Moving towards resource conservation by automated prioritization of concrete mix design

Abstract

Selection of an optimal concrete mix design by integrating resource conservation and CO2 footprint was performed in this study. Eight concrete mix designs were obtained from contractors, laboratories, and manufacturers as alternatives. Eight criteria by considering; natural materials utilization, economy, strength, and environmental impact, were quantified against eight alternatives. Three types of multi criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques were used for the prioritization of mix designs by assigning equal as well as different preference to the criteria. The resulted mix exhibited a balance between required performance, economy, resource conservation and CO2 footprint. The profit by using prioritized mix design was evaluated through a case study of a mega project of a developing country. Results obtained by the MCDM techniques were evaluated for varying stakeholder preferences. The results depicted the effectiveness of MCDM techniques in complex decision-making scenarios and close correspondence was observed. This study can be used in the construction industry to select the most suitable concrete mix design by varying the preference of criteria according to a wide range of conflicting requirements of stakeholders and industry.