What is dry-mixed mortar and what are the raw materials in it

-Knowlages are from http://www.service.hkpc.org/

What is dry-mixed mortar?

Dry-mixed mortar or dry mortar is made of cement, sand, mineral and functional additives, mixing together proportionally. It is often in powder or granule form pre-mixed in special factory and transported to construction site. After stirring with adequate amount of water, it can be used directly. 

Raw materials of dry-mixed mortar

Most of the dry-mix mortar products require only the addition of potable water and mixed with a simple mixer to produce high quality fresh mortars. Although the dry mortars are relatively easy to prepare and use, the ingredients and their proportions of each products are sometimes very complicated. Most of the high performance products are usually based on extensive development process and tests in order to achieve the designed materials properties. In contrast to job-site mortar of simple ingredients and proportions, the types of raw materials used for production of dry-mix mortars are numerous and their mix proportions are complicated. The raw materials used for dry-mix can generally be grouped into four main categories (binders, fillers, chemical additives, pigments) and some of the basic generic types are listed below:

(1) Binders 

• Ordinary Portland cement (OPC)

•  High alumina cement (HAC)

• Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS)

• Pulverized fuel ash (PFA)

• Micro silica

• Hydrated lime

• Gypsum

• Anhydrite

• Polymer

(2) Fillers

• Silica sand

• Quartz sand

• Limestone powder

• Silica powder

• Bentonite

• Perlite

• Polystyrene

• Vermiculite

• Expansion clay 

• Cellulose fibre

• Polypropylene fibre

(3) Chemical Additives

• Cellulose esters 

• Superplasticizers

• Thickening agents

• Air entraining agents

• Accelerating agents

• Retarding agents

• Defoaming agents

• Hydrophobic agents

• Plasticizing agents

• Shrinkage compensation agents

(4) Pigments 

• Inorganic pigments

• Organic pigments

Most of the dry-mix mortar products contain both mineral cementitious binder (e.g. OPC) and polymer binder (e.g. re-dispersible powder) and they are normally packed in bags after mixing in the factory. Hence, the dry-mix mortar products are also known as Pre-mixed or Pre-bagged Polymer Modified Cementitious Mortar.

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