Ground Granulated Pumice-Based Cement Mortars Exposed to Abrasion and Fire

This study investigates the effect of ground granulated pumice (GGP) on workability, compressive/flexural strength and abrasion/fire resistance of mortars. Mortar mixture was prepared by replacing cement with GGP at five different replacement ratios (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20%). The sand-to-binder and water-to-binder ratios of the produced mortars were 3.0 and 0.50, respectively. Compressive/flexural strength and horizontal Bohme abrasion tests were conducted on mortar specimens at 28 days. Mortar specimens were also exposed to elevated temperatures of 300, 600 and 900 \(^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) for a duration of 1 h to measure residual compressive strength. Test results showed that the use of GGP reduced the flow/workability of fresh mortars. It was also observed that the use of 10% GGP content slightly improved strength, abrasion and fire resistance of mortars compared to control normal Portland cement mortar.