The Durability of Mortar with Ground Clay Brick as Partial Cement Replacement

  • Martin O'Farrell

    Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis

    Abstract

    The work in this thesis examines the suitability of utilising ground waste brick as a cement replacement material. The brick types investigated were obtained from the UK,Denmark, Lithuania and Poland. Cement was partially replaced by various quantities and types of ground brick in mortar and concrete. Compressive strength, pore size distribution and sorptivity of mortar generally all benefit from the presence of ground brick and the greatest effect can be seen after water curing for one year. Compressive strength of concrete is also shown to increase as the fineness of ground brick increases although the optimum particle size for ground brick in concrete is still to be determined.The ground bricks investigated have a significant effect on the performance of ground brick mortar when exposed to sodium sulphate solution and synthetic seawater. It is seen that depending on the chemical and phase composition, the effect of ground brick can increase substantially the rate of deterioration of mortar or can reduce significantly the expansion observed. No definite mechanism was identified as being responsible for the observed deterioration of mortar exposed to sodium sulphate solution although it seems likely that water intake due to ettringite formation and adsorption of water by the resultant colloidal product are the primary causes of expansion. Sulphate content, glass content and oxide chemistry of brick are key factors as to its performance when used as a cement replacement material in mortar. Bricks with a high proportion of low calcium glass make very effective pozzolans. Bricks with high calcium glass or a low proportion of glass should not be used as pozzolans. Small amounts of sulphate in ground brick do not have any serious deleterious effects on ground brick mortars and can be beneficial. It is established that it is technically feasible to partially replace cement with ground brick in mortar and concrete, depending on its chemical and phase composition to produce a more durable, cost effective and (due to the lower cement content) a less environmentally damaging material than that produced without cement replacement.
    Date of AwardJan 1999
    Original languageEnglish

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