High-speed neutron radiography for monitoring the water absorption by capillarity in porous materials

Fluid flow through porous natural building stones is of great importance when studying their weathering processes. Many traditional experiments based on mass changes are available for studying liquid transport in porous stones, such as the determination of the water absorption coefficient by capillarity. Because thermal neutrons experience a strong attenuation by hydrogen, neutron radiography is a suitable technique for the study of water absorption by capillarity in porous stones. However, image contrast can be impaired because hydrogen mainly scatters neutrons rather than absorbing them, resulting in a blurred image. Capillarity results obtained by neutron radiography and by the European Standard 1925 for the determination of the water absorption coefficient by capillarity for natural building stones with a variable porosity were compared. It is illustrated that high-speed neutron radiography can be a useful research tool for the visualization of internal fluid flow inside inorganic building materials such as limestones and sandstones.