MORTAR

Mortar is a workable paste used to bind construction blocks together and fill the gaps between them. The blocks may be stone, brick, cinder blocks, etc. Mortar becomes hard when it sets, resulting in a rigid aggregate structure. Modern mortars are typically made from a mixture of sand, a binder such as cement or lime, and water. Mortar can also be used to fix, or point, masonry when the original mortar has washed away

Function of Sand in Mortar

1.Sand s mainly used as a inert material to give volume in mortar for economy. 2.It subdivides cementing material into a thin film which is the principle of using all cementing material. 3.It offers requisite surface area for film of cementing material to adhere and spread. 4.Prevents shrinkage and cracking of mortar. 5.Well graded sand provide density. 6.It allows CO2 to enter in some depth in case fat lime mortar and increase setting power. 7.Some chemical reaction take place between silica of sand grain and other cementing material. Ancient Mortars The first mortars were made of mud and clay. Because of a lack of stone and an abundance of clay, Babylonian constructions were of baked brick, using lime or pitch for mortar. According to Roman Ghirshman, the first evidence of humans using a form of mortar was at the ziggurat of Sialk in Iran, built of sun-dried bricks in 2900 BC. The Chogha Zanbil Temple in Iran was built in about 1250 BC with kiln-fired bricks and a strong mortar of bitumen. In early Egyptian pyramids constructed about 26002500 BC, the limestone blocks were bound by mortar of mud and clay, or clay and sand. In later Egyptian pyramids, the mortar was made of either gypsum or lime. Gypsum mortar was essentially a mixture of plaster and sand and was quite soft. In the Indian subcontinent, multiple cement types have been observed in the sites of the Indus Valley Civilization, such as the Mohenjo-daro city-settlement that dates to earlier than 2600 BCE. Gypsum cement that was "light grey and contained sand, clay, traces of calcium carbonate, and a high percentage of lime" was used in the construction of wells,

drains and on the exteriors of "important looking buildings." Bitumen mortar was also used at a lower-frequency, including in the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro. Historically, building with concrete and mortar next appeared in Greece. The excavation of the underground aqueduct of Megara revealed that a reservoir was coated with a pozzolanic mortar 12 mm thick. This aqueduct dates back to c. 500 BC. Pozzolanic mortar is a lime based mortar, but is made with an additive of volcanic ash that allows it to be hardened underwater; thus it is known as hydraulic cement. The Greeks obtained the volcanic ash from the Greek islands Thira and Nisiros, or from the then Greek colony of Dicaearchia (Pozzuoli) near Naples, Italy. The Romans later improved the use and methods of making what became known as pozzolanic mortar and cement. Even later, the Romans used a mortar without pozzolana using crushed terra cotta, introducing aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide into the mix. This mortar was not as strong as pozzolanic mortar, but, because it was denser, it better resisted penetration by water. Hydraulic mortar was not available in ancient China, possibly due to a lack of volcanic ash. Around CE 500, sticky rice soup was mixed with slaked lime to make an inorganicorganic composite mortar that had more strength and water resistance than lime mortar. It is not understood why the art of making hydraulic mortar and cement, which was perfected and in such widespread use by both the Greeks and Romans, was then lost for almost two millennia. During the Middle Ages when the Gothic cathedrals were being built, the only active ingredient in the mortar was lime. Since cured lime mortar can be degraded by contact with water, many structures suffered from wind blown rain over the centuries.

Laying bricks with portland cement mortar

Portland cement mortar

Portland cement mortar (often known simply as cement mortar) is created by mixing Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with sand and water. It was invented in 1794 by Joseph Aspdin and patented on 18 December 1824, largely as a result of various scientific efforts to develop stronger mortars than existed at the time. It was popularized during the late nineteenth century, and owing to the First World War, by

1930 it had superseded lime mortar for new construction. The main reasons for this were that Portland cement sets hard and quickly, allowing a faster pace of construction, and requires less skilled workers. However, as a general rule, Portland cement should not be used for the repair of older buildings constructed in lime mortar, which require the flexibility, softness and breathability of lime if they are to function correctly.

Mortar mixed inside a 5 gallon bucket using clean water and mortar from a bag. When it's the right consistency as in the photo (trowel stands up) it's ready to apply.

Polymer cement mortar

Polymer cement mortars (PCM) are the materials which are made by partially replacing the cement hydrate binders of conventional cement mortar with polymers. The polymeric admixtures include latexes or emulsions, redispersible polymer powders, water-soluble polymers, liquid resins and monomers. It has low permeability, and it reduces the incidence of drying shrinkage cracking, mainly designed for repairing concrete structures. For an example see MagneLine.

Lime mortar
The speed of set can be increased by using impure limestones in the kiln, to form a hydraulic lime that will set on contact with water. Such a lime must be stored as a dry powder. Alternatively, a pozzolanic material such as calcined clay or brick dust may be added to the mortar mix. This will have a similar effect of making the mortar set reasonably quickly by reaction with the water in the mortar. Using Portland cement mortars in repairs to older buildings originally constructed using lime mortar can be problematic. This is because lime mortar is softer than cement mortar, allowing brickwork a certain degree of flexibility to move to adapt to shifting ground or other changing conditions. Cement mortar is harder and allows less flexibility. The contrast can cause brickwork to crack where the two mortars are present in a single wall. Lime mortar is considered breathable in that it will allow moisture to freely move through it and evaporate from its surface. In old buildings with walls that shift over time, there are often cracks which allow rain water into the structure. The lime mortar allows this

moisture to escape through evaporation and keeps the wall dry. Repointing or rendering an old wall with cement mortar stops this evaporation and can cause problems associated with moisture behind the cement.

Pozzolana mortar
Pozzolana is a fine, sandy volcanic ash, originally discovered and dug in Italy at Pozzuoli in the region around Mount Vesuvius, but later at a number of other sites. The ancient Roman architect Vitruvius speaks of four types of pozzolana. It is found in all the volcanic areas of Italy in various colours: black, white, grey and red. Finely ground and mixed with lime it acts like Portland cement and makes a strong mortar that will also set under water.

Mortar
Mortar is a mix used to bind brick, stone etc to each other. It can thus be seen as a binding material that bonds bricks, stones to make a wall or for cladding purpose. Normally cement mortar is used in brickwork in present day construction though lime mortar can also be used but it requires superior craftsmanship and is hence infrequently used.

Cement Mortar
Cement mortar is a mix of cement and sand with water. The cement is binding material which requires sand as a filler material. This cement mortar mix in wet state is plastic and binds two materials when it dries. Mortar is generally defined as 1:2 or 1:3 or 1:7 etc. This means that one part of cement is mixed with 2, 3 or 7 parts of sand.

Precaution for mixing cement mortar

The following steps should be taken carefully while mixing materials for cement mortar.

The mix should be made on a dry, clean, flat surface. The mix should be as per specifications. The mix should be by volume. The quantity of water should be such that the mix can be easily spread over bricks or applied on a vertical surface. Water more then required quantity may spoil the mix and it can reduce the strength of masonry. The mix should be used within half an hour of its preparation.

What is mortar?

Mortar has a wide-spread range of applications. It is difficult to find a definition taking into account all these different uses. From the technical point of view mortar has to be defined by considering its constituent elements. Definition of mortar: A mixtures of aggregates generally with a grain size of less than 4 mm (sometimes less than 8 mm, e. g. mortar for special decorative renders or floor screed mortar) and one or more binders and possibly additives and/or admixtures. Mortar with inorganic binders contains, in addition, water.

What is the origin of mortar?

The origin of mortar can be traced thousands of years. The oldest mortar was based on lime and sand. Since then building techniques have changed and new construction materials developed. Modern mortar is based on mineral aggregates like natural sand, and mineral binders like lime, cement or gypsum. Organic admixtures are added to improve special properties, e. g. workability, water retention or water proofing characteristics.

What are the functions of mortar?

The most important functions of mortar are: to bind materials together (e. g. masonry mortar and tile adhesive mortar) to provide a level or smooth finish (e. g. floor screed mortar, internal plastering) to protect against weathering (e. g. external rendering) to improve thermal insulation of walls (e. g. thermal insulation rendering mortar, lightweight masonry mortar) to repair and renovate constructions (e. g. concrete repair mortar, damproofing mortar, or renovation mortar)

What types of mortar are in use?

The currently most common types of mortar are: masonry mortar which is divided into general purpose mortar, lightweight mortar and thin layer mortar) rendering mortar which is used to protect buildings against weathering and to give them a decorative look. Thermal insulating renders are part of this group. plastering mortar to finish inside walls normally containing gypsum floor screed mortar cement based or based on calcium sulphate binders high-technology dry mortars (tile adhesive, concrete repair etc.) External Thermal Insulating Composite Systems (ETICS) The following types of delivering mortar are common in Europe: dry mortar in bags or silos ready to use mortar delivered by truck mixers, normally workable 36 hours

Fresh Concrete
Fresh concrete is that stage of concrete in which concrete can be moulded and it is in plastic state. This is also called "Green Concrete". Another term used to describe the state of fresh concrete is consistence, which is the ease with which concrete will flow.

Workability of Concrete
Workability is often referred to as the ease with which a concrete can be transported, placed and consolidated without excessive bleeding or segregation. OR The internal work done required to overcome the frictional forces between concrete ingredients for full compaction. It is obvious that no single test can evaluate all these factors. In fact, most of these cannot be easily assessed even though some standard tests have been established to evaluate them under specific conditions. In the case of concrete, consistence is sometimes taken to mean the degree of wetness; within limits, wet concretes are more workable than dry concrete, but concrete of same consistence may vary in workability. Because the strength of concrete is adversely and significantly affected by the presence of voids in the compacted mass, it is vital to achieve a maximum possible density. This requires sufficient workability for virtually full compaction to be possible using a reasonable amount of work under the given conditions. Presence of voids in concrete reduces the density and greatly reduces the strength: 5% of voids can lower the strength by as much as 30%. Slump Test can be used to find out the workability of concrete. View Procedure of Slump Test

Factors affecting concrete workability:

i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. Water-Cement ratio Amount and type of Aggregate Amount and type of Cement Weather conditions 1. Temperature 2. Wind Chemical Admixtures Sand to Aggregate ratio

i. Water content or Water Cement Ratio

More the water cement ratio more will be workability of concrete. Since by simply adding water the inter particle lubrication is increased.

High water content results in a higher fluidity and greater workability. Increased water content also results in bleeding. another effect of increased water content can also be that cement slurry will escape through joints of formwork.

ii. Amount and type of Aggregate

More the amount of aggregate less will be workability.

Using smooth and round aggregate increases the workability. Workability reduces if angular and rough aggregate is used. Greater size of Aggregate- less water is required to lubricate it, the extra water is available for workability Angular aggregates increases flakiness or elongation thus reduces workability. Round smooth aggregates require less water and less lubricationand gretaer workability in a given w/c ratio Porous aggregates require more water compared to non absorbent aggregates for achieving sam degree of workability.

iii. Aggregate Cement ratio

More ratio, less workability. Since less cement mean less water, so the paste is stiff.

iv. Weather Conditions

1. Temperature
If temperature is high, evaporation increases, thus workability decreases.

2. Wind:
If wind is moving with greater velocity, the rate of evaporation also increase reduces the amount of water and ultimately reducing workability.

v. Admixtures
Chemical admixtures can be used to increase workability. Use of air entraining agent produces air bubbles which acts as a sort of ball bearing between particles and increases mobility, workability and decreases bleeding, segregation. The use of fine pozzolanic materials also have better lubricating effect and more workability.

vi. Sand to Aggregate ratio

If the amount of sand is more the workability will reduce because sand has more surface area and more contact area causing more resistance.

3(a). Concrete Bleeding

Bleeding in concrete is sometimes referred as water gain. It is a particular form of segregation, in which some of the water from the concrete comes out to the surface of the concrete, being of the lowest specific gravity among all the ingredients of concrete. Bleeding is predominantly observed in a highly wet mix, badly proportioned and insufficiently mixed concrete. In thin members like roof slab or road slabs and when concrete is placed in sunny weather show excessive bleeding. Due to bleeding, water comes up and accumulates at the surface. Sometimes, along with this water, certain quantity of cement also comes to the surface. When the surface is worked up with the trowel, the aggregate goes down and the cement and water come up to the top surface. This formation of cement paste at the surface is known as Laitance. In such a case, the top surface of slabs and pavements will not have good wearing quality. This laitance formed on roads produces dust in summer and mud in rainy season. Water while traversing from bottom to top, makes continuous channels. If the water cement ratio used is more than 0.7, the bleeding channels will remain continuous and un segmented. These continuous bleeding channels are often responsible for causing permeability of the concrete structures. While the mixing water is in the process of coming up, it may be intercepted by aggregates. The bleeding water is likely to accumulate below the aggregate. This accumulation of water creates water voids and reduces the bond between the aggregates and the paste. The above aspect is more pronounced in the case of flaky aggregate. Similarly, the water that accumulates below the reinforcing bars reduces the bond between the reinforcement and the concrete. The poor bond between the aggregate and the paste or the reinforcement and the paste due to bleeding can be remedied by re vibration of concrete. The formation of laitance and the consequent bad effect can be reduced by delayed finishing operations. Bleeding rate increases with time up to about one hour or so and thereafter the rate decreases but continues more or less till the final setting time of cement.

Prevention of Bleeding in concrete

Bleeding can be reduced by proper proportioning and uniform and complete mixing. Use of finely divided pozzolanic materials reduces bleeding by creating a longer path for the water to traverse. Air-entraining agent is very effective in reducing the bleeding. Bleeding can be reduced by the use of finer cement or cement with low alkali content. Rich mixes are less susceptible to bleeding than lean mixes.

The bleeding is not completely harmful if the rate of evaporation of water from the surface is equal to the rate of bleeding. Removal of water, after it had played its role in providing workability, from the body of concrete by way of bleeding will do good to the concrete. Early bleeding when the concrete mass is fully plastic, may not cause much harm, because concrete being in a fully plastic condition at that stage, will get subsided and compacted. It is the delayed bleeding, when the concrete has lost its plasticity, which causes undue harm to the concrete. Controlled re vibration may be adopted to overcome the bad effect of bleeding.

3(b). Segregation in concrete

Back to top Segregation can be defined as the separation of the constituent materials of concrete. A good concrete is one in which all the ingredients are properly distributed to make a homogeneous mixture. There are considerable differences in the sizes and specific gravities of the constituent ingredients of concrete. Therefore, it is natural that the materials show a tendency to fall apart.

Segregation may be of three types

1. Coarse aggregate separating out or settling down from the rest of the matrix. 2. Paste separating away from coarse aggregate. 3. Water separating out from the rest of the material being a material of lowest specific gravity. A well made concrete, taking into consideration various parameters such as grading, size, shape and surface texture of aggregate with optimum quantity of waters makes a cohesive mix. Such concrete will not exhibit any tendency for segregation. The cohesive and fatty characteristics of matrix do not allow the aggregate to fall apart, at the same time; the matrix itself is sufficiently contained by the aggregate. Similarly, water also does not find it easy to move out freely from the rest of the ingredients.

The conditions favorable for segregation are:

1. Badly proportioned mix where sufficient matrix is not there to bind and contain the aggregates 2. Insufficiently mixed concrete with excess water content 3. Dropping of concrete from heights as in the case of placing concrete in column concreting 4. When concrete is discharged from a badly designed mixer, or from a mixer with worn out blades

5. Conveyance of concrete by conveyor belts, wheel barrow, long distance haul by dumper, long lift by skip and hoist are the other situations promoting segregation of concrete Vibration of concrete is one of the important methods of compaction. It should be remembered that only comparatively dry mix should be vibrated. It too wet a mix is excessively vibrated; it is likely that the concrete gets segregated. It should also be remembered that vibration is continued just for required time for optimum results. If the vibration is continued for a long time, particularly, in too wet a mix, it is likely to result in segregation of concrete due to settlement of coarse aggregate in matrix.