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Adsorption of water vapor on a clean surface changes the surface free energy. It is shown that, using the Griffith criterion, the change of strength as function of moisture content can be explained by assuming a change of surface energy. In colloidal particles surface energy creates considerable hydrostatic pressure. A change in elastic modulus and shrinkage as well as swelling can be related to a change in hydrostatic pressure in individual gel particles. Creep is affected primarily at the higher relative humidities. The main parameters of a proposed model for hydrated portland cement are surface free energy and disjoining pressure. On this basis the mechanical behavior of hardened cement paste is discussed. A phase transition of adsorbed water near ‐90°C is discussed. The influence of this effect on the mechanical behavior of hardened cement paste can be understood when a change in interfacial energy is taken into consideration.
Folker H. Wittmann (Wed,) studied this question.
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