INFLUÊNCIA DA SUBSTITUIÇÃO PARCIAL E TOTAL DA AREIA PELO MASSAME EM ARGAMASSA CIMENTÍCIAS

Abstract

Mortar is one of the most commonly used materials in civil construction, primarily applied as a coating material and for block setting. Its composition includes fine aggregate, which is usually sand; however, depending on the region, other types of materials are used. An example is the Cariri region of Paraíba, where massame is used, without any technical study, which can cause a problem because, if the material is unsuitable, it can lead to pathologies in the construction. In this sense, this study evaluated the behavior of cementitious mortars formulated by replacing sand with massame, used in construction works in the city of Monteiro-PB, at contents of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, with the water/cement ratio fixed for all mixes. The properties of the mortars were analyzed in both the fresh state (consistency index) and the hardened state (compressive strength and water absorption by capillarity at 28 days), according to Brazilian technical standards. In the fresh state, the results indicated that as the amount of sand replaced by massame increases, the consistency index increases. In the hardened state, it was observed that the higher the massame content in the mortar, the higher the compressive strength. Regarding water absorption by capillarity, an increase was observed in all mixes with the incorporation of massame. In general, the massame used as fine aggregate showed good performance; however, greater attention must be given to water absorption by capillarity.