Numerical Reliability Study Based on Rheological Input for Bingham Paste Pumping Using a Finite Volume Approach in...

Area of Science:

• Civil Engineering
• Materials Science
• Computational Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Rheological quantification is crucial for industries like concrete pumping and form filling.
• Numerical simulations offer a cost-effective alternative to experiments for rheological assessment.
• Assessing the reliability of numerical simulations and input data is vital for the construction industry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the numerical reliability of finite volume simulations for Bingham paste pumping flows in OpenFOAM.
• To analyze simulation accuracy with and without specific rheological input data.
• To provide guidelines for improving the accuracy of numerical simulations in cementitious suspensions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized OpenFOAM for finite volume simulations of Bingham paste pumping.
• Compared simulation results with existing literature and theoretical predictions (irrespective of rheology).
• Validated simulations against experimental pumping data (dependent on rheology).

Main Results:

• Numerical simulations showed significant accuracy when rheological input was not considered.
• A numerical mismatch was observed when simulations were dependent on specific rheological quantification.
• Proposed rules of thumb (bi-viscous regularization, pressure numbers > 5/4) suggest potential errors below 1%.

Conclusions:

• Numerical simulations are a valuable tool for assessing concrete rheology, but careful consideration of input data is necessary.
• Adhering to specific numerical parameters can enhance simulation reliability for applications like concrete pumping.
• Further research is needed to address reliability and stability concerns in lubrication flows relevant to concrete pumping.