Strain-hardening cementitious composites (SHCC) have a high tensile strength and display a remarkable strain-hardening behaviour. These unique characteristics make them an interesting choice for improving the strength and durability of new and existing structures. The tensile strain behaviour of SHCC is strongly influenced by its rheological properties as they determine the hardened state behaviour such as fibre-bridging strength and ultimately the degree of multiple cracking. The presence of fibres significantly affects the rheological performance of SHCC.

This study aimed at investigating the relationship between rheological characteristics of SHCC mortar before and after the addition of different fibres. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), high modulus polyethylene (HDPE) and glass fibres were added at three different contents in order to assess their effect on the workability of SHCC. Flow tests along with rheological assessment were conducted to evaluate the fresh state behaviour of SHCC. The addition of fibres reduced the flowability of mix, especially at high dosages. A modified fibre influence factor was developed to characterize different types of fibres and was related to the viscosity and yield stress of the mix. ... Read more

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) has many advantages compared to vibrated concrete. A disadvantage is the lower robustness of fresh SCC. SCC is more sensitive to small changes in the mix design, material properties, and the applied production methods. In an experimental program, the influence of important mix design parameters on the robustness of SCC was studied. First, the influence of the paste volume and the water-to-powder volumetric ratio was investigated. Depending on the mechanisms providing stability in the mixture, different levels of impact were observed. When the yield stress is the main factor providing stability in the mixture, a change in the water content will mainly affect the yield stress, making the stability of the yield stress the most important factor determining the robustness of the mixture and can be improved by lowering the paste volume. Analogue, the sensitivity of the plastic viscosity is determining the robustness of mixtures in which mainly the plastic viscosity is providing stability. The robustness of such a mixture can be improved by increasing the water-to-powder volumetric ratio. The influence of two types of viscosity modifying agents (VMA's) on the robustness of fresh SCC was examined in a second stage. The two used VMA's (diutan gum and attapulgite clay) were especially effective in SCC mixtures having a high yield stress and a low plastic viscosity. In mixtures having a low yield stress and a high plastic viscosity, the inclusion of a VMA in the mix design resulted in a decrease of the robustness. ... Read more

In spite of the many advantages, the use of self-compacting concrete (SCC) is currently widely limited to application in precast factories and sihiations in which external vibration would cause large difficulties. One of the main limitations is the higher sensitivity to small variations in mix proportions, material characteristics and procedures, also referred to as the lower robustness of SCC compared to vibrated concrete. This paper investigates the mechanisms governing the robustness at paste level. Phenomenological aspects are examined for a series of paste mixtures varying in water film thickness and superplasticizer-to-powder ratio. The impact of small variations in the water content on the early-age structural buildup and the robustness of the paste rheology is investigated using rotational and oscillating rheometiy. ... Read more