Electrical Characteristics of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Containing Carbon-Based Materials

Abstract

Recently, carbon materials with unique properties, such as high tensile strength and electrical conductivity, have been extensively investigated for the multi-functionalization of concrete. Previous studies mainly focused on improving the performance of normal-strength concrete using carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplates. Therefore, this study analyzed the effect of carbon materials on ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) mixed with steel fibers, which has an outstanding mechanical performance. In addition, length effects were investigated for carbon fibers with nanometer, micrometer, and millimeter sizes. The influences of carbon materials on 120 MPa UHPC were investigated, including expanded graphite, a well-known superior conductivity material. Electrical conductivity, compressive strength, tensile strength, and electrical conductivity were analyzed experimentally. As a result, compressive strength tends to decrease as the concentrations of carbon materials increase, and chopped fiber has the best performance at 10.5 MPa in terms of tensile strength. Since the electrical conductivity of chopped fiber was observed to be significantly higher than that of other materials at 6.6 times, millimeter-sized fiber would be most suitable as a carbon material for concrete. This study could guide future research on the multi-functionalization of UHPC with carbon-based materials, including mechanical and electrical conductivity performances.

A systematic review on the engineering properties of concrete with carbon nanotubes

“…Jung et al [14] reported an enhancement in the electrical conductivity of UHPC up to the percolation threshold due to CNT incorporation, which is consistent with the literature [39,40]. Lim et al [32] indicated that although the electrical conductivity of UHPC increased as the content of CNTs increased, its conductivity was not as high. Jung et al [31], in turn, registered a consistent reduction in the electrical resistivity of UHPC at contents up to 0.8% by weight of cement, which they attributed to the stable dispersion of CNTs in aqueous suspension in the cement matrix.…”

Studying the Incorporation of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in High-Performance Concrete

“…The conductivity is related to the addition of MWCNTs in the cement composite. The nanotubes added to the cement mixture develop a connection network that allows lower resistance in the electrical current until a percolation limit is reached [43,67].…”

Multi-Criteria Risk Analysis of Ultra-High Performance Concrete Application in Structures

“…High Cost and Economic Justification Gap: The production cost of UHPC is notably higher, amounting to a minimum of 6.6 times that of ordinary concrete [69,70] Moreover, limited manufacturers, such as Lafarge, offer comprehensive industrial support for the requisite raw materials [70][71][72][73]. Nonetheless, intricate applications such as concrete-filled steel tubes (CFST) for columns and steel-concrete-steel sandwich composites are garnering attention [72,73].…”