I

f your job is one of those listed in the accompanying

b ox, the chances are you could ve ry well use a non-
shrink hydraulic cement product to accomplish it. This
could be one of the following:
a patching mortar or concre t e
a grout or anchoring cement
a fiber-containing patching mortar or concre t e
D o nt assume, howe ve r, that eve ry available material is
suitable for eve ry job listed in its category. Check with
the manufacture r. Most manufacturers have a pro d u c t
line that includes from 2 to 8 or more separa t e, special-
i zed nonshrink materi a l s. These have been form u l a t e d
with va rious job conditions and re q u i rements in mind
and the manufacturer can recommend the pro d u c t
most suitable for your re q u i re m e n t s.
The materials to be discussed in this article are based
mainly on portland cement but they contain expansion-
causing agents and sometimes other modifiers. The pur-
pose of the expansive agent is to make the product swe l l
enough to assure tight contact and good bond with the
Nonshr ink hydr aulic cement
mor tar s and gr outs
A broad spectrum of highly useful materials
Pat chi ng mor t ars and concret es
Re p a i ri n g :
p a vements and ru n w a y s
s i d e w a l k s, curbs and gutters
b ridge decks
Applying we a r- resistant toppings
Caulking joints
Re p a i ri n g :
h o n e yc o m b i n g
c racks and spalls
c o n s t ruction faults
Filling holes left by tie wire s
Re p a i ring stucco
Making watertight seals around penetra t i o n s
Making rigid joints watert i g h t
Stopping leaks
Making underwater re p a i r s
Re p a i ring concrete pipe
Patching precast concre t e
Grout s and anchori ng cement s
Providing fill and support on the foundations for:
m a c h i n e ry base plates
column base plates
b e a ring or rocker plates for bri d g e s
c rane ra i l s
A n c h o ring in concre t e :
b o l t s, dowels or ro d s
railings and posts
c e ramic fixture s
Pa t c h i n g :
h o l e s
c ra c k s, spalls and pits in floors
Re s u rfacing floors
Bedding precast units
Grouting junctures of precast units
Sealing between concrete pipe units
Setting tile
Repointing mortar joints and stru c t u ral cra c k s
Sealing around penetra t i o n s
Filling and sealing post-tensioning cable ducts
Fi brous pat chi ng mor t ars and concr et es
Uses such as those above but uses that must resist im-
pact loads or high dynamic stre s s
Su rfacing or re p a i ring heavy-duty traffic are a s p a rk-
ing decks, bri d g e s, industrial floors
Applying a waterproof traffic topping on new slabs
Making column-beam joints for antiseismic stru c t u ra l
m e m b e r s
As a substitute for re i n f o rcement in highly stre s s e d
s t ru c t u ral elements that might otherwise need multi-
d i rectional re i n f o rc e m e n t
Lining tunnels in ro c k
Wa t e r p roofing and re p a i ring water-holding stru c t u re s
APPLICATIONS OF NONSHRINK CEMENTITIOUS REPAIR PRODUCTS
s u r rounding materials but not to swell so much that it
d i s rupts them. Ma t e rials not discussed in this article are
p roducts based pri m a rily on epoxy and other synthetic
m a t e ri a l s, or on magnesium phosphate cements.
Whether the job is large or small, it will most likely be
best to purchase the nonshrink material in standard
packages rather than in bulk. Huge bulk purchases have
been made, and they can be arranged with some manu-
f a c t u re r s, but even for big jobs bulk quantities may not
be particularly convenient. Pro p o rtioning with standard
packages is simple: all the user needs to do is mix the
package contents with the recommended amount of wa-
ter or the recommended amount of water and aggre g a t e.
Not only are bulk materials likely to be harder to batch
a c c u ra t e l y, but they also may tend to lose uniformity in
s t o ra g e, particularly if they contain metallic part i c l e s,
which segregate re a d i l y.
Pat chi ng mor t ars and concret es
Most of these products contain components that
cause the mortar or concrete to expand after it has hard-
ened. (Usually this is accomplished by compounds that
react with one another to produce ettri n g i t e, a minera l
that takes up much more space than the salts fro m
which it was formed.) The expansion is intended to ove r-
come or compensate for the expected drying shri n k a g e
and to maintain a tight bond to the material with which
it is in contact. Ge n e ra l l y, provision must be made to re-
s t rain the expansion. This causes compre s s i ve stress to
be built up within the mortar or concre t e. Then, when it
u n d e rgoes subsequent drying, the loss of moisture sim-
ply re l i e ves the compre s s i ve stress instead of causing
s h ri n k a g e. The amount of potential expansion va ri e s
over a wide ra n g e, depending on the particular pro d u c t
(Table 1). Co n s e q u e n t l y, depending on the application
and the product chosen, the re s t rained expansion and
the drying shrinkage are likely to be only approx i m a t e l y
e q u a l .
Another type of repair material in this category ob-
tains its expansion through release of air from its special
a g g re g a t e. This occurs only while the material is in the
plastic condition, causing the repair material to expand
and establish intimate contact with the surrounding ma-
t e rials before it hard e n s, thus completely filling the
space and promoting good bond.
Each of the pro p e rties of the available products spans
a considerable ra n g e, as shown in Table 1. Thus users
can achieve a va riety of re s u l t s, depending on the pro p-
Fract ured concret e such as t hi s can be repai red wi t h
packaged nonshri nk mor t ars. Manufact urers formul at e
t hese product s for speci fi c ki nds of appl i cat i ons,
i ncorporat i ng careful l y graded aggregat e i n t hei r mi xes.
a Some products also available in pails or cans as small as 12 pounds.
b One manufacturer claims 2300 psi at 1 hour for one of the companys products.
c This value, the only one found among the sources available, is for a repair material whose compressive strength at 28 days is 11,600 psi.
TABLE 1. CHARACTERISTICS OF NONSHRINK PATCHING MORTARS AND CONCRETES
BASED ON HYDRAULIC CEMENTS.
Pro p e rt y Ra n g e Ty p i c a l
Bag size, pounds 30 to 100
a
5 5
Yield, cubic feet per bag 0.41 to 0.59 0 . 5 0
Expansion at 28 days, perc e n t 0.01 to 0.10 0 . 0 5
Early compre s s i ve strength (24 hours), psi
b
810 to 3900 3 0 0 0
Co m p re s s i ve strength at 28 days, psi 5000 to 11,600 7 0 0 0
Fl e x u ral strength at 28 days, psi Up to 1330
Modulus of elasticity at 28 days, psi 4 , 3 0 0 , 0 0 0
c
Bond strength to concrete at 28 days, psi 5 0 0
c
Resistance to fre ezing and thawing, durability factor, perc e n t 69 to 90
e rties of the products they choose. Some contain hard
m i n e ral aggregate for wear resistance and others contain
malleable iron powder for resistance to both wear and
impact. Ex t remely short setting times (as short as 5 min-
utes) are available in some pro d u c t s. Some are said to
be more resistant than portland cement mortars and
c o n c retes to acids and to certain other chemicals. Ma n-
u f a c t u rers can supply litera t u re describing these pro p e r-
t i e s. The litera t u re also makes recommendations about
the amount of water (or water and aggregate) needed to
a c h i e ve the re q u i red workability and about the best
techniques to use for a particular application.
The lines of some companies include a patching ma-
t e rial that has a composition much like their re g u l a r
n o n s h rink mortars and grouts but also has some latex
that imparts trowelability and makes it possible to feath-
e redge a patch. Such materials are not re p resented in
Table 1 but they are available from a few of the same
m a n u f a c t u re r s.
Grout s and anchori ng cement s
Many grouts and anchoring cements are basically the
same kinds of materials as the patching mortars and
c o n c re t e s m a t e rials based on portland cement which
d e ri ve their expansion from the formation of ettri n g i t e
or from the release of air from the aggregate into the
plastic mix. There is another system that gets its action
f rom releasing gas into the plastic mix, in this case the
gas is generated by the reaction of fine aluminum pow-
der in the grout with the cement alkalies. This is one of
the oldest ways of obtaining expansion in grouts and an-
c h o ring cements but the system is seldom used today
because of difficulty in controlling the amount of expan-
sion. Still another system, also ve ry old, is one that de-
pends on iron powder and an agent that ox i d i zes the
i ron, causing it to expand by a controlled amount. The
reaction causes staining, so this kind of product is for use
w h e re color doesnt matter.
The ranges of some of the pro p e rties of grouts and an-
c h o ring cements are given in Table 2. The data show
p ro p e rties in broad outline and do not give any picture
of how the va rious pro p e rties would be re p resented in
any particular product one might select. For these de-
tails it is necessary to consult with the specific pro d u c e r
or study the pro d u c e rs litera t u re.
TABLE 2. CHARACTERISTICS OF NONSHRINK GROUTS AND ANCHORING CEMENTS.
(BOTH NONMETALLIC AND METALLIC MATERIALS INCLUDED.
ALL MATERIALS BASED ON HYDRAULIC CEMENTS.)
Pro p e rt y Ra n g e Ty p i c a l
Bag size, pounds 30 to 108
a
5 0
Yield, cubic feet per bag 0.35 to 1.0 b
Fl ow, seconds 21 to 152
Expansion at 28 days, perc e n t 0.02 to 0.40 c
Early compre s s i ve strength (24 hours), psi d 1500 to 10,500 5 5 0 0
Co m p re s s i ve strength at 28 days, psi 4800 to 13,950 8 0 0 0
Fl e x u ral strength at 28 days, psi 800 to 1500
Bond stress on re i n f o rcing bars at failure in pullout
at 28 days, psi 750 to 4080e 1 5 0 0
a Some products also available in pails or cans as small as 5
pounds
b Highly variable because of many bag sizes.
c Expansions vary widely. Many are between 0.03 and 0.07 per-
cent; many others between 0.10 and 0.40 percent.
d One manufacturer claims 7500 psi at 1 hour for one of the
companys products.
e Data were obtained on grouts with a broad range of strengths
and tests were made with various rebar sizes, hole diameters
and lengths of embedment.
Thi s deck i s bei ng repai red wi t h a fi ber-rei nforced nonshri nk
mor t ar. The manufact urer advocat es appl yi ng i t i n
t hi cknesses not t o exceed
3
4 i nch.
Some manufacturers also claim special pro p e rties for
one or another of their pro d u c t s, such as stable fluidity
over a considerable period of time, higher than norm a l
resistance to penetration of chlori d e s, above - n o rmal re-
sistance to fatigue, and capability of shielding against ra-
d i a t i o n .
Some grouts are promoted for use in grouting post-
tensioning cables. Where these cables run long distances
ve rt i c a l l y, special water- re t e n t i ve grouts that re s i s t
bleeding have been advocated (CONCRETE CO N-
S T RUCTION, Ja n u a ry 1984, pages 47 to 51).
Fi brous pat chi ng mor t ars and concret es
At least two nonshrink mortars on the market contain
steel fibers. These are for use where high impact
s t rength, great ductility after cracking, and high flexura l
s t rength are needed. One product is said to be part i c u-
larly useful on old concrete or masonry because it does
not disjoin; it is also said to impart watertightness and
some resistance to sulfates and aggre s s i ve water. Ap p a r-
ently the premixed material does not cause the work a-
bility problem sometimes experienced with stra i g h t
steel fibers when they we re introduced a number of
years ago. Co m p re s s i ve strengths of 13,750 to almost
16,000 psi at 28 days have been re p o rted and flexura l
s t rengths of 3300 to 3750 psi. Impact resistance is ve ry
high. The product is supplied in 55-pound bags.
Another product is supplied in only 17.6-pound pack-
ages so it can be mixed on the job at the rate of one pack-
age to one bag of a locally available portland cement and
140 pounds of sand. This saves the cost of shipping the
p o rtland cement and the sand a long distance. This
blended material contains glass and polymer fibers plus
some chemical pro d u c t s. Co m p re s s i ve strengths are said
to range from 6000 to 8000 psi and flexural stre n g t h s
f rom 1500 to 1900 psi. High impact strength is claimed,
and the product is said to show no weight loss after 300
c ycles of fre ezing and thawing. It is also said to be chem-
ically resistant to solve n t s, fuels, strong alkalies and
c h l o ride salt solutions.
One use for which this material is promoted is as a
topping for parking decks or pave m e n t s. It is said to be
capable of spanning cracks up to
l
32-inch w i d e. Where
c racks are larg e r, a re i n f o rcing mesh is laid over the cra c k
and anchored along its edges before applying the top-
ping. As with all the other materials described here, full
p ro c e d u ral details are available from the manufacture r.
To obtain proprietary information on nonshrink patching
mortars and concretes, consult the Concrete Source-
Book or the Buyers Guide in the December issue of
CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION. In either place look under
the category Patching compounds.
For information on nonshrink grouts and anchoring ce-
ments look in the same references under Grouts,
metallic; Grouts, nonmetallic; and Grouts, non-
shrink.
PUBLICATION #C840893
Co py right 1984, The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved