Requested research

Literature review: Overview of generally applied test standards for regular mortars, such as determination of compression and tensile strengths, elastic modulus, and so on.

Material testing: Perform laboratory tests on so-called low-strength mortars mixed by volume, to obtain key mechanical parameters for seismic modeling of rubble stone masonry.

Process documentation: Record in detail the full process of preparing, curing, and testing mortar samples mixed by volume, with the aim of developing a specific test standard for low-strength mortars.

Background: inferior construction quality

The use of cement mortars in stone masonry has always been limited, due to cost and limited availability of cement in rural and mountainous areas of developing countries. However, to withstand large earthquakes, cement mortar may play a vital role in providing sufficient strength for masonry structures.

Cement mortar consists of three ingredients — cement, sand, and water — mixed in specific proportions. In practice, construction quality in developing regions is often substandard due to inferior materials, mixed by hand and in wrong ratios. This results in what we refer to as low-strength mortar.

To replicate real-world scenarios, low-strength mortars are tested for their mechanical properties, such as compression strength, tensile strength, and elastic modulus. These mortars are mixed by volume, include imperfections, and are purposely prepared in weak proportions. The goal of this project is to develop a new experimental test standard for such mortars.

Further action

This project is part of a broader research effort on testing material properties for seismic modeling of stone masonry, which also includes studies of low-strength concretes and optimizing steel reinforcements in concrete bands.

Interested? For more information or to set up a meeting, possibly as a final-year thesis opportunity, send us an email. We’d be happy to discuss how you can contribute to this important area of research.