Experimental analysis on rheological properties for control of concrete extrudability

In this study, we examined the relationship among the rheological properties, workability, and extrudability in the construction of concrete structures using additive manufacturing. We altered the component materials (binder type, water-binder (W/B) ratio, sand ratio) to assess their effect on the rheological properties experimentally. The results indicated that the W/B and sand ratios had the largest effect on the rheological properties. In particular, when the sand ratio increased, it indicated that adjusting the sand ratio would facilitate control over the rheological properties. Additionally, we compared the rheological properties with the results of a traditional workability evaluation, namely the table flow test. This indicated the possibility of inferring the rheological properties by using traditional methods. Finally, we evaluated extrusion quantity according to table flow. The extrusion rate was 350 g/s for a flow of 210 mm and 170 g/s for a flow of 130 mm, indicating that extrusion rate increased as flow increased; however, we concluded that a flow standard of approximately 140-160 mm is suitable for controlling the actual extrusion quantity and rate.