Mortar (masonry)

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Mortar holding weathered bricks

Mortar is a workable paste which dries to
bind building blocks such as stones,
bricks, and concrete masonry units, to fill
and seal the irregular gaps between them,
and sometimes to add decorative colors or
patterns to masonry walls. In its broadest
sense, mortar includes pitch, asphalt, and
soft mud or clay, as used between mud
bricks. The word "mortar" comes from
Latin mortarium, meaning crushed.

Cement mortar becomes hard when it

cures, resulting in a rigid aggregate
structure; however, the mortar functions as
a weaker component than the building
blocks and serves as the sacrificial
element in the masonry, because mortar is
easier and less expensive to repair than
the building blocks. Bricklayers typically
make mortars using a mixture of sand, a
binder, and water. The most common
binder since the early 20th century is
Portland cement, but the ancient binder
lime mortar is still used in some new
construction. Lime and gypsum in the
form of plaster of Paris are used
particularly in the repair and repointing of
buildings and structures because it is
important that the repair materials are
similar to the original materials. The type
and ratio of the repair mortar is
determined through a mortar analysis.
Several types of cement mortars and
additives exist.

Ancient mortar
Roman mortar on display at Chetham's School of
Music.

Workers prepare mortar in a trough. A 10th-century

sculpture from the Korogho church, Georgia.
The first mortars were made of mud and
clay. Because of a lack of stone and an
abundance of clay, Babylonian
constructions were of baked brick, using
lime or pitch for mortar. According to
Roman Ghirshman, the first evidence of
humans using a form of mortar was at the
Mehrgarh of Baluchistan in the Indus
Valley, Pakistan, built of sun-dried bricks in
6500 BCE.[1] The ancient sites of
Harappan civilization of third millennium
BCE are built with kiln-fired bricks and a
gypsum mortar. Gypsum mortar, also
called plaster of Paris, was used in the
construction of the Egyptian pyramids and
many other ancient structures. It is made
from gypsum, which requires a lower firing
temperature. It is therefore easier to make
than lime mortar and sets up much faster,
which may be a reason it was used as the
typical mortar in ancient, brick arch and
vault construction. Gypsum mortar is not
as durable as other mortars in damp
conditions.[2]

In early Egyptian pyramids, which were

constructed during the Old Kingdom
(~2600–2500 BCE), the limestone blocks
were bound by a mortar of mud and clay,
or clay and sand.[3] In later Egyptian
pyramids, the mortar was made of
gypsum, or lime.[4] Gypsum mortar was
essentially a mixture of plaster and sand
and was quite soft.

In the Indian subcontinent, multiple

cement types have been observed in the
sites of the Indus Valley Civilization, such
as the Mohenjo-daro city-settlement that
dates to earlier than 2600 BCE. Gypsum
cement that was "light grey and contained
sand, clay, traces of calcium carbonate, and
a high percentage of lime" was used in the
construction of wells, drains, and on the
exteriors of "important looking buildings."
Bitumen mortar was also used at a lower-
frequency, including in the Great Bath at
Mohenjo-daro.[5][6]

Historically, building with concrete and

mortar next appeared in Greece. The
excavation of the underground aqueduct
of Megara revealed that a reservoir was
coated with a pozzolanic mortar 12 mm
thick. This aqueduct dates back to c. 500
BCE.[7] Pozzolanic mortar is a lime based
mortar, but is made with an additive of
volcanic ash that allows it to be hardened
underwater; thus it is known as hydraulic
cement. The Greeks obtained the volcanic
ash from the Greek islands Thira and
Nisiros, or from the then Greek colony of
Dicaearchia (Pozzuoli) near Naples, Italy.
The Romans later improved the use and
methods of making what became known
as pozzolanic mortar and cement.[4] Even
later, the Romans used a mortar without
pozzolana using crushed terra cotta,
introducing aluminum oxide and silicon
dioxide into the mix. This mortar was not
as strong as pozzolanic mortar, but,
because it was denser, it better resisted
penetration by water.[8]

Hydraulic mortar was not available in

ancient China, possibly due to a lack of
volcanic ash. Around 500 CE, sticky rice
soup was mixed with slaked lime to make
an inorganic−organic composite sticky
rice mortar that had more strength and
water resistance than lime mortar.[9][10]

It is not understood how the art of making

hydraulic mortar and cement, which was
perfected and in such widespread use by
both the Greeks and Romans, was then
lost for almost two millennia. During the
Middle Ages when the Gothic cathedrals
were being built, the only active ingredient
in the mortar was lime. Since cured lime
mortar can be degraded by contact with
water, many structures suffered over the
centuries from wind-blown rain.

Ordinary Portland cement

mortar
Laying bricks with Portland cement mortar

Mortar mixed inside a 5-gallon bucket using clean

water and mortar from a bag. When it's the right
consistency, as in the photo (trowel stands up), it's
ready to apply.
Ordinary Portland cement mortar,
commonly known as OPC mortar or just
cement mortar, is created by mixing
powdered Ordinary Portland Cement, fine
aggregate and water.

It was invented in 1794 by Joseph Aspdin

and patented on 18 December 1824,
largely as a result of efforts to develop
stronger mortars. It was made popular
during the late nineteenth century, and had
by 1930 became more popular than lime
mortar as construction material. The
advantages of Portland cement is that it
sets hard and quickly, allowing a faster
pace of construction. Furthermore, fewer
skilled workers are required in building a
structure with Portland cement.

As a general rule, however, Portland

cement should not be used for the repair
or repointing of older buildings built in lime
mortar, which require the flexibility,
softness and breathability of lime if they
are to function correctly.[11][12]

In the United States and other countries,

five standard types of mortar (available as
dry pre-mixed products) are generally used
for both new construction and repair.
Strengths of mortar change based on the
mix ratio for each type of mortar, which are
specified under the ASTM standards.
These premixed mortar products are
designated by one of the five letters, M, S,
N, O, and K. Type M mortar is the
strongest, and Type K the weakest. The
mix ratios and are always expressed by
volume of
.
Mortar Type Portland Cement Lime Sand

M 1 1/4 3-1/2

S 1 1/2 4-1/2

N 1 1 6

O 1 2 9

K 1 3 12

These type letters are apparently taken

from the alternate letters of the words
"MaSoN wOrK". [13][14]

Polymer cement mortar

Polymer cement mortars (PCM) are the
materials which are made by partially
replacing the cement hydrate binders of
conventional cement mortar with
polymers. The polymeric admixtures
include latexes or emulsions, redispersible
polymer powders, water-soluble polymers,
liquid thermoset resins and monomers. It
has low permeability, and it reduces the
incidence of drying shrinkage cracking,
mainly designed for repairing concrete
structures. One brand of PCM is
MagneLine.

Lime mortar
The setting speed can be increased by
using impure limestone in the kiln, to form
a hydraulic lime that will set on contact
with water. Such a lime must be stored as
a dry powder. Alternatively, a pozzolanic
material such as calcined clay or brick
dust may be added to the mortar mix.
Addition of a pozzolanic material will
make the mortar set reasonably quickly by
reaction with the water.

It would be problematic to use Portland

cement mortars to repair older buildings
originally constructed using lime mortar.
Lime mortar is softer than cement mortar,
allowing brickwork a certain degree of
flexibility to adapt to shifting ground or
other changing conditions. Cement mortar
is harder and allows little flexibility. The
contrast can cause brickwork to crack
where the two mortars are present in a
single wall.

Lime mortar is considered breathable in

that it will allow moisture to freely move
through and evaporate from the surface. In
old buildings with walls that shift over
time, cracks can be found which allow rain
water into the structure. The lime mortar
allows this moisture to escape through
evaporation and keeps the wall dry.
Re−pointing or rendering an old wall with
cement mortar stops the evaporation and
can cause problems associated with
moisture behind the cement.

Pozzolanic mortar
Pozzolana is a fine, sandy volcanic ash. It
was originally discovered and dug at
Pozzuoli, nearby Mount Vesuvius in Italy,
and was subsequently mined at other
sites, too. The Romans learned that
pozzolana added to lime mortar allowed
the lime to set relatively quickly and even
under water. Vitruvius, the Roman
architect, spoke of four types of
pozzolana. It is found in all the volcanic
areas of Italy in various colours: black,
white, grey and red. Pozzolana has since
become a generic term for any siliceous
and/or aluminous additive to slaked lime
to create hydraulic cement.[15]

Finely ground and mixed with lime it is a

hydraulic cement, like Portland cement,
and makes a strong mortar that will also
set under water.

Firestop mortar
Firestop mortars are mortars most
typically used to firestop large openings in
walls and floors required to have a fire-
resistance rating. They are passive fire
protection items. Firestop mortars differ in
formula and properties from most other
cementitious substances and cannot be
substituted with generic mortars without
violating the listing and approval use and
compliance.

Firestop mortar is usually a combination

of powder mixed with water, forming a
cementatious stone which dries hard. It is
sometimes mixed with lightweight
aggregates, such as perlite or vermiculite.
It is sometimes pigmented to distinguish it
from generic materials in an effort to
prevent unlawful substitution and to
enable verification of the certification
listing.
 This caption requires cleanup.

Mortar constituents.
Firestopped cable tray penetration. The
cables and the tray are penetrants.
 Cable tray cross barrier firestop test, full
scale wall

Radiocarbon dating
As the mortar hardens, the current
atmosphere is encased in the mortar and
thus provides a sample for analysis.
Various factors affect the sample and
raise the margin of error for the
analysis.[16][17][18][19] The possibility to use
radiocarbon dating as a tool for mortar
dating was introduced as early as the
1960s, soon after the method was
established (Delibrias and Labeyrie 1964;
Stuiver and Smith 1965; Folk and Valastro
1976). The very first data were provided by
van Strydonck et al. (1983), Heinemeier et
al.(1997) and Ringbom and Remmer
(1995). Than the methodological aspect
were developed by different groups (an
international team headed by Åbo
Akademi University, and teams from
CIRCE, CIRCe, ETHZ, Poznań, RICH and
Milano-Bicocca laboratory. To evaluate the
different anthropogenic carbon extraction
methods for radiocarbon dating as well as
to compare the different dating methods,
i.e. radiocarbon and OSL, the first
intercomparison study (MODIS) was set
up and published in 2017.[20][21]

See also
 Wikimedia Commons has media
related to Mortar (masonry).

Cement accelerator
Concrete
Energetically modified cement
Grout
Thick bed mortar (technique)
Thinset
Tuckpointing

References
What Is Mortar - Introduction To Mortar
Qualities Of Ideal Mortar List -
Properties of Good Mortar List
Uses of Mortar List - Uses of Mortar In
Civil Engineering
Types of Mortars Used In Civil
Engineering
Technical data sheets, Mortar Industry
Association, www.mortar.org.uk
1. "Ancient Bricks" . Aurangzeb Khan.
Retrieved 2013-02-16.
2. " "Introduction to Mortars" Cemex
Corporation" (PDF). Archived from the
original (PDF) on 2013-05-25.
Retrieved 2014-04-03.
3. "Egypt: Egypt's Ancient, Small,
Southern, Step Pyramids" .
Touregypt.net. 2011-06-21. Retrieved
2012-11-03.
4. "HCIA - 2004" . Hcia.gr. Archived from
the original on 2012-02-09. Retrieved
2012-11-03.
5. O. P. Jaggi, History of science and
technology in India, Volume 1 , Atma
Ram, 1969, "... In some of the
important-looking buildings, gypsum
cement of a light gray colour was used
on the outside to prevent the mud
mortar from crumbling down. In a very
 well constructed drain of the
Intermediate period, the mortar which
was used contains a high percentage
of lime instead of gypsum. Bitumen
was found to have been used only at
one place in Mohenjo-daro. This was
in the construction of the great bath
..."
6. Abdur Rahman, History of Indian
science, technology, and culture ,
Oxford University Press, 1999,
ISBN 978-0-19-564652-8, "... Gypsum
cement was found to have been used
in the construction of a well in
 Mohenjo-daro. The cement was light
grey and contained sand, clay, traces
of calcium carbonate, and a high
percentage of lime ..."
7. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from
the original (PDF) on 2009-03-05.
Retrieved 2008-01-04.
8. "American Scientist Online" .
Americanscientist.org. Retrieved
2012-11-03.
9. "Revealing the Ancient Chinese Secret
of Sticky Rice Mortar" . Science Daily.
Retrieved 23 June 2010.
10. Yang Fuwei, Zhang Bingjian, Ma
Qinglin (2010). "Study of Sticky
Rice−Lime Mortar Technology for the
Restoration of Historical Masonry
Construction". Accounts of Chemical
Research. 43: 936–944.
doi:10.1021/ar9001944 .
PMID 20455571 .
11. Masonry: the best of Fine
homebuilding.. Newtown, CT: Taunton
Press, 1997. Print. 113.
12. "Information about Lime -
LimeWorks.us" . limeworks.us.
Retrieved 2016-11-02.
13. "ASTM C 270-51T" . ASTM
International. Retrieved 27 September
2019.
14. https://theconstructor.org/building/mo
rtar-mix-ratio-proportioning-for-
masonry-construction/20333/ Mortar
Mix Ratio Proportioning for Masonry
Construction, Accessed Sept. 2019
15. "pozzolana." Collins English Dictionary
- Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition.
HarperCollins Publishers. 14 May.
2014. <Dictionary.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/brows
e/pozzolana >
16. Folk RL, Valastro S (1979). Dating of
lime mortar by 14C (Berger R, Suess H.
ed.). Proceedings of the Ninth
International Conference: Berkeley:
University of California Press.
pp. 721–730.
17. Hayen R, Van Strydonck M, Fontaine L,
Boudin M, Lindroos A, Heinemeier J,
Ringbom A, Michalska D, Hajdas I,
Hueglin S, Marzaioli F, Terrasi F,
Passariello I, Capano M, Maspero F,
Panzeri L, Galli A, Artioli G, Addis A,
Secco M, Boaretto E, Moreau C,
Guibert P, Urbanova P, Czernik J,
 Goslar T, Caroselli M (2017). "Mortar
dating methodology: intercomparison
of available methods". Radiocarbon.
59 (6).
18. Hayen R, Van Strydonck M, Boaretto E,
Lindroos A, Heinemeier J, Ringbom Å,
Hueglin S, Michalska D, Hajdas I,
Marzaoili F, Maspero F, Galli A, Artioli
G, Moreau Ch, Guibert P, Caroselli M
(2016). Absolute dating of mortars –
integrating chemical and physical
techniques to characterize and select
the mortar samples. Proceedings of
 the 4th Historic Mortars Conference -
HMC2016. pp. 656–667.
19. Dating Ancient Mortar - American
Scientist Online vol. 91, 2003
20. Hajdas I, Lindroos A, Heinemeier J,
Ringbom Å, Marzaioli F, Terrasi F,
Passariello I, Capano M, Artioli G,
Addis A, Secco M, Michalska D,
Czernik J, Goslar T, Hayen R, Van
Strydonck M, Fontaine L, Boudin M,
Maspero F, Panzeri L, Galli A, Urbanova
P, Guibert P (2017). "Preparation and
dating of mortar samples—Mortar
 Dating Inter-comparison Study
(MODIS)" (PDF). Radiocarbon. 59 (6).
21. Hayen R, Van Strydonck M, Fontaine L,
Boudin M, Lindroos A, Heinemeier J,
Ringbom A, Michalska D, Hajdas I,
Hueglin S, Marzaioli F, Panzeri L, Galli
A, Artioli G, Addis A, Secco M, Boaretto
E, Moreau C, Guibert P, Urbanova P,
Czernik J, Goslar T, Caroselli M (2017).
"Mortar dating methodology:
intercomparison of available
methods". Radiocarbon. 59 (6).
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Mortar_(masonry)&oldid=950130774"

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