Drying Resistances of Brick, Mortar, and Concrete

Abstract

The present work relates to a statistical comparison of heat and mass transfer resistances that regulate the loss of moisture from fired clay brick (FCB), cement mortar, and concrete subjected to steady-state drying conditions. Pertinent models assimilated from the literature were applied to both previously reported experimental data and to fresh laboratory observations in order to assess the effects of material type, drying temperature, and characteristic length of a specimen on drying resistances. Observations revealed that a rise in drying temperature offset the effect of material type on external mass and heat transfer resistances, which were otherwise the highest for concrete and the lowest for FCB. The characteristic length of a specimen also had a statistically significant influence on the estimation of internal heat and mass transport resistances. It was also found that a rise in internal heat transfer resistance concomitant with an increase in porosity can change the thermal state of a specimen from isothermal to uniform.