Laboratory evaluation of wet and dry abrasion resistance of cement mortar

Abstract

This paper describes a laboratory test program conducted to evaluate the effect of wetting and drying on the abrasion resistance of portland cement mortar. A relatively simple and speedy abrasion test procedure was adopted. Test results indicated that repeated alternating of wetting and drying treatment did not have any adverse long-term effect on the abrasion resistance of specimens. Each wetting phase, however, reduced the abrasion resistance of specimens, although the reduction was only a short-term phenomenon. The abrasion resistance was restored to the original level gradually as the specimens were allowed to dry. The effect of wetting was found to be increasingly pronounced as the water/cement ratio of the test mix was raised.