Author
SILVIA BRICCOLI BATI and LUISA ROVERO
Universita degli Stredi di Firenze

Abstract
Mechanical characteristics of lime mortars can readily be enhanced by the addition of components used historically prior to the introduction of Portland cement. A preliminary investigation has verified that the addition of tuff powder and cocciopesto may provide one such enhancement, as recommended by VITRUVIUS. The paper gives experimental results showing that the improvement of mechanical characteristics depends on the relative proportions of aggregate and additive, ami on the grain size of the additive itself. Two different variants of VITRUVlUS’s recipe were used in the construction of specimens for uniaxial compression and bending tests and the results compared with the previously tested reference recipe.