Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Electrical Impedance-Based Technique for Estimation of Moisture Saturation Conditions of Hardened Cement Paste at Low Radio Frequencies

  • Published:
Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The degree of saturation (DoS) of moisture is the main parameter related to the durability of cement-based materials. In this paper, the electrical response of hardened cement paste is investigated at low radio frequency (RF) excitation. Cement paste samples with water to cement ratio (w/c) of 0.40 and 0.45 are used and the samples are conditioned to different DoS. A pulse-based electrical input is imposed on the sample and the voltage output is recorded at various locations. Using a simplified circuit model the values of bulk conductivity for various DoS are estimated, which are found to follow a systematic pattern for various DoS and at different excitation frequencies. It enabled the establishment of an empirical quantitative relationship between conductivity and the DoS of cement paste. Further, from this investigation very high values of bulk permittivity at low RF are noticed, which are found to be in good agreement with the values of other porous materials available in the literature in this frequency range.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cyr, M., Rivard, P., Labrecque, F.: Reduction of ASR-expansion using powders ground from various sources of reactive aggregates. Cem. Concr. Compos. 31, 438–446 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. López, W., Gonzalez, J.A.: Influence of the degree of pore saturation on the resistivity of concrete and the corrosion rate of steel reinforcement. Cem. Concr. Res. 23, 368–376 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Giarma, C.: Estimation of carbonation depth based on hygrothermal calculations. ACI Mater. J. 108, 209–218 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Climent, M.A., de Vera, G., López, J.F., Viqueira, E., Andrade, C.: A test method for measuring chloride diffusion coefficients through nonsaturated concrete. Part I: the instantaneous plane source diffusion case. Cem. Concr. Res. 32, 1113–1123 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. de Vera, G., Climent, M.A., Viqueira, E., Antón, C., Andrade, C.C.: A test method for measuring chloride diffusion coefficients through partially saturated concrete. Part II: the instantaneous plane source diffusion case with chloride binding consideration. Cem. Concr. Res. 37, 714–724 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Guimarães, A.T.C., Climent, M.A., de Vera, G., Vicente, F.J., Rodrigues, F.T., Andrade, C.: Determination of chloride diffusivity through partially saturated portland cement concrete by a simplified procedure. Constr. Build. Mater. 25, 785–790 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Lockington, D., Parlange, J.Y., Dux, P.: Sorptivity and the estimation of water penetration into unsaturated concrete. Mater. Struct. 32, 342–347 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Hall, C.: Water movement in porous building materials—I. Unsaturated flow theory and its applications. Build. Environ. 12, 117–125 (1977)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Zhou, C.: General solution of hydraulic diffusivity from sorptivity test. Cem. Concr. Res. 58, 152–160 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Wormald, R., Britch, A.L.: Methods of measuring moisture content applicable to building materials. Build. Sci. 135–145 (1969).

  11. Parrott, L.: A review of methods to determine the moisture conditions in concrete. Perform. Crit. Concr. Durab. 294–321 (1995).

  12. Quincot, G., Azenha, M., Barros, J., Faria, R.: State of the art–Methods to measure moisture in concrete. Governo da República Portuguesa 1–40 (2011).

  13. Laurens, S., Balayssac, J.P., Rhazi, J., Klysz, G., Arliguie, G.: Non-destructive evaluation of concrete moisture by GPR: experimental study and direct modeling. Mater. Struct. 38, 827–832 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Janoo, V., Korhonen, C., Hovan, M.: Measurement of water content in portland cement concrete. J. Transp. Eng. 125, 245–249 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Hugenschmidt, J., Loser, L.: Detection of chlorides and moisture in concrete structures with ground penetrating radar. Mater. Struct. 41, 785–792 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Klysz, G., Balayssac, J.P.: Determination of volumetric water content of concrete using ground-penetrating radar. Cem. Concr. Res. 37, 1164–1171 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Cassidy, N.J.: Electrical and magnetic properties of rocks, soils, and fluids, in: ground penetrating radar: theory and applications. J. Hazard. Mater. 41–72 (2009).

  18. Topp, G.C., Davis, J.L., Annan, A.P.: Electromagnetic determination of soil water content: measurement in coaxial transmission lines. Water Resour. Res. 16, 574–582 (1980)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Schlaeger, S.: A fast TDR-inversion technique for the reconstruction of spatial soil moisture content. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 9, 481–492 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Voss, A., Pour-Ghaz, M., Vauhkonen, M., Seppänen, A.: Electrical capacitance tomography to monitor unsaturated moisture ingress in cement-based materials. Cem. Concr. Res. 89, 158–167 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. McCarter, W.J., Brousseau, R.: The A.C. response of hardened cement paste. Cem. Concr. Res. 20, 891–900 (1990)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Sánchez, I., Antón, C., de Vera, G., Ortega, C.M.A.: Moisture distribution in partially saturated concrete studied by impedance spectroscopy. J. Nondestruct. Eval. 32, 362–371 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Cabeza, M., Merino, P., Miranda, A., N´ovoa, X.R., Sanchez, I, : Impedance spectroscopy study of hardened Portland cement paste. Cem. Concr. Res. 32, 881–891 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. D´ıaz, B., Freire, B.L., Merino, P., N´ovoa, X.R., P´erez, M.C.: Impedance spectroscopy study of saturated mortar samples. Electrochim. Acta 53, 7549–7555 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Cabeza, M., Keddam, M., N’ovoa, X.R., Sanchez, I., Takenouti, H.: Impedance spectroscopy to characterize the pore structure during the hardening process of Portland cement paste. Electrochim. Acta 51, 1831–1841 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Dey, G., Ganguli, A., Bhattacharjee, B.: Electrical conductivity, dielectric permittivity, and degree of saturation of cement mortar at low radio frequencies. J. Test. Eval. 47, 2664–2680 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Ramchandran, V.S., Beaudoin, J.J.: Handbook of Analytical Techniques in Concrete Science and Technology: Principles, Techniques and Applications, p. 456. Noyes Publications, USA (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Østvik, J.M., Larsen, C.K., Vennesland, Ø., Sellevold, E.J., Andrade, M.C.: Electrical resistivity of concrete. Part I: frequency dependence at various moisture contents and temperatures. RILEM PRO 51 (2006).

  29. Sengwa, R.J., Soni, A.: Low-frequency dielectric dispersion and microwave dielectric properties of dry and water-saturated limestones of the Jodhpur region. Geophysics 71, g269–g277 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Revil, A.: Effective conductivity and permittivity of unsaturated porous materials in the frequency range 1 mHz–1 GHz. Water Resour. Res. 49, 306–327 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges Dr. Abhijit Ganguli, Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati and Professor Bishwajit Bhattacharjee, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi for their immense technical guidance.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Technology Agartala, Jirania, Tripura, 799046, India

    Gopinandan Dey

Authors
  1. Gopinandan Dey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gopinandan Dey.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dey, G. Electrical Impedance-Based Technique for Estimation of Moisture Saturation Conditions of Hardened Cement Paste at Low Radio Frequencies. J Nondestruct Eval 39, 64 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-020-00710-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-020-00710-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation