Cement & Concrete Composites 62 (2015) 82–89

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Cement & Concrete Composites

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Influence of fired clay brick waste additions on the durability of mortars

A. Schackow a,b,⇑, D. Stringari b, L. Senff c, S.L. Correia a, A.M. Segadães d
a
State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC), Center of Technological Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering Post-graduation Program, 89219-710 Joinville, SC, Brazil
b
State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC), Center of Technological Sciences, Department of Civil Engineering, 89219-710 Joinville, SC, Brazil
c
Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Center of Mobility Engineering, 89218-000 Joinville, SC, Brazil
d
University of Aveiro, Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering (CICECO), 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The use of metakaolin is known to help improve properties of Portland cement-based mortars. The pre-
Received 3 July 2014 sumed similarities between the characteristics of metakaolin and those of a powdered (<45 lm) fired clay
Received in revised form 13 April 2015 brick clean waste (CBW) led to the investigation of the effect on the durability of mortars of partial
Accepted 29 April 2015
replacement (10, 25 and 40 wt.%) of Portland cement by CBW. Properties such as 28 and
Available online 17 June 2015
90 days-compressive strength, water absorption, apparent porosity, absorption by capillarity, chloride
retention, carbonation depth and sulphate resistance were evaluated. The CBW-containing cured mortars
Keywords:
showed improved strength and density, as the result of combined physical and pozzolanic pore filling
Clay brick waste
Metakaolin
effect of added CBW. However, CBW-free mortar exhibited larger spreading and, being more porous,
Durability higher sulphate resistance and ability to absorb chlorides. Optimum performance was found for the
Mortar 40 wt.% CBW mortar whose compressive strength can be up to 130% higher than that of the CBW-free
Sulphate resistance mortar.
Carbonation Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction The effect of metakaolin as partial replacement for Portland

Along with the reduction of production costs and the increasing
scarcity of natural resources, the quest for sustainable develop-
ment has intensified the study of the reuse of waste materials in
order to minimize environmental impacts. In Brazil, the ceramic
bricks industry generates a significant amount of rejected
non-conform (not marketable) bricks primarily due to lack of
raw materials homogeneity and processing difficulties, which
result in cracks and breakages. Discarded waste bricks are not
reused in the process due to changes imparted to the plasticity of
the raw clay mixture. However, upon firing at temperatures
between 500 and 900 °C, the dehydroxylation that occurs in clay
minerals (formation of metakaolin, an amorphous material with
strong reactivity) results in pozzolanic activity (capability of react-
ing with calcium hydroxide and water to form cementitious com-
pounds). Thus, powdered clay brick waste (CBW) might be used in
cement based materials, with environmental benefits from the
reduction of both the amount of discarded wastes and the CO2
emissions by cement industries [1].
⇑ Corresponding author at: State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC), Center of
Technological Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering Post-graduation Pro-
gram, 89219-710 Joinville, SC, Brazil. Tel.: +55 47 40097802; fax: +55 47 40097936.
E-mail address: adilson.schackow@udesc.br (A. Schackow).
cement in mortars depends on the physical, chemical and
microstructural characteristics of the material and the composition
of the mortars. Moreover, the properties of metakaolin are affected
by the characteristics of the original clay minerals (particle size,
mineralogy, crystallinity, structural order and disorder) and the
heat treatment conditions used [2].
A large variety of clays have been used as pozzolanic materials
in mortars and concrete as partial substitute of Portland cement.
They generally contain significant amounts of kaolinite
(Al2O3
2SiO2
2H2O) that are transformed into metakaolinite upon
calcination [3]. The faster reactions between amorphous silica
and alumina from metakaolin with lime released from the cement
lead to the formation of larger amounts of CSH and C4AH13, which
promote several properties of the final mortar or concrete, namely
high ultimate strength and low permeability [4]. The use of meta-
kaolin and other pozzolanic materials, such as fly ash, silica fume,
slag, rice husk ash, fired clay bricks and natural pozzolans, has also
been shown to refine the pore structure, which results in reduced
ionic mobility, consumption of calcium hydroxide and entrapment
of alkalis in silica-rich hydration products, thus helping to suppress
the deleterious expansion that results from alkali–silica reactions
or exposure to chlorides and sulphates [5–8]. Nevertheless, the
use of metakaolin as partial replacement for Portland cement
seems to be more effective in reducing the carbonation depth than
fly ash or silica fume additions [6].

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2015.04.019
0958-9465/Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 A. Schackow et al. / Cement & Concrete Composites 62 (2015) 82–89 83

Although the reuse potential of a variety of ceramic-related Table 2

industrial wastes, namely sludges, fired clays and demolition Fresh mortars formulations (based on constant 2.5  103 cm3 total volume) and
corresponding flow index (spreading).
waste, has been investigated, these had been subjected to firing
temperatures up to 1100 °C at some stage of their former process- Formulation Mixture componentsa (g) Flow index (mm)
ing [6–11] and they generally require waste collection and condi- PC CBW Lime Sand Water
tioning operations that might be rather elaborate. On the 0 394 – 409 3305 986 267.0 ± 1.3
contrary, rejected low temperature fired clay bricks, straight from 10 344 38 418 3381 955 (1047b) 246.3 ± 1.5
the production line, constitute a clean and ready to use waste 25 272 90 433 3504 907 (1109b) 208.7 ± 1.1
material, whose effect on concrete or the durability of mortars 40 205 136 450 3636 854 (1124b) 172.0 ± 0.6

has not been investigated. Given the similarities to construction a

and demolition waste, preliminary work was carried out with such
a clay brick waste (CBW) in concrete applications. The results sug-
gested that replacement of 23–30% of Portland cement could be
achieved with no significant harm to technological properties.
Therefore, since the changes introduced by CBW might be easier
to understand in mortars, the purpose of this work is to assess
the effects on typical fresh and hardened mortar properties of par-
tial replacement of Portland cement by CBW up to 40 wt.%, so that
application-optimized mortar formulations might be designed.
2. Experimental
In the typical construction mortars prepared in this work,
Portland cement CP II–Z–32 (Brazilian Portland Cement Society)
was used as binder. According to the supplier [12], it has a particle
size <41 lm, BET (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller) specific surface area
(SSA) of 0.37 m2/g (Blaine fineness) and the chemical composition
shown in Table 1. The clay brick waste (CBW) was obtained from
industrially fired bricks discarded by the ceramic industry due to
presence of cracks, irregular dimensions or other imperfections.
In the regular production process, firing is carried out in a contin-
uous furnace at 700 °C for 24 h. Those bricks discarded at the end
of the firing cycle were ball-milled and sieved through 45 lm to
obtain the CBW fine powder. Quartz sand with particle sizes rang-
ing from 150 to 2360 lm (average 510 lm) was used as aggregate
and hydrated lime CH-III (Brazilian Association for Technical
Standards) with 75% of the particles <75 lm. The CBW characteri-
zation included the determination of the BET specific surface area
(Gemini V2.00 surface analyzer), the particle size distribution
(laser diffraction, CILAS 1064), the chemical analysis (X-ray fluo-
rescence, Philips PW 2400) and the identification of crystalline
phases (X-ray diffraction, Shimadzu XRD 6000, using the Cu Ka
radiation). The unfired clay used in the bricks manufacture was
also characterized in terms of mineralogy by X-ray diffraction
(XRD) and by Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy (FTIR,
Perkin–Elmer Spectrum One, 4000–560 cm 1 wave length range).
Various mortars were prepared (based on constant
2.5  103 cm3 total volume) in which the Portland cement was
To produce nine 40  40  160 mm3 specimens.
b
Amount of water to produce mortars with similar flow index as CBW-free
mortar.
replaced with CBW up to 40 wt.% (Table 2). The water to cement
weight ratio (W/C) used in the CBW-free mortar was kept constant
in the other mortars (for this purpose, the added CBW was
included in the cement content). This strategy was adopted
because the use of varying W/C ratios to maintain the workability
conceals the real effect of mineral additions on the fresh and hard-
ened properties [13].
The flow (spreading) tests and the preparation of specimens,
with 40  40  160 mm3, followed the Brazilian standard NBR
13276 [14]. The specimens were cured for 28 and 90 days in water
saturated with calcium hydroxide at ambient conditions (23 °C,
65–80% relative humidity) and dried before testing. The natural
carbonation tests were carried out on specimens cured in air and
the carbonation depth was measured by visual analysis of pho-
tographs [15]. The retained chloride tests followed the procedure
described in the literature [16], by 24 h immersion (of dried
90 days aged specimens) in a sodium chloride saturated solution
(1 kg of sodium chloride in 2.78 dm3 water) followed by drying
(90 ± 5 °C) until constant weight. The retained chloride was deter-
mined as the difference between specimen weights before chloride
saturation and after drying. The sulphates resistance test also fol-
lowed the procedure described in the literature [16,17], using dried
90 days aged specimens and successive 2 h immersion cycles in a
sodium sulphate decahydrate solution at 6.17% (65.8 g of sodium
sulphate decahydrate in 1 dm3 of water). After each immersion,
specimens were dried at 90 ± 5 °C for 21.5 h and then cooled for
about 30 min. The solution pH (measured with a paper strip colour
indicator) remained constant at about 10. Several other properties
(compressive strength [18], apparent porosity and water absorp-
tion [19] and water absorption coefficient by capillarity [20]) were
measured following standard procedures as indicated in Table 3.
The microstructure of CBW particles was observed by Scanning
Electron Microscopy (SEM, Hitachi SU-70) after carbon coating.
Qualitative elemental analysis was carried out by
Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) on selected areas.
The microstructure of cured mortars was observed by SEM (Jeol

Table 1
Chemical composition of CBW, as determined by X-ray fluorescence.
Table 3
Chemical composition (wt.%) Experimental program and test methods.
CP II–Z–32 CBW Studied properties Curing Samples Standard test
Al2O3 6.77 21.21 time per test method
CaO 52.79 0.21 (days)
Fe2O3 3.15 6.22 Consistency index 0 3 NBR 13276 [13]
MgO 4.15 0.48 Carbonation 28, 90 1 RILEM CPC-18 [14]
MnO – 0.06 Attack by sulphates 90 2 ASTM C 1012 [16],
P2O5 – 0.09 Rodrigues, 2004 [15]
SiO2 22.41 66.72 Retained chlorides 90 2 Rodrigues, 2004 [15]
TiO2 – 1.37 Compressive strength 28, 90 4 NBR 13279 [17]
SO3 2.79 – Apparent porosity and water 90 2 NBR 9778 [18]
(K2O + Na2O)a 0.78 0.85 absorption
Loss on ignition 5.00 2.78 Water absorption coefficient 90 2 NBR 15259 [19]
a by capillarity
Alkali equivalent, which can form expansive compounds.
84 A. Schackow et al. / Cement & Concrete Composites 62 (2015) 82–89

FEG JSM-6701F) on polished surfaces of samples set in a low vis-

cosity epoxy resin.

3. Results and discussion

3.1. The CBW particle characterization

The CBW powder sieved through 45 lm has a SSA of 34.36 m2/g

and the chemical composition shown in Table 1. Its particle size
distribution and morphology are shown in Fig. 1. The average par-
ticle size is lower than 5 lm, which explains the high SSA. Fine par-
ticles, with high SSA, increase the reactivity and promote stronger
chemical interactions at the interfaces [21,22], but their wetting
also requires more water. For this reason, CBW-containing fresh
mortars are expected to present worsen workability.
The mineral phases identified by XRD in the unfired clay were
(Fig. 2a): kaolinite and halloysite (Al2Si2O5(OH)4), aluminium sili-
cate hydroxide hydrate (Al2Si2O5(OH)4
2H2O) and quartz (SiO2).
The presence of the kaolinite hydroxyls was also confirmed by
FTIR (Fig. 2b), with peaks at 3700 and 3620 cm l. After calcination
at 700 °C, the kaolinite XRD and FTIR peaks disappeared due to
dehydroxylation [23], suggesting the transformation into metakao-
lin [24–26]. As expected, the presence of quartz remains detectable
[27,28]. Also, the presence of amorphous silica was confirmed by a
strong Si–O peak in the FTIR pattern, near 1050 cm l, having an
asymmetry recognizable by a shoulder near 1200 cm l [29]
(Fig. 2c). It is well known that amorphous silica promotes the poz-
zolanic reaction with portlandite (calcium hydroxide) present in
cement-based materials. This reaction produces calcium silicate
hydrates that are responsible for an additional increment in the
strength and chemical resistance [30].

Fig. 2. (a) X-ray diffractograms, (b) FTIR spectra in the 50–4000 cm 1 range, and (c)
detail of FTIR spectra in the 800–1300 cm 1 range of raw clay and CBW.

3.2. Workability of mortars

In general, the fresh CBW-containing mortars showed reduced

Fig. 1. (a) Particle size distribution of CBW sieved through 45 lm; and (b) CBW
particle morphology.
spreading (Table 2), due to increased water consumption by the
finer CBW particles and the presence of the constant W/C ratio.
The CBW-free mortar was the most fluid sample, while the
10 wt.% CBW mortar already showed 8.5% reduction in flow
index (spreading). Both the 25 wt.% CBW and 40 wt.% CBW mortars
revealed a strong negative impact on the workability and preven-
tive measures (extra water or superplasticizers addition) are
required to control the workability at the same level of the
CBW-free sample. It must be reminded that the purpose of this
work is to evaluate the actual effect of CBW, while keeping con-
stant the other variables. Although the use of different water addi-
tions is a common procedure to adjust the workability, its
influence on the fresh and hardened behaviours is notorious [13],
 A. Schackow et al. / Cement & Concrete Composites 62 (2015) 82–89 85

rendering the evaluation of the real influence of added fine parti- particles can be calculated based on the corresponding water,
cles on the properties of interest rather difficult. cement and CBW contents (Table 2). For the constant W/C ratio
To illustrate this reasoning, Fig. 3 shows the relationship of 2.5, such calculations result in an approximately constant value
between the W/C ratio and flow index. On the left side of Fig. 3 of 73 mg of water per m2 of CBW surface area. When mortars are
mortars prepared with constant W/C = 2.5 showed decrease in prepared with the same flowability (i.e. with increasing W/C
spreading (it must be reminded that added CBW is included in ratios), similar calculations return an also approximately constant
the cement content). On the right side of Fig. 3, the equivalent mor- value of 137 mg of water per m2 of CBW surface area.
tars prepared for constant flow index required increased W/C ratio, Although rather simplistic, the above reasoning clearly shows
as expected. To reach the same flowability as the CBW-free mortar, that there is a proportionality relationship between mortar’s
mixtures with 10, 25 and 40 wt.% CBW would require 6.16%, flowability, the particles surface area and the W/C ratio, with
12.48% and 13.96% more water, the corresponding W/C ratios important practical implications. For each specified flow index
increasing from the original 2.5 to 2.74, 3.06 and 3.30. This results and CBW SSA value, the adequate extra water content is constant
from the extra surface area introduced by the finer CBW particles. (140 mg/(m2/g) in the present case). Thus, amounts of water
For mortars containing 0, 10, 25 and 40 wt.% CBW and a constant
W/C ratio (2.5), the amount of water per m2 of (cement + CBW) sur-
face area was 6.76, 0.67, 0.28 and 0.18 g/(m2/g), respectively. For
the equivalent CBW-containing mortars, in which the added water
was increased to keep the flow index constant, the corresponding
amount of water per m2 of (cement + CBW) surface area became
0.73, 0.35 and 0.24 g/(m2/g). Thus, the corresponding increase in
added water per unit specific surface area of (cement + CBW) par-
ticles was 9.60%, 22.27% and 31.57%.
Given that the changes in surface area stem solely from the par-
tial replacement of Portland cement by CBW, all the other variables
remaining tied in constant proportions, it can be assumed, for sim-
plicity, that the water/surface ratio in the CBW-free mortar, i.e.
6.76 g/(m2/g), remains the same in the other mortars and the
amount of water available to wet the surface of added CBW

Fig. 5. Effect of added CBW content on the water absorption coefficient due to
capillarity of mortars cured for 90 days.

Fig. 3. Flow index and W/C ratio (Mortars A, prepared with constant W/C ratio;
Mortars B, prepared for constant flow index).

Fig. 4. Effect of added CBW content on apparent porosity, and water absorption of Fig. 6. (a) Effect of added CBW content on compressive strength (CS) of mortars
mortars cured for 28 days. cured for 28 and 90 days; (b) correlation between CS and apparent porosity.
86 A. Schackow et al. / Cement & Concrete Composites 62 (2015) 82–89
below that value result in decreased workability and, therefore, for
comparable workabilities and constant W/C ratios, these results
recommend a moderate use of up to 10 wt.% of CBW.
The second conclusion that can be drawn concerns the choice
between constant W/C ratio and constant flow index. It is well
known that higher W/C ratios promote porosity and hinder the
ultimate compressive strength. Thus, mortars prepared with the
same consistency, hence with higher W/C ratios, are expected to
show poorer mechanical performance unless there is some poz-
zolanic or filler effect brought in by added CBW. In such case, the
CBW effect is counteracted by the water effect, the former is
deemed to be attenuated by the latter and might even go unno-
ticed. On the contrary, in mortars prepared with constant W/C
ratio, hence decreased flowability, both effects work in the same
direction. Therefore, any pozzolanic or filler effect brought in by
added CBW will be enhanced by the presence of less water. Just
to verify this assumption, compressive strength of mortars shown
in Fig. 3 were measured after 90 days curing and strength improve-
ments that increased with the CBW content were observed in all
cases. However, while mortars prepared with constant W/C = 2.5
showed strength increases that could exceed 80% above that of
the CBW-free mortar, the equivalent improvement remained
below 50% in mortars prepared for the same flow index (increasing
W/C ratio). These results both confirm that there is a beneficial
Fig. 7. (a) Sulphate resistance of mortars as a function of added CBW content and the number of exposure cycles; visual aspect of samples subjected to (b) 8, (c) 12, and (d) 16
cycles.
effect from added CBW and favour the use of constant W/C ratio
to investigate it, which was the strategy adopted in the present
work.
3.3. Apparent porosity, water absorption and absorption by capillarity
The apparent porosity and water absorption values of
CBW-containing mortars cured for 90 days always remained below
those of the CBW-free mortar and varied almost linearly with the
CBW content (Fig. 4), which shows that the CBW-free mortar has
a more porous structure than the CBW-containing mortars. Fig. 5
shows the water capillarity absorption coefficient results obtained
in tests up to 90 min. The differences were not significant at 10 min
but became significant after 90 min, which shows that the pre-
sumed interconnected porous structure that promotes fluid flow
into the matrix was gradually obstructed by CBW addition. These
results suggest that the improved density of the cured mortars is
due to CBW addition and the differences in microstructure result
from the combined physical and pozzolanic effect of CBW.
Firstly, the CBW finer particles can fill in the space left by other
components, reducing the volume of pores in the hardened matrix
[31]. Then, the reaction between the amorphous compounds, such
as silica and alumina, with calcium hydroxide generates sili-
cate/aluminate hydrates similar to those produced in the cement
 A. Schackow et al. / Cement & Concrete Composites 62 (2015) 82–89 87

hydration (pozzolanic effect). Nevertheless, the slight increase in

the permeability of the mortar containing 40 wt.% CBW suggests
the existence of an optimum CBW content, beyond which the
improved microstructure might be lost. Such optimum content is
no doubt dependent on the available water content (hence, W/C
ratio).

3.4. Compressive strength

Fig. 6a shows the compressive strength values of CBW-free and

CBW-containing mortars cured for 28 and 90 days. All samples
revealed a compressive strength gain from 28 to 90 days, as the
result of the hydration process and also due to CBW addition.
Taking the extreme cases as an example, the 10 and 40 wt.%
CBW mortars show, respectively, a strength increase of 29% and
130% (28 days) or 28% and 82% (90 days) when compared to the
CBW-free mortar. Such differences can be related to the internal
porosity of mortars, as discussed previously in Section 3.3. In fact,
there is an inversely proportional relationship between compres-
sive strength and apparent porosity, which is satisfactorily
adjusted by a linear regression model (Fig. 6b). However, the
40 wt.% CBW mortar showed the lowest compressive strength gain
from 28 to 90 days, due to the larger amount of Portland cement
replaced. Therefore, these results revealed that, along with curing
time, CBW additions imparted additional benefits in terms of mor-
tar strength, but its use should be moderate.
3.5. Sulphate resistance and sodium chloride retention
In the sulphate resistance tests, the absolute expansion values
and cracking of the CBW-free mortar remained lower and less
intense than those of the CBW-containing mortars (Fig. 7). The
more porous structure of the CBW-free mortar (Fig. 4), seems to
be capable of accommodating the expansive hydrate formation
reactions (ettringite, C3A
3CS
H32) that occur during exposure of
the cured material. This agrees with existing literature, which
reports that pore and micropore sizes, as well as the total porosity
and permeability coefficients of metakaolin composite cements
decrease as exposure time increases [7], and that crack develop-
ment in the material is a sign of the aggressive water penetration
into the interior of the sample [32]. Thus, although the less perme-
able CBW-containing material should also be less susceptible to
Fig. 8. Effect of added CBW content on sodium chloride retained by mortars cured
for 90 days.
sulphate intrusion, the use of CBW and the resulting reduced
porosity are not enough to completely prevent it. These results
suggest that the accommodation of local expansion associated
with the sulphate reaction may be the key factor governing sul-
phate resistance.
Fig. 8 shows the sodium chloride absorption of mortars cured
for 90 days. The CBW-free mortar exhibited higher retention of
sodium chloride than the CBW-containing mortars, as expected
from the increment of the absorption by capillarity, as previously
mentioned in Section 3.3. Again, these results confirm that the
internal microstructure of the material has a fundamental contri-
bution, because the available pore volume accommodates the crys-
tallization/dissolution of halite (NaCl) without excessive stress
build up, thus reducing damage to the surrounding material [33].
3.6. Natural carbonation
Fig. 9 shows the carbonation depths under natural conditions
after 28 and 90 days of CBW-free and CBW-containing mortars.
The addition of CBW did not significantly affect the extent of the
carbonation reactions at 28 days, but distinct behaviours were
observed at 90 days, in which mortars containing 10 and 25 wt.%
CBW revealed the lowest carbonation rate. Natural carbonation
in cement-based materials is the result of the reaction between

Fig. 9. Visual aspect of samples exposed to natural carbonation for (a) 28, and (b) 90 days.
88 A. Schackow et al. / Cement & Concrete Composites 62 (2015) 82–89
Fig. 10. SEM image of polished surface of mortars cured for 90 days (a and c) CBW-free and (b and d) 40 wt.% CBW.
Fig. 11. (a) SEM image of polished surface of CBW-free mortar cured for 90 days;
(b) EDS pattern obtained at point B.
atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and calcium hydroxide [32] and
decreases with the increase of the amount of the more resistant
calcium silicate hydrates produced upon hydration [34] and of
the internal capillary interconnected pores [9]. As discussed earlier
in Section 3.3, as the CBW content increases the permeability of the
open pore network decreases, which should favour a continuous
decrease in the carbonation rate, as observed with samples con-
taining up to 25 wt.% CBW. The result obtained for the 40 wt.%
CBW sample, which presented an increase in the water capillarity
absorption coefficient, suggests that the most resistant microstruc-
ture is no longer present and the calcium silicate hydrates pro-
duced become once again exposed to the detrimental action of
the atmospheric CO2.
3.7. Microstructure of mortars
The microstructures of the CBW-free and 40 wt.% CBW mortars
are shown in Fig. 10. The features observed are consistent with the
physical and mechanical properties already described. The
CBW-free mortar revealed a microstructure having larger pore-
s/cracks and also crystal clusters apparently less dense than those
observed in the 40 wt.% CBW sample, as a natural consequence of
additional calcium silicate hydrated produced in the latter.
Fig. 11 shows the hexagonal portlandite crystals located near
the capillary pores, while the EDS pattern at point B confirmed
the predominance of Ca and minor amounts of Mg, Al, O and Si.
In addition, the micrograph also shows the presence of pores larger
than 50 nm (point A), which increase permeability and hinder
strength.
4. Conclusion
XRD and FTIR analyses suggest that powdered clay brick waste
(CBW) has characteristics similar to those of pozzolanic materials,
since they revealed the formation of dehydroxylated kaolinite and
amorphous silica upon calcination at 700 °C.
Preliminary work carried out to compare mortars prepared with
constant W/C ratio with the equivalent mortars prepared with the
same flow index showed that there is a proportionality
 A. Schackow et al. / Cement & Concrete Composites 62 (2015) 82–89
relationship between mortar’s flowability, the particles surface
area and the W/C ratio and that, for each specified flow index
and CBW SSA value, the adequate extra water content is constant.
For a constant water to cement ratio, the flow index values of fresh
mortars decreased upon CBW addition, indicating that a moderate
dosage is required. However, the physical properties (apparent
porosity and water absorption) of CBW-containing mortars
remained lower than those of the CBW-free mortar, while the com-
pressive strength was always better, for all curing times. The best
property balance (optimum performance) was found for the
40 wt.% CBW mortar.
The water absorption by capillarity was so spontaneous that all
mortars exhibited similar results in the beginning of the absorption
test (10 min). However, at the end of the test (90 min), the
CBW-free sample revealed the highest absorption values, likely
due to pores ranging from 50 to 300 nm, as seen in the correspond-
ing micrographs.
In spite of the lower absorption, added CBW is unable to pre-
vent the sulphate intrusion. As a consequence of the more compact
microstructure, samples containing CBW exhibited low ability to
absorb chlorides but lower sulphate resistance, in comparison with
the CBW-free mortar. Therefore, the more porous microstructure
of the CBW-free mortar seems to be more capable of accommodat-
ing the local expansion due to hydrate formation, lessening the
breakdown of the structure.
After 90 days of curing, 10 and 25 wt.% CBW showed the lowest
and similar carbonation depths, which can also be explained by the
reduced porosity.
Therefore, CBW additions as described in this work lead to
microstructural changes that promote the physical and mechanical
performance of mortars, even though they can also entail some
sacrifice in chemical durability. However, the studied properties
suggest that a moderate CBW addition (up to 10 wt.%) is desirable
if comparable workability is desired. Higher CBW additions require
additional measures to control the workability of fresh mortars at a
level similar to that of the CBW-free mortar.
Acknowledgements
Authors appreciate the financial support received from CAPES
(Brazilian Federal Agency for the Support and Evaluation of
Graduate Education) and the State University of Santa Catarina
(Science initiation scholarship, Douglas Stringari).
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