Publications

260

Unsaturated diffusivity functions for concrete derived from NMR images



Title: Unsaturated diffusivity functions for concrete derived from NMR images
Author(s): C. Leech, D. Lockington, P. Dux
Paper category : journal
Serial title: Materials and Structures
Abreviated Serial title: Mater. Struct.
ISSN: 1359-5997
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Volume: 36
Issue: 260
Issue date: 2003-07-01
Publication year: 2003
Pages: 413 - 418
Total Pages: 6
Nb references: 17
Language: English


Abstract: Deterioration of concrete or reinforcing steel through excessive contaminant concentration is often the result of repeated wetting and drying cycles.
At each cycle, the absorption of water carries new contaminants into the unsaturated concrete.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is used with large concrete samples to observe the shape of the wetting profile during a simple one-dimensional wetting process.
The absorption of water by dry concrete is modelled by a nonlinear diffusion equation with the unsaturated hydraulic diffusivity being a strongly nonlinear function of the moisture content.
Exponential and power functions are used for the hydraulic diffusivity and corresponding solutions of the diffusion equation adequately predict the shape of the experimental wetting profile.
The shape parameters, describing the wetting profile, vary little between different blends and are relatively insensitive to subsequent re-wetting experiments allowing universal parameters to be suggested for these concretes.


Online publication: 2003-05-27
Classification: Scientific Reports
Publication type : full_text
Public price (Euros): 0.00
doi: 10.1617/13760


>> You must be connected to view the paper. You can register for free if you are not a member