Study of mechanical behavior of mortars modified with sawdust under compression loads

Abstract

In this paper, a study about the mechanical behavior of mortar modified with sawdust fibers under compression load was performed. Density, compressive strength and dynamic elastic modulus of mortar modified with 0, 0,5, 1 and 3% of sawdust were estimated. Composites were evaluated after 7, 30 and 90 days of curing. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used ton chracterize the morphology and to find elemental composition for both, fibers and cement matrix. The results show that compressive strentgth, elastic modulus and density decreases as sawdust percentage increases. It is suggested to use 1% of sawdust fiber mortars in order to avoid an important reduction of the mortar mechanical properties.