Comparison of different methods to determine the packing density of fresh mortars

Abstract eng:
Packing density is considered one of the most influential factors in fresh performances of mortar and concrete. There exist standardised methods for its determination, both direct and indirect, but in most of the cases they do not give a realistic estimation of the voids content. For this reason, these methods should be substituted by the “wet packing method”, more recently developed and valid for binders, aggregates and mixtures of both. In this work, the “wet packing method” has been used to assess the optimum water/binder ratio at which the packing density is achieved in mortars of different composition and binder/aggregate proportions. To support the validity of this method, the obtained values have been compared with those obtained by measuring the bulk density of the dry granular components, with and without vibration applied, and the consistence of the pastes by means of the flowability test. This work aims to diffuse an alternative, easy and more precise method which could indirectly improve the performances of both fresh and hardened mortars, designed for restoration processes in Architectural Heritage.

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