The Influence of Mineral Admixtures on the Rheology of Cement Paste and Concrete

Published

February 1, 2001

Author(s)

Chiara F. Ferraris, K H. Obla, R Hill

Abstract

Rheological tests on cement paste were used to successfully select the type and dosage of mineral admixtures that improved concrete workability. Among the six different mineral admixtures tested, the ultra fine fly ash (UFFA), was determined to give the best results by reducing the yield stress and viscosity. These improved rheological properties were not achieved by increasing the water demand and/or the high range water reducer admixtures (HRWR) dosage. Therefore, the addition of UFFA improved the concrete flow without a potential decrease of the hardened properties or an increase in cost. The conclusions reached based on cement paste tests were validated by concrete slump tests. The cement paste rheological data were also compared using two simpler tests, mini-slump and Marsh cone. The goal was to determine whether the simpler tests could be used to characterize the rheology of cement paste adequately. The conclusions are that these simpler tests are unreliable for measuring workability.

Citation

Cement and Concrete Research

Volume

31

Issue

No. 2

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

Local Download

Keywords

cement paste, concrete, marsh cone, mineral admixtures, mini-slump, rheology, rheometer, test methods

Citation

Ferraris, C. , Obla, K. and Hill, R. (2001), The Influence of Mineral Admixtures on the Rheology of Cement Paste and Concrete, Cement and Concrete Research, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=860245 (Accessed March 2, 2025)