An investigation into the impact of super plasticiser dosage on the compressive strength of cement concrete

Abstract

Polycarboxylate ether (PCE) has long been used as a superplasticiser (SP) in the production of high-strength concrete. However, new SP products are frequently released into the market with various compositions, leading to different dosage requirements and concrete properties. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of SP dosages of 0.1,0.2,0.3,0.4, 0.5,0.6,0.7,0.8,0.9, and 1 litre per 50kg of cement on concrete performance. The study assessed the material properties of cement concrete ingredients, created mix designs for 20MPa, 25MPa, and 30MPa, and produced 297 concrete cubes using varying superplasticiser dosages to investigate the impact of Master Glenium 3889 superplasticiser on concrete compressive strength. Using a plasticiser in the mix reduced the required quantity of cement, thereby reducing the overall cost of the constituent materials by an average of 8%. Laboratory experiments on fresh and hardened concrete properties were conducted and compared to a control normal concrete using the slump test and compressive strength. A thorough analysis was performed in MATLAB R2024a, using the best slump values and compressive strength without concrete defects as the criteria for determining the optimal dosage. The results showed that, with a constant water-cement ratio, increasing the SP dosage resulted in increased workability and compressive strength for the various concrete grades when compared to normal mixes. From the experimental results obtained, it has been found that the optimal SP dosages for G20, G25, and G30 were between 0.6 litres and 0.8 litres. This is because these dosages resulted in the highest attainable compressive strength while also providing the best workability. The results showed a significant improvement in the properties of concrete after using superplasticisers to achieve the highest compressive strength while maintaining high workability.