Study the Effect of Sawdust Content and Temperature on Fundamental Properties of Plaster Mortars

Abstract

Sawdust waste material is a by-product of manufacturing furniture and other wood products. It poses a major problem for the environment if no action is considered to get rid of it. For this reason, this research presents a new modality for recycling sawdust west material as a partial replacement of a plaster of Paris (POP). Six composite mortars prepared from different sawdust ratios 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 % by wt. of POP were used to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of these mortars. The effect of different temperature levels (100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 Cₒ) on the properties of these composite mortars was also investigated. The results show that the optimal proportion of sawdust in the mortar was 10 %, where the compressive strength increased by about 51.47 % compared to the reference mix (without sawdust) at 50 Cₒ. Additionally, there was a development in the modulus of rupture (MOR) for composite mixtures. The 6% sawdust content exhibited a 28.33 % increase in MOR. It was also found that sawdust reduced the density of the samples. Raising the temperature to 200 Cₒ and beyond affects the mechanical properties negatively.