Ultrasonic sensing of properties of eco-friendly cement mortar

  Cement is one of the essential construction materials required to develop concrete and mortar; therefore, it is vital in developing cities' infrastructure and maintaining human civilisation. However, cement production is recognised as a major source of many environmental problems, including air and water pollution. This paper, therefore, focused on the partial replacement (from 0 to 40%) of cement in the mortars with industrial by-products and on the application of ultrasonic waves as a sensing approach to evaluate the mechanical properties of the new cement mortar. The compressive strength of the eco-friendly mortar was measured at ages of 7, 14, and 28 days, and the results showed the best compressive strength of the eco-friendly mortar was 19.8 MPa at 28 days compared to 23.9 MPa of the reference mix. Additionally, a good agreement was noticed between the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and the compressive strength confirming the applicability of the UPV for compressive strength sensing.