Modeling of Moisture Diffusion in Crushed Basaltic Rock Stabilized with Cementitious Binders
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 17, Issue 6
Abstract
The prediction of moisture diffusion within the cementitiously stabilized materials is essential for assessing their shrinkage and associated cracking potential. A theoretical approach was presented for modeling of moisture loss during drying of cementitiously stabilized pavement materials. The moisture loss process was characterized by isotropic nonlinear diffusion theory. Laboratory experiments were undertaken to measure the material properties and characteristics that included the coefficient of moisture diffusivity and the humidity isotherm. Independent laboratory tests were undertaken to validate the theoretical approach adopted, and the experimental and predicted results displayed close agreement. The laboratory results indicated that as the drying progressed, the rate of moisture loss became slower, which can be explained by the reduction in the coefficient of moisture diffusivity with the decrease of moisture content. The humidity isotherms measured also indicated that the stabilized pavement materials appear not to dry significantly further after they reach a pore relative humidity of about 65%.
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Acknowledgments
This work is a part of a research project (SPIRT/Linkage) sponsored by the Australian Research Council and Chadwick Geotechnical Testing Pty Ltd., Melbourne, Australia. Their financial and in-kind support is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also rendered to Blue Circle Southern Cement for their in-kind contribution.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 17 • Issue 6 • December 2005
Pages: 703 - 710
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 23, 2003
Accepted: Apr 5, 2005
Published online: Dec 1, 2005
Published in print: Dec 2005
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Paulo J. M. Monteiro
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