| abstract |
Admixture or additive which provides water-repellency and flexural bond strength improvement in mortar, concrete, or cement, and particularly in masonry mortars. An exemplary admixture composition includes: (a) at least one C8-C30 fatty acid or a derivative thereof, such as a salt, ester, or triglyceride; and (b) a flexural bond strength enhancing material comprising a polymer having a backbone to which are attached carboxyl cement anchoring groups and oxyalkylene groups attached by linkages selected from the group consisting of an amide, an imide, and an ester. A preferred additive optionally includes an air entraining admixture for improving workability of a masonry mortar into which the fatty acid or derivative and the flexural bond strength enhancing material are added. A cementitious composition and method for enhancing water-repellency and flexural bond strength in a masonry mortar are also disclosed. |