Topic: Concrete;

Concrete is a composite construction material made primarily with aggregate, cement, and water. There are many formulations of concrete, which provide varied properties, and concrete is the most used man-made product in the world.[2][3]

Concrete is widely used for making architectural structures, foundations, brick/block walls, pavements, bridges/overpasses, motorways/roads, runways, parking structures, dams, pools/reservoirs, pipes, footings for gates, fences and poles and even boats.

Famous concrete structures include the Burj Khalifa (world's tallest building), Hoover Dam, the Panama Canal and the Roman Pantheon.

Concrete technology was known by the Ancient Romans and was widely used within the Roman Empire—the Colosseum is largely built of concrete. After the Empire passed, use of concrete became scarce until the technology was re-pioneered in the mid-18th century.

The environmental impact of concrete is a complex mixture of not entirely negative effects; while concrete is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, recycling of concrete is increasingly common. Structures made of concrete can have a long service life. As concrete has a high thermal mass and very low permeability, it can be used for energy efficient housing.

What is Mortar?

Mortar is a mixture of sand and cements that is most often used to build brick or block walls. In my July blog on cement and concrete I dealt exclusively with portland cement products and uses. I also promised that at a later date I would talk about the masonry world. For those of you on the edge of your seats since then, well today is your lucky day.

While portland cement concrete is certainly one of the most widely used building product in the world, masonry mortar is close behind. It is doubtful that you live or work in a building that doesn’t have mortar in it somewhere. The 3/8” gray line of material that separates the brick or block is mortar. Mortar is a very different animal than concrete. Concrete is designed to be used in thicker applications and to reach very high strengths. It achieves its durability through brute force. Mortar is also designed to be durable but achieves its goal through finesse. Its strengths are quite low compared with concrete and it is never used in thick applications. It is much creamier and more workable than concrete.

If you play tennis, think of concrete as your most powerful serve when you are trying to smash the ball into or through your opponent so that they can’t return the serve. Then think of mortar as a very gently placed lob close to the net that gets your opponent leaning the wrong way with no chance of returning the ball. Both achieve the desired result of earning you a point. The point of this long winded analogy is to let you know that using concrete and mortar interchangeably will lead to disaster.

Mortar can be made in one of two ways. The older method is to take portland cement, add hydrated lime and mix with fine sand. The newer method is use masonry cement and fine sand. Masonry cement is simply a material made by most cement companies where they intergrind the portland with lime or other ingredients designed to produce high air content in a kiln. The results are the same. If you go to the store and buy a bag of mortar you will not be able to tell which method was used to make the masonry cement. There are some parts of the country where masonry cement is simply not available and you will only get portland/lime mortar. The good thing is that it doesn’t matter. In my thirty years of doing this type of work I have found that masons are the most determined group I have ever run into. Some will absolutely swear that you must use portland/lime while others insist masonry cement is the way to go. Just chalk it up to personal preference..

Concrete and mortar are ubiquitous materials in construction, but with different purposes. Concrete is prized because it's strong and durable, and mortar is needed for its ability to bond to other materials. Both contain Portland cement, water and aggregate, but the mixes for each reflect the desired characteristics: mortar mix emphasizes bonding capacity, and concrete mix is formulated for strength. Does this Spark an idea?

Mortar Mix:

There are two kinds of mortar used in construction: Portland-lime and masonry cement. Portland-lime mortars are mixtures of Portland cement, hydrated lime or lime putty, sand and water. The bonding ability of Portland-lime mortar isn't as high as its strength; it's used for heavy stone construction where a lot of weight will be carried. Masonry cement is a more-common product; it consists of premixed cement materials, including plasticizer, mixed with sand and water. It's used for general brick- and clay-unit masonry, and for setting ceramic tile.

Concrete Mix:

Concrete mix is made up of Portland cement, water and aggregates. Portland cement and water are active ingredients; in combination they form a paste that binds the aggregate together. The size of the aggregate used in the mix varies according to the engineering specifications and local availability. A key difference between concrete mix and mortar mix is that coarse aggregate--gravel--is used in concrete mix, and only fine aggregate--sand--is used in mortar mix.

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