Permeability is often defined as “the rate of flow of a fluid into a porous solid.” Permeability is a quality of concrete that affects its potential durability because most deterioration mechanisms involve fluid transport into the system. Permeability of concrete is strongly affected by the moisture state of the sample, among other factors such as the water cement ratio, composition of the cementitious system, and curing regime. Considerable research has been conducted over the years seeking to find an ideal permeability test for concrete, and the common weakness of most tests is the difficulty of controlling and measuring the moisture condition of the sample.

The subject to be investigated is the ability of a simple test to indicate relative permeability characteristics of different concrete mixtures. The time that it takes for a known, small, volume (20 µL) of water to be absorbed into the surface of a concrete sample in dry condition should then provide a means of giving an indication of the relative quality of a given sample. The research is aiming to assess the consistency of the test over a selection of changing parameters. If consistency is proven, the simple test can be performed to determine the relative permeability of concrete samples.