Development of an Ultra-light Weight Thin Set for Large Format Porcelain Tiles

Development of an Ultra-light Weight Thin Set for Large Format Porcelain Tiles

Mortar is a material used in masonry to fill the gaps between blocks in construction and bind the blocks together. The blocks may be stone, brick, and tile. Mortar is a mixture of sand, a powdered adhesive such as cement, and water and is applied as a paste, which then dries hard. Cement is most commonly used to refer more specifically to powdered materials that develop strong adhesive qualities when combined with water. Pozzolanic ash is an alumino-siliceous material which reacts with calcium hydroxide in the presence of water to form compounds possessing cementitious properties at room temperature, producing 2(CaO) • SiO2 • 0.9-1.25(H2O) Pozzolanic substances react with the cement paste, resulting in increased concrete strength. Most pozzolans, with the exception of fly ash, result in high early strength in concrete, but reduced workability and high heat of hydration. This necessitates the use of superplasticizer and chilled water when mixing such admixtures into concrete. This study describes the use of lower density materials in the mortar mixture combined with critical adjustments of polymers, plasticizers and thickening agents to achieve a reduction of 30% in the over all weight of the product while maintaining the same surface coverage with increased adhesion, open time and workability.