Basic Civil Engineering

Chapter 14

Mortar

The term mortar is used to indicate a paste prepared by adding a required quantity of water to a mixture of binding material like cement or lime and fine aggregate like sand. This is used to bond masonry or other structural units.

14.1 FUNCTIONS OF MORTAR IN BUILDING WORKS

The following are the major functions of mortar:

1. To bind building materials such as bricks and stones into a solid mass.
2. To carry out pointing and plasterwork on exposed surfaces of masonry.
3. To form an even and soft bedding layer for building units.
4. To form joints of pipes.
5. To improve the general appearance of a structure.
6. To prepare moulds for coping, corbels, cornice, etc.
7. To serve as a matrix or cavity to hold the coarse aggregates, etc.
8. To distribute ...