Computer-aided measurements of the electrical resistivity fields in concrete mixtures with and without polyethylene terephthalate

Abstract

This study aims at determining the electrical resistivity and mechanical properties of concrete mixes with and without polyethylene terephthalate (PET). 2-D Electrical Resistivity Tomographies (ERTs) were obtained using 14 electrodes spread on the surface of the concrete cylinder. AGI Supersting R1/IP was used for data acquisition and data were processed by an iterative finite element based inversion algorithm with EarthImager 2D. 1D testing was also performed on concrete cylinders with two stainless steel plates located at the ends acting as a source and a receiver. ERTs and 1D results showed that the electrical resistivity of concrete was lower in specimens with PET than in those without PET. After ERT testing, compressive strength tests were conducted on specimens. Findings revealed an increase in the compressive strength up to a PET content of 5% then a decrease up to a PET content of 20%. Findings also showed that the inclusion of PET increased the probability of corrosive action in PET concrete.