Acrylic-Modified Earthen Mortar: A Program of Investigation and Laboratory Research into Acrylic-Modified Earthen Mortar Used at Three Prehistoric Pueblo Sites
Hartzler R. 1996. Acrylic-Modified Earthen Mortar: A Program of Investigation and Laboratory Research into Acrylic-Modified Earthen Mortar Used at Three Prehistoric Pueblo Sites. Historic Structure Report. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Intermountain Cultural Resource Center. Santa Fe, New Mexico
Many prehistoric pueblos in the Colorado Plateau region of the Southwestern United States are sandstone masonry, laid with earthen mortar. Charged with caring for these ruins, the National Park Service has for many years used various oil amendments in an effort to make repair mortars exposed to weather more durable, and thereby reduce the need for continued maintenance. Since a series of field tests begun in the middle 1970, one of the most frequently used amendment has been an acrylic emulsion: Rhoplex E-330. This amendment has the favorable characteristic of being essentially colorless, so that the color and texture of the resulting mortar are provided by the constituent soils, and are not influenced by the amending material. Also, the resulting mortar remain porous and soft enough to cause no harm to the adjacent stone. However, E-330-amended mortars have not always performed a expected, occasionally deteriorating in one or two seasons. This research has focused on some of the variables involved in the performance of acrylic amended mortars, and has offered some recommendations about modifications that could be made to improve their durability. The research was divided into two parts: first, characterization of the soils used by the three selected National Park Service sites in Colorado and New Mexico; and second, physical and mechanical testing of mortar samples, made with soils from the test sites and Rhoplex E-330.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Hartzler, Robert
- Date of Issue
- 1996-08
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Intermountain Cultural Resource Center
- Units
- IMR , IMRO
- Keywords
- acrylic emulsion, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, earthen mortar, Mesa Verde National Park, Rhoplex E-330