ABSTRACT
In this study, we have investigated the possibility of using the Marsh cone as a viscometer. Rheological measurements along with digital image recording of Marsh cone flow on glycerol-water mixes were carried out. The equations needed to solve the flow problem are written in the case of a purely Newtonian viscous fluid. We show that flow time can be directly linked to the Newtonian viscosity. Flow time is proportional to viscosity. The Marsh cone is then used to test several cement pastes and measured flow time is compared to predicted flow time. The correlation between flow time and cement pastes apparent viscosity stays valid only for no yield stress cement pastes and for flow time higher than about 15 s.
RSUM
Dans cette tude, on a valu la possibilit dutiliser le cne de Marsh en tant que viscosimtre. Des mesures rhologiques, couples avec des enregistrements dimages numriques dcoulements au cne de Marsh, de mlanges de glycrol et deau ont t effectus. Les quations ncessaires pour rsoudre le problme ont t crites dans le cas dun fluide purement visqueux. On montre alors que le temps dcoulement est proportionnel la viscosit. Le cne de Marsh est ensuite essay sur des ptes de ciment pour lesquelles le temps dcoulement mesur est compar celui calcul. La corrlation entre le temps dcoulement et la viscosit apparente reste valide uniquement pour les ptes de ciment nayant pas de seuil dcoulement et pour des temps dcoulement suprieurs environ 15 s.
1. INTRODUCTION
The Marsh cone test is a simple approach to get some data about cement pastes rheological behaviour. It has already been used in cement based materials mix design [1-3] in order to define the super-plasticizer saturation point, i.e. the dosage beyond which the flow time does not decrease appreciably. It is also widely used in grout control, especially those used in geotechnical reinforcement, prestressed cable protection, petroleum cimentation. The test geometry depends on grout application and on standard [4, 5], but its principle is always the same. The time needed for a certain amount of material to flow out of the cone is recorded. This flow time is linked with the material fluidity. The longer the flow time is, the lower the fluidity is. By modelling analytically the flow in the Marsh cone, it is
possible to estimate the viscosity. Such a calculation is of great interest, since one is then able to calculate a physical parameter (viscosity [Pa.s]) instead of an empirical one (fluidity [s]). Before proposing that simple viscometer, it appears necessary to assess its accuracy. Moreover, this accuracy is affected by the often pseudo-plastic behaviour of some new grout mixes. It then becomes important to know the validity domain of this viscosity control device. In this study, we carry out Marsh cone and rheometric measurements on glycerol-water mixes in a first part. In a second part a simple modelling is proposed linking flow time to Newtonian viscosity. This calculation is then applied to various grout mixes flow measurements. We show that the Marsh cone test and the associated proposed calculation are relevant only when the grout behaviour is close to a Newtonian behaviour.
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MS 1615
SCIENTIFIC REPORT
Le Roy, Roussel
2. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
In the present study, two types of material are tested : water-glycerol mixtures and cement pastes. For waterglycerol mixtures tested on the Marsh cone, digital images were taken using a CCD camera. The test parameters are given in Table 1 for each material testing. They will be reminded when needed. Table 1 - Test parameters in the present study for the two tested materials
h (m) tan r (m) initial amount (dm3) flowing amount (dm3) H0 (m) Hf (m) Glycerol testing test standard N1 0.06 0.253 0.005 1.7 1.0 0.273 0.197 Cement pastes testing test standard N2 0.06 0.253 0.004 0.8 0.4 0.212 0.165
The orifice is opened and a stop watch started ; The material volume flowing through the nozzle as a function of time is recorded (Fig. 2). The final filling height is noted Hf. By video recording the flow, any Hf values may be chosen and studied.
z 152
Fig. 2 - Glycerol-water mix volume versus time for various mixes. Viscosity in [mPa.s] is mentioned in caption. Nozzle diameter equal 10 mm [experimental results and simulations].
H0 tan Hf 0 h
280
50
100
150
200
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Materials and Structures / Matriaux et Constructions, Vol. 37, Month 2004 then
8 h 1 1 1 1 4+ 3 r (r + H tan ( ))3 Q = g (H + h ) r 3h tan ( ) (6) with
Q = (r + H tan ( ))
2
dH dt
(7)
Fig. 4 - Shear stress in terms of strain rate during a viscometer test. Cement paste N2. If the paste is considered as a Bingham fluid, the plastic yield value Ki = 6 Pa and the plastic viscosity p = 200 mPa.s. The strain rate is ramped from 0 to 100 s-1 [experimental results].
If H0 is the initial conical part filling height, the flow time may be integrated :
tv = 8 3h tan( ) H +H ((1 + ) (tan2 ( )(H 0 H )( 0 + h) 3gr 3 tan( ) 2 r H +h 2 )) 2 tan( )(h tan( ) r )(H 0 H ) + (h tan( ) r ) LN ( 0 H +h r3 H tan( ) + r H +h ( LN ( 0 ) LN ( 0 ))) h tan( ) r H tan( ) + r H +h (9)
1 1 3V tan ( ) 3 3 H= (H 0 tan ( ) + r ) r tan ( )
- increasing speed from 0.15 s to 100 s in 60 s. Same measurements as above. In order to obtain the best accuracy measurements as possible, viscosity temperature correction were done on water glycerol mixtures so that rheometric and Marsh cone results could be compared.
-1
-1
3. FLOW EQUATIONS
The Poiseuille law for a Newtonian viscous fluid with a viscosity writes in the conical part for small values and if the flow is considered as a succession of steady states (slow flow):
Q=
with (10)
p 4 + g (r + z tan ( )) 8 z
(1)
(2)
where V is the volume that has flown out of the cylinder during a time tv. The fluid level decrease rate in the conical part accelerates through the test as shown on Fig. 5. Note that the debit decreases at the same time. The volume V increases linearly during approximately the first half of the test, as noticed by Nehdi [7] and as shown on Fig. 5. During this phase, the debit through the cylinder is constant. Nehdi considered only the flowing of
with p (H ) = 0 if the atmospheric pressure is the reference pressure. The pressure then writes
8 Q 1 1 (r + z tan( ))3 (r + H tan( ))3 (3) 3 tan( ) + g (H z ) p( z ) =
and
p(0) = gH 8 Q 1 1 3 tan ( ) r 3 (r + H tan ( ))3
(4)
(5)
Fig. 5 - Filling height in the conical part as a function of time for a purely viscous fluid. h = 0.06m; tan() = 0.253 ; H0 = 0.273; = 200 mPa.s ; = 2000 kg/m3; r = 0.005 m [simulation].
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Le Roy, Roussel the first 0.7 l out of the 1.1 l he tested. He attributed this non-linear evolution to an increased effect of friction, which is in a way correct. In fact, the friction stays the same but the pressure gradient which is the engine of the flow in the cylindrical part relatively decreases through the test as the fluid level in the conical part decreases. The pressure gradient variations at the beginning of the test are small (small variations of the fluid filling height) and become stronger at the end of the test when the phenomenon accelerates. This leads to a constant debit during the first part of the experiment which decreases only at the end of the total time needed to empty the cone. Last but far from the least, it should be noted that the flow time is proportional to the viscosity.
Fig. 6 - Comparison between the measured viscosity (viscometer) and the viscosity calculated upon the flow time value using (9). The x = y curve is also plotted in dash line [experimental results and simulation].
Fig. 7 - Prediction accuracy evolution as a function of nozzle diameter. Glycerol-water mix of viscosity [72 mPa.s].
Cement : CEM I 52,5 N CE ; Filler : Betocarb P2 MEAC ; Superplasticizer : Cimfluid Adagio 2019 ; Viscosity agent: Collaxim L4.
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5.2
The pastes behaviour parameters are identified using the viscometer test assuming that they behave as Bingham fluids with low yield stress. A test result example is plotted on Fig. 4. The results for each paste are given in Table 3.
diminishes very rapidly. In that domain, the modelling should be improved to take into account the plastic yield value.
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The filling volume is 0.8 L and the passing volume is 0.4 L. For this test standard, the initial height is H0 = 0.212 m and the final height is H = 0.165 m. The nozzle diameter is 8 mm. The measured flow times and rheological behaviour for each paste are given in Table 3 with experimental comments. Using the measured viscosity and the relation (9), one may then try to predict the flow time and compare it to the experimental flow time. This comparison is plotted on Fig. 8. It can be observed that low plastic yield is not detrimental to the viscosity prediction in most of practical marsh cone use. Nevertheless, beyond a plastic yield of 20 [Pa], the marsh cone accuracy Table 3 Experimental results of cement pastes flow time for the tested geometry. For the paste n11, the flow will not occur or will stop before 0.4 dm3 has passed through the nozzle
Cement pastes N 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Flow Time (s) 9.81 10.69 11.09 11.63 16.34 20.41 11.56 10.59 51.97 14.69 14.13 / Experimental comment Normal flow Normal flow Normal flow Normal flow Normal flow Normal flow Normal flow Normal flow Difficult flow Normal flow Normal flow No flow Plastic viscosity p (mPa.s) 170 170 200 220 270 290 200 170 500 240 240 610 Plastic Yield Value Ki (Pa) 0 5 6 10 19 28 7 5 40 18 8 60
7. CONCLUSIONS
This study presents an analytical modelling of the flow process in a Marsh cone. Based on this modelling, Newtonian fluid viscosity can be precisely calculated from the flow time. The authors of course recognize that more work is still needed in order to classify the Marsh cone as a on site viscometer. Repeatability and reproducibility still have to be studied. On a practical point of view, two issues are of high interest: effect of marginal change in water content on flow time and acceptable change in water content for a given grout. However, this is outside the scope of the present work that focused on the correlation between flow time and apparent viscosity. The limits of the approach presented in this work have two origins. On one hand, the excessive debit obtained on 5/6
Fig. 8 - Comparison between the measured flow time and the predicted flow time using (9) and the measured viscosity in Table 3. The x = y curve is also plotted [experimental results and simulation].
Le Roy, Roussel low viscosity grouts is responsible for the model discrepancy. This can be corrected by choosing a narrower nozzle. On another hand, plastic yield stress is not taken into account in the modelling. For yield stress values higher than 20 [Pa], it is considered that the test is no more suitable. In practice it should be emphasised that the Marsh cone has to be used within its application domain to reach its maximum efficiency as a control tool. admixtures and superplasticizer A study based on the Marsh cone test, Mater. Struct. 32 (221) (1999) 479485. [4] EN 445, Grout for prestressing tendons tests methods (1996). [5] ASTM C939-94a, Standard test method of flow of grout for preplaced-aggregate concrete (flow cone method) 470-471. [6] EN 12 715, Execution of special geotechnical work grouting (2000). [7] Nehdi, M., Mindess, S. and Atcin, P.C., Statistical modelling of the microfiller effect on the rheology of composite cement pastes, Adv. in Cem. Res. 9 (33) (1997) 37-46. [8] Cordin, J., SCC segregation : mix fitting parameters influence on SSC cement paste fresh behaviour, Internal report LCPC, France, (2002) [only available in French].
REFERENCES
[1] Atcin, P.C. and Baalbaki, M., Concrete admixtures Key components of modern concrete, Concrete technology: New trends, Industrial Applications, (E&FN Spon, London, 1994) 33 47. [2] De Larrard, F., Bosc, F., Catherine, C. and Deflorenne, F., The AFREM method for the mix-design of high performance concrete, Mater. Struct. 30 (201) (1997) 439-446. [3] Agullo, L., Toralles-Carbonari, B., Gettu, R. and Aguado, A., Fluidity of cement pastes with mineral
Paper received: September 15, 2003; Paper accepted: May 12, 2004
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