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Crush test method for determining compressive strength of mortar

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Abstract

This paper provides a novel and standardized testing method for measuring the compressive strength of cast-in-place masonry mortar by the crush test method (CTM), which is commonly utilized to test the crushing value of rock particles. This method crushed mortar particles in cylinders and peak loads were recorded. The experimental results show a strong relationship between the CTM strength and the compressive strength of mortar (M2.0–M16.0). In particular, the scattering properties were examined to demonstrate the stability of the CTM test. In addition, comparative tests were conducted to validate CTM as an alternative method for determining the compressive strength of masonry mortar and the CTM test results are closely related to the compressive strength of mortar, especially for low-strength mortar. Lastly, field tests have verified that the CTM can determine the compressive strength of mortar with good accuracy and acceptable values.

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Data availability

Some or all data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This study is supported by the Opening Foundation of Shandong Key Laboratory of Civil Engineering Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (Grant No. CDPM2019KF10), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51908341) and the National Key R & D Program of China (Grant No. 2018YFD1100402-05), Opening Foundation of Key Laboratory of concrete and prestressed concrete structure, Ministry of education, Southeast University (Grant No. CPCSME2019-06).

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Correspondence to Suhang Yang.

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Yang, S., Duan, C. & Xu, Z. Crush test method for determining compressive strength of mortar. Mater Struct 56, 21 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-023-02113-z

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