Study on compatibility of cement–superplasticiser assisted by multicriteria statistical optimisation

Cement–admixture compatibility problems are becoming more frequent, especially in the field of superplasticisers. Expansion of computer technology makes possible the use of efficient optimisation methods to analyse these complicated problems. Response surface methodology was applied for studies on the influence of water-to-cement ratio, amount of melamine type of superplasticiser, and cement type (with different amount of C3A) on some properties of cement pastes. The most useful combination of w/c, amount of superplasticiser and C3A was determined. Improved cement paste characteristics were obtained in the case of pastes made with a cement having lower amount of C3A.