5.

MORTAR
5.1 DEFINITION AND USE

Mortar is the name given to a mixture of sand or similar inert particles with cementing
material and water and which has the capacity of hardening into a rock like mass. In
general the maximum size of the inert particles in mortar is less than 5 mm, and the
cementing material is Portland cement and/or lime.

In building construction, its uses are many and varied such as jointing medium in masonry
construction and wall plaster. The main function of the mortar used in wall construction, is
to transfer from block to block the pressure that is produced by the weight of the masonry
and the supper imposed load if any. In such a case the compressive stress on the mortar is
as large as on the blocks themselves, and it is therefore clear that not only the blocks but
also the jointing mortar must have satisfactory strength if a durable masonry is to be built.

Wall plastering is the other wide spread use of mortar. If an even surface is desired on a
wall, it is given two or three layers of specially prepared mortar. By using appropriate tools,
the outer layer can be made smooth before it hardens.

5.2 MORTAR MIXES

The traditional mortar material for building work was lime, but later to an increasing extent
Portland cement replaced it. While the use of lime results in a relatively workable mixture,
rapid development of strength as well as stronger mortar is most conveniently obtained
with Portland cement. Nowadays, in order to combine the advantages of each, constructors
prepare and use mortars made with appropriate proportions of Portland cement, lime and
sand that is known as compo-mortar.

In order to produce a durable mortar of required strength and other essential properties at a
minimum cost, careful attention must be given to the selection and proportioning of the
component materials. The following point must also be considered:

1. The mixture must be workable so that it can be placed and finished without undue
labor

2. Since Portland cement is the most costly ingredient in the mixture the proportion
used should be as small as is consistent with the attainment of desired properties.

The most accurate method of measuring proportions is by weight however because of its
advantage at the site volumetric proportioning is often used.

5.3 PROPERTIES OF MORTAR

5.3.1 WORKABILITY

Properties of mortars vary greatly because they are dependent on many variables such as
the properties of the cementitious material used, ratio of cementitious material to sand,
characteristics and grading of the sand, and proportion of mixing water.
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For the same proportions, lime-sand mortar invariably gives better workability than
Portland cement-sand mortar. However, cement produces higher strength than lime. As
pointed out above, sometimes both lime and cement can with advantage be combined in the
mortar – compo-mortar – that as a result is both plastic and strong. At times admixtures are
used in order to improve the workability of cement-sand mortar, especially when they are
lean (i.e. containing less amount of cement) mixes.

Grading of Aggregates

This term is used to describe the relative proportion of various particle sizes between the
nominal maximum aggregate and the smallest material present, which passes a 150µm
sieve. The need for grading arises from the requirements, first that aggregates fill as much
as possible of the total space and secondly, that the aggregates and cement, being much
denser than water, tend to settle, while the mixing water tends to rise. A well-graded
aggregate will ensure that there are no large volumes of cement paste and that settlement of
solids is minimized by particle interference. By employing continuously graded material,
voids between larger particles can be filled efficiently with slightly smaller ones, the
process down to and through the cement grain sizes that are graded.

The grading or particle size distribution of aggregate is determined by a sieve analysis. The
following table gives standard series of sieves of square openings that are used in the sieve
analysis of fine and coarse aggregates. Any sieve down the list has half the clear opening of
the one above.

Standard Sieve Sizes and Square Openings

For fine aggregates For coarse aggregate

ES series ES series
Sieve size and clear opening Sieve size and clear openings
9.5mm 75mm
4.75mm 63mm
2.36mm 37.5mm
1.18mm 19mm
600µm 13.2mm
300µm 9.5mm
150µm 4.75mm
Where µm = Micrometer Where µm = Micrometer

The use of a well-graded mixture of aggregates results in improved workability and

economy of the cement since such aggregate has a decreased amount of voids between the
particles and consequently requires less cement paste. It is reported that, for mixes of given
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Eyob Yilma, Construction Technology Department, NCTTE
consistence and cement content, a well graded aggregate gives better strength than a poorly
graded one because less water is required to give suitable workability.

Sieving Machine

Grading Chart

As pointed out above, the grading or particle size distribution of aggregate is determined by
a sieve analysis. A sample of aggregate for sieve analysis is first surface dried and then
sieved through the series, starting with the largest. The weight retained on each sieve is
recorded and the percentage will be computed. Finally, the cumulative percentage passing
and the cumulative percentage coarser are determined. The summation of the cumulative
percentage of the material retained on the sieves divided by 100 is called the fineness
modulus. It is used as an index to the fineness or coarseness and uniformity of aggregate
supplied, but it is not an indication of grading since there could be an infinite number of
grading, which will produce a given fineness modulus.

The results obtained as percent passing or percent coarser can be shown graphically in
aggregate grading charts. On the horizontal axis are read the sieve openings with arithmetic
or logarithmic scale. They are arranged with increasing sieve-opening sizes from left to
right. On the vertical on the left side of the chart are indicated the total percentage coarser,
0 to 100, from bottom to top.

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Eyob Yilma, Construction Technology Department, NCTTE
 Example of Sieve Analysis of Fine Aggregate

Weight Cumulative % Cumulative %

Sieve Size % Retained
Retained Passing Coarser
9.5mm 0 0 100 0
4.75mm 35 7 93 7
2.36mm 45 9 84 16
1.18mm 80 16 68 32
600µm 160 32 36 64
300µm 140 28 8 92
150µm 40 8 0 100
Total 500 100 311

Fineness modulus = 3.11

5.3.2 STRENGTH

Results of tests on mortars and compo-mortars have shown that strength is affected by a
number of factors, which include the quality of the ingredients, their proportion, the curing
method and age.

For the same proportions, lime-sand mix gives weaker mortar than cement-sand mix. This
is due mainly to two factors, the first being the difference in strength between Portland
cement and lime pastes. For the same proportions cement gives invariably stronger paste
than lime. Secondly Portland cement is a better cementing material than lime giving a
better bond between the paste and the inert materials that are the sand grains.

As could be seen from the figures shown below, the compressive, tensile, shear and
bending strengths of cement mortar increases with and increase in the cement content, and
this is true irrespective of the grain size distribution of the sand. However, drying shrinkage
increases and the mortar become prone to shrinkage cracks.

The strength as well as the density of mortars made of the same class of sand decreases as
the proportion of fine grains in the sand increases.

The other ingredient that affects the strength of mortar is the water used in the mix. In
general, increasing, the percentage of mixing water beyond that required to form a
peaceable mix lowers the strength and density of the mortar. This effect is greatest at early
age.

The strength of mortar increases with age. The rate of increase is highest at early age and
becomes negligible after a year or so. This is associated with the degree of hydration of the
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Eyob Yilma, Construction Technology Department, NCTTE
cement in the case of cement-mortar or the amount of carbon absorption in the case of lime-
mortar.

5.3.3 WATER TIGHTNESS

At times mortar is used in parts of buildings exposed to dampness or moisture and might be
required to be watertight. In such cases, Portland cement should be used because of its
hydraulic property and the mix should be rich and dense. Using higher amount of cement,
lower water/cement ratio and coarse-grained sand can produce such mortar. With the

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Eyob Yilma, Construction Technology Department, NCTTE
cement content, materials, and workability all constant, strength and degree of water-
tightness increase with the density of the mix.

5.3.4 MATERIALS FOR MORTAR

Sand used for making mortar should be well graded, that is the particles should neither all
be fine nor all coarse. If the sand is well graded, the finer particles help to occupy the space
(voids) between the larger particles, thus resulting in a dense mortar and permitting the
most economical used of cement and/or lime in filling the remainder of the voids or air
spaces and binding the sand particles together.

Sand should be clean, free from dust, loam, clay, and vegetable matter. These foreign
materials are objectionable because they prevent adhesion, thereby reducing the strength of
the mortar and increasing its porosity. Mortar made with dirty sand hardens very slowly
even under the most favorable conditions and may never harden enough to permit the
mortar to be used for its intended purpose.

Silt test could be made at the building site as follows, using an ordinary clear glass bottle or
fruit jar (See the figure above); Fill the jar to a depth of 5 cm with a representative sample
of the sand to be tested. Add water until the jar or the bottle is about three fourth full and
shake vigorously for one minute, the last few shakes being in a sidewise direction to level
off the sand. Allow the jar to stand for an hour during which time any silt will be deposited
in a layer above the sand. If this layer is more then 3 mm thick that in terms of percentage
3/50 = 6%, the sand of which this sample is representative is unsuitable for mortar work
unless the excess silt is removed by washing.

Sand containing injurious amounts of silt or organic matter should be washed. A simple
washing device is shown above. While the sand is gently stirred, a stream of water is run
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Eyob Yilma, Construction Technology Department, NCTTE
through. The water will overflow at the lower end carrying away the particles or dirt, and
the sand will remain in the through.

Water for mortar mix should be clean, free from industrial wastes.

5.3.5 BATCHING AND MIXING

Materials used for making mortar should be accurately measured, especially when
preparing mortar for wall plaster. Cement is usually measured by weight in cement bags
whereas site (wet) slaked lime and sand are measured by volume.

Each cement bag, as delivered by the factories, contains a net weight of 50kg, which
corresponds to about 35L loose volume. For convenience the other materials can be
measured by using a measuring box made to hold quantities in multiples of 35l. For
example, a convenient size of box that will hold 35L would be 40 cm long, 35 cm wide and
25 cm deep internally.

Care should be taken so as to have the sand surface dry. If surface moisture is present,
bulking should be allowed for.

Mortar is usually mixed at the site, and mixing may be by hand or by mechanical mixer.
Hand mixing must be done on a proper mixing board that should be water tight and clean.

Any mortar containing cement should be thoroughly mixed in a dry state first, and then
water added before final mixing. All cement or cement-lime mortars should be used with in
the first two hours of mixing.

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Eyob Yilma, Construction Technology Department, NCTTE