DESIGN OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE CONCRETE MIXTURE USING NEURAL

NETWORKS AND NONLINEAR PROGRAMMING

By I-Cheng Yeh1

ABSTRACT: A method of optimizing high-performance concrete mix proportioning for a given workability and
compressive strength using artificial neural networks and nonlinear programming is described. The basic pro-
cedure of the methodology consists of three steps: (1) Build accurate models for workability and strength using
artificial neural networks and experimental data; (2) incorporate these models in software allowing an evaluation
of the specified properties for a given mix; and (3) incorporate the software in a nonlinear programming package
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allowing a search of the optimum proportion mix design. For performing optimum concrete mix design based
on the proposed methodology, a software package has been developed. One can conduct mix simulations cov-
ering all the important properties of the concrete at the same time. To demonstrate the utility of the proposed
methodology, experimental results from several different mix proportions based on various design requirements
are presented.

INTRODUCTION
High-performance concrete (HPC) is rather new terminol-
ogy in the concrete construction industry, taking the place of
the well-known ‘‘high-strength concrete’’ in recent years. In
addition to the four basic ingredients of the conventional con-
crete, i.e., portland cement, fine and coarse aggregates, and
water, the making of HPC needs to incorporate the supple-
mentary cementitious materials such as fly ash and blast fur-
nace slag, and chemical admixtures such as superplasticizer
(Chang et al. 1996).
Although there are various definitions of HPC in many
countries, the essence of HPC emphasizes such characteristics
as high strength, high workability with good consistency, di-
mensional stability, and durability. It is generally accepted that
a concrete having a high workability with good consistency at
the fresh state and a high strength at the hardened state can
exhibit properties of high dimensional stability and high du-
rability (Chang et al. 1996).
In recent years, the use of supplementary cementitious ma-
terials, mainly fly ash and blast furnace slag, has become in-
creasingly common in normal-strength concrete, partly for rea-
sons of economy and partly because of technical benefits
imparted by these materials. In the case of HPC, the reasons
for their use are even stronger (Aitcin and Neville 1993). Fly
ash is an economic by-product material from fossil-fuel power
plants. The use of fly ash in producing HPC can result in
lowered water demand, reduced concrete temperature, and re-
duced cost. However, the early strength gain of the concrete
may be decreased. Granulated blast-furnace slag is one of the
major by-products of steel-making plants. Blast furnace slag
is now recognized as a desirable cementitious ingredient of
concrete, and as a valuable cement replacement material that
imparts some specific qualities to the composite-cement con-
crete superior to those of concrete made from ordinary port-
land cement alone (Swamy and Bouikni 1990).
Most concrete design methods are fully experimental or
semiexperimental. Often special nomograms are provided. Ex-
perimental or semiexperimental methods are reliable and ac-
curate; however, they involve laboratory tests, and the effects
of material prices are neglected. For example, Jerath and Kab-
1
Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Civ. Engrg., Chung-Hua Univ., 30 Tung Shiang,
Hsin Chu, 30067, Taiwan.
Note. Discussion open until June 1, 1999. To extend the closing date
one month, a written request must be filed with the ASCE Manager of
Journals. The manuscript for this paper was submitted for review and
possible publication on July 17, 1998. This paper is part of the Journal
of Computing in Civil Engineering, Vol. 13, No. 1, January, 1999.
䉷ASCE, ISSN 0877-3801/99/0001-0036 – 0042/$8.00 ⫹ $.50 per page.
Paper No. 18805.
36 / JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING / JANUARY 1999
bani (1983) developed a computer program for the ACI con-
crete mix proportioning method. This was based on the com-
puter program SAS. Here, the relationships given in various
tables are formulated into equations. Simple and multiple non-
linear regression equations are used to derive the relationships
among the variables involved. This program helps accelerate
concrete mix proportioning and, hence, save time. However,
the effects of material prices are still neglected.
Traditionally concrete is designed in a way following pre-
vious experiences. The available examples are, however, often
of a limited value, because many combinations of the com-
ponents, proportions, and mixing techniques have never been
investigated or published (Kasperkiewicz et al. 1995). Nowa-
days, concrete can be made with about four to 10 different
components. The number of properties to be adjusted has also
increased, so that empirical methods are no longer sufficient
in concrete mix design.
In complex engineering systems, empirical relationships are
often employed to estimate engineering properties. Generally,
a complex domain is characterized by a number of interacting
factors in which the relationship between these factors is not
precisely known. A conventional method for building empiri-
cal relationships is the statistical approach such as multivari-
able linear regression, but it is difficult to apply the statistical
approach in a complex nonlinear system. An alternative
method is the neural network approach (Rumelhart et al.
1986). A neural network model is a computer model whose
architecture essentially mimics the learning capability of the
human brain. Basically, the processing elements of a neural
network, with many simple computational elements arranged
in layers, are similar to the neurons in the brain. In the past
decade, considerable attention has been focused on the prob-
lem of applying neural networks in diverse fields, such as sys-
tem modeling, fault diagnosis, and control. This is because the
artificial neural network is a good tool to model nonlinear
systems.
Most neural network applications are based on the back-
propagation paradigm, which uses the gradient-descent method
to minimize the error function (Rumelhart et al. 1986). A back-
propagation neural network is a layered network consisting of
an input layer, an output layer, and at least one layer of non-
linear processing elements known as the hidden layer. The
input layer of the neural network receives signals from the
external environment. The hidden layer receives signals from
the input layer and transmits an output signal based on a trans-
fer function to a subsequent layer. Previous literature thor-
oughly explores the basic mathematical concepts of the back-
propagation algorithm (Rumelhart et al. 1986; Welstead 1994;
Yeh et al. 1992, 1993). Considerable research activities have

J. Comput. Civ. Eng. 1999.13:36-42.

 been reported in the literature on the development of materials S⬘cr56 > f ⬘cr56 (5)
applications using artificial neural networks (Ghaboussi et al.
1991; Kasperkiewicz et al. 1995). Kasperkiewicz et al. dem- S⬘cr90 > f ⬘cr90 (6)
onstrated that the fuzzy-ARTMAP neural network can model 3 14 28 56
where S⬘ , S⬘ , S⬘ , S⬘ and S⬘ = predicted 3-day, 14-
cr cr cr cr
90
cr
strength properties of HPC mixes and optimize the concrete day, 28-day, 56-day, and 90-day compressive strength;
mixes. However, the fuzzy-ARTMAP is an odd paradigm in and f ⬘cr3, f cr
⬘14, f cr
⬘28, f cr
⬘56, and f cr
⬘90 = required 3-day, 14-day,
neural networks, and only six components (cement, silica, su- 28-day, 56-day, and 90-day compressive strength.
perplasticizer, water, fine aggregate, and coarse aggregate) and The required average compressive strength is deter-
the strength requirement were considered. mined by the following formulas:
In this paper, from the viewpoint of strength, workability,
and economy, a methodology of mix proportioning for HPC f ⬘cr = f ⬘c ⫹ 1.34␴ (7)
based on the concept of artificial neural networks and nonlin-
⬘ = f ⬘c ⫹ 2.33␴ ⫺ 3.5 (MPa)
f cr (8)
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ear optimization is presented. The basic procedure of the meth-

odology consists of three steps: where f ⬘c = specific compressive strength; and ␴ = stan-
dard deviation of the available test data of compressive
1. Modeling: Build an accurate model for workability and strength.
strength using artificial neural networks and experimental 2. Required workability constraints
data.
2. Incorporating: Incorporate these models in software al- Slump0 > Slumpr0 (9)
lowing an evaluation of the specified properties for a Flow0 > Flow r
0 (10)
given mix.
r
3. Optimizing: Incorporate the software in a nonlinear pro- Slump45 > Slump 45 (11)
gramming package allowing a search for the optimum r
Flow45 > Flow 45 (12)
proportion mix design.
r
where Slump0 and Slump = predicted initial slump and
0
The main objective of this study is to develop a mix pro- required initial slump; Flow0 and Flowr0 = predicted ini-
portioning methodology of HPC. For performing optimum tial slump flow (Chang et al. 1996) and required initial
concrete mix design based on the proposed methodology, a slump flow; Slump45 and Slumpr45 = predicted slump and
computer program called HPC2N (High Performance Concrete required slump after 45 minimum; and Flow45 and
Design Package Using Neural Network and Nonlinear Pro- Flowr45 = predicted slump flow and required slump flow
gramming), has been developed and will be presented. With after 45 minimum.
this software, one can conduct mix simulations covering all 3. Available range constraints
the important properties of the concrete at the same time. To
demonstrate the utility of the proposed methodology, experi- W min
C < WC < W Cmax (13)
mental results from several different mix proportions based on W min
F < WF < W max
F (14)
various design requirements are presented. The results of this min max
approach indicate that this methodology yields the target val- W S < WS < W S (15)
ues of workability and strength as per requirements. W min max
W < WW < W W (16)
min max
OPTIMIZATION FORMULATION OF HPC MIX DESIGN W SP < WSP < W SP (17)
min max
The aim of the methodology is to find the optimum mix W CA < WCA < W CA (18)
proportion. The strength and workability are chosen as input min max
parameters. To apply the proposed procedure, it is necessary W FA < WFA < W FA (19)
to formulate properly the concrete optimization problem, to The available range constraints reflect the regulation
prepare and input the data in an appropriate way, and to run and experience of concrete mix design (Chang et al.
the optimization routine. The analytical method used in this 1996; Hwang et al. 1996). They can reduce the search
paper is that of five constraints, better known as the constraints space and accelerate the optimization process.
of ‘‘required strength,’’ ‘‘required workability,’’ ‘‘available 4. Rational ratio constraints
range,’’ ‘‘rational ratio,’’ and ‘‘absolute volume.’’
R min
1 ⱕ R1 ⱕ R 1max (20)
Minimize Cost = CC ⭈ WC ⫹ CF ⭈ WF ⫹ CS ⭈ WS ⫹ CW ⭈ WW
R min
2 ⱕ R2 ⱕ R max
2 (21)
⫹ CSP ⭈ WSP ⫹ CCA ⭈ WCA ⫹ CFA ⭈ WFA (1)
R min
3 ⱕ R3 ⱕ R 3max (22)
where CC, CF, CS, CW, CSP, CCA, and CFA = unit price of the
cement, fly ash, slag, water, superplasticizer, coarse aggregate, R min
4 ⱕ R4 ⱕ R max
4 (23)
and fine aggregate; and WC, WF, WS, WW, WSP, WCA, and WFA R min
5 ⱕ R5 ⱕ R max
5 (24)
= weight (kg) of the cement, fly ash, slag, water, SP, coarse
aggregate, and fine aggregate in 1 m3 concrete. R min
6 ⱕ R6 ⱕ R max
6 (25)
R min
7 ⱕ R7 ⱕ R 7max (26)
Subject
R min
8 ⱕ R8 ⱕ R max
8 (27)
1. Required strength constraints
R min
9 ⱕ R9 ⱕ R max
9 (28)
S⬘cr3 > f ⬘cr3 (2)
where
S⬘cr14 > f ⬘cr14 (3)
R1 = (WW ⫹ WSP)/WC (29)
S⬘cr28 > f ⬘cr28 (4)
R2 = (WW ⫹ WSP)/(WC ⫹ WF ⫹ WS) (30)

JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING / JANUARY 1999 / 37

J. Comput. Civ. Eng. 1999.13:36-42.

 R3 = (WW ⫹ WSP)/(WC ⫹ WF ⫹ WS ⫹ WCA ⫹ WFA) (31) TABLE 1. Statistic Analysis of Strength Data Set

R4 = WSP /(WC ⫹ WF ⫹ WS) (32) Component content

or ratio Minimum Maximum
R5 = WF /(WC ⫹ WF ⫹ WS) (33) (1) (2) (3)
Cement (kg/m3) 71 600
R6 = WS /(WC ⫹ WF ⫹ WS) (34)
Fly ash (kg/m3) 0 175
R7 = (WF ⫹ WS)/(WC ⫹ WF ⫹ WS) (35) Blast furnace slag (kg/m3) 0 359
Water (kg/m3) 120 228
R8 = (WCA ⫹ WFA)/(WC ⫹ WF ⫹ WS) (36) Superplasticizer (kg/m3) 0 20.8
Coarse aggregate (kg/m3) 730 1,322
R9 = WFA /(WCA ⫹ WFA) (37) Fine aggregate (kg/m3) 486 968
Water/cement ratio 0.24 2.73
The rational ratio constraints reflect the experience and Water/cementitious ratio 0.24 0.87
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knowledge of concrete mix design. They can reduce the
search space and accelerate the optimization process.
5. Absolute volume constraints
The absolute volume equation represents a condition
that the total volume of the components of concrete
should correspond to the volume of one cubic meter of
concrete:
WC WF WS WW WSP WCA WFA
⫹ ⫹ ⫹ ⫹ ⫹ ⫹ = 1,000 (38)
GC GF GS GW GSP GCA GFA
where GC, GF, GS, GW, GSP, GCA, and GFA = specific
weight of the cement, fly ash, slag, water, superplasti-
cizer, coarse aggregate, and fine aggregate.
ARCHITECTURE OF ARTIFICIAL NEURAL
NETWORKS
Artificial neural networks are a family of massively parallel
architecture that can solve difficult problems by cooperating
with highly interconnected but simple computing elements (or
artificial neurons). Most research is based on back-propagation
neural networks (BPN) (Rumelhart et al. 1986). A thorough
treatment of back-propagation networks is beyond the scope
of this paper. The basic algorithms for back-propagation have
been covered widely (Rumelhart et al. 1986; Welstead 1994;
Yeh et al. 1992, 1993). To train the network, the weights of
connections are modified according to the information it has
learned. The network learns by comparing its output for each
input pattern with a target output for that pattern, then calcu-
lating the error and propagating an error function backward
through the net.
To run the network after it is trained, the values for the input
parameters for the project are presented to the network. The
network then calculates the node outputs using the existing
weight values and thresholds developed in the training process.
The process for running the network is extremely rapid, since
the system only calculates the network node values once.
To test the accuracy of a trained network, the coefficient of
determination R 2 is adopted. The coefficient is a measure of
how well the independent variables considered account for the
measured dependent variable. The higher the R 2 value, the
better the prediction relationship.
MODELING STRENGTH USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL
NETWORKS
System Models
Although each component is described using only a single
term, these terms actually represent a variety of forms. For
example, a cement can be powdered to various degrees of
fineness and composed of several different chemical compo-
sitions. Apart from the component types, the properties of con-
crete are influenced by the mixing proportions and by the mix-
ing preparation technique. Although technical references
consist of experimental data describing thousands of different
mixes, no one has yet made a synthesis of this information.
38 / JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING / JANUARY 1999
Superplasticizer/cementitious ratio 0.00 0.040
Fly ash/cementitious ratio 0.00 0.50
Slag/cementitious ratio 0.00 0.70
(Fly ash ⫹ slag)/cementitious ratio 0.00 0.70
Moreover, a mix is almost never described with all of the
important details indicated; thus a strength prediction from the
available data is a highly uncertain task (Kasperkiewicz et al.
1995). Therefore, in this approach, the compressive strength
of concrete is a function of the following eight input features:
(1) Cement; (2) fly ash; (3) blast furnace slag; (4) water; (5)
superplasticizer; (6) coarse aggregate; (7) fine aggregate; and
(8) age of testing.
Data Sets
Experimental data from 16 different sources were used to
check the reliability of the strength model (Chang 1977; Chang
et al. 1996; Chung 1995; Giaccio et al. 1992; Gjorv et al.
1990; Hwang 1991; Langley et al. 1989; Lee 1994; Lessard
et al. 1993; Lin 1994; Mo 1995; Naik and Ramme 1990; Pon
1998; Sarkar and Aitcin 1987; Sivasundaram et al. 1991;
Swamy and Bouikni 1990). Test data were assembled for con-
crete containing cement plus fly ash, blast furnace slag, and
superplasticizer. A determination was made to insure that these
mixtures were a representative group governing all of the ma-
jor parameters that influence the strength of HPC and present
the complete information required for such an evaluation.
In all, about 1,000 concrete mixtures from the aforemen-
tioned investigations were evaluated. During the evaluation
some of the mixtures were deleted from the data due to larger
size aggregates (above 20 mm), special curing conditions, etc.
Finally about 700 concrete mixtures made with ordinary port-
land cement and cured under normal conditions were evalu-
ated. Different studies used specimens of different sizes and
shapes. All of these specimen types were converted into 15
cm cylinders through accepted guidelines. Table 1 presents the
general details of the concrete evaluated in this study. The
database often contains unexpected inaccuracies; for instance,
the class of fly ash is sometimes not reported. The greatest
difficulty seems to be related to the application of superplas-
ticizers. They are used from different manufacturers, of dif-
ferent chemical compositions, and without details concerning
the solid contents in the suspension (Kasperkiewicz et al.
1995).
Training Results
A database of 695 records, each containing the eight com-
ponents for the input vector and the compressive strength for
the output value, were shuffled using a random sampling, di-
viding them into a training set (495 records) and a testing set
(200 records). The neural network developed in the investi-
gation has eight units in the input layer and one unit in the

J. Comput. Civ. Eng. 1999.13:36-42.

 output layer. Training means to present the network with the
experimental data and have it learning, or modify its weights,
such that it correctly reproduces the compressive strength
when presented with the mix proportion and age.
The values of network parameters considered in this ap-
proach are as follows; number of hidden layers = 1; number
of hidden units = 8; learning rate = 1.0; momentum factor =
0.5; and learning cycles = 3,000. The coefficient of determi-
nation R 2 was 0.903. The coefficient indicated a significant
enough correlation.
MODELING WORKABILITY USING ARTIFICIAL
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as follows: number of hidden layers = 1; number of hidden
units = 7; learning rate = 1.0; momentum factor = 0.5; and
learning cycles = 1,000. The coefficients of determination R 2
were listed in Table 3. Although the R 2 values are not very
high, considering modeling workability is more difficult than
modeling strength, these values can still verify that artificial
neural network is a potential tool for building workability
model.
HPC2N
Eqs. (1) – (38) were used to determinate optimum mix de-
sign, i.e., proportion for the required compressive strength and

NEURAL NETWORKS workability of a concrete mix. This was done by preparing a

System Models computer program using nonlinear programming to solve these
equations. A thorough treatment of nonlinear programming
In this approach, workability of concrete is a function of methodology is beyond the scope of this paper. The basic al-
the following seven input features: (1) Cement; (2) fly ash; (3) gorithms of nonlinear programming have been covered widely
blast furnace slag; (4) water; (5) superplasticizer; (6) coarse (Reklaitis et al. 1983).
aggregate; and (7) fine aggregate. The output of the system is For performing optimum concrete mix design based on the
as follows: (1) Initial slump (cm); (2) initial slump flow (cm); proposed methodology, a computer program called HPC2N
(3) slump after 45 min (cm); and (4) slump flow after 45 min has been developed. This program helps accelerate concrete
(cm). mix proportioning and, hence, save time. Besides, the effect
of unit price of material is considered.
Data Sets HPC2N is a program built on a PC using the C language.
The architecture of HPC2N is divided into four parts: (1) Da-
Because superplasticizer is the essential material to worka- tabase of experimental data; (2) modeling mechanism based
bility while its chemical composition is various, the data for on artificial neural networks; (3) model base of material be-
modeling workability were collected from the same lab by the havior; and (4) optimizing mechanism based on nonlinear pro-
writer. One hundred and twenty various mix proportions were gramming.
performed to collect data. Table 2 presents the general details The inputs of HPC2N are as follows: (1) Unit prices of
of the concretes evaluated in this study. These data were used components; (2) required compressive strength; (3) required
to check the reliability of the workability model. All the rec- workability; (4) component ranges; (5) ratio limits; and (6)
ords were used combined, and simply shuffled using a random specific weight of components.
sampling, dividing them into training set (90 records) and test- The outputs of HPC2N are as follows: (1) Proportion: ce-
ing set (30 records). ment (kg/m3), fly ash (kg/m3), blast-furnace slag (kg/m3), water
(kg/m3), superplasticizer (kg/m3), coarse aggregate (kg/m3),
Training Results and fine aggregate (kg/m3); (2) unit price of concrete; (3) pre-
dicted workability; (4) predicted compressive strength; and (5)
The neural network developed in the investigation has seven calculated ratio.
units in the input layer and four units in the output layer. The A complete step-by-step procedure of the methodology for
values of network parameters considered in this approach are HPC mix proportioning can be summarized as follows:
TABLE 2. Statistic Analysis of Workability Data Set
1. Build an accurate strength model using artificial neural
Component content networks and experimental data.
or ratio Minimum Maximum 2. Build an accurate workability model using artificial neu-
(1) (2) (3) ral networks and experimental data.
Cement (kg/m3) 150 325 3. Optimize the mix using nonlinear programming.
Fly ash (kg/m3) 0 190 4. Perform workability tests with a view to checking that
Blast furnace slag (kg/m3) 0 145 the selected mix has the desired workability.
Water (kg/m3) 125 220 a. If the results are close to the predictions, go to step
Superplasticizer (kg/m3) 3.5 15.5 5.
Coarse aggregate (kg/m3) 850 1,220
Fine aggregate (kg/m3) 675 995
b. If the results are not too far from the predictions, ad-
Water/cement ratio 0.58 1.06 justment of proportion may be required. To achieve
Water/cementitious ratio 0.42 0.62 mix of required workability, superplasticizer is used
Superplasticizer/cementitious ratio 0.010 0.045 in the mix to obtain the required workability. Then go
Fly ash/cementitious ratio 0.0 0.5 to step 5.
Slag/cementitious ratio 0.0 0.5 c. If the results are too far from the predictions, go to
(Fly ash ⫹ slag)/cementitious ratio 0.0 0.6
step 2 to rebuild the workability model using artificial
neural networks and the augmented experimental data.
TABLE 3. Coefficients of determination R 2 of Testing Set of 5. Perform strength tests with a view to checking that the
Workability Data Set selected mix has the desired strength.
a. If the results are close to the predictions, stop the op-
Workability test Coefficients of determination R 2
(1) (2)
timization process.
b. If the results are not too far from the predictions, ad-
Initial slump 0.55 justment of proportion may be required. To achieve
Initial slump flow 0.50 mix of required strength, cementitious materials are
Slump after 45 min 0.45
Slum flow after 45 min 0.37
used in the mix so as to obtain the required strength.
Then perform the strength test.
JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING / JANUARY 1999 / 39

J. Comput. Civ. Eng. 1999.13:36-42.

 c. If the results are too far from the predictions, go to TABLE 7. Available Range Constraints
step 1 to rebuild the strength model using artificial Minimum Maximum
neural networks and the augmented experimental data. Component limit limit
(1) (2) (3)
The optimization process will then become a series of Cement (kg/m3) 150 325
‘‘comings and goings’’ between the computer and the labo- Fly ash (kg/m3) 0 160
ratory. Blast furnace slag (kg/m3) 0 160
Water (kg/m3) 125 220
Superplasticizer (kg/m3) 3.5 15.5
OPTIMIZING HPC MIX PROPORTION USING HPC2N Coarse aggregate (kg/m3) 850 1,220
Fine aggregate (kg/m3) 675 995
The input data for the HPC2N program consist of the unit
prices of components, the required strength, required worka-
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bility, available range, rational ratio, and specific gravity of TABLE 8. Rational Ratio Constraints
components. These data are listed in Tables 4 – 9. Ratio Minimum limit Maximum limit
Considering the aforementioned methodology, it is possible (1) (2) (3)
to optimize HPC mix proportioning for a given workability R1 0.50 1.50
and compressive strength. To evaluate the methodology for R2 0.30 0.70
optimizing HPC proportion mixes under different required av- R3 0.07 0.10
erage strength, a series of experiments were implemented. Ta- R4 0.01 0.05
ble 10 shows the results. R5 0.00 0.50
To evaluate the effects of required workability, a series of R6 0.00 0.50
R7 0.00 0.60
experiments were implemented based on the data listed in Ta- R8 3.00 7.00
ble 11. Table 12 shows the results. R9 0.30 0.55
The following conclusions can be drawn (results should not
be extrapolated outside the experimental domain or other com-
binations of materials): TABLE 9. Specific Gravity of Components
Component Specific gravity
1. An increasing required strength increased the content of (1) (2)
cement, slag, SP, and coarse aggregate and reduced the Cement 3.15
content of water and fine aggregate, while the content of Fly ash 2.22
fly ash was not much affected. Blast furnace slag 2.85
2. An increasing required workability increased the content Water 1.00
Superplasticizer 1.20
of cement, slag, water, and SP and reduced the content Coarse aggregate 2.645
of fine aggregate, while the content of fly ash was not Fine aggregate 2.66
much affected.

TABLE 4. Unit Prices of Components VERIFICATION EXPERIMENT FOR OPTIMUM MIX

DESIGN
Unit pricea
Component (NT dollar/kg) Since there are some assumptions on the material properties
(1) (2) underlying that neural network computing, it is necessary to
Cement 2.25 make trial mixes with several small batches at the laboratory.
Fly ash 0.60 The materials for the test are local or domestic materials
Blast furnace slag 1.20 instead of imported ones. Recycled materials are also consid-
Water 0.01 ered. Aggregates are basically those obtained at local rivers.
Superplasticizer 25.10 Materials selected based on the foregoing guidelines are as
Coarse aggregate 0.236
Fine aggregate 0.28
follows:
a
1 NT dollar = 0.030 U.S. dollar. 1. The portland cement used was ASTM Type I.
2. The fly ash used was manufactured by a power plant and
TABLE 5. Average Compressive Strength Constraints had a specific surface of 310 m2/kg.
3. The slag used was supplied by a local steel plant and
Strength Constraints had a specific surface of 395 m2/kg.
(1) (2) 4. Water was ordinary tap water.
3-day strength >0.4 f c⬘r28 5. Chemical admixture was a superplasticizer that meets
14-day strength >0.75 f c⬘r28 ASTM C494 type G with main ingredients of NF (Naph-
28-day strength >1.0 f c⬘r28 thalene-formaldehyde) condensate and fatty acid copoly-
56-day strength >1.15 f c⬘r28
mer.
90-day strength >1.3 f c⬘r28
6. The coarse aggregate was crushed natural rock with 10
mm maximum size.
TABLE 6. Required Workability Constraints 7. The fine aggregate was washed natural river sand with a
fineness modules of 3.0.
Workability test Constraint (cm)
(1) (2)
To demonstrate the utility and the prediction capacity of the
Initial slump >15 proposed methodology, experimental results from 10 different
Initial slump flow >30 mix proportions listed in Tables 10 and 12 using the same
Slump after 45 min >10
Slump flow after 45 min >20
materials are presented. Experimental results for the slump,
slum flow of the fresh concrete at 0 min and 45 min, are listed
40 / JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING / JANUARY 1999

J. Comput. Civ. Eng. 1999.13:36-42.

 TABLE 10. Optimum Design under Different 28-Day Required Average Compressive Strength

Mix 1 Mix 2 Mix 3 Mix 4 Mix 5

Component (28 MPa)a (35 MPa)a (42 MPa)a (49 MPa)a (56 MPa)a
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
Cement (kg/m3) 159.9 170.8 178.9 193.8 200.0
Fly ash (kg/m3) 140.9 151.1 133.9 151.8 140.0
Blast furnace slag (kg/m3) 97.9 104.7 134.3 138.2 155.2
Water (kg/m3) 200.2 189.9 182.7 174.5 160.4
Superplasticizer (kg/m3) 5.1 6.9 8.0 8.9 9.8
Coarse aggregate (kg/m3) 851.1 859.0 868.0 875.1 990.3
Fine aggregate (kg/m3) 865.0 852.7 846.5 821.5 734.2
Water/cement ratio 1.28 1.15 1.07 0.95 0.85
Water/binder ratio 0.51 0.46 0.43 0.38 0.34
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Cost (NT dollars/m3) 1,135 1,217 1,289 1,355 1,407

Note: Required workability is listed in Table 6.
a
28-day required average compressive strength f ⬘cr28.

TABLE 11. Different Required Workability

Required Workability
Dry Fluid
Workability test Very dry (cm) (cm) Normal (cm) (cm) Very fluid (cm)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
Initial slump >5 >10 >15 >20 >25
Initial slump flow >20 >20 >30 >40 >50
Slump after 45 min >0 >5 >10 >15 >20
Slump flow after 45 min >20 >20 >20 >30 >40

TABLE 12. Optimum Design under Different Required Workability

Component Mix 6 (very dry) Mix 7 (dry) Mix 8 (normal) Mix 9 (fluid) Mix 10 (very fluid)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
Cement (kg/m3) 159.5 162.4 183.7 186.9 190.2
Fly ash (kg/m3) 157.3 156.6 158.5 155.1 155.7
Blast furnace slag (kg/m3) 81.2 86.6 116.5 124.8 129.5
Water (kg/m3) 154.9 161.0 183.1 183.6 184.6
Superplasticizer (kg/m3) 4.2 6.8 8.1 9.5 10.7
Coarse aggregate (kg/m3) 1,010.5 980.3 865.7 911.9 934.0
Fine aggregate (kg/m3) 823.5 825.2 830.6 773.3 737.9
Water/cement ratio 1.00 1.03 1.04 1.03 1.03
Water/binder ratio 0.40 0.41 0.42 0.41 0.41
Cost (NT dollars/m3) 1,127 1,198 1,290 1,335 1,374
Note: 28-day required average compressive strength f c⬘r28 = 42 MPa.

TABLE 13. Experimental Data of Workability for Mix 1 – 5 TABLE 14. Experimental Data of Workability for Mix 6 – 10
Mix 1 Mix 2 Mix 3 Mix 4 Mix 5 Workability Mix 6 Mix 7 Mix 8 Mix 9 Mix 10
Workability test (28 MPa) (35 MPa) (42 MPa) (49 MPa) (56 MPa) test (very dry) (dry) (normal) (fluid) (very fluid)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
Initial slump Initial slump
(cm) 16 13 15 19 17 (cm) 6 10 16 22 24
Initial slump Initial slump
flow (cm) 33 28 32 38 34 flow (cm) 20 22 33 45 59
Slump after 45 Slump after 45
min (cm) 12 9 11 14 11 min (cm) 3 7 11 16 21
Slump flow after Slump flow after
45 min (cm) 24 20 22 30 28 45 min (cm) 20 20 25 33 47

in Tables 13 and 14, and 3-day, 14-day, 28-day, 56-day, and
90-day concrete compressive strengths are shown in Tables 15
and 16. Obviously the workability and strength of the mix
proportions obtained from the aforementioned mix proportion-
ing methodology meet the design criteria adopted for this
study. During the process of trial batch mixing, bleeding and
aggregation did not occur.
CONCLUSIONS
This paper is aimed at demonstrating the possibilities of
adapting neural networks and nonlinear optimization to opti-
JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING / JANUARY 1999 / 41
mize the concrete mix design. The method presented should
be useful to search easily for more economical solutions in
concrete design.
This study led to the following conclusions:
1. The basic procedure of the methodology consists of three
steps: (1) Build an accurate model for workability and
strength using artificial neural networks and experimental
data; (2) incorporate these models in software allowing
an evaluation of the specified properties for a given mix;
and (3) incorporate the software in a nonlinear program-

J. Comput. Civ. Eng. 1999.13:36-42.

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42 / JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING / JANUARY 1999

J. Comput. Civ. Eng. 1999.13:36-42.