The mechanical properties of mortar materials in construction are influenced both by their own proportions and external loads. The trend of the stress-strain curve in cracks compaction stage has great influence on the relationship between the strength and deformation of cement mortar. Uniaxial compression tests of mortar specimens with different cement-sand ratios and loading rates were carried out, and the stored and dissipated energies were calculated. Results indicated that the elastic modulus and strength of mortar specimens increase with the cement-sand ratio and loading rate. The energy dissipation shows good consistency with the damage evolution. When the loading rate is less than 1.0 mm/min, most of the constitutive energy at the peak point is stored in the specimen and it increase with cement-sand ratio. A simple representation method of axial stress in cracks compaction stage was proposed and an energy-based damage constitutive model-which can describe well the whole process of cement mortar under uniaxial compression-was developed and verified.
Keywords: cement mortar; constitutive model; energy dissipation; mechanical properties.