Crystallization, pore relaxation and micro-cryosuction in cohesive porous materials

A poro-elastic analysis is undertaken to account for the pressure time history of water-infiltrated pores within a material subjected to freezing. The thermodynamic-mechanical equilibrium of undercooled water and ice crystal, and Poiseuille-like flow through the connection channels, combine to reveal three successive mechanisms: in-pore crystallization, in-pore partial melting and a micro-cryosuction process, driving liquid water from the yet unfrozen pores to the frozen sites. The model turns out to be apt to predict the macroscopic relaxation process observed at the onset of crystallization as reported in the literature for cement-based materials.