Curing sensitivity of mortars containing cement, calcined clay, Fly Ash, and Limestone powder

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of multi-binder systems which consist of cement, calcined clay, fly ash, and limestone powder on the curing sensitivity of mortars. Three series of mortar with different water to binder ratios by weight (w/b) of 0.35 and 0.55 and different paste ratios of 1.2 and 1.4 were produced for testing compressive strength. The specimens of each binder system were put under two conditions of curing water curing (water-cured) and no curing (air-cured). The curing sensitivity index was calculated by considering compressive strength as an indicator. It was found that for the mixes with the same water to binder ratio and paste content, the use of fly ash increased curing sensitivity while limestone powder and calcined clay reduced curing sensitivity. Mixes with a higher water to binder ratio (w/b= 0.55) showed higher curing sensitivity compared to mixes with a lower water to binder ratio (w/b= 0.35). Reducing paste content resulted in reduced curing sensitivity of the mortars.