High Pozzolan Mortars and Stuccos
SourceThe Romans introduced and used pozzolanic mortars and cements. In recent years pozzolans are again being used, especially in concrete. With the modifications of ASTM C 270 to include C 595 and C 1157 cements, pozzolans are becoming more common in cement-lime mixes. Failures have been reported in fly ash modified mortars and stuccos, and specifications have been written that limit the amount of fly ash that can be added to a mortar. By combining expertise in masonry with expertise in pozzolans, we have worked with masons and plasterers to develop a line of high-pozzolan masonry cements, mortar cements, and plastic (stucco) cements. Mortars made from these cements exhibit excellent workability, water retention, resistance to the penetration of water, and bond strength. As a side benefit these mortars appear to be more acid resistant than cement/lime mortar or masonry cement mortar tested at our lab. This paper reviews the process of developing the cements and provides test data to demonstrate that they exceed current specifications.