Property evaluation of magnesium phosphate cement mortar as patch repair material

The properties of magnesium phosphate cement (MPC) mortars with different magnesium to phosphate (M/P) molar ratios and sand to binder (S/B) weight ratios have been investigated. The experimental results show that both M/P and S/B ratios have large influence on the setting time and mechanical properties of MPC mortars. Therefore, the formulation has to be optimized in terms of the workability, performance, as well as cost consideration. Besides, the bond strength is an important performance index for a patch repair material and hence received particular attention in this study. The test results demonstrate that MPC mortars have superior bond strength to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) mortar/concrete substrate. Finally, the volume stability measurements illustrate that the drying shrinkage of MPC based repair mortars is much less than that of OPC mortar. It is demonstrated that MPC mortar is promising to be utilized in patch repair and maintenance works of concrete.