Microstructural investigation of a silica fume-cement-lime mortar

Several additions, minerals and organic, are used in mortars, such as pozzolanic materials, cementicious materials and polymers. Literature about the use of additions in masonry mortars (cement/lime/sand mixes) is scarce; usually, studies are about concrete mortars. The purpose of this work is to study the microstructural effects of the substitution of 10% of Portland cement by silica fume in a 1:1:6 (cement/lime/sand mix proportion by volume) masonry mortar. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive Xrays analysis (SEM/EDX) shows that, with silica fume, the C-S-H formed is type III at early ages and that type III and type I coexist at later ages. Silica fume lowers the total porosity and increases compressive strength only at later age and, as expected, the pore structure of mortar with silica fume is found to be finer than of non-silica fume mortar. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.