Mechanical behaviour of bedding mortar for structural masonry - Preview and failure mode

Abstract

This paper presents the mechanical behaviour of hardening mortars for structural masonry, regarding compressive strength, flexural strength and elasticity modulus under uniaxial and triaxial stress state. One has used casting cubic, prism and cylindrical specimens. The conclusions drawn from the present studies are: there is a potential relation between compressive strength of cube, cylinders and flexural strength with water/cement ratio; there is a linear relation between elasticity modulus and compressive strength of mortar; the ultimate strength envelope can be represented by a linear function; It is possible to observe the macropores with dispersed cracks in the transition zone between paste and grain, the cracks seems to be induced by shrinkage and weeping; mortars exhibits high porosity and different sizes of voids, with a possible initial decrease in volume by closing of the flaw and voids; the constitutive model to represent the non-linear elasticity of mortar was proposed.