FLOW PROPERTIES AND STRENGTH BEHAVIOUR OF MASONRY MORTAR INCORPORATING HIGH VOLUME FLY ASH

Abstract

Masonry mortar is one of the most widely used building materials in construction as nearly all
the walls made with bricks are finished with mortar. Masonry works with mortar are generally made with
cement, sand and water. In this study, mortar mixes were made by replacing the masonry cement with up to
50% of fly ash at an incremental rate of 10%. Six mortar mixes with 1:4 volumetric cement-to-aggregate ratios
using natural sand were made and tested for flow and strength properties. The results obtained from the tests
showed that the masonry mortars manufactured with fly ash are better off as compared to the mix without any
ash. In terms of flow, it was found that the addition of fly ash increased the flow, particularly when the
replacement levels were above 40%. Mortar with high volume fly ash has also shown to attain a comparable
strength with that of the control mix. Considering the better workability and acceptable strength properties, the
results have demonstrated that high volume replacement of fly ash is a viable alternative for producing
environmental friendly masonry mortar.