Internal Curing Water Movement in High Performance Cement-Based Materials

摘要

To date, the lack of experimental data concerning entrained water moisture transport through a cementitious microstructure during self-desiccation has limited the understanding of the mechanisms of internal curing. To improve the current knowledge state regarding the moisture transport kinetics of internal curing, novel in situ microstructural characterization techniques (FTIR/Raman Spectroscopy, H NMR, and NMR Imaging) will be applied to observe early age moisture movement through the evolving porous cementitious matrix without introducing artifacts or damaging the sample. This research will provide an unprecedented view of the kinetics of fluid movement through high performance cement pastes and mortars, leading to an improved understanding of the effectiveness of various internal curing materials, such as superabsorbent polymers, lightweight aggregates, and wood-derived materials. The rate and distance of internal curing water transport are also being investigated.