Electrical resistivity of concrete for durability evaluation

Electrical Resistivity of concrete for durability evaluation

Abstract
Various degradation mechanisms in concrete largely depend on the permeability
of concrete i.e pore structure, pore size and tortuosity .The movement of charged
ions insides these pores lead to various deterioration processes in the concrete. A
perfectly impermeable concrete itself will be a bad conductor of electricity
however presence of pores cause flow of ions through different transport
mechanisms and thus causing flow of current inside the concrete. The resistance
offered by concrete in flow of these ions relates it to different durability
characteristics such as chloride diffusion coefficient, rate of corrosion ,moisture
content and connectivity of pores. This paper tries to relate these durability
characteristics and factors influencing them.
Introduction:
Durability of concrete depends on its micro structure like pore size distribution and
inter-connectivity of these pores. Fine pores with less connectivity implies less
permeability and larger pores with more connectivity implies greater permeability.
Permeability and durability of concrete are inversely proportional to each other.
The ultimate aim is to relate conductivity (inverse of resistivity ) to pore size and
interconnections of pores to identify the durability of concrete.Resistivity is a
material property and is defined as
ρ=k*R (1)

where,
ρ=Resistivity
k=Geometrical Factor
R=Resistance measured
Note: K depends on size and shape of the specimen as well as distance between the probes of measuring device.

Various factors influencing the resistivity of concrete can be broadly categorized

into two categories:
1.Intrinsic factors: Factors present within the composition of concrete.
a. w/c
b. Age of concrete
c. Pore structure
2.Extrinsic factors: Factors other than those within the concrete.
a. Temperature
b. Specimen geometry
c. Moisture content
d. Electrode spacing
e. Presence of rebar
Factors influencing electrical resistivity measurement:
The primary contributor for conductivity in the concrete is the pore solution and
inter connectivity of pores ,however certain other factors like saturation,
temperature and signal effects should be considered to correctly account for
their effect .
a. Saturation: Degree of saturation will influence the presence of pore
solution and hence it is necessary to achieve a SSD condition as it is a
repeatable and consistent condition for conducting the test.
b. Temperature: The flow of electric current in concrete is due to flow of ions in
the pore solution which in turn is affected by temperature. Increase in
temperature increases the flow of ions .Generally 1⁰C rise causes 3% increase
in resistance offered by concrete.
c. Signal Frequency: The effect of electrode and surface contact is avoided in
Wenner type probe at high and wide range of frequency(10Hz to 10Khz)
d. W/C:Higher w/c implies more permeable concrete hence more voids and less
resistivity. but the same is not true in case of using SCM like Slag[1].For
instance raising w/c from 0.35 to 0.65 does not increase the electrical resistivity
with concrete containing slag implying that the permeability of concrete lowers
with use of SCM.
e. Affect of Aggregate size and location: Aggregates have higher resistivity than
the hardened cement paste hence increase in aggregate content results in high
electrical resistivity. However increase in aggregate size means increase in ITZ
hence greater interconnectivity of pores. This should be considered while
comparing electrical resistivity of different concretes.
f. Curing Conditions: The final evolution of concrete greatly depends on the
curing conditions and hydration products formed thereafter. Better curing
conditions results in higher electrical resistivity.
Measurement Methods
Various measurement methods exists like Uniaxial measurement method or
Surface disc test and Four point Wenner method. The later would be discussed
here due to its inherent advantages over the other two types of measurement
techniques.
Four point Wenner method[5]
It comprises of measuring the surface resistivity using four probes in a straight line
and probes equidistant from each other. The outer electrodes apply an AC current
and inner electrodes measure the voltage as shown in fig 1.
 Fig 1 Four Point Wenner Apparatus

The geometrical factor K is described as

k=γ*a

where,
γ=dimensionless geometrical correction factor
a=distance between two probes(equidistant probes)
Various apparatus are available commercially for the test and hence is quite
popular for in-situ testing as well as laboratory testing. Some of the equipment
available are as shown in Fig 2.

Resipod resistivity meter The Resi resistivity meter

FIG 2

Relation between resistivity of concrete and its different durability

characteristics:
a. Resistivity and Chloride diffusion coefficient: Diffusion of chlorides into
concrete increases the conductivity of concrete due to presence of ions in the
pore solution. RCPT or RCMT are generally used to obtain the diffusion
coefficient of concrete which in turn will dictate the time taken by chloride ions
to penetrate into concrete. The relation between resistivity and diffusion
coefficient is given by Nernst-Einstein equation:
Di =RTσi/Zi2F2Ci
where,
Di-Diffusivity of ion i(m2/s)
R-Gas constant(8,314 J/mol)
T- absolute temperature (K)
σi-partial conductivity of ion i(s/m)
Zi-charge of ion i
F- Faraday’s constant (96500 Coulombs/mole)
Ci-concentration of ion i(mol/m2)

Note: The effect on concrete resistivity due to chloride ingress is however less than that due to carbonation.

Relation between concrete resistivity value and chloride ingress has been
confirmed by RCPT values and are as shown in table below:
Charge passed in Chloride ion penetrability Semi-infinite slab
Coulombs
>4,000 High <6.7
2000-4000 Moderate 6.7–11.7
1000-2000 Low 11.7–20.6
100-1000 Very low 20.6–141.1
<100 Negligible >141.1

b.Resistivity and corrosion rate: It has been well understood that de-passivation
of film does not guarantee the initiation of corrosion. The electrical resistivity of
concrete plays an important role in initiation of corrosion. More is the resistivity
of concrete lesser are the chances of initiation of corrosion. Hence resistivity of
concrete is inversely proportional to rate of corrosion.
Using both half-cell potential and electrical resistivity, one can predict the
probability of corrosion and also the corrosion rate once it is initiated.
Following table relates the values of electrical resistivity to the probability of
reinforcement getting corroded and also the rate of corrosion.
Corrosion risk Surface resistivity as obtained by
wenner probe
KὨ-cm
High ≤10
Moderate 10-50
Low 50-100
Negligible ≥100
c. Electrical resistivity and compressive strength[1]: One of the key
contributors towards compressive strength of concrete is ITZ. However there is
no co-relation between ITZ and electrical resistivity. But if SCM of similar
types are used, the permeability of concrete is reduced significantly which
increases the compressive strength of concrete and also the resistivity of
concrete. As hydration progresses, the compressive strength is influenced by
pore solution as well as saturation levels. Hence there is no direct relation
between the compressive strength but for same mix design compressive strength
is linearly related to resistivity.
d. Resistivity and crack opening[2]:Current flowing through the concrete
changes as it encounters a porous media. i.e Crack void. The resistance
increases as crack opens up. Initially when the sample is being loaded gradually
resistance value remains constant till peak load achieved. Post peak load the
resistance increases suddenly implying opening of crack. The resistivity keeps
on increasing gradually until once again the a sudden peak is observed in the
résistance measured. This sudden peak in resistance can be correlated to crack
propagation. Thus two distinct phenomenon of crack opening and crack
propagation can be observed by measuring the resistivity of concrete.
e. Resistivity and setting time[4] : Flow of electric current is a function of pore
solution and porosity. As cement hydrates, the cement ions goes into the pore
solution expecting to rise the conductivity however the hydration products settle
in the voids thus increasing the resistivity. Curve of resistivity v/s time has two
prominent features, first the minimum in resistivity due to dissolving of ions in
the pore solution which is dominated by filling of pores and reduction in
porosity and secondly the transition from setting to hardening process.
f. Resistivity of fresh concrete and mix proportion[3]: The resistivity of fresh
concrete is due to both cement and water content. Cement contributes ions for
flow of electrical charge and water contributes the flow media of these ions.
Measuring the resistivity of fresh concrete thus can give an idea of mix
proportion used like W/C and water content in the concrete.
Conclusion:

Electrical Resistivity of concrete will prove to be a very helpful technique once

the methods are standardized for durability assessment of concrete. The factors
influencing conductivity/resistivity should be accounted in understanding the
relation between any one property and electrical resistivity. Proper care is
required in interpreting the results as lot of properties are inter dependable and
reading the values in isolation without considering other effects can lead to
misleading results.
The electrical resistivity test being a Non Destructive Test proves very helpful
in in-situ testing of concrete to ascertain the Diffusion Coefficient, corrosion
rate, moisture ingress or crack detection and other durability phenomenon's in
concrete. Standardisation of Electrical resistivity test for obtaining various
deterioration processes can help in better assimilation of in-situ concrete and
remedial measures if any required.

References:

1.Electrical Resistivity of Concrete for Durability Evaluation: A Review Pejman Azarsa and Rishi
Gupta Department of Civil Engineering, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.

2.Relationship between cracking and electrical resistance in reinforced and unreinforced concrete. J.
Pacheco , B. Šavija , E. Schlangen and R.B. Polder.

3. Relating the Electrical Resistance of Fresh Concrete to Mixture Proportions, K. Obla,1 R. Hong,1 S.
Sherman, D. P. Bentz, and S. Z. Jones

4. Anticipating the Setting Time of High-Volume Fly Ash Concretes Using Electrical Measurements:
Feasibility Studies Using Pastes Dale P. Bentz, Kenneth A. Snyder, and Amzaray Ahmed.

5. The electrical resistivity of concrete Article, Tamás Simon Budapest University of Technology and
Economics , Viktoria Vass.