Pore characterization of heterogeneous building materials: Pyroclastic arid–based concrete

Abstract

In this article, the results of the hygroscopic characterization of a building material called ‘picón’, consisting of cement mortar and pyroclastic deposits from volcanic eruptions, are presented. The material obtained is used for the manufacture of blocks used in the construction of buildings in the Canary Islands. Picón is a heterogeneous material with uncontrolled particle size, having a pore system of very scattered sizes, what affects the moisture behaviour of the blocks. This heterogeneity results in a pore structure that affects the determination of the moisture properties of the material. In this work, this difficulty is faced, separately studying the pore structure of the cement paste and the aggregates, to come to a better interpretation of the concrete behaviour. The results indicate that the pore structure of the heterogeneous concrete differs from what could be expected from separately obtained porosimetry of each component of the concrete.