Design and validation of a multi-electrode embedded sensor to monitor resistivity profiles over depth in concrete

Joanna Badr (1, 2) , Yannick Fargier (3) , Sergio Palma-Lopes (4) , Fabrice Deby (1) , Jean-Paul Balayssac (1) , Sylvie Delepine-Lesoille (5) , Louis-Marie Cottineau (6) , Géraldine Villain (2)

1 LMDC - Laboratoire Matériaux et Durabilité des constructions
2 IFSTTAR/MAST/LAMES - Laboratoire Auscultation, Modélisation, Expérimentation des infrastructures de transport
3 IFSTTAR/AME/GEOLOC - Géolocalisation
4 IFSTTAR/GERS/GeoEND - Laboratoire Géophysique et évaluation non destructive
5 ANDRA - Agence Nationale pour la Gestion des Déchets Radioactifs
6 IFSTTAR/COSYS/SII - Structure et Instrumentation Intégrée

Electrical resistivity is sensitive to various properties of concrete, such as water content. Usually used on the surface of old structures, devices for measuring such properties could also be adapted in order to be embedded inside the constitutive concrete of the linings of new tunnels or in new bridges, to contribute to structural health monitoring. This paper introduces a novel multi-electrode embedded sensor for monitoring the resistivity profile over depth in order to quantify concrete durability. The paper focuses on the design of the sensor as a printed circuit board (PCB), which brings several advantages, including geometric accuracy and mitigation of wiring issues, thus reducing invasiveness. The study also presents the numerical modeling of the sensor electrical response and its ability to assess an imposed resistivity profile, together with experimental validations using (i) saline solutions of known conductivity and (ii) concrete specimens subjected to drying. The results demonstrate the capability of the sensor to evaluate resistivity profiles in concrete with centimeter resolution.

Mots clés: (MULTI-ELECTRODE) EMBEDDED SENSOR; MONITORING; ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY; CONCRETE STRUCTURES; FINITE ELEMENT MODELING

Mots clés: GEOPHYSIQUE; RESISTIVITE; ART; BETON; METHODE DES ELEMENTS FINIS; CAPTEUR ELECTRIQUE; RESISTANCE (ELECTR); ART (GEN); PONT; TUNNEL; BETON ARME; METHODE DES ELEMENTS DE FRONTIERE; CAPTEUR

Domaines: Génie civil

Joanna Badr, Yannick Fargier, Sergio Palma-Lopes, Fabrice Deby, Jean-Paul Balayssac, et al.. Design and validation of a multi-electrode embedded sensor to monitor resistivity profiles over depth in concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 2019, 223, pp. 310-321. ⟨10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.06.226⟩. ⟨hal-02395991⟩