EARTH-RESISTIVITY TESTS APPLIED AS A RAPID, NONDESTRUCTIVE PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING THICKNESS OF CONCRETE PAVEMENTS

THE ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY TESTS HAVE BEEN ADAPTED TO DETERMINE THE THICKNESS OF CONCRETE PAVEMENTS. THE TEST INVOLVES MEASURING THE RESISTANCE TO THE PASSAGE OF AN ELECTRIC CURRENT THROUGH THE SELECTED MEDIUM. IT IS MADE BY USING FOUR ELECTRODES EQUALLY SPACED IN A LINE ON THE SURFACE OF THE MATERIAL BEING TESTED. FOUR SMALL PLASTIC TUBES, PLUGGED WITH STIFF CLAY AND FILLED WITH A SATURATED SOLUTION OF COPPER SULFATE INTO WHICH A COPPER WIRE IS INSERTED, ARE USED IN THE TEST. THE CLAY, WITH THE HELP OF A SLIGHT WETTING OF THE CONCRETE SURFACE, PROVIDES A SUITABLE CONTACT FOR THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS WITH THE PAVEMENT SURFACE. A CONCRETE PAVEMENT HAS A RESISTIVITY CHARACTERISTIC THAT USUALLY DIFFERS FROM THAT OF THE UNDERLYING SOIL OR BASE LAYERS. USING THE MOORE CUMULATIVE CURVE METHOD OF DEPTH DETERMINATION, IT IS POSSIBLE TO DRAW STRAIGHT-LINE PORTIONS OF THE CUMULATIVE CURVE TO INTERSECT IN THE VICINITY OF THE TREND APPEARING IN THE FIELD CURVE, THE DEPTH AT WHICH THE INTERSECTION IS OBTAINED BEING EQUATED TO THE THICKNESS OF THE LAYER UNDER TEST. RESULTS OF 150 TESTS, MADE ON BOTH UNREINFORCED AND REINFORCED CONCRETE SLABS AND BRIDGE DECKS, HAVE BEEN GOOD. SPECIFIC TESTS ARE REPORTED ON CONCRETE ROADWAY PAVEMENT, AND CONCRETE BRIDGE SLABS. MORE TESTING IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROPOSED TEST PROCEDURE UNDER ALL FIELD CONDITIONS.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1968/218/218-006.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper sponsored by Committee on Mechanical Properties of Concrete. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Moore, R W
• Publication Date: 1968

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures;
• Pagination: pp 49-55
• Monograph Title: Mechanical properties of plastic concrete and pavement thickness measurement
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 218
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge decks; Concrete; Concrete pavements; Depth; Distributions (Statistics); Nondestructive tests; Pavements; Reinforced concrete; Resistivity method; Slabs; Test procedures; Thickness
• Uncontrolled Terms: Pavement thickness
• Old TRIS Terms: Cumulative distributions; Earth resistivity method (Geophysics)
• Subject Areas: Construction; Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00214840
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Aug 5 1994 12:00AM