The importance of thermal endurance in relation to finishes prone to elevated temperatures cannot be
over emphasized. Inclusion of elastomeric substances into mortar aimed at improving performance prop-erties may therefore pose a serious threat. This paper presents experimental findings regarding elasto-meric influence of natural rubber latex (NRL) – a typical elastomer – on cement mortar. Hardened
cement paste, NRL-films, cement–latex blends, control and modified mortars containing 10% and 20%
latex/water ratios were prepared and cured for 6 months. Microstructural units of samples were observed
through SEM followed by subjection to TGA within a temperature range; 25–900C. The results indicate
that NRL degrades to about 5% (by weight) at temperatures between 350 and 430C. Eventually, NRL-modified mortar was significantly affected by the softening of NRL-films present in the co-matrix. How-ever, the overall resistance of the modified systems to thermal degradation was surprisingly improved by
the inclusion of the elastomer.
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