Water absorption in mortar determined by NMR

Area of Science:

• Building materials science
• Materials characterization

Background:

• Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a powerful technique for analyzing materials.
• Understanding moisture transport and distribution in porous materials like mortar is crucial for durability and performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of NMR for determining moisture profiles in porous building materials.
• To explore how NMR signal relaxation provides insights into water distribution within the material's microstructure.
• To examine the impact of drying treatments on mortar's microstructure and water absorption.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to measure moisture profiles.
• Analyzed NMR signal relaxation (specifically transverse relaxation) to understand water distribution.
• Conducted experiments during water absorption and after drying treatments.

Main Results:

• NMR successfully determined moisture profiles in porous building materials.
• Transverse relaxation measurements provided information on water distribution in gel and capillary pores of mortar.
• Drying treatments were shown to affect the microstructure and subsequent water absorption of the mortar.

Conclusions:

• NMR is a viable technique for quantifying moisture content and distribution in building materials.
• NMR relaxation analysis offers detailed insights into pore-scale water dynamics.
• Microstructure alterations due to drying significantly influence water transport properties.