Methods and systems for manufacturing optimized concrete

• US 7,386,368 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2007
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: iCrete LLC
• Original Assignee: iCrete LLC
• Inventors: Andersen, Per Just, Hodson, Simon K.
• Primary Examiner(s): DeCady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rapp; Chad
• Application Number:
  US11/858,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20080009976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 264 Days
• Field of Search: 700/117, 700/173, 700/265
• US Class Current: 700/265
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/06 Quartz; Sand
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 18/08 Flue dust , i.e. fly ash
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 18/146 Silica fume
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2103/302 Water reducers
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2103/304 Air-entrainers
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/12 Nitrogen containing compounds organic derivatives of hydrazine hydrazine C04B22/00
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 28/02 containing hydraulic cements other than calcium sulfates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/0096 Provisions for indicating condition of the compositions or the final products, e.g. degree of homogeneous mixing, degree of wear
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/06 Multi-objective optimisation, e.g. Pareto optimisation using simulated annealing [SA], ant colony algorithms or genetic algorithms [GA]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/91 Use of waste materials as fillers for mortars or concrete

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.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a concrete composition comprising:

obtaining a concrete mix design prepared at least in part by;

inputting into a computing system data relating to particle size and particle packing density for a plurality of solid components;

inputting into the computing system a target strength;

inputting into the computing system a selected design K factor for use in determining a predicted strength for each of a plurality of concrete mix designs generated by the computing system, the design K factor being selected based on the target strength from among a plurality of different K factors that vary with concrete strength for the given set of raw materials;

the computing system designing a plurality of concrete mix designs having varying quantities of raw materials;

the computing system identifying an amount of water for each of the concrete mix designs;

the computing system determining, based on the selected design K factor and the identified amount of water, a predicted strength for each of the concrete mix designs; and

the computing system comparing the predicted strength for each concrete mix design with the target strength to identify a concrete mix design that is better optimized with respect to strength compared to other of the plurality of concrete mix designs; and

manufacturing a concrete composition according to the concrete mix design or a corrected variation thereof.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, the concrete, composition having a substantially optimized ratio of raw materials.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, the concrete mix design being further prepared by:

inputting into the computing system data relating to raw materials cost; and

the computing system identifying the better optimized concrete mix design at least on part on the basis of having a lower cost compared to other of the plurality of concrete mix designs.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the selected design K factor accounts for an effect on concrete strength of including an amine strengthener, the method further comprising adding an amine strengthener to the concrete composition.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the selected design K factor accounts for an effect on concrete strength of including at least one of fly ash or silica fume, the method further comprising adding at least one of fly ash or silica fume to the concrete composition.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the selected design K factor accounts for an effect on concrete strength of using a specific mixing apparatus, the method further comprising mixing the concrete composition using the specific mixing apparatus.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

preparing a concrete test sample for a given set of raw materials based on the concrete mix design;

determining a strength for the concrete test sample; and

altering the concrete mix design to obtain a corrected variation of the concrete mix design for the given set of raw materials that yields a concrete composition having a strength that more closely correlates with the target strength compared to the selected concrete mix design.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

preparing a concrete test sample for a given set of raw materials based on the concrete mix design;

determining a slump for the concrete test sample; and

altering the concrete mix design to obtain a corrected variation of the concrete mix design for the given set of raw materials that yields a concrete composition having a slump that more closely correlates with the target slump compared to the selected concrete mix design.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

upgrading and/or recalibrating equipment used by the manufacturing plant in manufacturing concrete so that concrete manufactured by the manufacturing plant using the upgraded and/or recalibrated equipment has an actual strength that more closely correlates to design strength compared to previous equipment prior to upgrading and/or recalibrating.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

the computing system identifying a modified mix design that yields a concrete composition having a modified slump but substantially similar strength by altering a ratio of cement paste to aggregate relative to the selected concrete mix design or corrected variation thereof; and

manufacturing a modified concrete composition according to the modified mix design or corrected variation thereof.

11. A method of manufacturing a concrete composition comprising:

identifying a pre-existing concrete mix design having an initial ratio of components, a design strength, and an apparent design K factor based on actual strength of concrete manufactured using the pre-existing concrete mix design;

obtaining a revised concrete mix design prepared at least in part by a computer system designing a revised concrete mix design having a revised ratio of components using a revised design K factor that is selected based on the design strength and that more closely corresponds to an optimal K factor corresponding to the design strength compared to the apparent K factor of the pre-existing concrete mix design; and

manufacturing a concrete composition according to the revised concrete mix design or a corrected variation thereof.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the concrete composition has an actual strength that more closely corresponds to the design strength compared to concrete compositions made using the pre-existing concrete mix design.

13. A method as defined in claim 11, the concrete composition having a better optimized ratio of raw materials compared to concrete compositions made using the pre-existing concrete mix design so as to have the specific minimum strength at a given slump and at lower cost compared to concrete compositions made using the pre-existing concrete mix design.

14. In an existing concrete manufacturing plant that manufactures a plurality of different concrete compositions having different design strengths, a method of manufacturing concrete compositions that have actual strengths that more closely correlate with their respective design strengths, the method comprising:

identifying a plurality of pre-existing concrete mix designs of the concrete manufacturing plant in need of better optimization, wherein at least two of the mix designs have differing design strengths;

obtaining a pluraility of new or revised concrete mix designs having new or revised ratios of components compared to the pre-existing concrete mix designs, the new or revised concrete mix designs being prepared at least in part by;

selecting a plurality of different design K factors for use in designing better optimized concrete mix designs, wherein the different K factors correlate with and vary based on differing selected design strengths; and

designing, using the plurality of different design K factors, the plurality of new or revised concrete mix designs; and

manufacturing, based on the new or revised concrete mix designs or corrected variations thereof, revised concrete compositions having actual strengths that more closely correlate with their respective design strengths compared to pre-existing concrete compositions previously manufactured using the pre-existing mix designs,

wherein the revised concrete compositions each have an actual strength at a given slump that more closely correlates to its respective design strength compared to the pre-existing concrete compositions.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising making slump adjustments to one or more of the revised concrete compositions by adding or altering an amount of an admixture within the one or more concrete compositions.

16. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising upgrading and/or adjusting production equipment utilized by the manufacturing plant so that each component is weighed or otherwise measured with an accuracy of about ±

2.0%.

17. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising monitoring moisture content of solid components and altering measured amounts of solid components and added batch water used to manufacture a concrete composition based on detected changes in the moisture content of the solid components.

18. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising delivering a concrete composition using a concrete mixing truck that includes a vessel containing an admixture that alters slump and metering a selected amount of the admixture into a mixing drum carrying the concrete composition in order to alter slump in a desired manner.

19. In a concrete manufacturing plant having a given set of raw material components, a method of manufacturing 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, the method comprising:

obtaining 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 a plurality of optimized concrete compositions based on the optimized concrete mix designs or corrected variations thereof, each optimized concrete composition having an optimized ratio of components so as to have an actual strength that more closely reflects its predicted or design strength compared to a less optimized concrete composition made from the given set of raw material components.

20. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising making slump adjustments to one or more of the optimized concrete compositions by adding or altering an amount of an admixture within the one or more concrete compositions.

21. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising weighing or otherwise measuring the components of each concrete composition with an accuracy of about ±

2.0%.

22. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising monitoring moisture content of solid components and altering a measured amount of solid components and added batch water used to manufacture a concrete composition based on detected changes in the moisture content of the solid components.

23. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising mixing one or more of the optimized concrete compositions using a concrete mixing truck that includes a vessel containing an admixture for adjusting slump and metering a selected amount of the admixture into a mixing drum carrying the concrete composition in order to alter slump in a desired manner.

24. A method of manufacturing a concrete composition that is better optimized compared to an existing concrete composition having a given design strength and ratio of components and that is overdesigned without having to (i) prepare a concrete test sample, (ii) allow it to harden, (iii) test its actual strength, and (iv) compare the actual strength of the test sample with the given design strength, the method comprising:

obtaining a revised concrete mix design for use in manufacturing a concrete composition that is better optimized compared to the existing concrete composition, the revised concrete mix design being prepared at least in part by;

determining an apparent design K factor for the existing concrete composition based on the given design strength of the concrete composition and the given ratio of components within the concrete composition;

comparing the apparent design K factor with a more optimal K factor that corresponds to the given design strength and which is selected from among a plurality of different K factors that vary with varying concrete strength;

redesigning the existing concrete composition to yield the revised concrete mix design by means of an optimization procedure that utilizes a revised design K factor that more closely correlates with an optimal K factor for the given design strength, wherein the revised concrete mix design from the optimization procedure yields a revised concrete composition having an actual strength that more closely correlates with the design strength compared to the existing concrete composition; and

manufacturing a concrete composition based on the revised concrete mix design or a corrected variation thereof.

25. A method as defined in claim 24, further comprising modifying the revised concrete mix design to yield a modified concrete mix design and manufacturing a modified concrete composition according to the modified concrete mix design.