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Anyone know of where there is information on drying times for Pozzolan, (used to set mosaics) both natural and artificial?
I know it is still used now so I'll get some shortly but I wondered if any studies had been done on the ancient mixes.
Thanks
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http://www.logicsphere.com/products/fir ... fa7rn2.htm
Might start there, but I'm not sure that's the info you're looking for....
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Thanks, I've had a scan through the pages there but not it seems to be modern uses (worth a look though). There's quite a few references to Pozzolan if you Google it but nothing specific on drying times.
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Well normal modern concrete will dry on a summer day/evening if poured early in the morning in about 8 hrs and 24 hrs before you can walk on it albeit without too much pounding. With Pozzolan ash, dried concrete would be achieved faster I would think due to its small porosityr. I have not done any experiments but I would not think it took longer than the modern concrete that does not have any.
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Dr. John Oleson at the University of Victoria has done some experiments with ancient concrete, including the type which used pozzolan and set underwater. He's also taken a large number of samples of ancient concrete to learn about things like the ratio of different materials and how well it was mixed (often not very). He would be a good name to look up in your research, although I don't know if he's researched mosaics specifically.
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Thanks I'll google him and see if I can find out some more.
The reason I ask is that I always get asked how long it took to lay a floor. To the best of my knowledge no one has recently done this, ie working direct, using irregular shaped stone. I believe you could have 4 teams working a floor from the centre out. If they all work out and leave a strip say 50cm - 70cm along the outside edge of the room. Then they start at one end of the strip and by the time they've reached the end of their strip the mosaic could be dry enough for them to walk on to exit the room. The next day they go back and finish each corner. That's the theory anyway!
Still lots to look at, but there was a reference in one of my books where they worked out how much of a wall mosaic was set each day and this was over 1 square metre. I'll try to remember where it is and dig it out. Although wall mosaic can be easier to work than a floor I'm sure there are some similarities.
