Estimating time and temperature dependent yield stress of cement paste using oscillatory rheology and genetic algorithms

A controlled shear stress–shear rate rheometer was used to determine the viscoelastic behavior of cement paste incorporating various superplasticizers and subjected to prolonged mixing at high temperature. At a low applied shear stress range, the oscillatory shear strain/stress curve of cement paste was characteristic of a linear elastic solid; while the higher stress range was characteristic of a viscous liquid exhibiting a linear strain increase with increasing applied shear stress. The transition from solid-like to liquid-like behavior occurred over a very narrow stress increment. This transition stress corresponded to the yield stress parameter estimated from conventional flow curves using the Bingham model. The yield stress from oscillatory shear stress tests was estimated using the intersection between the viscous part of the oscillatory shear strain/stress curve and the oscillatory shear stress axis. In this study, equations describing the variation of shear strain versus shear stress beyond the solid–fluid transition for cement pastes incorporating various superplasticizers at different ambient temperatures and mixing times were developed using genetic algorithms (GA). The yield stress of cement pastes was subsequently predicted using the developed equations by calculating the stress corresponding to zero strain. A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of the mixing time, ambient temperature, and superplasticizer dosage on the calculated yield stress. It is shown that the computed yield stress values compare well with corresponding experimental data measured using oscillatory rheology.