Proposal of a new method to monitor the loss of workability and setting of mortars

Workability loss in mortars refers to a reduction in the material's ease of handling, placing, and finishing during construction. It indicates a decrease in the plasticity or the ability of the material to be easily moulded or shaped. Setting refers to the process by which the mortar transitions from a plastic, workable state to a hardened, rigid state. This setting process is crucial in construction and masonry work, where mortars are commonly used to bind together bricks, stones, or other building materials. In the scope of testing of mortar, workable life of mortar can be assessed according to EN 1015-9. Existing standardized methods for testing fresh properties of mortars are destructive, not continuous and generally insufficient. This work proposes a device for non-destructive testing and continuous monitoring of the evolution of resonant frequency of a bar embedded in the mortar mixture to be tested at the fresh state.