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Procedia Engineering 172 (2017) 1123 – 1128

Modern Building Materials, Structures and Techniques, MBMST 2016

Mortar compressive strength estimation by applying various

experimental test methods
Tomas Šlivinskasa*, Bronius Jonaitisb, Robertas Zavalisc
a,b,c
Vilnius Gediminas Technical Universitety, Saulėtekio al. 11, Vilnius 10223, Lithuania

Abstract

The article discuss the test methods applied to identify the compressive strength of mortar in the bed joints, which are most
frequently used for investigation of brickwork state. It provides the results of compressive strength of masonry mortar determined
in tests of a mortar plate and the cubes produced from the mortar plates while using double-punch test. The dependences were
proposed which alow to evaluate the mortar compressive strength in the bed joints by testing the state of operating buildings or
by carrying out the experimental research of masonry stress deformation state.

©©2017
2016Published by Elsevier
The Authors. Ltd. This
Published is an openLtd.
by Elsevier access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of MBMST 2016.
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of MBMST 2016
Keywords: masonry, masonry mortar, bed joints, glued cubes, double-punch test.

1. Introduction

The load bearing capacity of masonry structures is often estimated while carrying out the reconstruction of
brickwork buildings or testing their state. The mechanical characteristics of masonry units and bed joints of mortar
often affect the main feature of masonry – the compressive strength. According to the recommendations of design
standards for masonry structures [6,12], masonry compressive strength is determined by experimental studies or by
applying empirical dependencies, which describe the link between the masonry compressive strength and masonry
units, and mortar compressive strength in the bed joints.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +370 5 274 5225.

E-mail address: tomas.slivinskas@vgtu.lt

1877-7058 © 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of MBMST 2016
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2017.02.172
1124 Tomas Šlivinskas et al. / Procedia Engineering 172 (2017) 1123 – 1128

The masonry compressive strength of brickwork buildings being renovated is determined by using empirical
dependencies. In this case, it is essential to determine more accurately the mechanical characteristics of masonry
units and mortar in the bed joints. As the conducted experimental studies show [1,2,4,14,18], the physical and the
mechanical characteristics of mortar in masonry bed joint are significantly different from the results obtained when
testing the mortar according to the requirements of the standard LST EN 1015-11 [5]. This uncertainty is caused by
the installation of masonry as a composite material and by the specific nature of constituent materials.
The mechanical characteristics of mortar in bed joint are affected by the quality of masonry work, the mortar
consolidation, the thickness of bed joints, the age of mortar, an ambient temperature, the mortar quality to give off
water, the ratio of water and binder, the surface area, the exposure with air, etc.
By applying the numerical modeling, it is necessary to evaluate more accurately the mechanical characteristics
and the alteration of mortar in bed joints.
European standards do not present any regulated methods to determine the mechanical characteristics of mortar
in the bed joints in the operating brickwork buildings. In each case there is the determination to choose one or the
other method to estimate the compressive strength of operating masonry structures. The compressive strength of
masonry units can be determined easily, e.g. by testing the withdrawn units of masonry according to the
requirements of standards. More complicated question is the determination of mortar compressive strength in the
bed joints. According to the scientific literature it is suggested to use non-destructive methods that are commonly
used to determine the mechanical chracteristics of concrete, e.g. by using the sclerometer, measuring the hardness of
the mortar or using the ultrasonic methods [7,11]. Non-destructive methods are suitable when the masonry
irregularities after removing samples are undesirable.
The application of non-destructive methods enables to determine the characteristics of masonry units and mortar
avoiding damages of constructions or units. In this case, the mechanical characteristics are determined indirectly,
therefore in order to estimate their parameters the relationship between the quality of tested materials and measured
parameters, eg. rebound, hardness, ultrasonic propagation speed, etc. is estimated.
The sclerometer is used in rebound method to determine the strength of mortar joint. It is a simple method, but it
is restricted by the small thickness of bed joint, on the other hand, it is difficult to determine calibration curve, as the
stress state differs in mortar joint and in mortar control samples [7].
Ultrasonic testing method is based on measurement of ultrasonic wave propagation speed through the material.
To determine the characteristics of mortar in the bed joints it is necessary to use an indirect method of ultrasonic
waves propagation speed when the transmitter and receiver are placed on a surface of the material at some distance
from each other in one plane. The application of ultrasonic wave propagation speed measuring method faces with
the proper selection of ultrasonic wave frequency or wavelength that the waves would flow in the mortar joint. In
any case, by using the non-destructive methods, the characteristic feature of mortar in the bed joints is a high
dissemination of results and a poor accuracy [9,10].
While examining the characteristics of operated masonry buildings, the samples of existing masonry
constructions and mortar are taken in an effort not to damage and reduce the load-bearing capacity of the
construction.
While examining the state of operated masonry buildings, the compressive strength of mortar in the bed joints is
determined by testing the cubes composed of mortar plates, by compressing mortar plates using double-punch either
by testing drilled masonry cylinders together with mortar [8,13,15,16,17]. In this case, it is necessary to have the
dependencies of a standard cube according to the appropriate standards in order to calculate the compressive
strength.
The goal is to identify the dependencies between the masonry cement mortar compressive strength, which is
determined by testing the standard samples according to the standard methods defined in LST EN 1015-11 [5], and
the compressive strength, which is determined by compressing the cubes composed of mortar plates and testing the
mortar plates using double-punch.
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2. Research methodology

There experimental research was carried out in order to determine the dependencies describing the link between
the mortar compressive strength determined while testing the standart sample according to the LST EN 1015-11,
and strength determined while testing the mortar plates using double-punch and the cubes composed of mortar
plates. For the examination, there were produced 13 standard mortar prisms samples (40x40x160 mm). Samples
were produced of currently the most commonly used for masonry work cement mortar with a compressive strength
of 10 MPa. Out of the each composition of mortar prisms the plates of 12 mm thickness (Fig. 1) were cut out. The
plates were cut out with a diamond disc in dry conditions in which the moisture did not cause any additional
hydration of cement and did not change the mortar strength. Some of plates were used to produce cubes, the other
plates were used to determine the compressive strength of mortar while using double-punch test. The sticked cubes
with dimensions close to the standards (Fig. 1) were composed by gluing the cut out plates with the plaster dough.
The remaining parts of the prisms were used to determine the mortar compressive strength according to the
requirements of test standards [5].

Fig. 1. The scheme of mansory mortar samples and their test.

The cubs glued from the plates were tested after keeping them in normal conditions for 3 days. Samples – glued
cubes – were tested according to the methodology which is recommended for the mortar compressive strength test
standards with the corresponding equipment. Mortar plates (40x40x12 mm) were compressed using the Ø 25.6 mm
stamp (Fig. 1). The Eurostandards do not regulate the determination of the masonry mortar compressive strength
while testing mortar plate with double-punch. This method is described in the standard DIN 18555-9 [3], therefore,
the research was carried out using this standard. The control samples of mortar (the remaining parts of the prisms)
were tested according to the requirements of the standards [5].
During the experiments with the cubes, it was observed that the disintegration mode of both glued and not glued
cubes is similar (Fig. 2). It shows that the thin plaster joints do not have a significant impact on the transversal
deformations. During the compression process of plates with the double-punch, the cylinder was formed. The
disintegration mode of samples which were tested with double-punch is presented in Fig. 2.
1126 Tomas Šlivinskas et al. / Procedia Engineering 172 (2017) 1123 – 1128

Fig. 2. Disintegration mode of mortar smaples: (a) – glued and standart cube; (b) plate test with double-punch.

3. Research results

The research results of tested glued mortar cubes, plates which were tested with double-punch, and standard
samples are presented in Fig. 3. The results showed that when testing the glued cubes and plates, the dissemination
of the results is wider than while testing standard mortar cubes.

Fig. 3. Results of mortar test: a) – cubes glued from mortar plates fm,cube, b) – mortar plates tested using double-punch fm,pl,
c) – standart mortar samples fm.

According to the test results (Fig. 3), the reduction coefficient of masonry mortar compressive strength Em is
determined which evaluates the dependence between the mortar compressive strength f m while testing not glued
samples according to LST EN 1015-11 [5] methodology and mortar compressive strength estimated by testing glued
mortar cubes and plates with the double-punch:

fm
Em,i (1)
f m,i

Herein fm,i = fm,cube – mortar compressive strength estimated by testing glued mortar cubes and fm,i = fm,pl – mortar
compressive strength estimated by testing plates with double-punch.
The dependence of mortar strength reduction coefficient Em upon the mortar compressive strength fm is shown in
Fig. 4. The dependence of the strength reduction coefficient upon mortar compressive strength (Fig. 4 a) was
 Tomas Šlivinskas et al. / Procedia Engineering 172 (2017) 1123 – 1128 1127

determined while testing the glued cubes samples. Meanwhile, while testing mortar plates with double-punch, the
dependence of the strength reduction coefficient upon the mortar compressive strength was not determined (Fig. 4b).

Fig. 4. Dependence of strength reduction coefficient upon the mortar compressive strength fm.

The benefit of testing mortar plates with double-punch is that the mortar plates taken from the fragment of
masonry do not require any additional preparation. It is enough to take small samples in order to determine the
strength of masonry mortar joint. The mortar testing method is suitable to examine the existing brickwork buildings
and to determine the actual mechanical characteristics of masonry mortar joint.
The mortar compressive strength fm can be determined when applying the reduction coefficients (Fig. 4) which
were estimated while testing with double-punch the mortar plates which were removed from the bed joints of
masonry buildings, either glued cubes composed of mortar plates. This mortar compressive strength is applied when
calculating the masonry compressive strength. On the other hand, by knowing the ratio of mortar compressive
strength determined by standard methods fm [5], it is possible to evaluate the mortar compressive strength in the bed
joint (not evaluating the three-dimensional stress state). This is relevant in the case when experimental research of
deformation of masonry stress state is carried out.

4. Conclusions and concluding comments

The usage of non-destructive methods for determining the mortar compressive strength in the bed joints of
operating brickwork buildings (that is, by measuring ultrasonic wave propagation speed or measuring the hardness
of mortar with the sklerometer) is limited due to the low bed joint thickness (12–15 mm). These methods can be
used to determine only parameters of outer layers, which do not reflect the total strength of mortar joint.
The mortar compressive strength can be determined by testing with punch mortar plates punchremoved from the
bed joints of brickwork buildings or glued cubes composed of mortar plates. For this purpose the estimated strength
reduction coefficient dependencies (Fig. 4) can be applied.

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