Simulation of Formwork Filling by Cement Fluid: The Effect of the Formwork Structure on Yield-stress Fluid

J. Park[1], N. Banerjee[1], M. Alfi[1], D. Feys[1]
[1]Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, MO, USA
Published in 2013

The flow of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) in formwork fillings was simulated as the flow of a single phase yield-stress fluid between two infinite plates by COMSOL Multiphysics®. The flow of SCC with varied rheological properties (yield stress and plastic viscosity) was verified in formworks with different configurations of reinforcement (rebars). Minimum and maximum limits of SCC rheological properties in each configuration were identified to avoid the presence of a dead zone. The simulation results showed that the occurrence of the dead zones was less likely in the configurations with a larger distance between the rebars or with a larger distance between rebar and the wall.