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Test methods for mortar characterization including ASTM C1324 as well as alternatives and other historical methods were reviewed to compare the mortar qualities relevant to mortar characterization and techniques used to examine such properties.
chemical analysis on the materials in historic mortars. Acid dissolution/separation of binder from aggregate is the simplest method, and allows the determination of the chemical composition of the acid-soluble binder and, after separation, information on the mortar’s aggregate.
performed. This Lab manual mainly deals with the common and universal laboratory tests of different types of construction materials. Normal consistency and initial setting time determination of cement; compressive strength of cement mortar; sieve analysis of fine and
Mortar samples should be obtained via suitable methods including club hammer and chisel penetrating well into mortar joints with careful recovery of sections or pieces, removal of whole masonry units and recovery of mortar across whole bedding and perpend joints or dry overcoring.
nents of mortar and how they relate to one another is essential to evaluating mortar-analysis techniques, this first article reviews mortar-making materials; subse-quent articles will cover analytical methods and buying mortar-analysis services. Mortar Materials Historically, a variety of materials were used to make
Fig. 1. Detail of a mortar joint in an eighteenth-century ma-sonry wall, showing three layers of mortar. Multiple layers of mortars of differ-ent compositions and ages complicate the process of taking samples for mortar analysis. Images by the author, un-less otherwise noted.
Petrographic analysis involves taking a thin section of the mortar for visual inspection under a microscope to determine the pore structure, aggregate and binder constituents, and method of mortar preparation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) will show up further details of the microstructure.
