Passing ability of fresh concrete: A probabilistic approach

In the present paper, it is first reminded that the probability of granular blocking of a suspension crossing a flow contraction increases with the number of particles crossing the obstacles, their volume fraction and the ratio between the diameter of the particles and the contraction gap. It is moreover reminded that this phenomenon can be described using a simple dimensionless geometric parameter as this phenomenon only slightly depends on the rheology of the suspending fluid. An adaptation of this dimensionless parameter to the specific case of concrete is proposed and compared to experimental results. Finally, an application to the prediction of the passing ability of Ordinary Rheology Concrete (ORC) and Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) is proposed and compared to the European technical recommendations.