Durability Performance Indices for Cement-Based Mortars

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Civil Engineering
• Structural Health Monitoring

Background:

• Corrosion-damaged structures often rely on local materials for repair.
• Accurate forecasting of repair material service life is essential for structural integrity.
• Established durability indices guide material selection and performance prediction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the durability of four distinct repair mortar types.
• To establish empirical correlations between various durability indices.
• To assess the suitability of these correlations for predicting mortar durability.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of mortar specimens in cube and cylinder forms (varying sizes).
• Evaluation of durability indices: saturated electrical resistivity (ρS), ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), total void content (TVC), water capillary absorption (WCA), rapid chloride permeability (RCP), and compressive strength (fc).
• Statistical analysis to determine correlations between durability indices.

Main Results:

• Mortar durability design requires consideration of both mechanical strength and durability indices.
• High correlation coefficients were observed for empirical relationships between ρS vs. RCP, TVC vs. WCA, and RCP vs. WCA.
• These correlations offer a potential method for forecasting mortar mixture durability.

Conclusions:

• Durability indices are vital for comprehensive mortar performance assessment.
• Established empirical correlations can aid in predicting the long-term performance of repair mortars.
• The findings support informed material selection for durable structural repairs.