ASTM_C_1586_-_05_2011.pdf

Designation:C158605(Reapproved 2011)Standard Guide forQuality Assurance of Mortars1This standard is issued under the fixed designation C1586;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This document provides guidance regarding the properuse of Specification C270 and Test Method C780 for evaluat-ing masonry mortar produced in the laboratory and at theconstruction site.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2C144 Specification for Aggregate for Masonry MortarC270 Specification for Mortar for Unit MasonryC780 Test Method for Preconstruction and ConstructionEvaluation of Mortars for Plain and Reinforced UnitMasonry3.Significance and Use3.1 This document is intended to provide guidance andclarification to designers,specifiers,inspectors,testing agen-cies,producers,and users in specifying and evaluating ma-sonry mortar.3.2 Users of documents Specification C270 and TestMethod C780 often confuse and sometimes inadvertentlymisuse parts of the two documents when specifying or evalu-ating masonry mortar.This guide seeks to address specificitems within Specification C270 and Test Method C780 to helppromote their proper use and interpretation.4.Specifying Masonry Mortar4.1 Use Specification C270 to specify masonry mortar byeither the Proportion or Property Specifications of that stan-dard,but not both.If neither the Proportion nor Propertyspecification is given,Specification C270 the Proportion speci-fication to be used.4.2 Proportion SpecificationsThese Specifications directthe mason to produce the masonry mortar using designatedvolumetric proportions of cementitious materials and aggregateas set forth in Table 1,Proportion Specifications,of Specifica-tion C270 for the Type of mortar specified.This procedure ofspecifying mortar requires no sampling and testing of mortar,and hence,no measurement of mortar properties in the labo-ratory or the field is required.All that is necessary is fieldconfirmation of the proper proportions of the mixes used inconstruction.4.3 Property SpecificationsThese Specifications requiretesting of laboratory-prepared mortar for compliance with therequirements of Table 2,Property Specifications,of Specifica-tion C270 for the Type of mortar specified.4.3.1 The Property Specifications require evaluation of amortar with a consistency(flow)of 110 6 5%.This is anarbitrarily established mortar consistency that is used toapproximate the water content of mortar after it is placed in amasonry assemblage with absorbent masonry units.Theamount of water required in mortar produced at the construc-tion site is normally greater than the amount used for Specifi-cation C270 Property Specifications testing.4.3.2 Do not use the Specification C270 Property Specifi-cations requirements to evaluate construction site-producedmortars.Due to the higher amount of water necessary foractual masonry construction,mortar produced and sampled inthe field will typically have lower compressive strength thanthat produced in the laboratory per Specification C270.4.3.3 When mortar is specified by the Property Specifica-tions,the quantities of cementitious materials and aggregatesas determined through laboratory testing are converted tovolumetric proportions to produce masonry mortar at theconstruction site.5.Quality Assurance of Masonry Mortar5.1 Mortar MaterialsVerify that individual mortar mate-rials being used meet the ASTM Standards listed under theMaterials Section of Specification C270.Compliance is typi-cally verified by submission of a letter of certification or testreport for each mortar material.NOTE1If any of the materials used do not comply with the materialrequirements of Specification C270,the Proportion Specifications can notbe used.Specification C270 specifically permits the use of masonry sandsthat do not comply with the gradation requirements of Specification C144provided that the Property Specifications of Specification C270 are usedrather than the Proportion Specifications.1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C12 on Mortars andGrouts for Unit Masonryand is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee C12.03 onSpecifications for Mortars.Current edition approved Nov.1,2011.Published November 2011.Originallyapproved in 2004.Last previous edition approved in 2005 as C1586 05.DOI:10.1520/C1586-05R11.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 5.2 Property SpecificationsVerify that the tested proper-ties of the laboratory-prepared mortar meet the ap