Spectral induced polarization of low-pH cement and concrete

Philippe Leroy (1) , Andreas Hördt (2) , Stéphane Gaboreau (1) , Egon Zimmermann (3) , Francis Claret (1) , Matthias Bücker (4) , Hermann Stebner , Johan Alexander Huisman (5)

1 BRGM - Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM)
2 Technische Universität Braunschweig = Technical University of Braunschweig [Braunschweig]
3 Agrosphere Institute, IBG-3, Institute of Bio-geosciences
4 TU Wien - Vienna University of Technology = Technische Universität Wien
5 Institute of Bio- and Geosciences Agrosphere (IBG-3)

Concrete is the most used material for civil and industrial infrastructures. In the context of a geological disposal of nuclear waste, concrete performance may be degraded when in contact with the host formation. The ability to monitor the changes of the concrete properties using the spectral induced polarization (SIP) method is therefore of great interest. In our study, SIP laboratory measurements in the 100 mHz to 45 kHz frequency range were carried out on low-pH cement and concrete. These materials exhibited a very high resistivity (mostly above 10 k m) and a high phase shift (mostly above 100 mrad) between measured voltage and injected current. The complex resistivity measurements were interpreted using electrochemical and microstructural membrane and Maxwell-Wagner polarization models. Relevant information on the mean pore size, pore size distribution, and connected porosity was obtained from SIP, opening up the possibility of using our approach to monitor concrete stability in-situ.

Mots clés: spectral induced polarization; low-pH cement; membrane polarization; Maxwell-Wagner polarization; pore size distribution; connected porosity

Domaines: Sciences de l'environnement; Planète et Univers [physics]; Chimie; Physique [physics]

Philippe Leroy, Andreas Hördt, Stéphane Gaboreau, Egon Zimmermann, Francis Claret, et al.. Spectral induced polarization of low-pH cement and concrete. Cement and Concrete Composites, 2019, 104, pp.103397. ⟨10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2019.103397⟩. ⟨hal-02735016⟩