On the thermo-mechanical characterization of cement mortars exosed to high temperature

Authors

  • Patrick Bamonte
  • Pietro G. Gambarova

Abstract

Some recent technical documents on fire-resistant walls made of either cementitious blocks or clay bricks are bringing onto the stage the thermo-mechanical behavior of the mortars. Information on mortars decay at high temperature, however, is either contradictory or can hardly be found in the technical-scientific literature. This study aims to provide information on the thermo-mechanical behaviour of mortars in residual conditions. Three mortars are investigated (a reference mortar, cube strength fcc » 5 MPa, and two higher-grade mortars, fcc » 10 MPa and fcc » 15 MPa, respectively). All mortars are tested past a high-temperature cycle at 200, 400 and 600°C. On the whole, the mechanical decay turns out to be very close to that of typical ordinary concretes, while the thermal diffusivity is markedly lower. A worked example about a concrete-block fire-resistant wall ends the paper.

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Published

2015-10-15