Curing of Cement-Lime Mortars

Masonry mortars are assessed on the basis of tests on specimens prepared and cured in the laboratory. Curing procedures differ depending on the relative amounts of cement and lime in the mortar, and the relation between the end result and that attained in the field, where no concession is made for the composition of the mortar, is often questioned. Laboratory and outdoor curing of a series of cement-lime mortars were compared on the basis of compressive strength values. Outdoor curing reflects a variety of weather conditions typical of six geographical areas of the continent. Results indicate increasing discrepancies in values as the amount of cement in the mortars was decreased and the lime increased. Drying laboratory cured cubes before testing substantially reduced these discrepancies for cement and cement-lime mortars, but values for laboratory cured lime mortars remained well below those cured outdoors.