Characterizing Lightweight Aggregate Desorption at High Relative Humidities Using a Pressure Plate Apparatus
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 24, Issue 8
Abstract
This paper describes the results of an experimental study that was performed to obtain desorption isotherms for a wide range of fine lightweight aggregates that are used commercially in North America. The desorption isotherms were determined for the entire gradation of the fine lightweight aggregates (as received). To obtain the desorption isotherms a pressure plate apparatus (porous plate) was used. The pressure plate enables the desorption isotherm to be measured at high relative humidities (beginning at 100%). In addition to providing experimental results obtained with the pressure plate method, desorption results obtained by gravimetric desorption and dynamic vapor desorption methods are also provided. The gravimetric desorption and dynamic vapor desorption methods are generally used at lower relative humidities (98% and 0% relative humidity). The results indicate that water leaves the fine lightweight aggregates at relative humidities as high as 99.9%. This suggests that internal curing water is available to the cement matrix even at relatively high water-to-cement ratio mixtures when the suction forces exerted by cement paste are small. The results of this work are helpful for the development of mixture proportioning techniques and numerical simulation for internally cured concrete mixtures.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported in part by the Expanded Shale, Clay and Slate Institute (ESCSI), and the authors gratefully acknowledge that support. The experiments reported in this paper were conducted in the Pankow Materials Laboratories in the School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University and the Soil Physics Laboratory in the Agronomy Department at Purdue University. The authors acknowledge the support that has made these laboratories and their operation possible.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 24 • Issue 8 • August 2012
Pages: 961 - 969
Copyright
© 2012. American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 11, 2011
Accepted: Nov 8, 2011
Published online: Nov 11, 2011
Published in print: Aug 1, 2012
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