CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

(EMV2164)

By Mr TUYISENGE Jean Claude

Dept. of Estate Management & Valuation (EMV)
College of Science and Technology (CST)
 Recall
Construction Material:

Article, item, material, or supply consumed or

used in a construction project and incorporated
in the constructed building or structure.

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 Topic 6: MORTAR
Definition:
• When a binding material, a fine aggregate and
water are mixed together in suitable proportions ,
they form an easily workable paste which is
termed as Mortar .
• A mortar is a mixture of cement, sand and water
used for binding bricks, blocks and stones

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 MORTAR
Definition:
• Mortar is a workable paste used to bind
construction blocks together and fill the gaps
between them.
• Mortar may be used to bind masonry blocks
of stone, brick, etc. Mortar becomes hard when it
sets, resulting in a rigid aggregate structure
• Mortar can also be used to fix, or point, masonry
when the original mortar has washed away

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 MORTAR
Definition:
• Mortars are usually named according to the
binding material used in their preparation
• They are essentially required for masonry work,
plastering and pointing etc.
• The horizontal joints between brick courses are
called mortar joints; the vertical joints between
adjacent bricks are known as perpends

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 MORTAR
Definition:
• The strength of the mortar should be preferably,
less than that of the bricks or blocks laid in it.
This is to ensure that any cracking caused by the
movement in the structure occurs in the mortar
joints rather than the bricks.
• The thickness of the mortar joints ranges
between 10 mm to 15 mm. The less the thickness
the greater the strength of the wall and
conversely, increasing the size of the joint makes
the structure weaker
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 Functions of Mortar
• To bind together the bricks or stones properly so
as to provide strength to the structure
• To form a homogenous mass of the structure so
as to resist all the loads coming over it without
disintegration.
• To provide a weather resisting i.e., a durable
layer between the different courses of masonry
in the structure

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 Functions of Mortar
• To hold coarse aggregate together in any
concrete so as to form a solid mass. The mortar
used in a concrete is termed as matrix
• To do pointing and plastering to the structure.
The mortar used for plastering is known as
plaster
• To fill up empty joints in brick and stone
masonry. The mortar used for such purposes is a
thin liquid mortar which is termed as grout and
the process is known as grouting
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 Composition of Mortar
• Modern mortars are typically made from a
mixture of sand,
sand a binder such as cement or 
cement lime,
lime
and water

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 Properties of Mortar
 Workability:
• Workability may be defined as the behavior of a
mix in respect of all the properties required,
during application, subsequent working and
finishing
• Ease of use, i.e. the way it adheres or slides on
the trowel
• Ease of spread on the masonry unit
• Ease of extrusion between courses without
excessive dropping
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 Properties of Mortar
 Workability:
• Ease of positioning of the masonry unit without
movement due to its own weight and the weight
of additional courses

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 Water Retentivity & Air content
• This is the property of mortar that resists water
loss by absorption into the masonry units
(suction) and to the air, in conditions of varying
temperature, wind and humidity
• Water retentivity is related to workability
• The air content of the mortar in its plastic state
is also important

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 Water Retentivity & Air content
• In order to achieve good durability it is
necessary that there is sufficient air content
(entrained air) to enable freeze-thaw cycles to be
resisted without disrupting the matrix of the
material.

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 Stiffening and hardening
• The progression of stiffening refers to the
gradual change from fresh or plastic mortar to
setting or set mortar
• Hardening refers to the subsequent process
whereby the set mortar progressively develops
strength

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 Properties of hardened mortar
• Durability of mortar may be defined as its
ability to endure aggressive conditions during its
design life
• A number of potentially destructive influences
may interact with the mortar: these include
water,
water frost,
frost soluble salts and temperature
change
• In general, as the cement content increases so
will durability

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 Mixing Mortar
• The sands and the cement have to be thoroughly
mixed by hand or in a mechanical mixer before
adding any water - do not use dirty water, or
water from puddles or ponds, as this could
impair the final strength of the mortar
• Similarly, keep any sugar-containing liquids,
such as soft drinks, well away from the mix -
sugar, even in small amounts, seriously impairs
the setting ability of the cement

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 Preparations of Mortars
• When mixing by hand, the sands and cement are
heaped up on a mixing board or in a wheelbarrow
and repeatedly turned over and over until
thoroughly mixed
• The color of the dry mix will change as the
cement is distributed throughout - there should be
no 'streaking' of cement, and no clumps of pure
sand or pure cement
• Once the dry ingredients are mixed, the water can
be added
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 Preparations of Mortars
• If any additives are being used, such as a
plasticizer or a frost-proofer, they are normally
added to the water, and then mixed in, rather
than being directly added to the dry ingredients
• A well is formed in the centre of the mixed
heap, water added to it and then folded in
• More water is added a bit at a time and folded in
until the required consistency is attained

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 Preparations of Mortars
• This should be when the mortar is thoroughly
mixed but is able to stand in peaks, like whipped
cream; too wet and it just makes a mess, too dry
and it's almost impossible to work.
• When using a mechanical mixer, add half a
bucket (2 or 3 liters) of clean cold water to the
empty drum before adding the dry ingredients in
sequence

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 Preparations of Mortars
• Add 4 measures of sand then 1 of cement,
followed by 4 sand, then another cement and so
on until the required quantity is in the mixer
• This ensures a more thorough mix than adding,
say, 20 measures of sand and then 5 measures of
cement
• Again, the water is added to the revolving drum
once the dry ingredients are thoroughly blended, a
bit at a time until the required consistency is
achieved
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 Preparations of Mortars
• For wide joints in paving or for stonework,
either as paving or as walling, a coarser mortar is
often preferred - replace half of the building/soft
sand with grit/sharp sand
• You will probably find that a coarse mortar such
as this requires less gauging water to achieve a
working consistency than does a
bricklaying/general purpose mortar

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 Types of Mortars & their uses
 Cement mortar:
mortar
• The paste is prepared by mixing cement and
sand in suitable proportions in addition to water
• The general proportion is 1 part of cement to 2-
8 parts clean sand
• These mortars must be used within half an hour,
i.e.; before initial setting time of the cement
 This type is used for all engineering works
where high strength is desired such as load
bearing walls, deep foundations, flooring etc
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 Types of Mortars & their uses
 Lime mortar:
mortar
• The paste is prepared by mixing lime and sand
in suitable proportions in addition to water
• These mortars are inferior to cement mortars in
strength as well as water tightness
• These mortars should not be used for
underground works as they set in the presence of
carbon dioxide and break up in damp conditions
 This type is used for construction work above
ground level i.e. exposed positions
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 Types of Mortars & their uses
 Light weight mortar:
mortar
• The paste is prepared by mixing wood powder,
wood sawing or saw dust with cement or lime
mortar
• In such mortars fibers of jute coir or asbestos
fibers can also be used
 These are generally used as fiber plasters in
sound and heat proof construction

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 Types of Mortars & their uses
 Fire resistant mortar:
mortar
• The paste is prepared by mixing aluminous
cement and finely crushed fire bricks in suitable
proportions in addition to water
• The usual proportion are 1 part aluminous
cement to 2 parts of finely crushed fire bricks
 These are generally used for lining furnaces,
ovens and fire places with fire bricks

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 Types of Mortars & their uses
 Mud mortar:
• The paste is prepared by mixing suitable clayey
soil with water
• The soil which is used for preparing mud mortar
should be free from grass, pebbles etc
• These are the cheapest mortars but weakest in
strength
 These mortars are used for brickwork of
ordinary buildings and for plastering walls in
rural areas.
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 Function of Sand in Mortars:
Mortars
• It reduces shrinkage of the building material
• It prevents development of cracks in the mortar
on drying
• It helps in making mortars and concretes of
desired strength by varying its proportions with
the binding material
• A well graded sand adds to the density of
mortars and concretes

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 Characteristics of good mortar:
mortar
 An ideal mortar:
• Adheres completely and durably to all the
masonry unit to provide stability
• Remains workable long enough to enable the
operative to set the masonry unit right to line and
level; this implies good water retentivity
• Stiffens sufficiently quickly to permit the laying
of the units to proceed smoothly, and provides
rapid development of strength and adequate
strength when hardened
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THANK
YOU

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