Title: Electrical Resistivity as Durability Index for Concrete Structures

Author(s): Andrés A. Torres-Acosta, Francisco Presuel-Moreno, and Carmen Andrade

Publication: Materials Journal

Volume: 116

Issue: 6

Appears on pages(s): 245-253

Keywords: chloride diffusion coefficient; chloride permeability; durability; electrical resistivity

DOI: 10.14359/51718057

Date: 11/1/2019

Abstract:
The potential use of the electrical resistivity (ρ) and the saturated electrical resistivity (ρS) for the durability design of new concrete structures and the forecasting for in-service concrete structures has been increasing in the past three decades. Many investigations have proven the ease of the method and the possibility of it being a quality control/assurance tool during construction of new concrete infrastructure. Some previous investigations even consider the ρS test a feasible one to remove other, more complicated and expensive tests used in cement-based materials as durability indicators; a few of them defined correlations between ρS and the other indexes. The present investigation uses published data to determine if empirical correlations exist between ρS and rapid chloride permeability (RCP), and between ρS and the apparent chloride diffusion coefficient (DAP). A literature search was done on the three durability indexes in question (ρS, RCP, and DAP) and some empirical equations were derived. Good empirical correlations were observed for ρS versus RCP and ρS versus DAP. The latter correlation, obtained from data of different sources, supported that ρS and chloride diffusivity follows the well-defined Einstein law of diffusion with minor modifications for cement-based materials.