christopher Pfitzner, Teba Gil-Diaz, Frank Heberling, Johannes Lützenkirchen, Thorsten Schäfer, Horst-Michael Ludwig and Michael Haist
Materials 2020, 13(8), 1853; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13081853 - 15 Apr 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4020
Abstract
The rheological properties of fresh cement paste are highly influenced by a large number of parameters, among which the most important factors are the applied shear stress, and the shear history, the age of the sample and the temperature. The effects of these [...] Read more.
The rheological properties of fresh cement paste are highly influenced by a large number of parameters, among which the most important factors are the applied shear stress, and the shear history, the age of the sample and the temperature. The effects of these parameters on the yield stress (designated as structural limit stress in this work), the viscosity and the structural recovery rate (i.e., the change in dynamic viscosity with time at rest) were studied. In parallel, the changes in ion composition of the carrier liquid, mineral phase content and granulometry were investigated. The results reveal that all investigated rheological parameters exhibit an approximated bi-linear trend with respect to the degree of hydration, with a period of quasi-constant properties until a degree of hydration of approximately 0.07, followed by a non-linear increase. This increase could be attributed to the formation of calcium hydroxide (CH) and calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) via calorimetry results. With regard to the effect of the shear history of the sample on the rheological properties, the structural limit stress showed a minor dependency on the shear history immediately after the end of shearing, which, however, vanished within the first minute at rest. The same is true for the structural recovery rate. The presented results give detailed insights into the influences of hydration and shear on the rheological properties—especially the thixotropy—of fresh cement pastes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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15 pages, 1428 KiB  
Article
Estimation of Lubrication Layer Thickness and Composition through Reverse Engineering of Interface Rheometry Tests
by Alexis Salinas and Dimitri Feys
Materials 2020, 13(8), 1799; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13081799 - 11 Apr 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 2546
Abstract
During concrete pumping, a lubrication layer is formed near the pipe wall. Extensive research has been performed on measuring and modeling the properties of this layer and using these values to predict pumping pressures. However, there are numerous discussions in the literature about [...] Read more.
During concrete pumping, a lubrication layer is formed near the pipe wall. Extensive research has been performed on measuring and modeling the properties of this layer and using these values to predict pumping pressures. However, there are numerous discussions in the literature about the composition and thickness of this layer: can it be considered mortar, a micromortar, or is it cement paste? In this paper, possible solutions for the thickness and composition of the lubrication layer are derived from interface rheometry tests. It is assumed that the lubrication layer is composed of one or more concentric layers of paste or micromortar. To accomplish this determination, the rheological properties of the composing paste, mortars with different maximum particle sizes and concrete need to be known. Challenges arising from using different rheometers and from the sensitivity of the paste rheology to shearing are addressed in this contribution. The results show that, mathematically, a single layer of homogeneous paste or mortar with different maximum particle sizes can be responsible for the formation of the lubrication layer. Physically, however, the composing material should contain sand particles to some extent, as particle migration is proportional to the size squared. If the literature results from pumping are applicable to the results obtained in this paper, it seems that the lubrication layer is composed of a mortar with a maximum particle size of around 1 to 2 mm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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17 pages, 2580 KiB  
Article
L-Box Form Filling of Thixotropic Cementitious Paste and Mortar
by Mareike Thiedeitz, Nasime Habib, Thomas Kränkel and Christoph Gehlen
Materials 2020, 13(7), 1760; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13071760 - 9 Apr 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2623
Abstract
Rheological properties of cementitious pastes and mortar affect the casting, placement, and setting properties of fresh concrete. Fundamental rheological knowledge thus helps in predicting concrete flowability and workability. Empirical equations correlate actual rheological parameters based on physical material characteristics to workability tests. Still, [...] Read more.
Rheological properties of cementitious pastes and mortar affect the casting, placement, and setting properties of fresh concrete. Fundamental rheological knowledge thus helps in predicting concrete flowability and workability. Empirical equations correlate actual rheological parameters based on physical material characteristics to workability tests. Still, these equations generally only take the dynamic yield stress of the material into account. This is not sufficient for thixotropic cementitious pastes or mortars, which possess structural buildup at rest. Workability predictions regarding the flow of concrete are thus more complicated with thixotropic materials. During form-filling in L-shaped formworks, the flow velocity of concrete slows down, wherefore rheological parameters change with time. At initial fast flow, high shear rates without structural buildup can be assumed. Dynamic yield stress and a steady state viscosity thus are proper parameters for empirical equations describing concrete flowability. During low shear rates, partial structural buildup takes place. Viscosity and yield stress increase due to agglomeration and affect the flowability of concrete tremendously. Rheological parameters of various cementitious pastes and mortars varying in their solid volume fraction and flowability were investigated in a vane-in-cup rheometer. The workability of the same mixtures was investigated by measuring the flow length in an L-shaped formwork. The effect of yield stress, viscosity, and thixotropic structural buildup on flow length was investigated. Subsequently correlations and discrepancies between flowability parameters and workability equations were analyzed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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15 pages, 3143 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Bleeding of Cement Suspensions on Their Rheological Properties
by Tabea von Bronk, Michael Haist and Ludger Lohaus
Materials 2020, 13(7), 1609; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13071609 - 1 Apr 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3904
Abstract
Flowable concretes tend to segregate. The risk of segregation is particularly high when the concrete is vibrated during the compaction process. A well-known segregation phenomenon is the so-called “bleeding”. This is a rise of water to the surface of the freshly poured concrete [...] Read more.
Flowable concretes tend to segregate. The risk of segregation is particularly high when the concrete is vibrated during the compaction process. A well-known segregation phenomenon is the so-called “bleeding”. This is a rise of water to the surface of the freshly poured concrete due to the difference in density between the mixing water and the concrete’s denser solid components (aggregates, cement and additives). This type of segregation occurs particularly within the paste. The focus of this paper is, therefore, on the sedimentation behavior at the microscale of concrete and especially on the influence of this process on rheological properties of the cement paste. In addition to common bleeding tests of cement suspensions using standing cylinders, rheometric measurements were performed on the suspensions during the bleeding process. A measuring procedure was developed for the rheometric measurements of the sedimenting cement suspensions. The rheological properties of the investigated cement suspensions were determined at four specific measuring times and at four specific measuring heights (i.e., positions) each. With this method it could be shown that the cement suspensions are not homogeneous over their height and that bleeding has a great influence on the rheological properties of cement suspension. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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16 pages, 2919 KiB  
Article
Effects of Volume Fraction and Surface Area of Aggregates on the Static Yield Stress and Structural Build-Up of Fresh Concrete
by Irina Ivanova and Viktor Mechtcherine
Materials 2020, 13(7), 1551; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13071551 - 27 Mar 2020
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 4265
Abstract
With increasing interest in the use of additive manufacturing techniques in the construction industry, static rheological properties of fresh concrete have necessarily come into focus. In particular, the knowledge and control of static yield stress (SYS) and its development over time are crucial [...] Read more.
With increasing interest in the use of additive manufacturing techniques in the construction industry, static rheological properties of fresh concrete have necessarily come into focus. In particular, the knowledge and control of static yield stress (SYS) and its development over time are crucial for mastering formwork-free construction, e.g., by means of layered extrusion. Furthermore, solid understanding of the influences of various concrete constituents on the initial SYS of the mixture and the structural build-up rate is required for purposeful material design. This contribution is concentrated on the effect of aggregates on these rheological parameters. The volume fraction of aggregates was varied in the range of 35% to 55% by volume under condition of constant total surface area of the particles. The total surface area per unit volume of cement paste was equal to 5.00, 7.25 and 10.00 m²/L, conditioned on the constant volume fraction of aggregates. Both variations were enabled by changing the particle size distributions of the aggregates while holding the cement paste composition constant for all concrete mixtures. To characterise the SYS and the structural build-up, constant shear rate tests with a vane-geometry rotational rheometer were performed. It was found that in the ranges under investigation the variation in volume fraction had a more pronounced effect on the static rheological properties of concrete than did the variation in surface area. An accurate mathematical description of the relationship between the initial SYS of concrete and the relative volume fraction of aggregate based on the Chateau–Ovarlez–Trung model was proposed. Challenges in deriving a similar relationship for the structural build-up rate of concrete were highlighted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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11 pages, 1665 KiB  
Article
Minimization of the Influence of Shear-Induced Particle Migration in Determining the Rheological Characteristics of Self-Compacting Mortars and Concretes
by Christian Baumert and Harald Garrecht
Materials 2020, 13(7), 1542; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13071542 - 27 Mar 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2344
Abstract
Determining the exact rheological properties of cementitious materials in fundamental units is a crucial step in concrete science. It is undisputed that before measuring rheological properties in concrete rheometers, it is necessary to pre-shear the fresh mortar or concrete. Due to the migration [...] Read more.
Determining the exact rheological properties of cementitious materials in fundamental units is a crucial step in concrete science. It is undisputed that before measuring rheological properties in concrete rheometers, it is necessary to pre-shear the fresh mortar or concrete. Due to the migration of the coarse particles into areas with lower shear stress, however, segregation takes place. An experimental set-up was developed to determine the effects on the measured values of the concrete rheometer ICAR. This allows the active homogenization (pre-shearing) of the material before each change of speed. In the tests higher raw values (macroscopic data) could be measured. This clearly influences the calculated rheological Bingham parameters and modified Bingham parameters for a self-compacting concrete (SCC) with a maximum grain size of 16 mm. Therefore, the homogeneity of the material, a main hypothesis of rheological measurements, does not seem to be fulfilled with the coaxial rheometer used. The process of the indispensable pre-shearing therefore requires more attention in the future so that measurement errors can be minimized. Especially in numerical simulation, suitable rheological models and the realistic determination of parameters are crucial. Since the shear-induced particle migration is largely dependent on the maximum grain size, an ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) with a maximum particle size of only 0.5 mm was also investigated in the laboratory mixer KNIELE KKM-RT. The integrated rheometer enables also the active homogenization of the fresh concrete during pre-shearing but without the danger of over-mixing, as it is the case for the experimental ICAR setup. This article proves that relevant differences can also be identified for such a material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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16 pages, 3492 KiB  
Article
Interaction of Different Charged Polymers with Potassium Ions and Their Effect on the Yield Stress of Highly Concentrated Glass Bead Suspensions
by Zichen Lu, Simon Becker, Sarah Leinitz, Wolfram Schmidt, Regine von Klitzing and Dietmar Stephan
Materials 2020, 13(7), 1490; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13071490 - 25 Mar 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2361
Abstract
The interaction of different charged polymers, namely anionic polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE) and neutral polyethylene glycol (PEG) with potassium ions, and their effect on the yield stress of highly concentrated glass bead suspension (GBS), were studied under different concentrations of potassium ions ([K+ [...] Read more.
The interaction of different charged polymers, namely anionic polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE) and neutral polyethylene glycol (PEG) with potassium ions, and their effect on the yield stress of highly concentrated glass bead suspension (GBS), were studied under different concentrations of potassium ions ([K+]). It was found that, compared to the neutral PEG, the negatively charged PCE can be adsorbed on glass beads (GB), and then decreases the yield stress of GBS. The increasing concentration of free polymer in the interstitial liquid phase with the increased polymer dosage leads to the higher yield stress of GBS, which may be caused by the higher depletion force. In addition, this effect is also related to the charge density of the polymer and the [K+] in the solution. Along with the increase in [K+], the yield stress of GBS increases significantly with the addition of PCE, but this cannot be observed with PEG, which indicates that potassium ions can interact with negatively charged PCE instead of the neutral PEG. At last, the interparticle forces between two single GB with adsorbed PCE in solutions containing [K+] and PCE were measured by colloidal probe atomic force microscopy to better understand the interaction of the charged polymer with counterions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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22 pages, 7086 KiB  
Article
Experimental Insights into Concrete Flow-Regimes Subject to Shear-Induced Particle Migration (SIPM) during Pumping
by Shirin Fataei, Egor Secrieru and Viktor Mechtcherine
Materials 2020, 13(5), 1233; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13051233 - 9 Mar 2020
Cited by 35 | Viewed by 3661
Abstract
In this paper, the authors have focused on shear-induced particle migration (SIPM), its effect on concrete flow patterns, and lubricating layer formation during pumping. For this purpose, various volume-fractions ϕ of aggregates were selected. The particle migration was analyzed by applying two methods: [...] Read more.
In this paper, the authors have focused on shear-induced particle migration (SIPM), its effect on concrete flow patterns, and lubricating layer formation during pumping. For this purpose, various volume-fractions ϕ of aggregates were selected. The particle migration was analyzed by applying two methods: sampling hardened concrete exposed to pumping and performing X-ray microcomputed tomography (μCT) and image analysis to determine the thickness of the lubricating layer due to SIPM. The results indicate that the first approach is unsuitable due to the nearly equal molecular density of particles and matrix. The second approach indicated that the actual thickness of the lubricating layer depends on the discharge rate as well as on ϕ and viscosity of concrete bulk; hence, it cannot be defined as a constant parameter for all concrete mixtures. Additionally, the concrete pipe-flow pattern, i.e., plug versus shear flow, was captured and studied while considering pumping pressure and discharge rate. It was concluded that particle migration is essential in the cases of both flowable and very flowable concretes with a high volume-fraction of solids. The changes in rheological properties caused by SIPM are severe enough to influence the definition of the flow pattern as plug or shear and the discharge rate of pumped concrete as well. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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12 pages, 3333 KiB  
Article
Experimental Investigation of the Pumping of a Model-Concrete through Pipes
by Martin A. Haustein, Moritz N. Kluwe and Rüdiger Schwarze
Materials 2020, 13(5), 1161; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13051161 - 5 Mar 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2885
Abstract
Many practical aspects of processing fresh concrete depend on its rheology, such as the pumping of the material. It is known that a lubricating layer is formed in the process, which significantly reduces the pumping pressure. However, these phenomena can hardly be considered [...] Read more.
Many practical aspects of processing fresh concrete depend on its rheology, such as the pumping of the material. It is known that a lubricating layer is formed in the process, which significantly reduces the pumping pressure. However, these phenomena can hardly be considered in the usual rheological measurements. A main problem is the optical inaccessibility of the material, which prevents estimations about, e.g., the thickness of the plug flow or particle migration. In this paper, the pneumatic pumping of a transparent model concrete is performed by means of a test plant. The flow profile over the entire pipe cross-section is resolved in time and space via Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements. This allows the comparison with the analytical flow profile from rheological measurements of the material using the Buckingham–Reiner equation. A reduction of the pressure loss to around 60% induced through segregation of the material is found. These measurements reflect the rheology of the material under realistic pumping conditions including particle migration. This makes it possible for the first time to observe a transparent material with concrete-like rheology under pulsating pumping conditions and to compare the true and calculated time-resolved pressure loss. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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22 pages, 12717 KiB  
Article
Investigation of the Incompatibilities of Cement and Superplasticizers and Their Influence on the Rheological Behavior
by Ursula Pott, Cordula Jakob, Daniel Jansen, Jürgen Neubauer and Dietmar Stephan
Materials 2020, 13(4), 977; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13040977 - 21 Feb 2020
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 3145
Abstract
The rheological behavior of cement paste and the improvement of its flowability takes center stage in many research projects. An improved flowability can be achieved by the addition of superplasticizers (SP), such as polycarboxylate ethers (PCE). In order to be able to use [...] Read more.
The rheological behavior of cement paste and the improvement of its flowability takes center stage in many research projects. An improved flowability can be achieved by the addition of superplasticizers (SP), such as polycarboxylate ethers (PCE). In order to be able to use these PCEs effectively and in a variety of ways and to make them resistant to changes in the environment, it is crucial to understand the influence of SPs on cement hydration. For that reason, the topic of this paper was the incompatibility of a specific SP and an ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The incompatible behavior was analyzed using rheological tests, such as the spread flow test and penetration test, and the behavior was compared by means of an ultrasound technique and explained by the phase content measured by in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) the heat evolution measured by calorimetry, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. We showed that the addition of the SP in a high dosage led to a prevention of the passivation of the most reactive and aluminum-containing clinker phases, aluminate and brownmillerite. This induced the aluminate reaction to take place in the initial period and led to an immediate stiffening of the cement paste and, therefore, to the complete loss of workability. The results showed that in addition to the ettringite, which began to form directly after water addition, hemicarbonate precipitated. The fast stiffening of the paste could be prevented by delayed addition of the SP or by additional gypsum. This fast stiffening was not desirable for SPs, but in other fields, for example, 3D printing, this undesirable interaction could be used to improve the properties of printable mortar. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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25 pages, 7182 KiB  
Article
Absolute Rheological Measurements of Model Suspensions: Influence and Correction of Wall Slip Prevention Measures
by Sebastian Pawelczyk, Marieluise Kniepkamp, Steffen Jesinghausen and Hans-Joachim Schmid
Materials 2020, 13(2), 467; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13020467 - 18 Jan 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4882
Abstract
Since suspensions (e.g., in food, cement, or cosmetics industries) tend to show wall slip, the application of structured measuring surfaces in rheometers is widespread. Usually, for parallel-plate geometries, the tip-to-tip distance is used for calculation of absolute rheological values, which implies that there [...] Read more.
Since suspensions (e.g., in food, cement, or cosmetics industries) tend to show wall slip, the application of structured measuring surfaces in rheometers is widespread. Usually, for parallel-plate geometries, the tip-to-tip distance is used for calculation of absolute rheological values, which implies that there is no flow behind this distance. However, several studies show that this is not true. Therefore, the measuring gap needs to be corrected by adding the effective gap extension δ to the prescribed gap height H in order to obtain absolute rheological properties. In this paper, we determine the effective gap extension δ for different structures and fluids (Newtonian, shear thinning, and model suspensions that can be adjusted to the behavior of real fluids) and compare the corrected values to reference data. We observe that for Newtonian fluids a gap- and material-independent correction function can be derived for every measuring system, which is also applicable to suspensions, but not to shear thinning fluids. Since this relation appears to be mainly dependent on the characteristics of flow behaviour, we show that the calibration of structured measuring systems is possible with Newtonian fluids and then can be transferred to suspensions up to a certain particle content. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Reactive, Multiscale, Multiphase Construction Materials)
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