The Effect of Temperature on Moisture Transport in Concrete

Most concrete structures and buildings are under temperature and moisture variations simultaneously. Thus, the moisture transport in concrete is driven by the moisture gradient as well as the temperature gradient. This paper presents an experimental approach for determining the effect of different temperature gradients on moisture distribution profiles in concrete. The effect of elevated temperatures under isothermal conditions on the moisture transport was also evaluated, and found not to be significant. The non-isothermal tests show that the temperature gradient accelerates the moisture transport in concrete. The part of increased moisture transfer due to the temperature gradient can be quantified by a coupling parameter D(HT), which can be determined by the present test data. The test results indicated that D(HT) is not a constant but increases linearly with the temperature variation. A material model was developed for D(HT) based on the experimental results obtained in this study.