I can’t find a decent explanation.
Capillary action is the tendency of moisture to rise in a pore or tube due to surface tension.
Is diffusion the movement of moisture from an area of high moisture concentration toward an area of low concentration that takes place through capillary action?
Here’s a link about diffusion and osmosis.
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/kinetic/diffus.html
You also might want to check the physics behind vapor pressure
cheers
When I think of capillary action, I see moisture moving through a foundation, usually from the outside to the inside. Moisture from soil working its way through a foundation into a basement wall and condensing on the surface of the wall due to high humidity in the basement.
I think diffusion would be more rapid through less mass.
Thanks guys, I spent about a half-hour looking online and came up with what you both just said, more or less. Barry adair sent me a good link and I think I have it correct, diffusion being the process and capillary action being the actio through which the process takes place.
Thanks for taking the time to post.
Kenton, you got bowel trouble? It’s tough getting old.
Gary,
No.
Is it?
Just been a long day. Had to have a joke with ya.
Yep Gary, we all have those from time to time. I don’t think any of us are too fond of them, unless it involves two… well never mind.
Diffusion is a mixing process that occurs in liquids or gases put em together and over time they will mix themselves until equilibrium is reached.
Take a glass of water, put in a drop of food color. Wait. Diffusion mixing is a product of the vibration of molecules, all molecules vibrate if they are hotter than 0 degrees K. Think billions and billions tiny little paint shaker machines.
Moisture vapor is gaseous. Just like the food color, it will move from high concentration to low until eventually the concentration is the same.
Capillary action is the movement of liquid water. It is a product of surface tension. Think of a chain pulling all its little links along with it.
Researching this now. Might help others wondering the same thing:
Capillary water moves under tension through porous building materials or narrow channels between building materials that act like tubes. The porous nature of many building materials, and the incredible cohesion and adhesion of water means that liquid water can move against the force of gravity quite effectively.
Vapor diffusion is the movement of water as a gas according to relative humidity gradients or differences in vapor pressure. Water vapor moves from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration.
Capillary action only happens with liquids. Diffusion happens more readily with gasses.
Capillary action the process of a liquid flowing in a narrow space, without the assistance of, or even in opposition to, any external force like gravity.
Diffusion is the movement of individual molecules through a semipermeable barrier, WRB, from an area of higher concentration of individual molecules to an area of lower concentration of individual molecules.
You should credit Wikipedia when you steal their material word for word WAFI. Its called plagiarism.