Viscoelastic Properties of Fresh Cement Paste to Study the Flow Behavior

During concrete pumping, the migration and redistribution of particles occur in a pipe and the lubrication layer that forms between the bulk concrete and the pipe wall is the governing factor determining the flow behavior. In order to identify flow behavior of pumping, in this study, the viscoelastic properties related to the microstructural behavior of a flocculated suspension were examined by using dynamic oscillatory measurements. Cement paste is assumed to be a constituent material of the lubrication layer and ten cases of mixing design are employed by changing the proportions of mineral admixtures. The relationship between the yield stress obtained from the steady shear test and the dynamic modulus resulted from the oscillatory shear measurement was derived and the implications of the correlation are discussed. Moreover, based on the investigation of the viscoelastic properties with oscillatory measurements, the initial behavior of pumped concrete was analyzed systematically.