Historic Masonry Preservation and Mortar Analysis

Restoring the historic masonry, it is important to recognize the original composition of the mortar used in the construction of masonry structures. While this May seem like a suggestion and try to sell the idea, there are many reasons why you need to analyze mortar and determine the composition of the original mortar used.

Older units or historical masonry are handmade and tend to be softer and more fragile than hard clay bricks used in the construction and stone today will have different variants of factors. Depending on the type of stone crushing have different pressures and require a mortar that is softer than stone. This is true of bricks made by hand too. Mortar must be softer than the masonry unit used to prevent damage to the bricks or stones. This part moves mortars and today, but it is often overlooked today's manufacturers.

Each mortar type is based on a series of variations of composition or compressive strength. An example of this is the N-type masonry cement (which is most commonly used today) has a compressive strength of 750 pounds per square inch, and is most often performed using a portion of Portland cement in the mixture with one by one fifteen parts of lime and about two parts by volume Three-quarters of sand and lime mortar has a compressive strength of about 75 psi.

Different types of mortar are lime mortar, historic lime mortar (contains historical lime), type of mortar, mortar-type or n-type mortar, mortar, mortar m kind and type. A crushing these types of mortar pressure is 75 psi for lime plaster, 150 psi for type K, 350 psi to 750 psi or type to n-type, 1800 psi for a guy with up to 2800 psi mortar type m.

As you can see, there is a huge difference between each type of plaster and will certainly affect the results of any repair the wall.

historic plaster tend to vary from lime mortar to a series of mortar or in part because of the cost of Portland cement, but also to protect the walls. Lime is used is published on the website and often tend to have large pieces. This is known as a historic lime. These pieces are the difference between the historical lime and lime-type S / SA today used to make particles smaller project. The only real effect of these pieces in the mortar is visibility. Change the look of the color and texture of plaster.

As is often necessary to add mortar resistance, but does not exceed the compressive strength of masonry units, often fibers mixed in a mortar. The most commonly used fiber is horsehair. Horsehair and different plants are also used to make bricks and hold them together.

To preserve the historic masonry should pay particular attention to detail. To do this, you must first compile the information available to the unit mortar and masonry. This requires proof of mortar and / or hardened bricks or stones.

Through analysis of the mortar, mortar, compressive strength of the mortar, type of lime used, if fibers are used and the type size and color of the sand particles, which are grouped in the mortar used to identify old.

These are the details to make the game for repointing mortar.

Now, there are sophisticated methods of testing is expensive and is often used in the analysis of mortar samples are not very reliable. Some of these tests are pretty pictures sample mortar that identify various elements mortar color. This image is then visually seen and better estimates of the scale is calculated. This method has many limitations, and the worst is understanding, experience and knowledge of the samples of mortar technical tests. If you do not understand Freemasonry, how it is used and how it is built, can not interpret the data accurately.

A good example of this is calcium, which includes several mortar test methods and results are analyzed only chemists. focus on the amount of calcium in a mortar in the industry. It has very little to do with the composition of mortar and made little or no change in the way the mortar behaves.

You can find calcium in the sand drag quantities in general, but some of the arena with