Measurements of electrical impedance in cementitious mortars: Influence of electrodes and physical dimensions of specimens

Abstract

Due to the growing expansion of cities and industries, housing and infrastructure works are essential to meet the demands of development in all countries. However, the increasing concern for environmental and sustainability aspects requires not only the search for alternative materials but also the search for techniques for characterizing civil construction materials that are more economical, less aggressive to the environment, and meet the technical requirements of construction. In this sense, electrical impedance measurements can provide information about the microstructure of the cementitious composite and, consequently, offer additional details about its physical and mechanical properties. This article sought to investigate the influence of the dimensions of the specimens and the electrical contacts necessary to obtain the electrical impedance. Mortars of different sizes were molded, and electrodes were made with different amounts of electrical contacts. The experimental results showed a dependence on the behavior of the impedance module and the phase concerning the physical dimensions of the specimens and the number of electrical contacts. The results of this article can be helpful in the characterization and interpretation of electrical impedance measurements of cementitious composites.