2-D hydro-viscoelastic model for convective drying of deformable and unsaturated porous material

The aim of this work was to simulate in two dimensions the spatio-temporal evolution of the moisture content, the temperature, the solid (dry matter) concentration, the dry product total porosity, the gas porosity, and the mechanical stress within a deformable and unsaturated product during convective drying. The material under study was an elongated cellulose-clay composite sample with a square section placed in hot air flow. Currently, this innovative composite is used in the processing of boxes devoted to the preservation of heritage and precious objects against fire damage and other degradation (moisture, insects, etc.). A comprehensive and rigorous hydrothermal model had been merged with a dynamic linear viscoelasticity model based on Bishop's effective stress theory, assuming that the stress tensor is the sum of solid, liquid, and gas stresses. The material viscoelastic properties were measured by means of stress relaxation tests for different water contents. The viscoelastic behaviour was described by a generalized Maxwell model whose parameters were correlated to the water content. The equations of our model were solved by means of the 'COMSOL Multiphysics' software. The hydrothermal part of the model was validated by comparison with experimental drying curves obtained in a laboratory hot-air dryer. The simulations of the spatio-temporal distributions of mechanical stress were performed and interpreted in terms of material potential damage. The sample shape was also predicted all over the drying process.