J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech.

139 (2006) 128–134

Flow of Herschel–Bulkley fluids through the Marsh cone

V.H. Nguyen a,∗ , S. Rémond a , J.L. Gallias a , J.P. Bigas a , P. Muller b
a L2MGC, Université de Cergy-Pontoise, 5 Mail Gay-Lussac, Neuville sur Oise, 95031 Cergy-Pontoise Cedex, France
b LM2S, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Boı̂te 161, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France

Received 4 April 2006; received in revised form 14 July 2006; accepted 14 July 2006

Abstract
Many studies on the rheology of cement grouts have shown that these materials are viscoplastic fluids presenting a yield stress. They can
present a rheological behavior of shear-thinning type or shear-thickening type. In all the cases, this behavior can be described satisfactorily by the
Herschel–Bulkley model, characterized by three parameters τ 0 , K and n, which relate the shear stress to the shear rate. The present study aims at
relating the rheological parameters of cement grouts to their flow time through the Marsh cone which characterizes in a practical way the fluidity of
grouts. A semi-analytical approach has been established initially on simple assumptions and then corrected based on numerical simulation results.
It presents a deviation lower than 12% compared to numerical simulations for a wide range of rheological characteristics of the Herschel–Bulkley
fluids. It has also been validated experimentally with success on some studied cement grouts of various water/cement ratios.
© 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Rheology; Grouts; Cement; Marsh cone; Herschel–Bulkley fluids

1. Introduction ica fume, fly-ashes, . . .) used in concretes. In the present study, a

Cement grouts are very often used for weak soils stabiliza-
tion, cracked solid masses reinforcement or prestressing sheaths
filling. They must have a sufficient fluidity to ensure a good
injection. The Marsh cone is a very simple and effective tool to
characterize globally this fluidity and to verify the formulations
constancy in laboratory and on building site. It consists of a trun-
cated cone equipped at its lower end of a removable cylindrical
nozzle. The characterization of the fluidity of cement grouts with
the Marsh cone consists in measuring the flow time of a given
volume of grout flowing out the Marsh cone. The shorter this
time is, the more the grout is fluid. The diameter of the nozzle
can be selected according to the rheological characteristics of
the grouts to obtain a suitable flow time. In most of the cases, it
is selected between 8 and 12 mm so that the flow time of 1 l of
grout is lower than 1 min. Standard NF P 18-358 [1] recommends
a nozzle of 10 mm of diameter for the fluidity measurement of
grouts used in prestress or for the evaluation of the action of
fluidifying admixtures. On the other hand, a nozzle of 8 mm of
diameter is recommended by standard NF P 18-507 [2] for the
determination of the water retention of mineral admixtures (sil-
nozzle of 8 mm of diameter is used. The Marsh cone equipped of
this nozzle is schematically represented in Fig. 1. The geometri-
cal dimensions (in millimetres) defined by standard NF P 18-358
[1] and their notation used in the paper are also represented in
this figure.
Many studies on the rheology of cement grouts have shown
that these materials are viscoplastic fluids presenting a yield
stress which must be reached by the shear stress so that the
flow takes place [3,4]. The rheological behavior of the grouts
can be shear-thinning type [5–7] or shear-thickening type [8,9],
depending on many parameters such as solid concentration
(water/cement ratio), interaction between particles (attractive
due to the effect of viscosity agents or repulsive due to the effect
of superplasticizers), size and shape of grains, . . . [10]. In all the
cases, it can be described satisfactorily by the Herschel–Bulkley
model [10,11] characterized by three parameters: yield stress τ 0 ,
consistency K and exponent n which relate, in the case of sim-
ple shear, the shear stress τ to the shear rate γ̇ by the following
relation:


γ̇ = 0, if τ < τ0
n (1)
τ = τ0 + Kγ̇ , if τ ≥ τ0

∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 134256935; fax: +33 134256941. When n = 1, the Herschel–Bulkley model is reduced to the
E-mail address: Viet-Hung.Nguyen@iupgc.u-cergy.fr (V.H. Nguyen). Bingham model which is also used in the literature to describe

0377-0257/$ – see front matter © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jnnfm.2006.07.009
 V.H. Nguyen et al. / J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 139 (2006) 128–134 129

considered as Herschel–Bulkley fluids through the Marsh cone,

we assume that:

- the fluid is incompressible;

- the free surface is plane;
- the flow in the cylindrical nozzle during an infinitesimal time
step is of Poiseuille type under the cumulated effects of gravity
and of the difference of pressure between the entry and exit of
the nozzle.

From the assumption of Poiseuille flow type in the nozzle

(steady and laminar flow of an incompressible fluid in a cylin-
der) under the effects of gravity and the difference of pressure p
between the entry and the exit of the nozzle, based on the con-
tinuity equation (mass conservation), on the dynamics equation
(momentum conservation) and on the Herschel–Bulkley equa-
tion (Eq. (1)), the following expression for the velocity profile
Fig. 1. Geometry and dimensions (in millimetres) of the Marsh cone.
in the nozzle can be deduced:
⎧
⎪ V = Vmax , if r ≤ r0
⎨  
the rheological behavior of cement grouts [4,7]. However, the (r − r0 )(n+1)/n (2)
⎪
⎩ V = Vmax 1 − , if r > r0
Bingham model cannot take into account the curvature of the (R − r0 ) (n+1)/n
flow curve which is generally significant at low shear rate [12].
It overestimates the yield stress for the shear-thinning fluids [12] where r is the radial distance and r0 is the radius of the non-
or underestimates, even gives a negative yield stress, for the sheared solid block, determined by:
shear-thickening fluids [13]. 2τ0
In spite of the widespread use of the Marsh cone for the flu- r0 = (3)
ρg + (p/H)
idity measurement of cement grouts on building site and the
numerous studies on the rheological behavior of the latter in ρ and g are, respectively, the density of the studied fluid and the
laboratory, very few studies until now have been devoted to the gravity acceleration and Vmax is the maximum velocity in the
relation between the flow time measured with the Marsh cone nozzle reached by the solid block, which has the expression:
and the rheological characteristics of the grouts. It seems that 

n 1 p 1/n
only Roussel and Le Roy [14] treated this problem by consider- Vmax = ρg + (R − r0 )(n+1)/n (4)
ing the cement grouts as Bingham fluids. To our knowledge, no n + 1 2K H
study related to the flow of the Herschel–Bulkley fluids through When r0 ≥ R, no flow is possible. On the contrary (r0 < R),
the Marsh cone has been carried out. We propose thus a semi- we can deduce from Eqs. (2) and (4) the average velocity V̄ at
analytical approach which allows to determine the flow time the exit of Marsh cone:
through the Marsh cone as a function of the rheological charac- 

teristics of the grouts considered as Herschel–Bulkley fluids. It nR R p 1/n  r0

V̄ = ρg + f (5)
is established initially on the basis of the following assumptions: 3n + 1 2K H R
incompressible fluid, plane free surface and flow of Poiseuille where
type in the nozzle. Because the last assumption is not veri- r
 2n  r0
2n2  r
2 
fied for all the fluids, a corrective coefficient of the velocity 0 0
f = 1+ +
taking into account the length of establishment of Poiseuille R 2n + 1 R (n + 1)(2n + 1) R
flow field determined based on numerical simulation results has
(n+1)/n
been introduced. With this correction, the proposed approach
can be applied to fluids whose rheological characteristics cover
a wide range of values. It is finally validated satisfactorily
experimentally on some cement grouts of various water/cement
ratios.
2. Semi-analytical approach
The flow in a geometry as complex as that of the Marsh cone
(Fig. 1) is impossible to calculate analytically without making
 r0
× 1− (6)
R
The calculation of average velocity V̄ by Eq. (5) requires
the knowledge of the difference of pressure p between the
entry and the exit of the nozzle. To determine this difference of
pressure p, we have assumed that the applied external force on
the fluid in the nozzle (ρg + p/H) is proportional to that which
is exerted if the pressure of the fluid in the truncated cone is
hydrostatic. This can be expressed by the following relation:

simplifying assumptions, even in the case of a Newtonian fluid. p Ht

ρg + = αρg 1 + (7)
In the present study, to determine the flow time of cement grouts H H
130 V.H. Nguyen et al. / J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 139 (2006) 128–134
where α is a proportionality coefficient. In the present study,
it is determined by considering two particular cases of
Herschel–Bulkley fluids. The first case relates to the fluids of
yield stress equal to zero (power-law fluids), allowing to deter-
mine the proportionality coefficient, denoted as α1 , according
to consistency K and exponent n. The second case which relates
to the fluids whose exponent n is equal to 1 (Bingham fluids)
allows to determine the variation of the proportionality coeffi-
cient, denoted as α2 , according to yield stress τ 0 and consistency
K. For the Herschel–Bulkley fluids presenting three parameters
τ 0 , K, n, the expression of the proportionality coefficient α must
satisfy the two following conditions:
α = α1 , if τ0 = 0 (8)
α = α2 , if n = 1 (9)
The proportionality coefficients α1 and α2 can be determined
analytically based on the continuity condition for an incom-
pressible fluid which can be expressed as constant flow rate in
all the sections of the Marsh cone. By considering the truncated
cone as a series of cylinders of infinitesimal length and by sup-
posing that the flow in these cylinders is also of Poiseuille type
under the effects of gravity and of the pressure gradient [14], we
can deduce from the continuity condition the following expres-
sions for the proportionality coefficients α1 and α2 which do
not depend on consistency K (the detail of the determination of
coefficients α1 and α2 can be found in [15]):
1 mined based on the Bernoulli theorem. In this case, the yield
α1 = (10)
1 + (R/(3nH tan ϕ))
1 − (1.1(τ0 /(ρgH tan ϕ)))
α2 = (11)
1 + (R/(3H tan ϕ))
Based on Eqs. (8)–(11), we propose the following expression
for the proportionality coefficient α for the Herschel–Bulkley
fluids:
1 − (1.1(τ0 /(ρgH tan ϕ)))
α= (12)
1 + (R/(3nH tan ϕ))
By substituting Eq. (7) with the coefficient α determined by
Eq. (12) in Eq. (5), we can rewrite the average velocity at the
exit of the Marsh cone in the following form:
 
to the Reynolds number because the assumption of Poiseuille
flow type in the nozzle is not verified.
To take into account the length of establishment of the
Poiseuille flow field, we have introduced a corrective coefficient
β so that the average velocity at the exit of the Marsh cone V̄β
is determined by:
V̄
V̄β = (14)
β
The coefficient β is an increasing function of the Reynolds
number Re corresponding to the Poiseuille flow field in the
nozzle. This latter can be determined by the following rela-
tion which was originally established for the power-law fluids
[17], but which is also used for the Herschel–Bulkley fluids
[18]:
ρV̄ 2−n (2R)n
Re = (15)
K
When the Reynolds number tends towards zero, it is not nec-
essary to introduce the coefficient β because the Poiseuille flow
field is established in the nozzle. This argument can be repre-
sented by the following boundary condition:
lim β = 1 (16)
Re→0
When the Reynolds number tends towards infinity, the flow
velocity tends towards that of the ideal fluid which can be deter-
stress is indeed very low and can be neglected. By expressing
the average√velocity V̄ (Eq. (13)) according to the Bernoulli
velocity λ 2g(H + Ht ) and the Reynolds number Re (Eq.
(15)), we can translate this argument by the following boundary
condition:
  n/2
1 αR n √
lim β = Re (17)
Re→∞ 2λ H 2(3n + 1)
where λ is a constant lower than 1 taking into account the energy
dissipation due to parietal friction in the Marsh cone and to
the local contraction of section. Taking into account the small
dimension of the Marsh cone as well as rounded entry section
of the nozzle, we take λ = 0.96 [19].
With only two boundary conditions Eqs. (16) and (17), it
nR ρgR H + Ht 1/n  r0
is impossible to determine an expression for the coefficient β.
V̄ = α f (13)
3n + 1 2K H R
Eq. (13) allows to calculate the average velocity at the exit
of the Marsh cone provided that the flow in the nozzle is of
Poiseuille type. However, this flow type is reached only at a suf-
ficiently long distance from the entry of the nozzle. This distance,
called length of establishment, depends on the Reynolds number
and the diameter of the nozzle. It is more and more long as the
latter are large [16]. In the case of the Marsh cone, the Poiseuille
flow occurs in the nozzle only when the Reynolds number is suf-
ficiently small (lower than 10 approximately). Eq. (13) is thus
verified only for very consistent fluids of low velocity. For less
consistent fluids, Eq. (13) overestimates the velocity according
We have thus established this latter empirically based on results
obtained by numerical simulation. Using the commercial code
Fluent 6.1, we have simulated the flow in the Marsh cone (Fig. 1)
of Herschel–Bulkley fluids presenting various rheological char-
acteristics: the yield stress varies from 0 to 30 Pa, consistency K
varies from 0.001 to 20 Pa sn and exponent n ranges between 0.3
and 1. For all the studied fluids, the density of the fluid has been
taken equal to 1000 kg/m3 to verify the numerical simulations
by comparing the velocity of the water which can be considered
as an ideal fluid to the Bernoulli velocity. This density value
used in the numerical simulations does not correspond to that of
cement grouts which is twice higher approximately. However,
this should not affect the expression of the corrective coefficient
 V.H. Nguyen et al. / J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 139 (2006) 128–134
β since the fluid density is taken into account indirectly through
the Reynolds number.
As the Marsh cone is axisymmetric, it is enough to model
the flow in a radial plane (2D) in cylindrical coordinates. In
this radial plane, the fluid flows only under the effect of gravity
and the free surface goes down during the flow. This problem
can be calculated by using the Volume of Fluid (VOF) model
integrated in the commercial code Fluent 6.1. This model is
applied to the fixed mesh for two or more immiscible phases.
In the case of the Marsh cone, two immiscible phases: air and
Herschel–Bulkley fluid are present. For each phase, the volume
fraction (ratio between the volume occupied by the phase and
the control volume) is introduced as a local variable and is cal-
culated for each cell and at each moment based on the continuity
equation and the momentum equation by taking into account the
initial and boundary conditions of the flow. As the volume frac-
tions of the phases vary as a function of the position and time,
the free surface corresponding to the iso-surface of fluid (or air)
volume fraction equal to 0.5 is moved. Indeed, it is impossi-
ble, in our numerical simulations, to obtain an ideal free surface
which separates clearly the two phases because there is always
an intermediate layer in which both phases are present. How-
ever, the thickness of this intermediate layer is small (from 1
to 3 cells) which ensures that the iso-surface of fluid (or air)
volume fraction equal to 0.5 satisfactorily represents the free
surface of the flow. Fig. 2 presents the Marsh cone mesh used in
our numerical simulations as well as the initials and boundary
conditions of the flow. The parameters of the mesh such as the
number of nodes, of faces (edges in 2D) and of cells are also
given in this figure.
The rheological characteristics of the studied Herschel–
Bulkley fluids are introduced into the numerical computation
code through the dynamic viscosity µ given by the following
Fig. 2. Grid of the Marsh cone, initial and boundary conditions of the flow.
131
expression [20]:
⎧
⎪ τ0
⎪
⎨ µ = µ0 , if γ̇ ≤ γ̇0 =
µ0
τ0 + K[γ̇ n − (τ0 /µ0 )n ] τ0 (18)
⎪
⎪
⎩µ = , if γ̇ > γ̇0 =
γ̇ µ0
where µ0 represents the viscosity above which the fluid behaves
like a solid. It must be sufficiently high to ensure a good regular-
ization of the Herschel–Bulkley model. In the present study, this
viscosity µ0 has been taken equal to 106 Pa s because we have
noted that, above this value, the numerical results are almost not
changed (the deviation between the maximum average velocity
at the exit of the Marsh cone obtained with µ0 = 106 Pa s and
µ0 = 1012 Pa s is lower than 0.4%).
To enhance and accelerate the convergence of the problem,
the steady flow solution of a Newtonian fluid is taken as initial
condition for the transitory flow of the studied Herschel–Bulkley
fluids [20]. The viscosity of this Newtonian fluid has been taken
sufficiently high (5 Pa s) to ensure that the velocity at the begin-
ning of the transitory flow is low (initial average velocity at the
exit of the Marsh cone equal to 0.02 m/s). Actually, the veloc-
ity at the initial moment is zero in all the Marsh cone when
the nozzle is opened. However, we have noted that the value
of this initial velocity hardly influences the numerical results
when the flow is stabilized (the deviation between the maxi-
mum average velocities at the exit of the Marsh cone calculated
with initial conditions generated by the steady flow of Newto-
nian fluids presenting viscosities of 5 and 1 Pa s is lower than
0.3%).
In order to increase the speed of numerical calculation, the
flow in the Marsh cone is considered as laminar shear. Indeed,
on the basis of results obtained by numerical simulation in this
flow regime, we have observed that most of flows (80%) are
satisfactory with this flow regime (Reynolds number lower than
3000). For the other fluids presenting higher Reynolds number,
the results obtained by numerical simulation in laminar regime
are also used to determine the corrective coefficient β because
we have observed that the difference between the two regimes
laminar and turbulent is weak (lower than 4%).
Because the computation time is long and we wish to model
the flow of numerous Herschel–Bulkley fluids presenting a wide
range of rheological characteristics, the flow of studied fluids
has been computed only for the first 0.5 s. During this period,
the flow has reached its maximum velocity and the fluid height
in the Marsh cone has almost not decreased. Fig. 3 presents
some examples of evolution of the average velocity at the exit
of the Marsh cone as a function of time. Similar evolutions have
been obtained for the other fluids. In the present study, we have
reasonably considered that the maximum value of this average
velocity corresponds to the initial fluid height (maximum) and
it is used to calculate the value of corrective coefficient β deter-
mined through Eq. (14).
From the boundary conditions (Eqs. (16) and (17)) and by
using the values of the corrective coefficient β deduced from
the velocity obtained by numerical simulation, we propose the
132 V.H. Nguyen et al. / J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 139 (2006) 128–134
Fig. 3. Some examples of evolution of the average velocity at the exit of the
Marsh cone as a function of time.
following empirical expression for the corrective coefficient β:
 even several days for the calculation. As a consequence, the
 n/2 √
1 αR n semi-analytical approach allows to study in a fast and system-
β= (1 − e−0.1 Re )
2λ H 2(3n + 1)
Herschel–Bulkley fluids as well as that of the Marsh cone geom-
√ 1.5 √
× Re +
4
Re + 1 (19)
n possibilities of determining the rheological characteristics of a
Taking into account the velocity correction by introduction
of the coefficient β (Eq. (19)), the average velocity at the exit of
the Marsh cone determined by Eq. (14) is well verified with a
deviation lower than 12% compared to that obtained by numeri-
cal simulation for numerous fluids of rheological characteristics
varying in a wide range. This is presented in Fig. 4.
From the continuity condition which can be expressed in the
following form during an infinitesimal time step dt in the case
where the free surface is plane and where the fluid is incom-
pressible:
πR2 V̄β dt = −πR2t dHt (20)
we can determine the flow time t, for a volume of fluid which
leaves the Marsh cone while causing a drop of fluid height in
Fig. 4. Comparison of average velocities at the exit of the Marsh cone corre-
sponding to the initial fluid height given by the proposed approach taking into
account the velocity correction (Eq. (14)) and by numerical simulation.
the truncated cone from H1 to H2 , by numerical resolution of
the following integral:
 H2 (R + Ht tan ϕ)2
t=− dHt (21)
H1 V̄β R2
As, on the one hand, the corrective coefficient β (Eq. (19))
taking into account the length of establishment of the Poiseuille
flow field is established empirically, and on the other hand, the
integral Eq. (21) can be calculated only numerically, the pro-
posed approach is thus not analytical but rather semi-analytical.
It presents significant advantages compared to the numerical
simulation. Firstly, the semi-analytical approach allows to cal-
culate instantaneously the flow time through the Marsh cone
of a Herschel–Bulkley fluid according to its three rheologi-
cal parameters with a low deviation compared to the numer-
ical simulation while this latter requires at least a few hours,
atic way the influence of the rheological characteristics of the
etry on the flow time. Lastly, the semi-analytical approach offers
Herschel–Bulkley fluid from flow time measurements whereas
this seems to be unpractical with numerical simulation.
3. Experimental validation
In order to validate the established semi-analytical approach,
we have carried out experimental measurements on some cement
grouts of various water/cement ratios.
The concoction of the cement grouts was carried out using
a propeller mixer according to the following procedure: cement
(CEM I 52.5N CP2) is introduced into water during 2 min under
the rotation velocity 1200 rpm; the mixture (of volume equal to
3 l approximately) is then mixed during 5 min by respecting the
following stages: 2 min at 1800 rpm, 1 min at 1500 rpm and then
2 min at 1800 rpm.
The rheological behavior of the cement grouts is charac-
terized by coaxial cylinders rheometer Haake RS150 with an
external cylinder of type Z43 and an inner of type Z31 accord-
ing to the standard DIN 53018. To decrease the influence of
slip which occurs between the grouts and the smooth surface of
the inner cylinder, especially at low shear rate and at high solid
concentration [21,22], the surface of the inner cylinder is made
rough by sanding. Then, the diameter of this sanded cylinder
is measured and introduced into the measurement software. In
order to homogenize the sample, to decrease the hysteresis effect
and to give a reproducible reference state to the grout where all
the bonds between the cement particles are broken, the grout
once placed in the rheometer is pre-sheared during 3 min (30 s
for the shear rate ascent from 0 to 500 s−1 , 120 s at 500 s−1 , 30 s
for the descent from 500 to 0 s−1 ) at 10 min after the introduction
of cement into water. It is then left at rest during 1 min so that
the interparticle bonds are restored. The ascent flow curve and
then the descent flow curve are finally measured in steady mode:
15 stages during 5 min for each flow curve in a range of shear
 V.H. Nguyen et al. / J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 139 (2006) 128–134 133

Fig. 6. Comparison of flow times of 1 l of grout through the Marsh cone given
Fig. 5. Some examples of descent flow curves, measured experimentally (points) by the semi-analytical approach (Eq. (21)) and the numerical simulation with
and fitted by the Herschel–Bulkley model (lines). the flow time measured experimentally.

rate comprised between 0.1 and 100 s−1 . In the present study,
the descent flow curves are used for the determination of the
rheological characteristics of the studied cement grouts consid-
ered as Herschel–Bulkley fluids. Fig. 5 presents some examples
of descent flow curves, measured experimentally (points) and
fitted by the Herschel–Bulkley model (lines).
In parallel, the flow time of 1 l of grout through the Marsh
cone equipped of a nozzle of 8 mm in diameter has been mea-
sured (at 14 min after the introduction of cement into water)
on the same batch of cement grouts and under the same envi-
ronmental conditions. The density of the grouts has also been
measured.
All experimental measurements have been carried out at a
constant temperature 23 ± 1 ◦ C. Table 1 presents the rheologi-
cal characteristics and the flow time of the studied cement grouts,
determined experimentally. On the basis of measured rheolog-
ical characteristics, we have calculated the flow time of these
cement grouts through the Marsh cone by numerical resolu-
tion of the integral Eq. (21). We have also numerically modeled
(using the code Fluent 6.1) the flow of 5 grouts (water/cement
ratio: 0.60, 0.55, 0.50, 0.45, 0.42) through the Marsh cone by
pursuing the numerical calculation until 1 l of grout flowing out.
The numerical computation time is very long, varying from a
few hours to several days, depending on the flow velocity of
each grout. This is due to the fact that the lower the flow veloc-
ity of grout is, the more the time step must be decreased to ensure
the solution convergence and stability while the more the flow
time of 1 l of grout increases. With a PC of processor Pentium IV
2 GHz and of memory 512 M, the numerical computation time
cumulated for these five grouts is 1 week approximately.
Fig. 6 presents the comparison of the flow times given by the
semi-analytical approach (Eq. (21)) and by numerical simula-
tion with the flow time measured experimentally. It is noted that
the calculated flow time and the flow time obtained by numer-
ical simulation are very close to the measured flow time. The
deviation is lower than 15% for the studied cement grouts. This
allows to conclude that the numerical simulation of the flow of
Herschel–Bulkley fluids through the Marsh cone is good and that
the semi-analytical approach is validated satisfactorily exper-
imentally. However, a larger number of tests is necessary to
ensure that the semi-analytical approach is verified in a wide
range of rheological characteristics of cement grouts.

Table 1
4. Conclusion
Rheological characteristics and flow time of the studied cement grouts, deter-
mined experimentally
The present study proposes a semi-analytical approach allow-
No. W/C Rheological characteristics Flow time (s)
ing to determine the flow time of cement grouts considered as
ρ (kg/m3 ) τ 0 (Pa) K (Pa sn ) n Herschel–Bulkley fluids through the Marsh cone. This approach
1 0.40 1931 15.7 14.28 0.390 107.7 has been established initially on the basis of the following
2 0.41 1919 15.1 7.45 0.472 63.0 assumptions: incompressible fluid, plane free surface and flow
3 0.42 1907 13.8 9.08 0.403 42.9 of the Poiseuille type in the cylindrical nozzle. Because the
4 0.43 1895 12.6 5.33 0.478 33.6 last assumption is not verified for all the fluids, a corrective
5 0.44 1884 11.6 4.99 0.478 27.9
coefficient of the velocity taking into account the length of
6 0.45 1873 10.8 4.90 0.455 24.1
7 0.46 1860 9.5 4.61 0.441 21.2 establishment of the Poiseuille flow field determined based on
8 0.48 1842 8.6 5.30 0.390 18.2 numerical simulation results has been introduced. With this cor-
9 0.50 1816 8.1 3.87 0.408 17.0 rection, the proposed approach presents a deviation lower than
10 0.52 1802 7.3 2.69 0.429 15.8 12% compared to numerical simulation. It has been validated
11 0.55 1766 5.6 1.84 0.454 14.4
satisfactorily by the experiment on some cement grouts of vari-
12 0.60 1726 3.2 1.32 0.447 12.8
ous water/cement ratios with a deviation lower than 15%.
134 V.H. Nguyen et al. / J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 139 (2006) 128–134
The proposed semi-analytical approach presents several sig-
nificant advantages. Firstly, it allows the very fast determination
of the flow time through the Marsh cone according to the rhe-
ological characteristics of the grout, compared to numerical
simulation. Secondly, the semi-analytical approach allows to
understand in a systematic way the influence of the rheologi-
cal parameters of cement grouts as well as that of Marsh cone
geometry on the flow time. Lastly, it offers possibilities of deter-
mining the intrinsic rheological characteristics of cement grouts
from measurements of the flow time through the Marsh cone.
References
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[2] NF P 18-507: Additions pour béton hydraulique – Besoin en eau, contrôle
de la régularité – Méthode par mesure de la fluidité par écoulement “au
cône de Marsh”, 1992.
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