Hygrothermal stability

A prediction of the final values of shrinkage and creep is needed to determine when a state of certain stabilization is achieved. However, perfect stabilization is possible only in artificial conditions created in a laboratory, because in the natural environment the hygrothermal conditions vary and a flow of heat and moisture to and from hardened cement paste is continued indefinitely. Predictions may also concern the development in time and the rate of both processes. 

Crossman FW, Flaggs DL (1978) Viscoelastic analysis of hygrothermal altered laminate stresses and dimensions, Final report funded in part by Air Force Office of Scientific Research under contract F49620-77-C-0122 and in part by Lockhead Independent Research Program Crossman FW, Flaggs DL (1979) Dimensional Stability of Composite Laminates During Environmental Exposure. SAMPE Journal 15 15-20... 

Terra cotta products are porous and mechanically resistant. They are marketed raw, enameled or covered with a glaze realized at low temperature, between 600 and 900°C, called varnish. They are appreciated for their esthetic quality, their stability through time and their hygrothermic and acoustic properties. They represent a highly automated industrial sector which is the scene of continual technological developments. 

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