A STUDY OF THE FREE WATER IN MORTAR BASED ON THE RULES OF DEFORMABILITY AND AMOUNT OF WATER BLED BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE

Abstract

This study discussed the amount of free water in mortar, which can be regarded as an index of the space between particles and/or flocculations. Firstly, the authors defined the percentage of the amount of water in mortar bled by centrifugal force to powder volume as “WcsP”. Then, the relationship between “WcsP” and the deformability of mortar “Γm” was deeply investigated. Consequently, this study clarified the followings: (1)A focal point exists among the linear relationships between “WcsP” and “Γm” of mortars having various dosages of superplasticizers. In mortar on the focal point, free water acting upon the fluidity is zero. (2) It indicates that on this focal point, the free water is null and the difference in “WcsP” from the focal point can be regarded as a new index of free water for fluidity.