The role of limestone and calcined clay on the rheological properties of LC3

Understanding the rheological properties of cementitious materials is important for controlling their fresh properties and for improving the practical applications. In this study, the rheological properties of pastes made from ordinary Portland cement blended with different amounts of calcined clay and limestone were investigated in order to understand the combined and independent effects of limestone and calcined clay on the rheological properties of limestone calcined clay cement (LC3). Large Amplitude Oscillation Strain was applied and the subsequent harmonic distortion was used to evaluate nonlinear response for the first time for cementitious materials. The results showed that calcined clay leads to increased static and dynamic yield stress, initial thixotropic index, plastic viscosity and cohesion, as well as decreased harmonic distortion, while limestone has an opposite effect. It is believed that these results will aid in understanding the viscoelasticity of this blended cement.