Rheological Evaluation of Slump Flow Curves of Self-Consolidating Concrete From Instrumented Spread Table

Abstract

Abstract A series of tests has been performed on 18 self-consolidating concrete (SCC) mixtures with rounded aggregates (fluvial sand and gravel) and/or crushed aggregates (quartz porphyry and shell limestone) As an addition to concrete, either fly ash or limestone filler was used. The cement was always a Portland composite cement (CEM II/A-LL 32.5 R). The paste volume (including air pore volume) ranged from 348 to 468 dm3/m3. An instrumented spread table was used to record the flow spread and the flow time in certain intervals until a tested SCC mixture was completely spread. From the relationship between slump flow diameter and flow time, which is an exponential function, two parameters were established. The first parameter is equivalent to the slump flow diameter, and the second parameter is a coefficient for the damping of the concrete flow. It was found that the damping coefficient obtained from the instrumented spread table test correlated well with the plastic viscosity measured using a rheometer. The instrumented spread table test is easy to perform and less time consuming when compared to a rheometer test.