Effect of temperature on the water retention properties of two high performance concretes

Abstract: This contribution aims at (1) determining experimentally the first desorption isotherms of two high performance concretes (based on CEM I and CEM V cements), at three different temperature levels T =20, 50 and 80°C, and (2) showing whether these may be simply described by adsorption and capillarity. Results at 20°C compare well with recently published results; in particular, an important desorption is observed at high RH (≥98%). A simple pore network model, based on Kelvin–Laplace''s capillary theory, is implemented, and shows the existence of two main de-saturation modes, one at high pore radii (capillary pores), the other for pore radii on the order of a few nanometers (C-S-H porosity), where desorption is shown to occur. A complementary drying mechanism is evidenced at 80°C, which is attributed to ettringite and/or C-S-H degradation. Finally, proper numerical fitting of all isotherm data is achieved using the well-known three-parameter BSB model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]