Modified mix design development specification batched by volume from specified mix design by weight towards improved concrete production

Abstract

•Concrete production process is usually designed to meet certain fresh properties, target strength and durability requirement. This process is referred to as the mix design, which guides the quantity and proportions of the various constituent materials to produce the concrete. Concrete mix designs are usually done in accordance to specified standard procedures in codes developed by recognized institutions like the Building Research Establishments (BRE) [1]. Other acceptable mix design methods includes the three (3) equation and double coating methods in [2,3]. Standardized prescribed mix designs are generally accepted designs that meet strength requirements in normal strength concrete class as specified in [4,5]. Standardized Prescribed Concrete mixes have been designed and the characteristic strengths specified in the British standards [4,5] and the specified concrete mix design is recommended to be batched by weight.•Predominantly, mix designs are batched by volume within the study area and most developing countries which results to the production of less durable concrete than when batched by weight. This practice is due to the higher cost of acquiring the batching plants [6] employed in concrete production by medium to small scale construction firms.•This study developed a method of deriving a mix design to be batched by volume from the specified mix designed by weight using a design chat developed from [4,5]. Concrete can then be produced with the derived mixed design and batched by volume as though it was batched by weight from the specified mix design. This method eliminates the strength disparity by both batching methods and production of more durable concrete in most developing countries.