Nano-modification of the rheological properties of cementitious composites

This book chapter first provides a theoretical background regarding fluid and cementitious composites rheology. It is followed by available test methods to measure the rheological properties of cementitious composites. Finally, the effects of nanomaterials on the rheological behavior of such composites are discussed. Cementitious materials are classified as non-Newtonian fluids. Therefore rheological properties can be used to control the fresh properties of these materials. Flowability, compatibility, and stability are the essential fresh properties of cementitious materials correlated with rheology. However, the rheological characteristics of cementitious materials are not straightforward to measure owing to the presence of a wide range of grain sizes - from 1µm cement particles to 20mm aggregates. Hence the flow properties of cementitious materials are typically determined using approaches defined in codes, provided that most of these methods partially measure the flow characteristics of cementitious materials.