Simple method of dynamic Young's modulus determination in lime and cement mortars

The present work explains a simple method to determine the dynamic Young module (MOE) by inducing a set of small mechanical perturbation to samples of lime and cement mortars and correlating the results obtained with results determined using other techniques and methods. The procedure described herein follows the instructions stated in the UNE-EN ISO 12680-1(8) standard for refractory products although in this study the instructions are applied to standardized RILEM 4x4x16 cm test samples made of lime and cement mortars. In addition, MOE determinations are obtained by using ultrasonic impulse velocity while static Young's modulus determinations are obtained by performing conventional bending tests. The ability of this procedure to correlate with results from other techniques, along with its simplicity, suggests that it can be widely adapted to determine the deformability of mortars under load using standardized samples.Peer Reviewe