Durable Performance of Cement-Based Repair Mortars for Retrofitting and Protection Applications

Abstract

Environmental concern and damage of aging concrete structures have fostered the worldwide use of repair mortars, which can be associated with retrofitting materials. The effectiveness of reparations depends on intrinsic properties of the mortar and environmental exposure. Present research compares different technologies of cement-based repair mortars (traditional portland, polymer and polyurethane modified) and their performance: (1) mechanical properties; (2) adherence when serving as a matrix for FRCM composites; and (3) durability performance. Results reveal that mortars identified in the study as MB and MD exhibit high performance at different levels, being appropriate for applications where both durability and structural performance are critical. This is a novel approach in which two approaches that are rarely put together are adopted for the same materials.