FLOW PROPERTIES AND STRENGTH BEHAVIOUR OF MASONRY MORTAR INCORPORATING HIGH VOLUME FLY ASH

ABSTRACT: Masonry mortar is one of the most widely used building materials in construction as nearly all the walls made with bricks are finished with mortar. Masonry works with mortar are generally made with cement, sand and water. In this study, mortar mixes were made by replacing the masonry cement with up to 50% of fly ash at an incremental rate of 10%. Six mortar mixes with 1:4 volumetric cement-to-aggregate ratios using natural sand were made and tested for flow and strength properties. The results obtained from the tests showed that the masonry mortars manufactured with fly ash are better off as compared to the mix without any ash. In terms of flow, it was found that the addition of fly ash increased the flow, particularly when the replacement levels were above 40%. Mortar with high volume fly ash has also shown to attain a comparable strength with that of the control mix. Considering the better workability and acceptable strength properties, the results have demonstrated that high volume replacement of fly ash is a viable alternative for producing environmental friendly masonry mortar