Author(s)

L. Fiala, Z. Pavlík, M. Pavlíková & R. Černý

Abstract

A computational assessment of water and salt transport parameters describing the coupled moisture and chloride transport in porous media is presented in this paper. The experimentally determined moisture profiles, chloride concentration profiles and chloride binding isotherm are subjected to inverse analysis where three different modes of salt solution transport are assumed. On the basis of this analysis, moisture dependent moisture diffusivity and salt concentration dependent chloride diffusion coefficient are calculated. The obtained results can find use in computational modelling of salt transport in porous building materials which is currently a very important topic, particularly from the point of view of durability of building materials and service life of building structures exposed to salt attack. Keywords: moisture diffusivity, salt diffusion coefficient, chloride binding isotherm. 1 Introduction The durability and service life assessment of building materials and structures due to the effect of salts can be done most effectively by means of mathematical and computational modelling. In this way, the time development of water and salt concentration fields can be obtained which is crucial for prediction of possible future damage related to the salt crystallization and efflorescence. However, the accuracy of simulated water and salt concentration fields critically depends on the availability of all input parameters.

Keywords

moisture diffusivity, salt diffusion coefficient, chloride binding isotherm.