Laboratory Approach to Determine Roller Compacted Concrete Mixture Electrical Characteristics Using a New Time-Domain Reflectometry Interpretation Method

Abstract

This work deals with using time-domain reflectometry (TDR) to measure the electrical properties of roller compacted concrete (RCC). It is well known that TDR provides a non-destructive method to measure the dielectric constant toward an estimation of moisture content for soil materials. However, few studies have used TDR to determine the moisture content in concrete because of the inability to obtain TDR traces after the concrete hardens. To obtain TDR traces, a transmission circuit is initiated where a wave signal moves through the medium and reflects back in accordance with transmission line theory. In the literature, the TDR waveform has been interpreted empirically to estimate the relative permittivity (or dielectric constant) and electrical conductivity in a given material relative to the determination of associated water content. However, empirical models tend to ignore certain aspects related to the electrical properties of a medium, which has made interpretation of TDR measurements prone to systematic errors. In this paper, a new approach of test configuration and TDR response interpretation has been developed. For the test setup, the approach uses disposable metal probes that can be embedded into the concrete at different depths to obtain the TDR traces. The approach also employs the transmission line equation to estimate the dielectric constant, electrical conductivity, and reflectivity of an instrumented RCC mixture. These properties will affect the understanding of the RCC pavement behavior, especially curling and warping behavior, placement density, and development of long-term distresses.