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Influence of the area and distance between electrodes on resistivity measurements of concrete

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Abstract

Differences between the cell cross section and the electrodes’ area produce a heterogeneous distribution of the electric field that causes a non-linear relationship between electric resistance and distance for low values of electrode separation. Therefore, in actual structures, it is usually not correct to measure the resistivity of concrete by using the direct method because the electrodes’ area is smaller than the cross section of the concrete piece. In this experimental research the influence of the area and the distance between electrodes on the resistivity measurement is analyzed and a semi-empirical model is explained, in which the values of the electrical resistance with respect to distance are adjusted. Based on this model, two new non-destructive methods are proposed in order to measure the electrical resistivity of concrete when using electrodes with a smaller area than the cross section of the piece: one includes varying the distance between electrodes and the other uses electrodes with a different area, but maintains a fixed distance between them.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support from the Spanish Government (projects MAT2012-38429-C04-04 and IPT-2012-0069-310000) and from the Universitat Politècnica de València (PAID-05-12) is gratefully acknowledged. The pre-doctoral scholarship granted to Román Bataller Prats within the program “Formación de Personal Investigador (FPI) 2012” from the Universitat Politécnica de Valencia and to José Enrique Ramón within the program “Formación de Profesorado Universitario” from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (FPU 13/00911) are also gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Molecular Recognition and Technological Development (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, s/n., 46022, Valencia, Spain

    J. M. Gandía-Romero, J. E. Ramón, R. Bataller & J. Soto

  2. Department of Architectural Constructions, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, s/n., 46022, Valencia, Spain

    J. M. Gandía-Romero & M. Valcuende

  3. Department of Applied Statistics and Operational Research and Quality, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, s/n., 46022, Valencia, Spain

    D. G. Palací

Authors
  1. J. M. Gandía-Romero
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  2. J. E. Ramón
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  3. R. Bataller
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  4. D. G. Palací
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  5. M. Valcuende
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  6. J. Soto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Valcuende.

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Gandía-Romero, J.M., Ramón, J.E., Bataller, R. et al. Influence of the area and distance between electrodes on resistivity measurements of concrete. Mater Struct 50, 71 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-016-0925-2

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