Water transport through cement-based barriers - a preliminary study using neutron radiography and tomography.

In this preliminary study we use neutron radiography and tomography to examine differences in water transport through cement pastes and mortars. Bulk residual water contents and sorptivity curves determined using neutron radiography are compared with data obtained gravimetrically. In addition, macro-pore volume distributions of each sample were measured. Furthermore, it was possible to use neutron radiography to monitor the change in the mass of water when samples were dried or when water moved into the samples. The trends and absolute values of weight loss and gain obtained using both approaches are very consistent for mortars, especially when a neutron-scattering correction is applied. © 2009, Elsevier Ltd