Characteristics of Structural Breakdown in Plastic Concrete and Their Potentials for Quality Control

Abstract

The structural breakdown of plastic concrete when sheared in. a Couette-type rheometer is discussed with particular emphasis on the significant features of the resultant thixotropic break-down curve. A typical trace has four such significant features which characterise the mix. The significance of these features are analysed in relation to the functional requirements of plastic concrete in practice. Finally, the potentials of these features as on-line quality control parameters are discussed.