Investigation of some cellulose derivatives effects on concrete properties using response surface methodology

Cement-based composites are one of the most popular construction materials that have been widely used since the past due to their many properties. In order to develop the current performance of these materials, it is of importance to investigate the changes in the engineering properties of the materials as a result of the addition of different additives to the mixture. In this context, the idea of whether cellulose derivatives, which are industrial materials with wide application areas in many sectors, can be used in construction materials has emerged. In this study, the effects of the use of cellulose derivatives Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) as additives on the performance of concrete were investigated. For this purpose, cellulose additives were added to the mixture at the rates of 0.25–0.5%–0.75–1% by weight of cement and the samples were produced. Ultrasonic pulse velocity, flexural and compressive strength tests were performed to determine the engineering properties of the samples. The highest compressive and flexural strengths of 69.162 MPa and 9.592 MPa, respectively, were obtained from the sample produced using 0.5% MCC. Concrete produced using MCC showed higher values in all analyses compared to CMC samples. Furthermore, the experimental results obtained were statistically evaluated using the response surface method. Accordingly, the R2 values obtained as a result of statistical analysis of the compressive strength, flexural strength and ultrasonic sound transmission velocity test results were 0.9031, 0.9299 and 0.9785, respectively, and the suitability of the method was revealed.