Evaluation of in-service performance factors of renders based on in-situ testing techniques

Abstract

In order to contribute to the knowledge about the influence of several factors on the in-service performance of renders, as well as about the applicability of in-situ testing techniques in the evaluation of their performance, an experimental work was carried. In this work, the influence of some factors (type of substrate, number and thickness of mortar layers) on the mechanical and physical performance of two mortars (site-made and industrial) was evaluated, using the following in-situ testing techniques: pendulum rebound hammer test (with two types of rebound hammer), ultrasonic pulse velocity test (with two types of device) and water absorption under low pressure test (with Karsten tubes). It was possible to verify that the above-mentioned factors influence the performance of the mortars. The in-situ testing techniques were, in general, able to identify differences in the behaviour of renders due to these factors. However, for the same technique, different devices sometimes led to distinct results. Nevertheless, the combination of the results of different techniques helped to reduce the uncertainty of the analysis.