Title: Behavior of Normal and High-Strength Behavior High-Strength Concretes During Vibration

Author(s): M. N. Soutos, J. H. Bungey, M. J. Brizell, and G. D. Henderson

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 186

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 391-408

Keywords: acceleration; amplitude; compaction; high-strength concretes; rheology; workability

DOI: 10.14359/5568

Date: 5/1/1999

Abstract:
Attempts to study the effect of vibration of fresh concrete have mainly been based on visual observation of, for example the radius of influence of the insertion vibrator, or the rate of flow of concrete down a tube when vibration is applied. The reason for this has been the difficulty of measuring the sinusoidal wave form created by mechanical vibrators. Advances in electronic equipment have made devices for measuring this wave form commercially available, and they have therefore been used in this research project to gain a better understanding of the consolidation process. The amplitude of the sinusoidal signal was calculated from the acceleration measured at distances up to 250mm from the surface of the insertion vibrator. Preliminary tests indicate that the amplitude of the vibratory wave decays exponentially with distance. The damping coefficient is greater for superplasticized high-strength concrete mixtures with low W/C than it is for normal-strength concretes. An attempt was made to relate the damping coefficients to the rheological properties, yield (g) and plastic viscosity (h) values determined from tests carried out with Tattersall's two point test apparatus. Both the yield (g) and plastic viscosity (h) values were found to increase by decreasing the W/C, despite the concrete having an equal slump of 150 mm. This shows that the slump values obtained by the use of high dosages of superplasticizers, as is the case with low W/C, are not directly comparable to those resulting from high water contents, with respect to the rheological behavior of concrete.