Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Civil Engineering

First Advisor

Dr. Philip Park

Second Advisor

Dr. Thang Pham

Third Advisor

Dr. Nazmul Islam

Abstract

Multifunctional concrete using electrical conductivity gains attention for various nonstructural applications. Particularly, conductive concrete enables monitoring internal damages in concrete, which has been impossible by conventional nondestructive methods. On the other hand, most of on-going investigations on multifunctional concrete uses conductive additives to impart electrical conductivity into concrete, but this limits the multifunctional application to predesigned structures. Finding multifunctionality embedded in conventional concrete can open various possibilities for smart concrete. Aiming to finding the feasibility of using conventional concrete for multifunctional application, this study investigates the electrical properties of plain cementitious composites including cement paste, mortar, and concrete, but not including conductive additives, in various conditions focusing on wet conductivity. Impedance spectroscopy using alternating current frequency sweep was used to measure electrical properties of cementitious composites. The results show that the conventional concrete has sufficiently low resistivity (1,000 – 10,000 Ohm-cm) in wet conditions after 28 days of curing. The electrical conductivity of plain cementitious composites gradually increases with curing time and aggregate content and have no significant effect by water type. The impedance measurements for the saturated specimens after 28 days of curing show repeatable and consistent results. Freezing temperature decreases conductivity of the composites. The findings of the research imply that conventional concrete can have multifunctionality by controlling moisture condition.

Comments

Copyright 2023 Abbas Ali. All Rights Reserved.

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/utrgv.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/electrical-characterization-cementitious/docview/2847621677/se-2?accountid=7119

Download

Share

COinS