Abstract

The paper reports results of study on standard masonry mortar containing sand and sawdust as aggregates in a mix proportion of 1:3 and water-cement ratio of 0.55. A modified mortar of same design mix proportion (1:3) but varying water/cement ratio and constant slump of 74.3 mm to achieve higher workability was also evaluated. Six different percentages (5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 50%) of sand replacement were investigated. The flexural tensile strength, compressive strength, dry density, masonry wallet compressive strength, water absorption and slump were evaluated. The British code recommended masonry wallet compressive strength of 5.3 N/mm² was achieved with 8 and 13% sawdust contents in the standard and modified mortars, respectively. Such mortars can be used as jointing and rendering materials on interior walls of buildings where water absorption by the mortar would be reduced.

Key words: Sawdust, mortar, wallet, masonry compressive strength, water absorption.