OPTIMIZED CONCRETE COMPOSITIONS
First Claim
1. In a concrete manufacturing plant that manufactures concrete from a given set of raw materials and/or processing variables, a composition of matter comprising an optimized concrete composition manufactured by the manufacturing plant, the optimized concrete composition having a minimum slump and strength that are achieved by mixing together an optimized combination of hydraulic cement, aggregates, water, and one or more optional components, which optimized combination is determined using an optimization process in which a pre-existing mix design previously used by the manufacturing plant is redesigned and optimized utilizing a design K factor for use within Feret'"'"'s strength equation that corresponds to a design strength of the optimized concrete composition and that is selected from a plurality of K factors that vary based on strength for the given set of raw materials and/or processing variables, the design K factor of the optimized concrete composition being a signature that differentiates the optimized concrete composition from a less optimized concrete composition manufactured using the pre-existing mix design.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Design optimization methods can be used to design concrete mixtures having optimized properties, including desired strength and slump at minimal cost. The design optimization methods use a computer-implemented process that is able to design and virtually “test” millions of hypothetical concrete compositions using mathematical algorithms that interrelate a number of variables that affect strength, slump, cost and other desired features. The design optimization procedure utilizes a constant K (or K factor) within Feret'"'"'s strength equation that varies (e.g., logarithmically) with concrete strength for any given set of raw material inputs and processing equipment. That means that the binding efficiency or effectiveness of hydraulic cement increases with increasing concentration so long as the concrete remains optimized. The knowledge of how the K factor varies with binding efficiency and strength is a powerful tool that can be applied in multiple circumstances. A concrete manufacturing process may include accurately measuring the raw materials to minimize variation between predicted and actual strength, as well as carefully controlling water content throughout the manufacturing and delivery process.
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Citations
25 Claims
- 1. In a concrete manufacturing plant that manufactures concrete from a given set of raw materials and/or processing variables, a composition of matter comprising an optimized concrete composition manufactured by the manufacturing plant, the optimized concrete composition having a minimum slump and strength that are achieved by mixing together an optimized combination of hydraulic cement, aggregates, water, and one or more optional components, which optimized combination is determined using an optimization process in which a pre-existing mix design previously used by the manufacturing plant is redesigned and optimized utilizing a design K factor for use within Feret'"'"'s strength equation that corresponds to a design strength of the optimized concrete composition and that is selected from a plurality of K factors that vary based on strength for the given set of raw materials and/or processing variables, the design K factor of the optimized concrete composition being a signature that differentiates the optimized concrete composition from a less optimized concrete composition manufactured using the pre-existing mix design.
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5. In a concrete manufacturing plant that manufactures concrete from a unique set of raw materials and/or processing variables, a composition of matter comprising an optimized concrete composition manufactured by the manufacturing plant, the optimized concrete composition having a minimum slump and strength that are achieved by mixing together an optimized combination of hydraulic cement, aggregates, water, and one or more optional components, which optimized combination is determined using an optimization process in which an optimized mix design is designed utilizing a design K factor for use within Feret'"'"'s strength equation that corresponds to a design strength of the optimized concrete composition and that is selected from a plurality of K factors that vary based on strength and correspond to the unique set of raw materials and/or processing variables, the design K factor of the optimized concrete composition being a signature that differentiates the optimized concrete composition from any other concrete composition manufactured using raw materials and/or processing variables that differ from the unique set of raw materials and/or processing variables employed by the manufacturing plant.
- 8. In a concrete manufacturing plant that manufactures concrete from a given set of raw materials, a concrete building system comprising a plurality of optimized concrete compositions manufactured by the manufacturing plant, at least two of the optimized concrete compositions having different design strengths, each of the plurality of optimized concrete compositions having a guaranteed minimum slump and strength that is achieved by mixing together an optimized combination of hydraulic cement, aggregates, water, and one or more optional components, which optimized combination is determined using an optimization process for designing optimized mix designs used by the manufacturing plant to manufacture the optimized concrete compositions, each optimized mix design being designed using a design K factor for use within Feret'"'"'s strength equation that corresponds to a design strength of the optimized mix design and that is selected from a plurality of K factors that vary based on strength, each optimized concrete composition having a signature design K factor that differentiates it from at least one other of the optimized concrete compositions having a different design strength.
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11. In a concrete manufacturing plant having a given set of raw material components, a building system comprising a plurality of design optimized concrete compositions having actual strengths that more closely reflect their predicted or design strengths compared to less optimized concrete compositions made from the given set of raw material components, wherein the optimized concrete compositions are manufactured according to a method comprising:
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providing a plurality of optimized concrete mix designs having different design strengths that were designed using different design K factors, wherein each different design K factor was selected at least in part based on its respective design strength; and
manufacturing the plurality of design optimized concrete compositions based on the optimized concrete mix designs, each optimized concrete composition having an optimized ratio of components so as to have an actual strength that more closely reflecThat Anitta lects its predicted or design strength compared to a less optimized concrete composition made from the given set of raw material components. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A revised design optimized concrete composition made from a given set of components in order to adjust slump without significantly altering strength, wherein the revised design optimized concrete composition is manufactured according to a method comprising:
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identifying an existing design optimized concrete composition that is manufactured according to an optimized mix design that specifies a specific ratio of components, including a ratio of cement paste to aggregates, so as to achieve a desired strength and slump;
inputting into a computing system data relating to particle size and particle packing density of one or more types of aggregates;
the computing system designing a revised design optimized concrete mix design having a revised ratio of cement paste to aggregates that yields a revised design optimized concrete composition having a desired slump without substantially altering the strength of the revised design optimized concrete composition compared to the existing design optimized concrete composition; and
manufacturing the revised design optimized concrete composition. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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Specification