Monitoring Moisture Diffusion after Contact Sponge Application

The contact sponge method is applied on a piece of clay brick. According to the standard,the sponge is moistened with water, applied on the surface of the material by means of a cup, andweighted before and after the application. It allows us to determine the amount of water absorbedby the porous material by unit area and unit time. After the application, the moistened area beginsto evaporate and cool down. The IR camera is used to monitor the temperature variation of theimprint of the sponge. Meanwhile, moisture diffuses on the material as well. The IR camera is usedto monitor the in-plane diffusion of moisture by following the imprint of the sponge that enlargeswith time. A suitable model is used to evaluate the shape of the imprint that varies with time.