Data-Informed Mathematical Characterization of Absorption Properties in Artificial and Natural Porous Materials
Abstract
In this work, we characterize the water absorption properties of selected porous materials through a combined approach that integrates laboratory experiments and mathematical modeling. Specifically, experimental data from imbibition tests on marble, travertine, wackestone and mortar mock-ups are used to inform and validate the mathematical and simulation frameworks. First, a monotonicity-preserving fitting procedure is developed to preprocess the measurements, aiming to reduce noise and mitigate instrumental errors. The imbibition process is then simulated through a partial differential equation model, with parameters calibrated against rough and smoothed data. The proposed procedure appears particularly effective to characterize absorption properties of different materials and it represents a reliable tool for the study and preservation of cultural heritage.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2506.07656,
title = {Data-Informed Mathematical Characterization of Absorption Properties in Artificial and Natural Porous Materials},
author = {Elishan C. Braun and Gabriella Bretti and Melania Di Fazio and Laura Medeghini and Mario Pezzella},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.07656},
year = {2026}
}