Towards a prediction of superplasticized concrete rheology

The rheology of concrete is influenced by water content, the amount, size and size distribution of all the solid components as well as by the dispersion of the finer particles through the addition of superplasticizers. In addition, the rheological behaviour over time evolves as a result of cement hydration. Consequently the a-priori prediction of concrete rheology is a complex task. In this article, models that have been and are being developed to achieve this task are discussed. The key role of the degree of dispersion will be underlined. A treatment of interparticle forces and a yield stress model integrating these will be presented. Such work is necessary to integrate the dispersion efficiency of superplasticizers based on their dosage and molecular structures into existing models for predicting concrete rheology.