When you have concrete surfaces that need to be repaired, you want to be absolutely sure that the product you use to make small patch repairs, or large resurfacing repairs, is the strongest and most durable product that is available. You would want a product that can make the damaged concrete safe, and better able to withstand the conditions that caused the damage. If you feel like that is too tall of an order, think again. Elephant Armor mortar is a superior high performance mortar that delivers on strength, flexibility, and longevity.
What Physical And Mechanical Properties Make A Mortar "High Performance"?
High performance mortars, when compared to traditional cement mortars, display more compressive strength, greater flexibility, increased workability, more resistance to chemicals such as acids, sulfates, and chlorides, and longer durability. Traditional mortar is a binding material composed of cement (Portland cement), fine sand, lime, and other components depending on use. What makes the Elephant Armor mortar a high-strength mortar is that it is fiber-based. The addition of PVA fibers (and plenty of them!) creates a molecular bond with the actual mortar ingredient matrix that is second to none. Combined with the mechanical bond of the cementitious materials, this makes for a very high tensile strength mortar with incredible flexural strength as well.
PVA fibers (Polyvinyl fibers) are monofilament and are able to disperse uniformly through the concrete mix, providing a network of fibers that is multidirectional. The combined influence of the plentiful PVA fibers along with the ductile mortar results in a product that has nearly 500 times the tensile strength of other cementitious repair products. Indeed, Elephant Armor has a compressive mechanical strength that can withstand up to 4000psi in just 4 hours of application. That is a high performance mortar!
Where Would A High Performance Mortar Be Used?
There are numerous examples of where high performance cement mortar could and should be used, from large-scale projects to small but important repairs. Road construction crews can use it to repair cracks and broken or eroded areas on road surfaces, both asphalt and concrete. It has been used for patching and repairs of runways at major airports such as the Los Angeles International Airport, LaGuardia International Airport in New York, and the Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport in Texas.
Due to Elephant Armor’s strength characteristics and superior bond strength, and its ability to withstand UV damage, water absorption capability, and damage from salts and temperature changes, it has been used to repair large concrete seawalls. Seawalls need to be strong and well maintained to hold back seawater. These concrete structures face harsh weather and saltwater conditions daily, they are prone to cracking and spalling, and erosion. A high performance mortar can be used to repair the vertical surfaces, and can even be used to overlay and encapsulate the surfaces of these walls. This is done at low tide, and because Elephant Armor dries quickly and bonds well, it is ready for the punishing conditions by the time the tide rolls in again. Loading docks are another example of large cement areas that are prone to damage that can be expertly repaired by Elephant Armor cement mortars. This high performance mortar has also been used to fantastic effect for skateparks, where there are horizontal and vertical surfaces that are exposed to high and low temperatures throughout the years.
Examples of medium size applications would be to repair and maintain parking lots, private and municipal sidewalks, driveways, concrete staircases, curbing, and micro trenching. Due to this cement mortar’s compressive and flexural strengths and its workability (including spreadability and sprayability!) this rapid-setting mortar can be sprayed over EPS structural forms to encapsulate them with a weather-resistant cementitious layer that will be durable for decades and decades. In this overlay application, it can be stamped, and it allows for all pigments and stains. Because it can be played on new or existing surfaces such as plywood or masonite, it can be used for indoor flooring and other surfaces. You can make this as fancy or as utilitarian as you want. As for small repairs and uses, it is available in smaller buckets for small home, business, and garden repairs. Whatever the size or scope of the repairs to be made, Elephant Armor performance mortar is the superior material for high strength development and durability.
Start Your Project With High Performance Mortar Here!
Capitol Barricade is a traffic supply store that sells Elephant Armor for any project you would need it for. From big jobs such as roadway repair to smaller jobs such as repairing home patios, Capitol Barricade can provide you with the high performance mortar and finishing supplies you need to create lasting results. Contact us today for everything you need to get started with Elephant Armor high performance cement mortars!
