Reliability-Based Approach for the Determination of the Required Compressive Strength of Concrete in Mix Design

Abstract

Concrete is recognized as the second most consumed product in our modern life after water. The variability in concrete properties is inevitable. The concrete mix is designed for a compressive strength that is different from, typically higher than, the value specified by the structural designer. Ways to calculate the compressive strength to be used in the mix design are provided in building and structural codes. These ways are all based on criteria related purely and only to the statistical nature of the concrete production process. However, what really matters is the impact of the concrete properties on the soundness of the structure the concrete is intended to be built with. Structural reliability has never been used explicitly in concrete mix design. In this paper, an approach for the determination of the required compressive strength of concrete in mix design, based on the structural reliability of the reinforced concrete components being constructed with this concrete, is proposed. In addition, the results will be shown to be used for the optimization of the statistical parameters for quality control in the concrete mix process. The approach presented in this paper provides a practical platform to efficiently consider plant-specific variability the mix design process.