Evaluation of the Katz-Thompson model for estimating the water permeability of cement-based materials from mercury intrusion porosimetry data

The permeability of concrete is becoming a focal characteristic with regard to the durability and performance of cement-based materials, pastes, mortars and concretes. Since it is mainly affected by the microstructure of the porous media, many models and theories have been developed relating the permeability of porous media to their microstructural parameters. One which proved to be useful in predicting the permeability of sedimentary rock, from mercury intrusion porosimetry data, is the Katz-Thompson theory. A review of this theory and its assumptions is presented, and its applicability to cementitious materials is investigated using two sets of data of various hardened cement pastes and concretes. Also, the major differences between cement-based materials and sedimentary rock from the microstructural point of view is reported.