MORTARS

Christian Lopez

Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Belize

CIVL2101: Properties of Material III

Mr. Lloyd Carrillo

October 23 rd, 2021

What is cement mortar?

To my knowledge, mortar is applied as a thick

paste which sets hard as it cures. It creates a tight
seal between bricks and blocks to prevent air and
moisture entering a construction. It can compensate
for variations in brick or block size to produce an
aesthetically pleasing and structurally sound
construction.

Functions of cement mortar

✓ To bind building materials such as

bricks and stones into a solid mass.
✓ To carry out pointing and plasterwork
on exposed surfaces of masonry.
✓ To form an even and soft bedding layer
for building units.
✓ To form joints of pipes.
✓ To improve the general appearance of a
structure.
✓ To prepare moulds for coping, corbels,
cornice, etc.
✓ To serve as a matrix or cavity to hold
the coarse aggregates, etc.
Types of cement mortars used in construction

Cement Mortar
Cement mortar is a type of mortar where cement is used
as binding material and sand is used as fine aggregate.
Depending upon the desired strength, the cement to the
sand proportion of cement mortar varies from 1:2 to 1:6.
Lime Mortar
Lime mortar is a type of mortar where lime (fat lime or
hydraulic lime) is used as binding material and sand is
used as fine aggregate. The lime to the sand proportion
of cement mortar is kept 1:2. The pyramids at Giza are
plastered with lime mortar.
Surki Mortar
Surki mortar is a type of mortar where lime is used as
binding material and surki is used as fine aggregate. Surki
mortar is economic.
Mud Mortar
Mud mortar is a type of mortar where mud is used as
binding material and sawdust, rice husk or cow-dung is
used as fine aggregate. Mud mortar is useful where lime
or cement is not available.
Puzzolona Mortar
Puzzolona Mortar is used in hydraulic structures, marine
structures, construction near the seashore, dam
construction etc. Used in pre-stressed and post-tensioned
concrete members. Used in masonry mortars and
plastering. As it gives better surface finish, it is used in
decorative and art structures
Mixing Cement mortar by (Machine & Hand)

To prepare cement mortar, cement and sand are properly mixed in

dry condition. Water is then added gradually and mixed using a
shovel. The water should be free from clay and other impurities.

Cement mortar can either be mixed manually (Hand Mixing) or

mechanically (Machine Mixing). For small construction, hand
mixing is commonly used. Mechanical mixing is required when
the mortar is needed in large quantities and needs to be used in
continuous order.
Batch mixers are widely used machines for concrete mixing.
Concrete mix obtained by this mixer is collected batch by batch
and time by time. So, it is called as batch mixer. After pouring all
the materials into pan or drum, it mixes all of those for some time
and finally discharges.
Prepare a container with a flat, solid surface base and tall sides for
mixing mortar, if mixing by hand. Add the masonry cement, lime,
and sand in the appropriate amounts to the mixing container, then
add water on top of the dry ingredients. Fold the mortar mix from
the bottom into the water, when mixing by hand.

Proportion of cement mortar

Masonry Construction:
• For ordinary masonry work with brick/ stone as a structural
unit. – 1:3 to 1:6
• For reinforced brick work – 1:2 to 1:3.
• For all work in moist situations – 1:3
• For Architectural work – 1:6
• For Load Bearing structures – 1:3 or 1:4
Plaster Work:
• For External Plaster and Ceiling Plaster – 1:4
• Internal Plaster (If sand is not fine i.e., Fineness Modulus>
3) – 1:5
• For Internal Plaster (if fine sand is available) – 1:6
Flooring Work:
Mortar ratio of 1:4 to 1:8 (cement: sand, water to be judgmental),
for 5 to 7 times thickness of verified tiles, should be given as bed
between RCC floor and tiles.
Pointing Work:
• For pointing work proportion of cement mortar should be 1:1
to 1:3
Curing of cement mortar
Cement gains strength with hydration. So, it is
necessary to see that the mortar remains wet until
hydration occurs. After placing the
mortar/concrete, the process of ensuring sufficient
moisture for hydration is called curing. Curing is
ensured by spraying water. Generally, curing
begins 6–24 hours after using mortar. Initially,
more water is required for hydration, which can be
reduced gradually. Curing for cement mortar is
recommended for 7 days.
Properties of cement mortars
• Well-proportioned and well laid mortar
provides an impervious surface.
• When water is added to dry mixture of
cement and sand, hydration of cement
occurs, and it binds with sand particles and
the surrounding surfaces of masonry and
concrete.
• A rich mortar of more than 1:3 is prone to
shrinkage.
• The leaner mix is not capable of closing the
voids in sand, and hence the plastered
surface will remain porous.
Uses of cement mortar
• To bind masonry units like stone, bricks,
blocks, cement
• For Plastering on walls and slabs to make
them impervious.
• As a filler material in Ferro cement works
and stone masonry.
• To fill cracks and joints in the wall.
• Use of cement mortar gives a neat finishing
work to wall and concrete work.
• For pointing the joints of masonry.
• For preparing the building blocks.
Precautions while using cement mortar
• After adding water to the mixture, the mortar
should be used within 30 minutes, because
the setting process begins immediately after
adding water. Otherwise, its strength will
gradually decrease.
• Before placing the structural units, i.e., bricks
and stones they must be saturated in water
because the cement requires a good amount
of water for hydration. If dry units are placed
on the mortar, they will absorb water from
mortar very quickly, which will have a
deteriorating effect on the mixture and its
strength will get reduced.
• Wherever the mortar is used, it should be kept
wet at least for 7 days.
Concrete slump test procedure
Place a straight edge, preferably the tamping
rod, across the slump mold base, with one end
suspended over the pile of concrete. Using a
tape or ruler, measure the distance from
the bottom of the straight edge to the
displaced center of the slumped concrete.
Record the results to the nearest 1/4 of an
inch.
What is the purpose of concrete
compression test?
Image result for Compression test concrete
the purpose of a Concrete Compression
Machine is straightforward; it uses
compressive force to load different types of
concrete specimens to ensure the material
meets design and structural strength
requirements. These versatile machines are
the centerpiece of any concrete testing lab.
What is an aggregate

Aggregates are coarse particulate rock-like material

consisting of a collection of particles ranging in size
from < 0.1 mm to > 50 mm. It includes gravel,
crushed rock, sand, recycled concrete, slag, and
synthetic aggregate.

Aggregate is a granular material, such as sand,

gravel, crushed stone, crushed hydraulic-
cement concrete, or iron blast-furnace slag, used
with a hydraulic cementing medium to produce
either concrete or mortar.

Aggregate is called bound material when it is mixed

with cement or binding materials and referred to as
unbound material when used without cement or
binding materials.

Purpose & uses of aggregates

• Aggregates are used as the base, subbase,

and/or surface of roads in several forms
• In roads and railway ballast, it is used to
help distribute the load and assist in ground
water running off the road.
• Increases the volume of concrete, thus
reduces the cost. Aggregates account for
60-75% of the volume of concrete and 79-
85% weight of PCC
• Provide dimensional stability
• Influence hardness, abrasion resistance,
elastic modulus, and other properties of
concrete to make it more durable, strong,
and cheaper.
• Other uses include fills, backfills, and
drainage and filtration applications.
What is Coarse aggregate Types of fine aggregates

Coarse aggregates refer to irregular and granular
materials such as sand, gravel, or crushed stone,
and are used for making concrete. In most cases,
Coarse is naturally occurring and can be obtained
by blasting quarries or crushing them by hand or
crushers.
Types of coarse aggregates
Elongated aggregate:
Their size is 1.8 times or nine-fifths of its mean
dimension.
Flaky aggregate:
At least the lateral dimension should be lower than
0.6 times or three-fifths of the common dimension,
in a plane oriented downward with water and air.
Conversely influence the durability and are
restricted to a maximum of 15%.
Natural coarse aggregates:
They are obtained by crushing rocks and
weathering motion / natural agencies of rocks.
Pit Sand - They are sharp and angular in outline.
Translation and deposition are done by the wind.
Such sand accumulation is sometimes covered by
clay. It will be desirable to wash and clean this type
of sand before use.
River sand is found in the riverbed in-plane area.
Grains of river sand is round. This sand is clean and
free from salt encrustations. No organic impurities
are noticed. This sand is commonly for
construction work.
Sea sand - This type of sand is found on beaches
and along seashore. These sand particles are round
and the grains are often found covered with salts
that are not easily separated. These salts, when
meeting binding material of mortar or concrete,
create problems. Further, these salts encrustations
are hygroscopic. They absorb water from the
atmosphere and delays setting. They produce
dampness and efflorescence. Hence the type of
sand is not preferred. They should be thoroughly
washed before use.

Artificial aggregate:
They are not used for R.C.C functions. Artificial
aggregates are damaged bricks, blast furnace slag
and artificial aggregates.

Graded aggregate:
A mixture that passes through a particular shape of
the sieve are often known as hierarchical
aggregates.

What is Fine aggregate

Fine aggregates are essentially any natural sand

particles won from the land through the mining
process. Fine aggregates consist of natural sand or
any crushed stone particles that are ¼” or smaller.
This product is often referred to as 1/4'” minus as it
refers to the size, or grading, of this aggregate.
 Masonry hand tools applications
• Brick trowel is a point-nosed trowel for spreading mortar on
bricks or concrete blocks with a technique called "buttering".
The shape of the blade allows for very precise control of
mortar placement.
• A brick layer hammer can be used for cutting, cleaning, and
setting bricks, stone, or masonry. The two sides of the head
are very different from each other and for good reason.
• A jointer in masonry is used to finish the vertical or the
horizontal mortar joints. The masonry construction requires
tooling process which help in waterproofing the joints and to
beautify the construction.
• A spirit level, bubble level, or simply a level, is an instrument
designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal (level) or
vertical (plumb).
• The line level can be used to lay out contours and gradients,
and to measure the slope of land.
• A plumb bob is used to establish a vertical reference (called a
plumb line). It can be used to make sure that constructions are
plumb, but it can also be used in surveying to establish the
nadir with respect to gravity at a specific point.
• A tape measure is used to measure distance or size. It is like a
much longer flexible ruler consisting of a case, thumb lock,
blade/tape, hook, and sometimes a belt clip. A tape measure
will have imperial readings, metric readings, or both.
• A mason's line is used to create straight lines and a level
surface. It is needed when laying outposts, patios, footings
and more.
• Bolsters & cold chisels are used to help break through hard
materials by hand such as stone, brick and metal.
• A chalk line is a tool used to lay out straight lines between two
points, or vertical lines by using the weight of the line reel as
a plumb line.