Etude de l'interface milieu granulaire-paroi rugueuse par approches expérimentale et numérique - Application aux bétons

International audienceLa qualité des parements, les poussées et le pompage des bétons sont liés au frottement du béton contre la paroi. L'objectif de cette étude est de comprendre les phénomènes se produisant à l'interface béton frais-paroi à l'échelle des grains. L'étude de l'interface a été réalisée sur un modèle simplifié qui consiste à déplacer une paroi rugueuse sous un empilement monodisperse confiné. Des expériences sur un dispositif expérimental et des simulations sur un modèle numérique aux éléments discrets ont été menées. Les résultats expérimentaux montrent qu'à proximité de l'interface, les mouvements de billes dépendent de la rugosité de la paroi. De même, l'étude numérique montre que la force de frottement et l'état de cisaillement près de l'interface sont étroitement liés aux caractéristiques de la paroi rugueuse

Structural build-up of cementitious paste with nano-Fe3O4 under time-varying magnetic fields

The structural build-up of cementitious paste with nano-Fe3O4 under time-varying magnetic fields was experimentally investigated using small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) technique. Several modes of magnetic fields, such as constant, sudden-changed and linearly-changed, were applied to the cementitious paste. Results showed that the structural build-up of the cementitious paste depended on the magnetizing time and magnetic field strength. Applying constant magnetic fields improved the liquid-like behavior during first minutes and afterwards the solid-like property was enhanced. Both the sudden-increased and sudden-decreased magnetic fields resulted in a sharp decrease in storage modulus. The linearly increasing magnetic field resulted in a slight increase in storage modulus but higher liquid-like behavior. When the magnetic field was linearly decreased from 0.5 T to approx. 0.25 T, the structural build-up was enhanced significantly, and with the continuously decreasing magnetic field from approx. 0.25 T to 0 T, a decrease in storage modulus was observed

Structure-property relationships for polycarboxylate ether superplasticizers by means of RAFT polymerization

Hypothesis: Polycarboxylate ether (PCE) comb-copolymers are widely used as water reducing agents in the concrete industry while maintaining a high fluidity via the polymer adsorption to the cement particles. PCE copolymers with a broad range of structures are well established by Free radical polymerization, however, understanding the structure-property relationship is still complex due to the high polydispersity of PCE copolymers prepared by conventional polymerization. The influence of different structural parameters using well-defined polymeric structures is yet to be explored. Experiments: In this study, two different types of comb-like random copolymers, namely polycarboxylate ether (PCE; poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate/methacrylic acid)) and polysulfonate ether (PSE; poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate/sodium 4-styrenesulfonate)), were synthesized by RAFT polymerization to enable the synthesis of polymers with controlled features. The effect of charge types and side chain lengths on the adsorption, rheology, and dispersing ability of cement pastes have been studied. Findings: RAFT polymerization could be used to prepare PCE random copolymers with good control over the polymer molecular weight and narrow polydispersity (D < 1.3). Results revealed that the zeta-potential values depend on both the charge type and side chain lengths. Copolymers containing SO3- exhibited higher absolute negative zeta-potential values than COO- while PCE copolymers with shorter side chains developed higher absolute negative zeta-potential values. On the other hand, the adsorption study demonstrated that decreasing the side chain lengths lead to higher adsorption of PCE copolymers while Copolymers with COO- groups were found to be adsorbed more than SO3- counterparts. These results are further confirmed with the rheological studies and it is found that the shorter the side chain, the lower the yield stress and the higher the dispersion of cement pastes but to a limited effect. Additionally, the charge types have a major influence on the performance of superplasticizers. This study could make further progress in establishing superplasticizers with controlled architectures for better performance

CFD implementation of time-dependent behaviour : application for concrete pumping

Sorptivity describes the pore connectivity of cementitious materials. This property is widely used for the assessment of the resistance of concrete to the ingress of aggressive agents. However, anomalous behaviour of cementitious materials during water uptake is usually reported. This is possibly explained by the effect of the hygroscopic nature of cementitious materials on the dynamics of the process. Water affinity of C-S-H might turn it into an imbibant and cause swelling as the material is exposed to water. Development of swelling can cause a variable hydraulic diffusivity of the material with time, and this is consistent with the deviation from the progress of the water uptake with the square root of time in the short term usually reported in the literature for the particular case of cementitious materials. This paper provides experimental results in support of the occurrence of swelling during water uptake in mortar samples. Consequently, the term capillary imbibition instead of capillary absorption seems more appropriate for describing the water uptake by capillarity of cementitious materials, as imbibition is usually connected to swelling. The idea of cementitious materials as rigid materials during water uptake seems incomplete for a complete description of the process

Rheological behavior of cement paste with nano-Fe3O4 under magnetic field : magneto-rheological responses and conceptual calculations

The magneto-rheological responses of cement paste with nano-Fe3O4 particles are experimentally investigated. The estimated magneto-dynamic force between two neighboring nanoparticles and equilibrium movement velocity of the nanoparticles in cement-based suspensions are calculated. Results show that the nanoparticles have a potential to move to form magnetic clusters when a magnetic field is applied, which creates a sort of agitation effect breaking down the early C-S-H links between cement particles, and thus the corresponding suspensions exhibit liquid-like behavior immediately after applying the magnetic field. The solid-like property of the studied suspensions becomes more dominant with magnetizing time due to the formation of magnetic clusters and the reconstruction of C-S-H bridges. The rheological properties of paste medium exert significant influences on the magneto-rheological responses of cement paste containing nano-Fe3O4 particles. It is revealed that the calculated magnetic yield parameter and nanoparticle movement velocity are useful relevant indicators to evaluate the magneto-rheological effect of cementitious paste

Quantitative assessment of the influence of external magnetic field on clustering of nano-Fe3O4 particles in cementitious paste

In view of active rheology control of cementitious materials, nano-Fe3O4 can be added as responsive particles. Following the concept of magnetorheological fluids, it is assumed that magnetic nanoparticles will form chains or clusters in cementitious paste following magnetic field lines. A quantitative experimental validation of this assumption is presented herein. The clustering of nano-Fe3O4 particles under magnetic fields is studied by mapping iron (Fe) element distribution in cementitious paste using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. By means of image analysis, the Fe-element patterns are quantified by the deviation of Fe-elements in a unit area from the mean value expected in case of a uniform distribution, as expressed by coefficient of variation (COV). The magneto-rheological responses of cementitious pastes are evaluated using small amplitude oscillatory shear technique. Results show that the magneto-rheological effect exhibits a linear relationship with the relative change of COV, providing a quantitative validation of magnetic clustering in cementitious paste

Rheological properties of cement paste with nano-Fe3O4 under magnetic field : flow curve and nanoparticle agglomeration

Understanding the influence of magnetic fields on the rheological behavior of flowing cement paste is of great importance to achieve active rheology control during concrete pumping. In this study, the rheological properties of cementitious paste with water-to-cement (w/c) ratio of 0.4 and nano-Fe3O4 content of 3% are first measured under magnetic field. Experimental results show that the shear stress of the cementitious paste under an external magnetic field of 0.5 T is lower than that obtained without magnetic field. After the rheological test, obvious nanoparticle agglomeration and bleeding are observed on the interface between the cementitious paste and the upper rotating plate, and results indicate that this behavior is induced by the high magnetic field strength and high-rate shearing. Subsequently, the hypothesis about the underlying mechanisms of nanoparticles migration in cementitious paste is illustrated. The distribution of the nanoparticles in the cementitious paste between parallel plates is examined by the magnetic properties of the powder as determined by a vibrating sample magnetometer. It is revealed that the magnetization of cementitious powders at different sections and layers provides a solid verification of the hypothesis

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century