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The LCPC BOX: a cheap and simple technique for yield stress measurements of SCC

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Abstract

This paper deals with two simple and cheap techniques to quantify the workability of Self Compacting Concrete (SCC). The first one is the standard slump flow test. It is demonstrated that, although the slump flow test is a good quality control empirical test, it is not correlated to the yield stress of the tested material as the thickness of the sample at flow stoppage is of the same order as the size of the largest particles. The second test, the LCPC box, is an alternative new test developed at LCPC. It fulfills all the conditions needed to correlate the measured empirical value to the yield stress of the SCC tested. The analysis, the description and the protocol of this new test are described in this paper.

Résumé

Deux essais permettant la quantification de l’ouvrabilité d’un Béton AutoPlaçant (BAP) sont analysés. Le premier est l’essai standard d’étalement. Nous démontrons que, malgré le fait que cet essai soit un essai de réception et de contrôle de qualité adapté, il n’est pas corrélé comme le cône d’Abrams au seuil d’écoulement du béton testé, l’épaisseur de l’échantillon à l’arrêt de l’écoulement étant du même ordre de grandeur que les granulats constitutifs. Le deuxième test, l’essai à la boite LCPC, est une nouvelle méthode alternative de mesure du seuil d’un BAP qui remplit toutes les conditions théoriques pour corréler le seuil du matériau à la grandeur mesurée. L’analyse de l’essai, sa description et son protocole opératoire clôturent l’article.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Thi Lien Huong N’Guyen and Z. Toutou for their experimental contribution to the present work and P. Coussot for the always useful discussions.

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Correspondence to Nicolas Roussel.

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Roussel, N. The LCPC BOX: a cheap and simple technique for yield stress measurements of SCC. Mater Struct 40, 889–896 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-007-9230-4

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