The Effect of Sisal Juice Extract Admixture on Compressive and Flexural Strength of Cement Concrete

Abstract

The characteristics of concrete are influenced by the ratio of water to cementitious materials (w/c) used in the mixture. An increase in paste quality will yield higher compressive and flexural strength, lower permeability, increased resistance to weathering, improve the bond between concrete and reinforcement, reduced volume change from drying and wetting, and reduced shrinkage cracking tendencies. Admixtures are used to improve the properties of concrete or mortar. The current study investigates the effect of Sisal Juice Extract (SJE) as an admixture on concrete durability. SJE contains unrefined minerals which can be used as organic retarders to increase the rate of strength development at an early age. A total of 84 concrete cubes were produced in 7 sets of 12 samples each. One set was the control mix which had zero SJE content. The remaining sets had varying dosages of SJ namely 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30%. Twelve beam specimens were also cast and subjected to the three-point flexural test. To establish the effect on strength of concrete, compressive strength was tested at 7, 14, 28, and 56 days while flexural strength was tested at 28 days. The highest compressive strength was achieved at 5% dosage beyond which a decrease in strength occurred for all the higher dosages.