Evaluation of Limestone Sand Performance for Mortar Coating

Abstract

Although limestone sand is a highly important material in construction, its exploitation is becoming increasingly scarce, especially in large cities, and other alternatives should be available for its replacement. Artificial sand derived from the crushing of rocks, is already in use but its performance is different from the natural sand. This is primarily due to its morphology and amount of fine sand particles. Current study analyzes the performance of limestone sand in mortar coating. A mixture was made from five types of sand, namely two natural types of sand and three artificial ones from the same place; two artificial types of sand were obtained from granulometric changes and one from granulometric and morphological changes; the natural type of sand was obtained from the granulometric change of the natural type, maintaining the sand grains morphology. Five types of mixed mortar were undertaken derived from cement and lime mixed at the ratio 1 : 2 : 9 (cement: lime: sand) and at ratio water / dry material of 0.15 for all mixtures. Mass density and granulometry of material assays were undertaken and mixtures were assessed by the Squeeze Flow rheological test. The difference in behavior of natural and artificial sand in mortars was compared and the result was a guide for possible adjustments in the production of artificial sand with special regard to the rates of fine particles so that all impairments may be overcome and natural types of sand replaced.