The measurement of water capillary sorption is, in principle, a very simple experiment. After a standard preparation method described below, mortar and concrete cylindrical specimens were exposed to a liquid on one of the plane ends by placing them in a pan as shown in Figure 2. The fluid level in the pan was maintained at a constant height throughout the experiment. At regular intervals, the mass of the specimens were measured using a balance. The amount of fluid absorbed was then calculated and normalized by the cross-section area of the specimen exposed to the fluid.
FIG. 2. Experimental setup.
A mortar or concrete specimen is placed in a tray filled with water. The fluid level is kept constant. The mass of the specimen was monitored to determine the amount of liquid absorbed.