Mechanical Properties of River Sand Mortar

Abstract

Abstract : There are large quantities of river sand not conforming to Iraqi specifications. This research was carried out to establish the effect of river sand on compressive and tensile strength of mortar and the ability to improve these mechanical properties by using Styrene Butadiene Rubber, and accelerated curing. The results show that the using of river sand instead of AL-Ekadir sand increased water demand for mortar and therefore the mechanical properties of mortar decreased. The addition of SBR to mixes improve the performance of mortar by better and easier workability, reduced water demand and increases the compressive and tensile strength for all mortar mixes. Result also demonstrated that, the specimens cured at heightened temperature showed superior performance to those specimens cured normally. The strength of mortar is also affected by the amount of cement in the matrix and the ratio of sand to cement.