The influence of particle packing density optimization on the reduction of the amount of Portland cement in concrete

Abstract

In order to reduce the emission of CO2 and the harmful impact on the environment during the production of concrete, it is important to think about the design of concrete mixes. In practice, the amount of cement is reduced by using cement with mineral additives (fillers) or, more rarely, by replacing part of the cement with mineral additives during the preparation of concrete. This does not go into the detailed characterization of the additives, nor the analysis of possible physical and chemical interactions between the particles, which is why the real potential of replacing part of the cement is often not realized. A fundamental approach to the mentioned problem can be realized through the theory of particle packing. In this paper, the existing methods of optimizing particle packing are presented, an insight is given into the most important parameters that define particle packing, and finally, a review of the literature shows how the amount of Portland cement in concrete mixes is reduced in recent times by optimizing the density of particle packing.