Abstract
We report the application of proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging to the measurement of water content distributions in Lépine limestone, a typical constructional stone. The method is used to observe the kinetics of the absorption of water into this material by capillarity. The water content distributions are consistent with the predictions of unsaturated flow theory. The hydraulic diffusivity of Lépine stone is found to be an approximately exponential function of the water content, in agreement with experimental data on other porous materials. The best estimate of the diffusivity function is D (m2s−1) = 6.3 × 10−9 exp (4.90θ r), whereθ r is the normalized volumetric water content. The sorptivity estimated from NMR data is in close agreement with the directly measured value (1.00 mm min−1/2). NMR imaging methods appear promising as a non-destructive and rapid laboratory means of determining moisture distributions, especially for the purpose of accurate measurement of the capillary transport properties of porous materials.
Resume
On décrit l’application de l’imagerie de résonance magnétique nucléaire (RMN) à la mesure de distributions de teneur en eau dans le calcaire Lépine, pierre de construction type. On présente les résultats d’une expérience où l’eau est absorbée librement par capillarité de l’extrémité d’une barre rectangulaire. On utilise l’imagerie RMN pour contrôler la vitesse d’absorption de l’eau. On obtient, par l’analyse des images, les distributions à l’intérieur de l’échantillon en fonction du temps.
Les distributions de teneur en eau concordent avec l’application de la théorie de l’écoulement en milieu non saturé. La diffusivité hydraulique et le coefficient de sorption se calculent à partir des profiels d’absorption d’eau. Le coefficient de diffusion de la pierre de Lépine est une fonction approximativement exponentielle de la teneur en eau, conforme aux données expérimentales des autres matériaux poreux. La meilleure estimation de la fonction de diffusion est D (m2s−1) = 6.3 × 10−9 exp (4.90θ r), oùθ r est la teneur en eau volumétrique normalisée.
Le coefficient de sorption évaluée à partir des données RMN concorde tout à fait avec la mesure directe (1,00 mm min−1/2). Les méthodes d’imagerie RMN semblent prometteuses en tant que technique de laboratoire non-destructive et rapide pour déterminer les distributions d’humidité, et en particulier, mesurer avec précision les propriétés de mouvement d’eau par capillarité de matériaux poreux.
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Carpenter, T.A., Davies, E.S., Hall, C. et al. Capillary water migration in rock: process and material properties examined by NMR imaging. Materials and Structures 26, 286–292 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02472950
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02472950