A study of some durability properties of mortars with white cement and Portland cement

Abstract

Workability, strength and durability are among the most important properties when working with concrete. Increased compressive strength of concrete has favorable impact on durability along with on its several other features. To ensure a high degree of durability, it is essential that clean, sound materials and the lowest possible water content are used in the concrete, together with thorough mixing. Good consolidation during placement of the concrete is important, as are proper curing and protection of the concrete during the early hardening period, which assure favorable conditions of temperature and moisture. Cure concrete properly for a minimum of three days in order to develop good durability. In this study mortars with white cement and Portland cement and different w/c ratios were produced and investigated. The mortars produced were then tested for the impacts of alkali silica reaction (ASR), high temperatures, abrasion and acid effect. Results show that less expansion was measured on the mortars using portland cement while the white cement gave the largest expansions (approximate 0.60%).However, there was no significant difference between cements in terms of their acid resistance. The impact of higher temperatures on mortars produced using white cement was less in comparison with normal Portland cement. Durability tests showed that w/c ratio plays an important role.