Experimental study of coupled transport of moisture and salt into unsaturated mortar and terracotta
Résumé
In this paper the combined evolution of liquid and chloride content is studied during experiments of sodium chloride transfer in unsaturated mortars and terracotta. The means used are gamma ray attenuation for the liquid content and chemical· analysis for the chloride content. It is experimentally very difficult to know the part played by chloride ions bound to the solid matrix. Some simplifications, allowing analysis of the results with suitable uncertainties, are proposed: for instance the quantity of bound chlorides is negligible. The decrease in the rate of reaction of chlorides with the cementitious matrix is highlighted, and is due to liquid movement. Moreover, the presence of salt does not seem to affect moisture transport for the studied materials.