The effect of liquid push out of the material capillaries under sulfate ion diffusion in cement composites

The paper treats complex phenomena that accompany the diffusion of sulfate ions into cement paste or systems. The ion distribution within the material was studied by designing a specific diffusion model. The model accounts for two phenomena: capillary filling with products of the chemical reactions and the subsequent liquid push out of the capillary. The approach allows to quantify the concentration of free ions having penetrated the cement stone and that of chemically reacted ions, and to assess the liquid push out. Experimental data are also presented.