Thermal neutron radiography studies of drying of rectangular blocks of wet mortar

The convectional drying of rectangular block of wet mortar was investigated with thermal neutron radiography technique supplemented with traditional mass and temperature measurements. The time evolution of the drying process was recorded for rectangular sample of aged mortar before and after painting its lateral sides. The receding boundary of the central core wet region was observed in the advanced stage of the process. The size, shape and water content of that region were determined for both cases of non-painted and painted sample. It was shown that in the advanced drying process the receding drying front exists irrespectively of the drying pattern observed at the early period of drying.