Coupled effect of time and temperature on variations of plastic viscosity of highly flowable mortar

Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is being increasingly used as construction material for its workability. However, the rheological properties of such concrete, which is made with significant concentration of high-range water-reducing admixture (HRWRA), depend in most cases on the casting temperature of the material. The study presented herein aimed at evaluating the coupled influence of time and temperature on the variations of plastic viscosity (µ) of micro mortar made with polymelamine (PMS), polynaphtalene (PNS) and polycarboxylate (PCP) polymer. In total, seven micro mortar mixtures proportioned with various binder compositions and water-to-binder ratios of 0.42 and 0.53 were prepared at 10 to 33 °C. Test results show that the plastic viscosity varies linearly with the coupled effect of time and temperature for mixtures made with PNS or PMS HRWRA. However, for mixtures made with PCP-HRWRA, both temperature and mixture proportioning have influence on the variation of viscosity with time.