Improvement of concrete performance by adding Acacia tortilis Gums

Abstract

In this research concrete mixes were tested to investigate the effect of (Acacia tortilis Gum) extracted from west of Kurdofan and evaluate the efficiency on fresh and hardened concrete for trying to produce a concrete with high workability and high strength. In this research, the use of Acacia tortilis Gum after it proved not to fit for use within the food, where it was became a grinding gum in the form of powder and then added in different proportions of the weight of the amount of cement. Four types of concrete mixes were cast in the form of cubes were studied. They were listed as follows: (i) M1 is standard mix without any additive; (ii) M2 is concrete mix after adding 0.25% Acacia tortilis from cement weight; (iii) M3 is concrete mix after adding 0.5% Acacia tortilis from cement weight; (iv) M4 is concrete mix after adding 1.0% Acacia tortilis from cement weight; The research was shown that the effect of Acacia tortilis began runny in the concrete mix M2, resulted in the segregation. In the concrete mix M3 had turned out gave the ratio, which gave good workability and high compressive strength. While in the concrete mix M4 gave very low resistance with high workability. Compressive strength was measured on seven and twenty eight days, and showed that the resistance decreased when additive increased to ratio over 0.5% Acacia tortilis. It was concluded from this research that the workability can be obtained without effecting on the compressive strength of concrete by adding 0.5% of Acacia tortilis Gum (M3).