Affiliation: | aLaboratoire de Génie Mécanique et Matériaux (LG2M), Université de Bretagne Sud, BP 92116, 56321 Lorient, France bInstitut de Recherche Génie Civil et Mécanique (GeM), I.U.T., Département Génie Civil, BP 420, 44606 Saint-Nazaire, France |
Abstract: | A method to simultaneously measure the moisture diffusion coefficient, Dθ, of unsaturated concrete, and the saturated concrete hydraulic conductivity, Kl, was developed for cylindrical specimens placed on a container filled with water that could be maintained at a given hydraulic pressure. Ordinary Portland cement Concrete (OPC) with a moderate and High Performance Concrete (HPC) with a low water to cement ratio were tested. The time dependent distribution of water content in the specimens was measured using a non-intrusive method based on gamma-ray attenuation. The measurements were conducted with varying hydraulic head (positive or null). Boltzmann's transformation was used to analyze the experimental results obtained at different hydraulic pressures and the difference between the null (or atmospheric) and positive pressure results is used to accurately determine Kl and also Dθ . This paper will present the results obtained using this original method, possible interpretations and future research. |