Determination of optimum volume proportions for sarooj (pozzolan) lime mixes

Sarooj is an artificial pozzolan produced by burning special types of clays , It has been used extensively in Oman as a cementing material in concrete masonry construction, particularly in hydraulic structures, buildings and m ilitary installations. Sarooj is cementitious when mixed with lime and wate r, It is a cheap cementitious material for use in construction and restorat ion of historical buildings, An experimental research program was developed to determine the optimum volume proportions that can be used in concrete a nd mortar mixtures. Twenty five sarooj-lime mixes having different proporti ons of sarooj, lime, sand and water were tested. In addition, two groups of mixes (sarooj, lime, sand, water) batched by weight and by volume, with ea ch group contained three mixes of the same proportions, were tested to stud y the effect of the fineness of sarooj on the strength characteristics of t he sarooj-lime mix. It was found that grinding sarooj to pass the 300 mu m sieve produced the highest compressive strength, while optimum volume propo rtions of sarooj, lime, sand and water for the highest compressive strength was 3:1:3:1.9.