Effect of drying history upon the exchange of pore water with methanol and upon subsequent methanol sorption behaviour in hydrated alite paste

Abstract

The counter diffusion process in which the pore water in saturated alite paste was exchanged for methanol was studied experimentally. The rate of exchange was dependent upon drying history. All of the pore water could apparently be exchanged for methanol. Length changes during the exchange process and during subsequent methanol sorption experiments were small. The methanol sorption results suggested that previous drying at intermediate relative humidities caused a partial collapse in the smaller pores and a corresponding increase in volume of the larger pores. These changes in pore structure correlated with the observed dependence upon drying history of a) the rate of methanol exchange for pore water and b) irrecoverable drying shrinkage.