Dr. Emmanuel Keita

Water transport controls the processing, durability, and hygrothermal
performance of construction materials. This seminar shows how MRI/NMR
and X-ray tomography, by giving spatially resolved access to water
distribution within complex microstructures, shed light on three mechanisms:
capillary imbibition, drying, and internal redistribution induced by porous
inclusions (porous aggregates, fibers). These tools will be applied to three
current challenges in civil engineering: 3D concrete printing, where the
absence of formwork leads to fast drying kinetics; the use of recycled
aggregates, whose porosity modifies the water content of the cement paste;
and earthen construction, whose mechanical strength and hygrothermal
behavior rely on water content.