The influence of mineral admixtures on bending strength of mortar on the premise of equal compressive strength

The influence of mineral admixtures on bending strength of mortar on the premise of equal compressive strength was investigated. Three mineral admixtures (fly ash, ground granulated blast-furnace slag and steel slag) were used. The adding amount of mineral admixture in this study ranges from 22.5% to 60%, and the water-to-binder ratio ranges from 0.34 to 0.50. With equal compressive strength, different mortars can be arranged in such a descending order with their bending strength: cement-fly ash mortar, cement mortar, cement-GGBS mortar, and cement-steel slag mortar. With the same compressive strength, the higher the steel slag content and water-to-binder ratio, the lower the bending strength of mortars. However, the effect of mineral mixture content and water-to-binder ratio on the bending strength of cement-fly ash mortar and cement-GGBS mortar is far inconspicuous.