Mechanical Properties of Calcium Aluminate Cement-based Repair Mortars for Concrete Road Facilities
PURPOSES : Experimental findings pertaining to the mechanical properties of calcium aluminate cement (CAC)-based repair mortars incorporated with anhydrite gypsum (AG) are described herein.
METHODS : To prepare the mortars, three different levels of AG were adopted and the ratio of water–cementitious materials was fixed at 0.50. For comparison, mortar composed of ordinary Portland cement was prepared. The fluidity, setting time, compressive and bond strengths, absorption and surface electric resistivity of the mortars were measured at predetermined periods.
RESULTS : The incorporation of AG increases the fluidity but decreases the setting time of the CAC-based repair material system. However, the AG in the CAC mixes does not effectively enhance the compressive strength of the mortars owing to the decreased formation of CA hydrates, such as CAH10 and C2AH8. Meanwhile, the mortar with 10% AG shows excellence absorption.
CONCLUSIONS : The mechanical properties of CAC based-mortars rely significantly on the amount of AG incorporated. However, further studies regarding the microstructure and durability of CAC-AG repair mortars must be conducted to obtain the optimal mixture.