Abstract
Fly ash – βcyclodextrin interaction has shown to have formed a composite that might be useful in concrete technology [1]. Since the effect of this composite on concrete properties has not been documented in an open literature, there is a need to run indicative tests that will give guidance for on-going research. This paper presents the results of the indicative tests on the effect of fly ash-β cyclodextrincomposite on concrete workability and strength (compression and split tensile). All the mixtures included 30 % fly ash (FA) by mass. The βcyclodextrin (β-CD) was mixed with the FA, in separate mixtures, in proportions of 0.1 %, 0.2 % and 0.5 %. Two sample preparation procedures were followed for FA-β-CD composites mixtures; firstly, physical mixtures of a pre-weighed amount of β-CD and FA were adopted for the dry mixtures and secondly, 0.0103M, 0.0206M and 0.0516Mβ-CD solutions were added to the concrete at the mixing stage for solution mixtures.The results obtained showed that an increased content (0.5%) of β-CD in concrete both for dry and solution mixtures had a detrimental effect on both workability and strength. However, lower percentages (0.1% and 0.2%) of β-CD improved both workability and the strength of the concrete.