The influence of shrinkage-cracking on the drying behaviour of White Portland cement using Single-Point Imaging (SPI)

The removal of water from pores in hardened cement paste smaller than 50 nm results in cracking of the cement matrix due to the tensile stresses induc ed by drying shrinkage. Cracks in the matrix fundamentally alter the permea bility of the material, and therefore directly affect the drying behaviour. Using Single-Point Imaging (SPI), we obtain one-dimensional moisture profi les of hydrated White Portland cement cylinders as a function of drying tim e. The drying behaviour of White Portland cement, is distinctly different f rom the drying behaviour of related concrete materials containing aggregate s. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.