DEVELOPMENTS IN MONITORING TECHNIQUES FOR DURABILITY ASSESSMENT OF COVER-ZONE CONCRETE
Document Type Conference Paper
2nd International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures, Sapporo, Japan, November, 2010.
Abstract
This paper outlines developments in the use of an embedded multi-electrode sensor to
study the response of the cover-zone (surface 50mm) to the changing ambient environment.
The sensor enables the measurement of the spatial and temporal distribution of the electrical
properties of concrete and temperature within the cover-zone thereby allowing an integrated
assessment of cover-zone concrete performance. Both laboratory and field results are
presented to highlight the information that can be obtained from embedded sensors. When
exposed to the natural environment, the temperature dependence of the electrical response is
highlighted and standardization protocols are developed to account for this effect. The
monitoring system detailed also allows remote interrogation thereby providing (if required) a
continuous output of real-time data and developments in this area are presented.