Fine Ceramic Powder – Supplementary Cementitious Material for Mortar Mix Design

Waste ceramic powder originating from the contemporary hollow bricks production is studied as a supplementary cementitious material in mortar composition. For the ceramic powder and cement, the measurement of chemical composition is done using XRF analysis. XRD device is used for the amorphous phase content measurement. The particle size distribution of ceramics and cement is accessed on a laser diffraction principle. Pozzolanic activity of ceramic powder was determined by the modified Chapelle test. The blended binder containing ceramic powder in an amount of 8, 16, and 24% of mass of cement is used for the preparation of mortars which are then characterized using the measurement of basic physical properties and mechanical properties. Among the basic physical properties, bulk density, matrix density and total open porosity are measured. The mechanical resistivity of mortars with blended binder is accessed by the compressive strength, flexural strength, and dynamic Young’s modulus measurement. Additionally, pore-size distribution of the developed mortars is analyzed using mercury intrusion porosimetry. Experimental data shows that an application of 24% waste ceramics in the blended binder provides sufficient mechanical resistivity of the mortar.