Effect of Sawdust on The Mechanical Properties of Mortar Using Local Materials

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a great tendency, especially in the field of structural engineering, to use environmentally friendly materials. Therefore, such these materials should be combined with concrete and cement mortar to obtain an environmental and cheaper structural component that has distinctive properties such as lower thermal and sound conductivity and produce lightweight members. In this study, the sand in the cement mortar of the reference mix was replaced by residues of sawdust for different levels ranging between (5, 10, and 15%) by volume. Two methods were used to cure the specimens of this study; the first by immersing the specimens in water, and the second by exposing them to the air under laboratory conditions. Different tests were conducted in order to assess; the air content of fresh mortar, consistency of fresh mortar, compressive strength, flexural strength, and conductivity. From the obtained results, as the percentage of sawdust increased, a significant improvement in sound conductivity was observed. Although the compressive and flexural strength decreased with increasing the percentage of sawdust (up to 15%), this decrease can be considered acceptable for several construction applications. Moreover, the increasing in the percentage of sawdust was noted to be accompanied by an increasing in the percentage of air content. This allows obtaining a lightweight cement mortar with suitable mechanical properties which can be used for various constructions.