Effects of superabsorbent polymer on water transport property of concrete: Experimental study and modelling

IF 8.9 1区工程技术 Q1 CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

Construction and Building Materials Pub Date : 2026-03-21 Epub Date: 2026-02-23 DOI:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2026.145680

Chao Yao , Xiao Zhang , Yancong Zhang , Fang Liu , Yang Gao , Shaoquan Wang , Aiqin Shen , Yinchuan Guo

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The addition of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) is an effective method for regulating water in concrete, yet the effects of SAP on overall water transport require precise assessment for reliable modelling in practical applications. To address this, an integrated experimental and numerical study was conducted. Laboratory tests on absorption-desorption equilibrium, capillary absorption and water vapor permeability demonstrated that SAP facilitated water ingress while impeding moisture release. Specifically, SAP reduced adsorption saturation by 10 %–25 %, increased desorption saturation by 5 %–15 %, expanded the hysteresis area by 20 %–50 %, and increased capillary absorption rates by 0.23–1.20 times. Based on these results, parameterized transport models that consider the influence of SAP were developed and implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics to simulate the humidity field in pavement concrete. Simulations indicated that, under surface exposure to rainwater, SAP increased internal humidity by a factor of 1.03–1.19, reduced the non-linearity in moisture distribution, and lowered the humidity gradient. This study demonstrates that SAP significantly alters water transport in concrete, and the developed parameterized models provide an effective approach to managing the multiple variables introduced by changes in raw materials during the modelling process.

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高吸水性聚合物对混凝土输水性能的影响：实验研究与模拟

添加高吸水性聚合物（SAP）是调节混凝土中水的有效方法，但SAP对整体水输送的影响需要精确评估，以便在实际应用中建立可靠的模型。为了解决这一问题，进行了综合实验和数值研究。实验室对吸解吸平衡、毛细吸收和水蒸气渗透性的测试表明，SAP促进水分进入，同时阻碍水分释放。SAP降低吸附饱和度10 % ~ 25 %，解吸饱和度5 % ~ 15 %，滞回面积扩大20 % ~ 50 %，毛细管吸收率提高0.23 ~ 1.20倍。在此基础上，建立了考虑SAP影响的参数化输运模型，并在COMSOL Multiphysics中实现了路面混凝土湿度场的模拟。模拟结果表明，在地表暴露于雨水的情况下，SAP增加了1.03 ~ 1.19倍的内部湿度，降低了水分分布的非线性，降低了湿度梯度。本研究表明，SAP显著改变了混凝土中的水分输送，并且开发的参数化模型提供了一种有效的方法来管理建模过程中原材料变化引入的多个变量。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Construction and Building Materials 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

13.80

自引率

21.60%

发文量

3632

审稿时长

82 days

期刊介绍： Construction and Building Materials offers an international platform for sharing innovative and original research and development in the realm of construction and building materials, along with their practical applications in new projects and repair practices. The journal publishes a diverse array of pioneering research and application papers, detailing laboratory investigations and, to a limited extent, numerical analyses or reports on full-scale projects. Multi-part papers are discouraged. Additionally, Construction and Building Materials features comprehensive case studies and insightful review articles that contribute to new insights in the field. Our focus is on papers related to construction materials, excluding those on structural engineering, geotechnics, and unbound highway layers. Covered materials and technologies encompass cement, concrete reinforcement, bricks and mortars, additives, corrosion technology, ceramics, timber, steel, polymers, glass fibers, recycled materials, bamboo, rammed earth, non-conventional building materials, bituminous materials, and applications in railway materials.