Numerical modelling of the filling of formworks with self-compacting concrete

Abstract

This paper describes the numerical modelling of the flow of self-compacting concrete (SCC) in column and wall formworks during the filling process. It is subdivided into four main parts. In the first part, the rheological properties of SCC and the theory regarding the pressure exerted by the SCC on the formworks are shortly described. In the second part, the formwork filling tests, which have been carried out at the Magnel Laboratory for Concrete Research of the Ghent University, are presented. The general layout of the tests and the measurement set-up are clearly described. In the third part, the numerical modelling of the flow of SCC using a commercially available solver is explained as well as the obtained results from the CFD simulations. Finally in the last part, a comparison is made between the measurements and the simulation results. The formwork pressures are hydrostatic for SCC pumped from the base of the formworks. © 2010 WIT Press.