Design of Experiment on Concrete Mechanical Properties Prediction: A Critical Review

Abstract

Concrete mix design and the determination of concrete performance are not merely engineering studies, but also mathematical and statistical endeavors. The study of concrete mechanical properties involves a myriad of factors, including, but not limited to, the amount of each constituent material and its proportion, the type and dosage of chemical additives, and the inclusion of different waste materials. The number of factors and combinations make it difficult, or outright impossible, to formulate an expression of concrete performance through sheer experimentation. Hence, design of experiment has become a part of studies, involving concrete with material addition or replacement. This paper reviewed common design of experimental methods, implemented by past studies, which looked into the analysis of concrete performance. Several analysis methods were employed to optimize data collection and data analysis, such as analysis of variance (ANOVA), regression, Taguchi method, Response Surface Methodology, and Artificial Neural Network. It can be concluded that the use of statistical analysis is helpful for concrete material research, and all the reviewed designs of experimental methods are helpful in simplifying the work and saving time, while providing accurate prediction of concrete mechanical performance.

Relation between Density and Compressive Strength of Foamed Concrete

“…The foamed concrete mix design is commonly determined based on a trial and error approach [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. The design of the experiment based on empirical or computational modelling [ 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ] and statistical methods approaches have been implemented to analyze multifactor experiments and the model used in the prediction of compressive strength of foamed concrete with minimal mean square errors and standard deviation. In addition, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to ascertain the influence of different factors on the various properties to get the optimal conditions for the target value, and the multiple regression approach is used to develop empirical relationships that are used for the mix design [ 49 , 50 , 51 ].…”

Assessment of the Suitability of Ceramic Waste in Geopolymer Composites: An Appraisal

“…Over several years, OPC has been extensively employed globally as a binder to manufacture concrete and an assortment of edifice materials. However, it is a scientifically proven fact that the contemporary production process is highly energy intensive with necessitating elevated temperatures of about 1450 to 1550 • C and, more importantly, not an ecobenevolent one since it causes grave environmental pollution through the emission of a substantial quantity of greenhouse gases (GHG) [1][2][3][4][5]. Unfortunately, OPC production alone is blamed for virtually 6 to 7% of total CO 2 emissions-a primary GHG, as estimated by International Energy Agency (IEA) [6].…”

Optimisation of GBFS, Fly Ash, and Nano-Silica Contents in Alkali-Activated Mortars

“…In the same context, Gao et al [ 46 ] employed RSM to maximise the compressive strength of alkali-activated slag under different ratios of liquid to solid concentrations and alkali activator. Other predictions and optimisation models are also available in the present literature [ 47 , 48 ].…”