Abstract

Concrete materials and structures are neither totally saturated nor dry, making the efficient capillary absorption of water deserve much attention. Basically, absorption of water is a process of unsaturated permeation driven by capillary pressure. This dependence of capillary pressure on water content plays an essential role in predicting capillary absorption and thus calculating sorptivity, which is also affected by inherent permeability, tortuosity coefficient significantly. Considering the evolution of pore structure of cement-based materials (CBMs) upon wetting, the long-term absorption of water into mortars and sorptivity can be predicted. However, a few investigations have been done to understand the precision of measured sorptivity, which is tried numerically in this paper focusing on the influences of varying parameters including water retention characteristics, tortuosity parameter, inherent permeability and swelling time. Based on reported experimental data of two cement mortars, 100 curves of capillary absorption in 10 days are predicted with artificially random parameters. Both the first and secondary sorptivity are further calculated and evaluated with emphases on the coefficient of variation of sorptivity and its sensitivity to varying parameters. Water retention characteristics make certain contribution to the dispersion of both initial and secondary sorptivity. Sorptivity is also sensitive to the variations of porosity and tortuosity representing the heterogeneity of their pore structure. The swelling time brings observable effects on the precision of secondary sorptivity only.