Mix design optimization for fresh, strength and durability properties of ambient cured alkali activated composite by Taguchi method

The Alkali Activated Composite (AAC) is gaining the attention of the researchers and material scientists worldwide owing to its improved sustainable and mechanical attributes over the conventional concrete. Despite the acclaimed strength improvement, the lack of experimental data on the durability of the material has restrained the usage of AAC in the construction field. The strength and durability of AAC primarily depend on the mix design and adequate proportions of the constituents. To obtain the optimum proportions of the materials, enormous trial-mixes are required, and despite many efforts, the desired properties are likely to vary during the testing. To streamline the mix design by an improved method of preparing the mixes the present work is focused on utilizing the Taguchi method and the design guidelines of IS: 10262:2019 for the appropriate mix proportions of the constituents. The primary input parameters namely the molar content of NaOH, binder proportions, the dosage of plasticizer, and sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide ratio have been considered as the signal parameters suggested by the Taguchi analysis. The workability and the strength performance of the mixes have been evaluated by considering the higher is a better signal to noise ratio and the durability by considering signal to noise ratio as 'lower is better'. The test results and the predicted values of the proportions of the mix design showed good agreement and effectiveness when prepared as per the code provisions. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.