Influences of shear-mixing rate and fly ash on rheological behavior of cement pastes under continuous mixing

The shear rate experienced by the cement pastes inside fresh concrete depends on the placing operations and the nature of concrete, and it plays an important role in the evolution of rheological properties and stability of fresh concrete over time. In this study, the effects of continuous shear mixing and fly ash on thixotropy, apparent viscosity, and shear-thickening behavior of cement pastes were experimentally investigated. Various shear rates of 1 s−1, 15 s−1 and 30 s−1 were selected to continuously shear the cement pastes. Results showed that the action of high-rate shear mixing slowed down the evolution of thixotropy, but the efficiency of reduction was gradually limited. Under the state of continuous shear mixing, the apparent viscosity of reference paste was significantly increased and the shear-thickening intensity at higher shear rate range was decreased. However, for the cement pastes containing fly ash, only slight increase in apparent viscosity was observed and the shear-thickening intensity also exhibited a slight increase behavior. It would be an effective way to hinder the evolution of flocculation structure by exerting a continuous shear mixing at an appropriate shearing rate and adding fly ash.