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Technical Papers
Mar 6, 2019

Moisture Diffusion in Unsaturated Self-Desiccating Concrete with Humidity-Dependent Permeability and Nonlinear Sorption Isotherm

Authors: Saeed Rahimi-Aghdam, Mohammad Rasoolinejad, and Zdeněk P. Bažant, Hon.M.ASCE [email protected]Author Affiliations
Publication: Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 145, Issue 5
https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EM.1943-7889.0001591
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Abstract

A nonlinear diffusion model for the drying of concrete, previously developed at Northwestern University and embedded in some design codes, was improved and calibrated on the basis of recent more extensive experimental data from the literature as well as theoretical considerations. The improvements include a new equation for the dependence of the self-desiccation rate on pore humidity and hydration degree; an updated equation for the decrease of moisture permeability at decreasing pore humidity; new equations to predict the permeability and diffusivity parameters from the water-cement and aggregate-cement ratios, hydration degree, the type of concrete; and new equations to capture the nonlinearity of the sorption isotherm as a function of pore humidity and water-cement ratio. Furthermore, the recent idea that the pore humidity drop is the driving force, rather than a side effect, of the autogenous shrinkage is verified.

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Acknowledgments

Partial financial support from the US Department of Transportation, provided through Grant No. 20778 from the Infrastructure Technology Institute of Northwestern University, and from the NSF under Grant No. CMMI-1129449, are gratefully appreciated.

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Information & Authors

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Go to Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 145 • Issue 5 • May 2019

Copyright

©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.

History

Received: Mar 11, 2018
Accepted: Oct 3, 2018
Published online: Mar 6, 2019
Published in print: May 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Aug 6, 2019

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ASCE Technical Topics:

  1. Chemical processes
  2. Chemistry
  3. Climates
  4. Concrete
  5. Diffusion
  6. Diffusion (porous media)
  7. Engineering materials (by type)
  8. Engineering mechanics
  9. Environmental engineering
  10. Humidity
  11. Hydration
  12. Hydrologic engineering
  13. Hydrology
  14. Laminating
  15. Materials characterization
  16. Materials engineering
  17. Materials processing
  18. Meteorology
  19. Moisture
  20. Nonlinear analysis
  21. Permeability (material)
  22. Sorption
  23. Structural analysis
  24. Structural engineering
  25. Thermodynamics
  26. Transport phenomena
  27. Water and water resources

Authors

Affiliations

Saeed Rahimi-Aghdam
Graduate Research Assistant, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL 60208.
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Mohammad Rasoolinejad
Graduate Research Assistant, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL 60208.
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Zdeněk P. Bažant, Hon.M.ASCE [email protected]
McCormick Institute Professor and W.P. Murphy Professor of Civil and Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Northwestern Univ., 2145 Sheridan Rd., CEE/A135, Evanston, IL 60208 (corresponding author). Email: [email protected]
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