MORTARS

MORTAR
Mortaris a workable paste used to bind construction blocks

together and fill the gaps between them. The word comes
from Latinmoratoriummeaningcrushed.
Mortar

may

be

used

to

bindmasonryblocks

ofstone,brick,etc.
Mortar

becomes

hard

when

it

sets,

resulting

in

rigidaggregatestructure.
Mortar can also be used to fix, orpoint, masonry when the

original mortar has washed away

MORTAR
Mortars are usually named according to the binding

material used in their preparation.

They are essentially required for
plastering and pointing etc.

masonry

work,

FUNCTIONS OF MORTAR:
To bind together the bricks or stones properly so as to

provide strength to the structure.

To form a homogenous mass of the structure so as to
resist all the loads coming over it without disintegration.

COMPOSITION OF
MORTAR
Modern mortars are typically made from a

mixture of
sand,
a binder such ascementorlime, and
water.

Adheres completely and durably to all the masonry

An ideal mortar:

unit to provide stability.

Remains workable long enough to enable the

operative to set the masonry unit right to line and
level; this implies good water retentivity.

Stiffens sufficiently quickly to permit the laying of

the units to proceed smoothly, and provides rapid

development of strength and adequate strength
when hardened.

An ideal mortar:
Is resistant to the action of environmental factors

such as frost and/or abrasion and the destructive

effects of chemical salts such as sulfate attack.
Resists the penetration of rain.
Accommodates movement of the structure.
Accommodates irregularities in size of masonry

units.
Contributes to the overall aesthetic appearance.
Is cost effective

Mortar as Binding Material

Pointing

Masonry joint

Plastering

Cement Slurry

Nature of application

Brick Laying Mortars

Finishing
Mortars

MIXING THE MORTAR:

The sand and the cement
have to be thoroughly mixed
by hand or in a mechanical
mixer before adding any water
- do not use dirty water, or
water from puddles or ponds,
as this could impair the final
strength of the mortar.
Similarly,

keep

any

sugar-

containing liquids, such as soft

drinks, well away from the mix
-

sugar,

even

in

small

amounts, seriously impairs the

Types of Mortars
Mortars are classified on the basis of
the following :
BULK DENSITY
KIND OF BINDING MATERIAL
NATURE OF APPLICATION
SPECIAL MORTARS

1. By Bulk Density
According to the bulk density of mortar in dry state ,

there are two types of mortars.

A. Heavy Mortar Bulk Density =/> 1500 kg/m3 (15 kN/m3 )
Prepared from heavy quartz or other sands
B. Lightweight Mortar Bulk Density < 1500 kg/m3
Prepared from light porous sands from pumice and
other fine aggregates

2. Kind of binding material

A. Lime Mortar
B. Surkhi Mortar
C. Gauged Mortar
D. Gypsum Mortar
E. Cement Mortar

A. LIME MORTAR

Lime

mortaris

type

ofmortarcomposed

oflimeand

anaggregatesuch assand, mixed with water

Possess

high

plasticity,

can

be

placed

easily,

durable,

good

cohesiveness and shrinks very little

Lime may be fat lime or hydraulic lime
Fat lime shrinks to a great extent and hence it requires about 2 to 3

times its volume of sand

Lime should be slaked before use
Unsuitable for logged areas
For Hydraulic lime, proportion of lime to sand is 1:2 and should be

consumed within one hour after mixing. It possesses more strength and
can be used in damp situations

Lime mortar:
If surkhi is to be added in lime mortar the equal proportions of
sand and surkhi should be mixed with lime.
These mortars are inferior to cement mortars in strength as well
as water tightness.
These mortars should not be used for underground works as
they set in the presence of carbon dioxide and break up in damp
conditions.
This type is used for construction work above ground level i.e.
exposed positions.

B. SURKHI MORTAR
Prepared by using fully surkhi instead of sand or by

replacing half of sand in case of fat lime mortar

Powder should be fine enough to pass BIS No 9 sieve

and residue should not be more than 10% by weight

Used for ordinary masonry works in foundation and

superstructure
It cannot be used in plastering and pointing since

surkhi is likely to disintegrate after sometime

C. GAUGED MORTAR
To improve the quality of lime mortar and to achieve

early strength, the cement is sometimes added to it.

This process is known as gauging
It makes lime mortar economical, strong and dense
Usual proportion of cement to lime is 1:6 to 1:8
Also known as composite mortar or lime-cement mortar
It can also be formed by the combination of cement and

clay
Used for bedding and for thick brick walls

D. GYPSUM MORTAR
Prepared from gypsum binding materials

such as building gypsum and anhydrite

binding materials

E. CEMENT MORTAR
The paste is prepared by mixing cement and sand
in suitable proportions in addition to water.
Cement is used as binding material
The general proportion is 1 part of cement to 2-8
parts clean sand. (1:2 to 1:6)
These mortars must be use within half an hour, i.e.;
before initial setting time of the cement.
This type is used for all engineering works where
high strength is desired such as load bearing walls,
deep foundations, flooring etc.

When mixing by hand, the sands and cement are heaped up on

a mixing board or in a wheel barrow and repeatedly turned over
and over until thoroughly mixed.
The color of the dry mix will change as the cement is distributed
throughout - there should be no 'streaking' of cement, and no
clumps of pure sand or pure cement.
Once the dry ingredients are mixed, the water can be added.

Dry sand and cement

in wheelbarrow
The dry mix should be
all one colour

Begin to mix sand and Mix to evenly distribute

cement
cement
Add water and
plasticiser

Mix to required
consistency

When using a mechanical mixer, add half a bucket (2 or 3

liters) of clean cold water to the empty drum before adding the
dry ingredients in sequence.
Add 4 measures of sand then 1 of cement, followed by 4 sand,
then another cement and so on until the required quantity is in
the mixer.
This ensures a more thorough mix than adding, say, 20
measures of sand and then 5 measures of cement.
Again, the water is added to the revolving
drum once the dry ingredients are
thoroughly blended, a bit at a
time until the required consistency
is achieved.

For wide joints in paving or for stonework, either as paving or

as walling, a coarser mortar is often preferred - replace half of
the building/soft sand with grit/sharp sand.
You will probably find that a coarse mortar such as this requires
less gauging water to achieve a working consistency than does
a bricklaying/general purpose mortar.
Mortar for Wide Joints

2 x Building Sand plus

2 x Grit Sand plus
1 x cement

3. NATURE OF APPLICATION
A. bricklaying mortars
B. finishing mortars

A. BRICKLAYING MORTARS
Mortars for bricklaying are intended to be

used for brickwork and walls

Composition

depends

on

the

condition and type of construction

working

B. FINISHING MORTARS
Includes

common

plastering

work

and

mortars for developing architectural or

ornamental effects
Cement lime is used as binding material for

ordinary plastering mortar

4. SPECIAL MORTARS
A. FIRE RESISTANCE MORTAR
B. LIGHT WEIGHT MORTAR
C. PACKING MORTAR
D. SOUND ABSORBING MORTAR
E. X-RAY SHIELDING MORTAR

A.Fire resistant mortar:

The paste is prepared by mixing aluminous

cement and finely crushed fire bricks in suitable
proportions in addition to water.

The

usual

proportion

are 1 part aluminous

cement to 2 parts of finely crushed fire bricks.

These are generally used for lining furnaces,

ovens and fire places with fire bricks.

B. Light weight mortar:

The paste is prepared by mixing wood powder, wood
sawing or saw dust with cement or lime mortar.
In such mortars fibers of jute coir or asbestos fibers
can also be used.
These are generally used as fiber plasters in sound and
heat proof construction.

C. Packing mortar
To pack oil wells, special mortars possessing the

properties

of

high

homogeneity,

water

resistance, predetermined setting time, ability

to form solid water proof plugs in cracks and
voids of rocks, resistance to subsoil water
pressure have to be formed
Varieties of packing mortars includes cement-

sand, cement-loam, cement-sand-loam

D. Sound-absorbing mortar
To reduce noise level
Bulk density- 6 to 12 kN/m3
Binding material Portland cement, lime,

gypsum, slag etc

Aggregates are selected from light weight

porous materials such as pumice, cinders, etc

E. X-ray shielding mortar

Used for providing plastering coat to walls and

ceiling of X-ray cabinets

Bulk density-22 kN/m3
Aggregates are obtained from heavy rocks

and suitable admixtures are added to enhance

the properties of mortars

PREPARATION OF
MORTARS

Preparation of mortars
For preparing mortar, water is added to the

binding material and sand

Water used should be free from clay, earth

and other impurities

Water should be fit for drinking
The different mortars are prepared in the

following ways:

Prepared
by pounding
or grinding
A.
LIME
MORTAR

Pounding is adopted for small quantities of mortar

Grinding is adopted for preparing large quantities of mortar

and to ensure a steady and continuous supply of mortar

Two objects of pounding or grinding lime mortar:

To crush the particles of unslaked lime

To make intimate mixture of the whole mass so that no two

grains of sand are without an intervening film of the
binding materials

Pounding
Pits are formed in hard ground and they are provided with lining of bricks or

stones at their sides and bottom

Pits are about 1.8m long, 400mm wide at bottom, 500mm wide at top and

500mm deep
Lime and sand are mixed in dry state and then placed in pits
Small quantity of water is added and four to five persons with wooden

ponders work on mortars

They turn mortar up and down frequently
Required quantity of water is added at intervals
When desired consistency is achieved, mortar is taken out from pit

Grinding
Two types of grinding mills:
1.Bullock-driven
2.Power driven

Grinding mills: Bullock driven

Also know as ghani
Circular trench of diameter 6 to 9m and depth of 400mm is

prepared
Width of trench is 300mm
Horizontal wooden shaft passes through stone wheel
One end of shaft is attached to the pivot and at the other

end, the bullock is attached to cause the rotation of stone

wheel

Grinding mill: Bullock driven

Lime and sand in required proportions are placed in the

trench by showels
Required

quantity of water is added to bring proper

consistency of mortar
Bullock is allowed to take turns round the mill
Lime and sand are mixed by grinding action of stone wheel
In addition they are turned with help of spade
To record number of turns, an arrangement known as beales

tell-tale is provided at the pivot

A normal ghani can prepare about 1.7m 3 of mortar at a time

and will require a period of 6 hours to complete one cycle

Grinding mill: power-driven

Here power is used to mix lime and sand

Consists of a revolving pan of diameter about 1.8 m to 2.4m

Two rollers are provided in the pan
Rollers are fixed
Pan is revolved either with the help of an oil engine or steam engine or

electric power
Sometimes, the pan is kept stationary and the rollers are moving
Lime and sand in required proportions are placed in pan
Required quantity of water is added and pan is then revolved
More efficient and produce better quality lime mortar and ensures steady

and continuous supply of mortar

B. SURKHI MORTAR
Mix of fat lime and surkhi or fat lime, surkhi

and sand is decided and it is converted into

a good paste by grinding in a mortar mill or
by pounding

C. CEMENT MORTAR
Mortar

does

not

require

pounding

or

grinding
Cement and sand are mixed in required

proportion in dry state on a water tight

platform
Mixing in dry state is done twice or thrice
Water is then added and again mixed

D. GAUGED MORTAR
Lime mortar is prepared
Required quantity of cement is added then
Ingredients are thoroughly turned up and

down to cause intimate mixing