European Journal of Scientific Research
ISSN 1450-216X Vol.31 No.1 (2009), pp. 132-141
© EuroJournals Publishing, Inc. 2009
http://www.eurojournals.com/ejsr.htm
Equations for Mix Design of Structural Lightweight Concrete
M. Abdullahi
PhD Student, Civil Engineering Department
Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Malaysia
E-mail: abdulapai@yahoo.com
Tel: +60173511985
H.M.A. Al-Mattarneh
Dean, Faculty of Engineering
Jerash Private University Jordan
E-mail: hashem.almattarneh@yahoo.com
Tel: +962779252569
B.S. Mohammed
Senior Lecturer, Civil Engineering Department
Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Malaysia
E-mail: bashar@uniten.edu.my
Tel: +60125756460
Abstract
Equations for mix design of structural lightweight concrete are presented.
Conventionally, mix design of concrete is conducted using the tabular data and charts in
standards. This requires extra efforts of understanding the data in the code and
interpolations are often required when intermediate values are needed. The process is also
liable to human error as data may be erroneously taken by the mix designer. The tabular
data and graphs in ACI 211.2-98 are converted to equations. Various models were tried and
the best model that adequately represents the data was chosen based on the regression
coefficient and its predictive capability. The equations were used to solve some mix design
problems from reputable textural sources. The developed equations are capable of giving
material constituents for the first trial batch of structural lightweight concrete. These
equations can be used in place of the data in the code and would reduce the effort, time and
energy expended in the manual process of mix design of structural lightweight concrete.
The equations are also useful for mixture proportioning adjustment.
Keywords: Concrete, Equations, Regression, Mix design
1. Introduction
Concrete mix design is the process of choosing suitable ingredients of concrete and determining their
relative quantities with the objective of producing the most economical concrete while retaining the
specified minimum properties such as strength, durability, and consistency (Akhras and Foo, 1994;
Neville, 1995). The selection of ingredient is normally done using data from tables and charts in the
relevant mix design standard. While these data and numerical examples in the codes are sufficient to