Surface-diffusion theory for drying creep effect in Portland cement paste and concrete

An attempt is made to introduce quantitative analysis into the complex problems of the mechanism of drying creep in cement paste. The main source of creep is assumed to be the change in thickness of hindered adsorbed water layers caused by diffusion of water, coupled with diffusion of solids dissolved from the confining adsorbent particles. The basic equations of equilibrium and irreversible thermodynamics governing the problem are formulated, reduced to an initial‐boundary value problem, and solved numerically. Computer studies have indicated that the drying creep effect is very likely caused by nonlinear coupling between the diffusion of water and that of solids in the hindered adsorbed layers.