Quality Assurance of Mortars1 This standard is issued under the fixed designation C 1586; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope* volumetric proportions of cementitious materials and aggregate
1.1 This document provides guidance regarding the proper as set forth in Table 1, Proportion Specifications, of Specifica- use of Specification C 270 and Test Method C 780 for evalu- tion C 270 for the Type of mortar specified. This procedure of ating masonry mortar produced in the laboratory and at the specifying mortar requires no sampling and testing of mortar, construction site. and hence, no measurement of mortar properties in the labo- ratory or the field is required. All that is necessary is field 2. Referenced Documents confirmation of the proper proportions of the mixes used in 2.1 ASTM Standards: 2 construction. C 144 Specification for Aggregate for Masonry Mortar 4.3 Property Specifications—These Specifications require C 270 Specification for Mortar for Unit Masonry testing of laboratory-prepared mortar for compliance with the C 780 Test Method for Preconstruction and Construction requirements of Table 2, Property Specifications, of Specifica- Evaluation of Mortars for Plain and Reinforced Unit tion C 270 for the Type of mortar specified. Masonry 4.3.1 The Property Specifications require evaluation of a mortar with a consistency (flow) of 110 6 5 %. This is an 3. Significance and Use arbitrarily established mortar consistency that is used to 3.1 This document is intended to provide guidance and approximate the water content of mortar after it is placed in a clarification to designers, specifiers, inspectors, testing agen- masonry assemblage with absorbent masonry units. The cies, producers, and users in specifying and evaluating ma- amount of water required in mortar produced at the construc- sonry mortar. tion site is normally greater than the amount used for Specifi- 3.2 Users of documents Specification C 270 and Test cation C 270 Property Specifications testing. Method C 780 often confuse and sometimes inadvertently 4.3.2 Do not use the Specification C 270 Property Specifi- misuse parts of the two documents when specifying or evalu- cations requirements to evaluate construction site-produced ating masonry mortar. This guide seeks to address specific mortars. Due to the higher amount of water necessary for items within Specification C 270 and Test Method C 780 to actual masonry construction, mortar produced and sampled in help promote their proper use and interpretation. the field will typically have lower compressive strength than that produced in the laboratory per Specification C 270. 4. Specifying Masonry Mortar 4.3.3 When mortar is specified by the Property Specifica- 4.1 Use Specification C 270 to specify masonry mortar by tions, the quantities of cementitious materials and aggregates either the Proportion or Property Specifications of that stan- as determined through laboratory testing are converted to dard, but not both. If neither the Proportion nor Property volumetric proportions to produce masonry mortar at the specification is given, Specification C 270 the Proportion construction site. specification to be used. 4.2 Proportion Specifications—These Specifications direct 5. Quality Assurance of Masonry Mortar the mason to produce the masonry mortar using designated 5.1 Mortar Materials—Verify that individual mortar mate- rials being used meet the ASTM Standards listed under the Materials Section of Specification C 270. Compliance is typi- 1 This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C12 on Mortars and cally verified by submission of a letter of certification or test Grouts for Unit Masonry and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee C12.03 on report for each mortar material. Specifications for Mortars. Current edition approved Feb. 1, 2005. Published April 2005. Originally NOTE 1—If any of the materials used do not comply with the material approved in 2004. Last previous edition approved in 2004 as C 1586 – 04. requirements of Specification C 270, the Proportion Specifications can not 2 For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or be used. Specification C 270 specifically permits the use of masonry sands contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on that do not comply with the gradation requirements of Specification C 144 the ASTM website.
*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard.
1 Copyright by ASTM Int'l (all rights reserved); Thu Apr 16 09:57:05 EDT 2009 Downloaded/printed by Laurentian University pursuant to License Agreement. No further reproductions authorized. C 1586 – 05 provided that the Property Specifications of Specification C 270 are used field- and laboratory-produced mortars. Furthermore, mortar rather than the Proportion Specifications. compressive strengths can vary from day to day depending on 5.2 Property Specifications—Verify that the tested proper- the amount of mix water required, the curing conditions at the ties of the laboratory-prepared mortar meet the appropriate construction site, the weather conditions, masonry unit and Property Specifications’ requirements of Specification C 270 sand moisture contents, and other variables. for the specified mortar Type. Also verify that the laboratory 5.5.3.1 Measuring mortar compressive strength of field- test report includes the volumetric proportions and materials sampled mortar has no relevance unless preconstruction testing used to meet the Property Specifications. is performed in the laboratory using similar mixing equipment, 5.3 Proportioning of Materials—Use inspection, testing, or mortar materials, and the same specimen geometry. Even when both to assure proper proportioning of mortar materials at the this is done, the field compressive strength data can only be construction site. compared to the preconstruction mortar strength data in gen- 5.4 Inspection—Verify by observation that the method of eral, due to other factors, such as weather, temperature of measuring material quantities for the mortar used in construc- mortar, and the absorption properties of the specific masonry tion accurately maintains the required proportions. Verify that units being used. the individual mortar materials being used are those approved for the project. 6. Preconstruction and Construction Evaluation of 5.5 Testing: Mortar Properties 5.5.1 Use Test Method C 780, not Specification C 270, to 6.1 Use Test Method C 780 to evaluate mortar properties of evaluate mortars prepared at the construction site. a mortar mixed to a field consistency. 5.5.2 Use Test Method C 780 to evaluate masonry mortar 6.2 Annex A1 and A3 of Test Method C 780 are used to prepared at the construction site for the following properties: measure consistency (sometimes called plasticity or flow). mortar aggregate ratio (Test Method C 780, Annex A4) and Annex A6 is used to measure air content. Annex A7 is used to mortar water content (Test Method C 780, Annex A5). By measure compressive strength. measuring the mortar aggregate ratio and mortar water content, NOTE 2—The consistency of mortar at a construction site should be the proportion of cementitious materials to aggregate by mass adjusted to provide optimum workability that is compatible with the can be determined and then converted to proportions by masonry units used in the construction, rather than using a predetermined volume. The measured volumetric proportions of the construc- value for consistency. Due to different weather conditions (temperature, tion site-produced mortar can be compared to the Specification humidity, and wind velocity) and masonry unit and sand moisture C 270 Proportion Specifications or the volumetric proportions contents, mortar properties measured from construction site-produced derived for the Property Specifications, whichever applies. specimens can be quite different from and more variable than those measured during preconstruction evaluation testing. 5.5.3 Measurement of construction site masonry mortar compressive strength using Test Method C 780, Annex A7, is 6.3 Properties of mortars measured by Test Method C 780 not the appropriate test method to determine the compliance of are not required nor expected to meet the Property Require- the mortar with the compressive strength requirements of ments of Table 2 in Specification C 270. Specification C 270; however it may have some value in the determination of mortar uniformity. Construction site masonry 7. Keywords mortar strengths are not generally equal to the values cited in 7.1 aggregate ratio; compressive strength; consistency; field the Property Specifications Requirements Table of Specifica- testing; laboratory testing; masonry; mortar; quality; specify- tion C 270 due to the difference between water contents of ing; water content
SUMMARY OF CHANGES
Committee C12 has identified the location of selected changes to this standard since the last issue (C 1586 – 04) that may impact the use of this standard.
(1) Section 4.2 was revised to clarify what is necessary for field confirmation.
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