Title:
Electrical Resistivity in Air-Entrained, Partially Saturated Industrial Concretes
Author(s):
Timothy J. Barrett and W. Jason Weiss
Publication:
Symposium Paper
Volume:
366
Issue:
Appears on pages(s):
111-131
Keywords:
conductivity, electrical properties, resistivity, saturation
DOI:
Date:
10/1/2025
Abstract:
The electrical properties of concrete are being increasingly used to assess concrete resistance to fluid transport. Electrical measurements are strongly dependent on sample conditioning, which includes the degree of saturation. This paper presents an analytical approach for interpreting electrical measurements in partially saturated concrete. Previous approaches have used a power law to describe the influence of saturation. This paper proposes a saturation function that accounts for the contributions of the entrained air voids, the capillary pores, and the gel pores (the GCA function). The proposed approach is demonstrated for high performance, internally cured concrete mixtures tested between the ages of 30 d and 120 d. The power function had a greater measured uncertainty than the GCA function, which performed better at both high and low degrees of saturation. The resistivity of specimens submersed in simulated pore solution was measured as was the resistivity of sealed specimens. The sealed specimens have a degree of saturation that is similar to those at the nick point (matrix saturation), with an offset consistently only due to the self-desiccation of the binder.