Flexural tensile strength in mortar coating reinforced with different types of metal mesh: A statistical comparison

Abstract

In Brazil’s panorama, it is common the specification of metal mesh in facade coatings with the function of increasing the tensile strength of the mortar, avoid the formation of cracks visually perceptible and ensure system performance. However the requirement of metal mesh into mortar coating reinforcements is quite empirical. There is no consensus on what kind of metal mesh opening and form, as well as the thickness of the metal would be most suitable for this purpose. In this sense, the current study aims to verify the performance comparatively of some of the usual metal mesh types in reinforcing mortar coatings, through flexural tensile testing at 4 points. Accordingly, the current study was to verify the performance comparison of some of the usual metal mesh types in reinforcing mortar coatings nationally by 4-point tensile test in bending. For this, 36 prims with (15×30)cm2 were molded of mortar reinforced, with mesh embedded in the tractioned third of layer with 5cm of thickness. Being 4 specimens for each mesh typology used: galvanized electrowelded mesh, square mesh (25×25)mm diameter and metal 1.24mm, 4 different manufacturers; metal mesh intertwined with hexagonal mesh and opening of 12mm (known as nursery), 25mm (treated as chicken brooding) and 50mm (chicken called); metal lath known as deployer with rhomboid mesh, cord 0.18, knit 1″; beyond 4 no mesh specimens adopted as reference. The best performance results obtained on flexural tensile strength, were in mortar reinforced with metal mesh. The chicken screen, presented intermediate results of tensile strength in bending, compared to other tested metal screen natures, while it was considered inappropriate to apply hexagonal metal mesh type nursery and chicken brooding, when it aims increase of this type of strength in the composite.