Date of Award

12-2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Legacy Department

Materials Science and Engineering

Committee Chair/Advisor

Brosnan, Denis A

Committee Member

Sanders , John P

Committee Member

Richardson , Kathleen

Abstract

Mortar was a very common building material in today's historic sites. Before Portland cement was manufactured at a global level, Rosendale cement was commonly used in these mortars. Over time, these mortars in historic sites have begun to break down and wear away. With Rosendale cement in production again, measures can be taken to restore and repair the historic mortars. However, little testing has been done to establish durability of modern Rosendale cement mortars. This presentation highlights the common mix techniques used at the time, and undergoes experiments to establish general properties and predict future durability. Six different mortar mixes were tested with varying cement content and using various lime additions. Properties observed include compressive strength, absorption, porosity, permeability, and bond strength. Ion chromatography was used on seawater-soaked samples to determine how the Rosendale cement mortar would react with the seawater. Relationships between these properties were also addressed. It was found that cement content played a large role in compressive strength, while lime content had an effect on bond strength. Ion chromatography was used on seawater-soaked samples to determine how the Rosendale cement mortar would react with the seawater. Magnesium sulfates, and chloride were taken up into the mortars, indicating that Rosendale would be venerable to salt attack.

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