How and Why the Lime Concrete and Lime Mortar got out of sight ? They are much better materials, and consume less energy for production. In turn, they are more 'Greener Materials', which is the Buzz Word of the day.
Dear,
limes , hydrate at the beginning and hydraulic much later, were the most ancient building materials. But it is also true that since at least the Roman Age limes had to solve the issue of their low strength development and their slow hardening time, their weakness outdoor and so on. Then was clear that for structural purposes limes needed to be strongly cut with reactive pozzolanic raw materials. Roman cement for example is the greatest example of pozzolanic limes for structural reasons but lime wasn’t the main component because of its fineness, low strength properties and because pozzolanic reaction can occur only respecting precise dosages. Today limes are the key binders for historical restoration, plasters but for sure not for structural materials. Portland cements were invented for this reason and the theory of hydraulicity comes from Louis Vicat in 1817. So I think these binders will never disappear because there are lot of necessary niece applications and are still quite cheap so why are you worried? In Italy all the historical cities are plastered by lime based products and there are specialists, builders and restorers that never will renounce to use them.
Best regards
Alex Reggiani
Lime concrete is a composite mixture of lime as binding material, sand as fine aggregate, and gravel as coarse aggregate in appropriate proportions. Lime concrete mix ratio depends on the type of construction, but in general, it can be taken up to a 1:2:3 ratio for lime, sand, and coarse aggregate, respectively.
Lime mortar has better waterproofing
Traditional concrete only mixes were prone to taking on moisture from the atmosphere. This caused the mortar to expand and contract as it heated and cooled. Also the water in the mortar would be susceptible to freezing. All this would mean your mortar, over time, would crumble, Failing mortar can usually be attributed to a lack of carbonation of the lime within the mortar meaning that the mortar will have little if any, strength.
But Lime mortar not used anymore because With the introduction of Portland cement during the 19th century, the use of lime mortar in new constructions gradually declined. This was largely due to the ease of use of Portland cement, its quick setting, and high compressive strength.
Lime mortar has some disadvantages like
1-the rapid setting time limits the time available to the user in which to work with the gauged mortar.
2-some cements contain appreciable amounts of soluble salts, in particular potassium sulphate, which may become a source of salt damage to stonework.
Thank You, Dr. Ali, for detailed answer. I will go throug the papers.
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