Page 13 - ICJ Jan 2026

TECHNICAL PAPER

• A good understanding of optimizing the SP and VMA [5] Mahesh, Y. V. S. S. U., and Santhanam, M. (2004). “Simple
dosage helps in rheological control of flowable concrete test methods to characterize the rheology of self-
such as SCC. compacting concrete”, The Indian Concrete Journal,

• Adoption of rheology control can also help bring about the Vol. 78, No. 6, pp. 39-43.
pumping of heavy density concrete, which is usually very [6] Senthil Kumar, V., and Santhanam, M. (2004). “Use of
difficult. particle packing model to produce HPC at optimum
• Special concretes such as 3D printable concrete have cement content”, The Indian Concrete Journal, Vol. 78,
different rheological needs during the process of material No. 12, pp. 22-28.
delivery and printing, which requires a close attention to [7] Nanthagopalan, P., Haist, M., Santhanam, M., and
fresh state characteristics. A suite of tests can be done to
establish the ideal properties required for printability. Müller, H. S. (2008). “Investigation on the influence of
granular packing on the flow properties of cementitious
The studies described in this paper can be further bolstered suspensions”, Cement and Concrete Composites, Vol. 30,
by additional research that can help address some of the No. 9, pp. 763-768.
limitations, such as:
[8] Prakash, N., and Santhanam, M. (2008). “A new approach
• Establishing the relationship between optimal packing to optimisation of paste composition in self-compacting
and rheology desired for the specific application – this can concrete”, The Indian Concrete Journal, Vol. 82, No. 11,
be made possible by addressing the excess paste that is
[22]
required. An example of this approach is provided in , pp. 11-18.
where an assessment of the excess paste – beyond the [9] Aitcin, P. C. (1998). "High-performance concrete",
voids content provided by optimal aggregate packing – 1 Edition, CRC Press, London,UK
st
is determined for SCC. However, this kind of approach
requires extensive validation for different types of concrete. [10] Kantro, D. L. (1980). "Influence of water-reducing
admixtures on properties of cement paste: A miniature
• While the use of rheometers has increased over the years,
slump test", Cement, Concrete and Aggregates, Vol. 2,
affordability and deficiencies in interpretation of results pp. 95-102.
have resulted in limited use of these instruments. It is
therefore important to correlate the rheology assessment [11] Nanthagopalan, P., and Santhanam, M. (2010). “A new
using rheometers with the results of empirical tests that are empirical test method for the optimization of viscosity
described in this paper. Further, it would be advantageous modifying agent in self compacting concrete”, Materials
to arrive at a clear link between paste, mortar and concrete and Structures, Vol. 43, pp. 203-210.
rheology, so that the control of concrete fresh properties [12] Santhanam, M., Venkatachalapathy, V., Sivathanu Pillai,
can be done by controlling paste rheology, which is easier
to measure. C.,and Gettu, R. (2010). “Mechanical properties of high
density concrete used in fast reactors for structural
and shielding purposes”, Journal of the Institution of
REFERENCES
Engineers, India: Civil Engineering Division, Vol. 91, No. 9,
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No. 9, pp. 1324-1331. (2023). “Workability assessment of pumpable structural
grade heavy weight concrete using novel coaxial cylinder
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[14] Rahul, A. V., Santhanam, M., Meena, H., Zimam, G. (2019).
[3] Nanthagopalan, P., and Santhanam, M. (2012). “An
empirical approach for the optimisation of aggregate “3D printed concrete: Mixture design and test methods”,
combinations for self-compacting concrete”, Materials and Cement and Concrete Composites, Vol. 97, pp. 13-23.
Structures, Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 1167-1179. [15] Rahul, A. V., Sharma, A., Sharma, G., and Santhanam, M.
[4] Banfill, P. F. G. (2003). “The rheology of fresh cement and (2020). “A desorptivity-based approach for the assessment
concrete: A review”, Proceedings of the 11 International of phase separation during extrusion of cementitious
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Cement Chemistry Congress, 5 -16 May 2023, Durban, materials”, Cement and Concrete Composites, Article
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58 THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JANUARY 2026