Engineering Commons^™

Pumping Of Concrete: Understanding A Common Placement Method With Lots Of Challenges, Dimitri Feys, Geert De Schutter, Shirin Fataei, Nicos S. Martys, Viktor Mechtcherine

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Several million cubic meters of concrete are pumped daily, as this technique permits fast concrete placement. Fundamental research has been performed and practical guidelines have been developed to increase the knowledge of concrete behavior in pipes. However, the pumping process and concrete behavior are not fully understood. This paper gives an overview of the current knowledge of concrete pumping. At first, the known physics governing the flow of concrete in pipes are introduced. A series of experimental techniques characterizing concrete flow behavior near a smooth wall to predict pressure-flow rate relationships are discussed, followed by recent developments in the use …