Numerical modeling of the flow of fresh concrete using the Herschel-Bulkley model

• Grant number: 15/08834-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2015
• End date: August 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Civil Engineering - Construction Industry
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Akira Kurokawa
• Grantee: Mateus Bernardes Duarte
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Among the many problems that have arisen, the problem of non-Newtonian fluid flow has attracted the attention of many researchers. Due to their complex rheology, their behavior is difficult to analyze, because it has a linear behavior. The development of numerical-computational approaches to simulate the behavior of non-Newtonian fluids is an extremely important topic for several economic activities. These fluids are present from the food industry, such as mayonnaise, ketchup and fruit pulp, to civil engineering, with the fresh concrete, the object of study of this project. Given the high cost of experimental and analytical studies of the major limitation, it is seen in the numerical simulation an important means of study and optimization of concrete technology. Thus, we note the importance of providing a numerical tool to assist in the investigation of the flow of fresh concrete. This research project is dedicated to the numerical analysis of the flow of fresh concrete using the FREEFLOW-3D system. Special attention is focused on the analysis and implementation of Herschel-Bulkley rheological model to evaluate the behavior of fresh concrete in the 3D case. (AU)