Compressive strength testing of earth mortars

This paper discusses the compressive strength of earth mortars. The goal is to use these mortars for masonry construction. Although it is necessary to study the whole masonry behaviour, the scope of this paper refers to the mortar only, without taking into account the blocks. As with other masonry units, compressive strength is a basic measure of quality for masonry mortars. However, there is a great variety of methodology for determining their parameters and properties, such as different samples geometry, the way strains are measured and also the platen restraint effect adopted. The present paper outlines certain experimental devices used to determine compressive strength of earth mortars and tries to show their influence on the properties determined. Proposals for the future development of testing earth mortars are outlined.