Three-stage concept for the development, production and quality control of SCC

Integrated three-stage concept for the development, production and quality control of high-performance concretes

Change in plastic viscosity within the first 30 minutes after the end of the mixing period for five single-stage and three two-stage mixing processes in a high-intensity cone mixer

Torque-controlled measurement of the yield value [Nm] in the
high-intensity cone mixer

Diagram showing the nine pairs of speed/torque values measured in the high-intensity cone mixer. Yield value and plastic viscosity vary depending on the number of value pairs considered in the Bingham model

Diagram of the defined sinusoidal torque pattern for the amplitude sweep in the high-intensity cone mixer

Yield value (at zero speed) measured in the high-intensity cone mixer and nine pairs of speed/torque values to describe the rheology of an HVFA concrete. The yield value lies outside the tolerance range

The mix design of a durable, self-compacting concrete that is optimized using the software BétonLab Pro results in longer mixing times, which can be reduced significantly by applying multi-stage mixing processes in a high-performance cone mixer. In addition, the rheological characteristics of the concrete can be determined in the mixer for quality control purposes.

When developing new concrete mix designs, the durability of the concrete and the amount of primary energy consumed in the production process are becoming increasingly important over and above the traditional design requirements. In this setting, the outcome of the life cycle assessment is determined by the Portland cement clinker and plasticizer content in the mix. This inevitably leads to the requirement of reducing the amount of Portland cement whilst adding only a minor amount of plasticizer. In addition, a reduction in the water-binder ratio (which further reduces the paste content) is...