Microstructure and Transport Properties of Porous Building Materials.
Microstructure and Transport Properties of Porous
Building Materials.
(883 K)
Quenard, D. A.; Xu, K.; Kunzel, H. M.; Bentz, D. P.;
Martys, N. S.
Materials and Structures, Vol. 31, 317-324, June 1998.
Keywords:
building materials; transport properties; porous
materials; diffusivity; air permeability; microscopy;
digital imaging
Abstract:
To successfully predict the performance of building
materials exposed to a degradative environment,
transport properties must be either measured or
estimated. The development of relationships between
microstructure and transport properties for these
materials should allow accurate prediction of the latter
and an increased understanding of how microstructure
influences transport. Here, two microstructural
characterization techniques, mercury intrusion
porosimetry and scanning electron microscopy, are
combined with computer modelling techniques to compute
the vapor diffusivity and air permeability of three
building materials commonly exposed in building facades,
two types of brick and a natural sandstone. In general,
the computed values compare favorably to those measured
experimentally, thus demonstrating the capability of
employing microstructural characterization to predict
transport properties.
