Properties of Masonry Mortars Incorporating Polyurethane Foam Waste

Abstract

Masonry mortars made with Portland cement, sand, water and white recycled polyurethane foam from industrial waste are examined in this study. Different mixtures were firstly prepared through the substitution of different amounts of sand by equivalent volumes of polyurethane and then, with different ratios of cement/aggregates. The comparative study was carried out on the effect that different ageing tests have on the mechanical properties of these mortars under flexture and compression. For this purpose, the samples were exposed to different corrosion and hardness tests. After ageing, the strength values were sufficiently high to consider that these types of recycled materials remain practically unaffected when compared with the reference specimens. It was found that strength measurements supported the results of the accelerated ageing tests and provided comparative quantitative and valuable data on the behavior of these recycled lightweight mortars.