RECENT DISINTEGRATION OF MORTAR IN BRICK WALLS

SIXTY-FOUR BRICK MASONRY BUILDINGS LOCATED IN A SEACOAST STATE AND CONSTRUCTED FROM 1945 TO 1954 WERE STUDIED IN DETAIL TO DETERMINE THE CAUSES OF MORTAR DISINTEGRATION. FIFTY-ONE BUILDINGS HAD SOME DEPTH OF DISINTEGRATION, BUT 13 HAD NONE. IN ADDITION, 19 OTHER BUILDINGS IN NEARBY AREAS WERE INSPECTED. EIGHT OF THESE SHOWED MORTAR BREAKDOWN, AND 11 HAD NONE. IT WAS INDICATED THAT THE MORTAR DISINTEGRATION WAS CAUSED BY EFFLORESCENCE CONTAINING SODIUM AND POTASSIUM SULFATES. THE SOURCE OF THE SODIUM AND POTASSIUM IN THESE DESTRUCTIVE SULFATES APPARENTLY WAS THE ALKALI CONTENT OF THE CEMENTS USED. MORTARS CONTAINING CEMENT HAVING MORE THAN 0.6 PERCENT OF SODIUM AND POTASSIUM OXIDED (SODA EQUIVALENT) WERE CONSISTENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH DISINTEGRATION; BUT WHERE THE CEMENT HAD A LOWER ALKALI CONTENT, DISINTEGRATION EITHER DID NOT OCCUR OR WAS ONLY SLIGHT. BRICK WITH HEAVY SANDING TENDED TO INCREASE THE MORTAR DISINTEGRATION, BUT ROUGH SURFACED BRICK REDUCED IT. GOOD WORKMANSHIP PROBABLY REDUCES THE MORTAR DISINTEGRATION, BUT IT WAS NOT A CONTROLLING FACTOR. TEMPERATURE OF THE BRICKLAYING PERIOD, DOUBLE TOOLING, AND THE SANDS AND LIMES USED, EXERTED NO EVIDENT INFLUENCE. THE MORTAR DISINTEGRATION WAS FOUND TO BE PROGRESSIVE WITH TIME. /AUTHOR/

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Vol 57, pp 1170-1194 3 FIG, 10 TAB, 7 REF
  • Corporate Authors:

    American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

    100 Barr Harbor Drive, P.O. Box C700
    West Conshohocken, PA  United States  19428-2957
  • Authors:
    • Connor, C C
    • Okerson, W E
  • Publication Date: 1957

Media Info

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Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00213886
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jun 1 1971 12:00AM