The main strength material parameters of deformable cement adhesives

The deformable cement adhesives types C2S1 and C2S2 are usually used to glue ceramic slabs onto so-called critical substrates (other than concrete), including under changing weather conditions. The declared strengths of these adhesives attached to substrates can be found in the manufacturer’s standards and declarations. The use of cement adhesives on surfaces other than concrete or in other applications, such as a lightweight heated floor system (LHFS), should meet safety standards. To determine this, basic strength parameters for deformable adhesives, which have not been specified until now, need to be set. For this purpose, many analyses were performed, such as tensile and compressive strength tests, as well as the measurement of displacements in the thermal chamber, using, for example, digital image correlation and extensometric techniques. It was possible to define the main strength parameters of deformable adhesives, such as Young’s modulus (E), Poisson’s ratio (ν) and linear thermal expansion coefficient (α). These multiple measuring techniques were able to authenticate the obtained results, determining the maximum compressive strength of deformable adhesives, as well as longitudinal and transverse deformations. The research material parameters E, ν and α can be used for the calculation of LHFS with a heating coil, as well as for other building partitions or on critical substrates (different from concrete), using some of the many numerical methods available.