Experimental and Simulation Study of Water Absorption in Unsaturated Concrete

Abstract

The aim of this research is to investigate the sorptivity and capillary coefficient in unsaturated concrete using the capillary water absorption experiment. The effects of water-binder ratio, fly ash content, and aggregate content on the water absorption performance in concrete are compared. The decrease of water-binder ratio, aggregate content, and the increase of the initial degree of water saturation can lead to a decrease in the water absorption ability. With the increase of fly ash content, the water absorption ability first decreases and then increases; the 40% fly ash content had the worst water absorption ability. To forecast the water transport process, an unsaturated flow theory was used to predict the water content distribution in concrete during transport, this theory can well reveal the water distribution in concrete during water transport and the law of water content distribution is consistent with that of the water absorption experimental.