Case study of high strength concrete mix proportioning optimization

PurposeThe purpose of this work is to discuss high-strength concrete mix proportioning optimization. In this study, the three parameters (W/B ratio), coarse aggregate maximum size (Dmax) and superplasticizer dosage (Sp%) were considered.Design/methodology/approachA full factorial design with three factors and two levels was carried out. The statistical analysis and analysis of variance of statistical models were made easier with the aid of JMP7 software. The generated models explain how each parameter affects the mechanical compressive strength at 28 days (Cs28) and slump, and they have an excellent determination coefficient (R2 = 0.99). For each high-strength concrete (HSC) mixture, the slump was measured four times: at 0 min, 20 min, 40 min and 60 min.FindingsThe results show that HSC6 (0.35(W/B), 12.5(Dmax), 1.4(Sp%)) is the best HSC mixture, with a (Cs28) of 71.84 MPa, a slump of 22 cm, and slump loss of 3.5 cm in 60 min.Originality/valueQuantifying the impact of high-strength concrete mix components from a small number of experiments is made achievable by combining two methods: the Dreux-Gorisse method and the full factorial design approach. It's possible to tune the mix proportioning of the high-strength concrete for the desired slump and compressive mechanical strength thanks to the created statistical models.