Designing a Universal Glass Composite for Plaster Mortars

Currently, construction uses a vast array of materials that, while serving the same purpose, differ only slightly in their properties. This complicates the substitution of one material for another, significantly expanding the product range when considering operating conditions, necessitating expanded warehouse space. Therefore, preference should be given to universal materials that, while maintaining the same chemical composition, can change their properties by altering the ratio of their components. This study addresses this issue by evaluating the potential of glass composites containing powdered waste glass as alternatives to selected conventional construction materials. The results demonstrated that the rheological properties of the composites can be effectively controlled by adjusting the ratio of water glass to waste glass powder, enabling the achievement of viscosity values suitable for both plastering and installation mortars. In addition, the composites exhibited markedly higher adhesion strength than conventional gypsum mortars under high-humidity conditions, confirming their applicability as adaptable, substrate-specific materials with geopolymer-like characteristics.