Prediction of Concrete Pumping: Part II—Analytical Prediction and Experimental Verification

The primary objective of this study is to verify if the rheological properties of the lubricating layer obtained from the newly developed tribometer can give a good prediction of the real flow rates of pumped concrete. An equation for the calculation of the flow rates was derived considering the thickness and the rheological properties of the layer. Full-scale pumping tests were performed with pipelines of 350 and 548 m (383 and 599 yd) with seven different mixtures. From the test results and the comparison between the measured flow rates and the flow rates calculated from the equation, it was verified that the flow rates of pumped concrete can be accurately predicted before pumping according to the rheological properties of the lubricating layer measured with the tribometer. It was also found that the rheological properties of the lubricating layer remained constant during pumping, whereas the rheological properties of the concrete were found to vary.