Hello, My son needs to do a science experiment on the affects of 'ice melt' on sidewalks.
I have an extra bag of mortar and was wondering if cement and mortar are similiar enough that if we mixed up that, the results of his experiement would be valid.
Otherwise off to the hardware store
-Mike
The sidewalk is "concrete", which is a combination of cement, aggregate and sand.
Mortar is cement and sand (no aggregate), so is similar to the sidewalk.
Cement is just that, no aggregate, no sand.
....top posting corrected...
So does Portland cement, but I'm not sure of relative amounts...
...
The difference is one of proportions designed to make each product more suited to its intended end use. Typically mortars aren't as strong so a concrete mix would undoubtedly be more comparable to a typical sidewalk.
But, I'd be more concerned from the purpose of the experiment of the use of a brand-newly poured section that hasn't fully cured. It takes a long time for concrete to finally cure fully and meanwhile the surface will be more susceptible to damage when green or nearly so than later. Of course, one could still see something about relative effects of differing treatments which undoubtedly meets the objective.
The really neat way to do it might be to find a broken section of an existing sidewalk that could be scavenged.
Ah yes. Thanks!
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