Experimental study of wood shaving addition in mortar and statistical modeling on selected effects

Abstract

In the frame of an extended research program dealing with wood shavings utilization in mortar, a set of procedures were developed for verifying effects of wood shavings addition to specific mortar properties. Mixes containing wood shavings replacing fine aggregates by 0, 30, 50 and 70% of their volume were made. Workability, fresh mortar unit weight, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and flexural and compressive strength were determined, based on measurements, at various curing ages. Measurement results and analysis suggest that compressive strength reduction caused by wood shavings addition could be predicted. The outcome was standardized in the form of a multifactorial sigmoidal model. It was also made evident that the mix proportion of cement increases when wood shavings are used as a by volume replacement of conventional fine aggregates, due to the low value of specific gravity of wood compared to conventional aggregates. Another procedure is suggested based on mass and volume measurements aiming at the verification of the mix proportions in the final mortar mixture.

Keywords

• aggregate replacement
• mortar
• sigmoidal curving
• wood shavings