A discussion on the paper "Determination of mortar setting times using shear wave velocity evolution curves measured by the bender element technique"

In a recent paper, Zhu et al. used bender element-type ultrasonic actuator in order to generate S-waves transmission through mortar samples. New criteria for determining the initial and final setting are proposed. The developed methodology leads to the conclusion that these criteria are more reliable than previously published material. Several points would require further discussion, such as the consideration of the effect of temperature, the shear wave onset detection algorithm, or the curve fitting strategy. These considerations might undermine the reliability of the suggested method, and explain the divergence of results obtained in contrast with previously published material.