Numerical Simulation of Fresh Concrete (4) Three-Dimensional Discrete Element Simulation of U-Box Boxed and V-Funnel Test for Self-Compacting Concrete

Self-compacting concrete, requiring no consolidation work in site, has been developed in Japan to improve the reliability of con- crete. and concrete structures. The establishment of methods for the quantitative evaluation of the degree of self-compactibility is a key issue in establishing the mix design system. In the system cur- rently proposed, the Boxed test, U-box test and V-funnel test are utilized as the means of evaluation. In this paper, the numerical simulation of these test methods has been described. The Boxed and U-box filling tests are another type of test to evaluate the abil- ity of concrete to pass through reinforcing bars under its own weight. This evaluates self-compactability in terms of the concrete height after passing through parallel bars. The advantage of this test is the ease of measurement. The detailed dimensions of the Boxed and U-box test, used in the present simulation, are shown in Fig. 1. As a method of evaluating the self-compactibility of con- crete, a technique has been proposed for measuring deformation rate. Conventional funnel tests are used to measure the apparent viscosity of paste and grout. A funnel test is a simple mean of eval- uating the ability of concrete to pass through spaces. In other words, the funnel tests measured different relationships between solid particle size and funnel size in the case of concrete when compared with conventional relationships between powder parti- cle and funnel size.