Modelling of leaching in pure cement paste and mortar

The leaching of cement-based materials is analysed through experimental and numerical results. From the experimental point of view, the leaching proce sses of a pure cement paste and a mortar are characterised by the degraded depths and the cumulative amount of leached calcium at different times. Fro m the mathematical point of view, the leaching is modelled with the mass ba lance equation of calcium in the liquid phase. Material properties useful f or a numerical resolution of this equation are presented and the finite vol ume method is applied for the numerical simulations. Comparisons between ex perimental and predicted results show the validity of the simple model used to describe the leaching phenomenon and the ability of the finite volume m ethod to support high nonlinearities. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All ri ghts reserved.