Abstract
The moisture behaviour of building materials exposed to the
natural climate is largely dependent on their water absorption. In
contrast to most building stones, cementitious materials like
concrete do not exhibit a water absorption that is proportional to
the square root of time. There must be a slowing-down effect which
is related to water because the absorption of organic liquids,
such as hexane, is quite normal. Measurements of the porosity of
hardened cement paste determined by helium pycnometry and water
saturation show that water molecules can enter spaces in the
microstructure which are not accessible to the smaller helium
atoms. Considering the results of dilatation tests both before and
after water and hexane saturation, it seems possible that a
contraction of capillary pores due to moisture-related swelling of
the cement gel leads to the non-linear water absorption over the
square root of time.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Materials and Structures |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 7 |
Pages (from-to) | 394-398 |
ISSN | 1359-5997 |
Publication status | Published - 1997 |