Investigations on the Influence of Binders toward Rheological Behavior of Cementitious Pastes

Abstract

The lubrication layer of concrete plays a vital role in the pumping of concrete. In the present study, the influence of different types of binders ordinary portland cement (OPC), Portland pozzolana cement (PPC), portland slag cement (PSC), and solid volume fraction on the flow properties of the lubrication layer (cementitious pastes) corresponding to 3 grades (M30, M40, and M50) of concrete were investigated. From the results, it is evident that the solid volume fraction (SVF) and shape of binders influence the rheology of cementitious pastes predominantly. Specifically, nonlinear behavior is much pronounced with SVF>0.46 because of shear thickening of cementitious pastes in addition to the shape of particles. Further, this study also emphasizes the need for assessment of the lubrication layer through fundamental parameters (yield stress and plastic viscosity) compared with empirical parameters (spread). The research findings of this paper will be helpful in understanding the pumping potential of concretes with similar cementitious paste composition.