Effect of Cement Substitution by both Perlite and Pozzolan Powders on the Mechanical Behavior and Water Absorption of Pozzolanic Mortar

Abstract

This paper studies the effect of both perlite and pozzolan powders as cement substituents. First, it addresses the mechanical properties of pozzolanic mortar in the short term, i.e., with a schedule of 7, 14 and 28 days. Next, in order to extend the analysis related to the porosity of the designed mortars, the water absorption is studied. The provided results indicated that the compressive strengths of the pozzolanic mortars were lower than those of the reference mortar. However, among the tested pozzolanic mortars, those containing 10% of perlite displayed superior strengths. Additionally, while the water absorption values for pozzolanic mortars were higher than those of the reference mortar, the inclusion of 10% of perlite in the mortar resulted in lower water absorption compared to the other pozzolanic mortars.