Enhancing the properties of ceramic products through mixture design and response surface analysis

In products consisting of several components, the physical and engineering properties are a function of the proportions of the components. In this work, statistical combinations of a three-component mixture were designed to obtain synergetic values of mechanical strength of a cement mixture, constituted by lime, fly ash and water. The response surface method using a mixture design of a constrained triangular surface was applied to analyse the data obtained. The results were very satisfactory for characterizing and predicting the fracture strength of hardened specimens as a function of the composition. It is concluded that the use of this mathematical procedure can be an important tool to help to understand the behaviour of these types of ceramic products.