Journal Published Online: 12 January 2016
Volume 44, Issue 6

Percolation Effect on the Piezoresistivity of Carbon Nanotube/Cement Composite as a Stress Self-Sensing Material

CODEN: JTEVAB

Abstract

Self-sensing material is one of the most important components of smart construction. As a promising stress self-sensing material, carbon nanotube (CNT)/cement composite has been widely studied in the past decade. The stress self-sensing performance, which is reflected by the piezoresistivity of the CNT/cement composite, can be determined by several factors, such as CNT dispersion, water/binder ratio, or loading directions. Although these factors have been systematically investigated to demonstrate their effects on the self-sensing performance of CNT/cement composite, the variation of the percolation networks of CNT in the cement matrix, which is another important factor that determines the piezoresistivity of the CNT/cement composite, was barely discussed before. In this study, the variation of the CNT percolation network in cement matrix under compression loading was calculated based on the percolation theory; and the piezoresistivity of the CNT/cement composite below and above the percolation threshold was analyzed from the perspective of the effective percolation networks of CNT in the CNT/cement composite. Furthermore, the mechanism of the piezoresistivity variation was elucidated via calculating the percolation backbone density. This study not only gives a basic introduction to calculate the effective percolation networks of CNT in the cement matrix, but also shed light on how to obtain a CNT/cement composite with a stable stress self-sensing performance.

Author Information

Qiao, B.
School of Mechanical Engineering, Huaihai Inst. of Technology and Jiangsu Province R&D Inst. of Marine Resources, Lianyungang, CN
Xie, N.
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Preparation and Measurement of Building Materials, Jinan, Shandong, CN
Meng, J.
School of Civil Engineering, Harbin Inst. of Technology, Harbin, CN
Yan, T.
Dalian Univ. of Technology, Dalian, CN
Feng, L.
School of Mechanical Engineering, Huaihai Inst. of Technology and Jiangsu Province R&D Inst. of Marine Resources, Lianyungang, CN
Zhong, J.
School of Civil Engineering, Harbin Inst. of Technology, Harbin, CN
Pages: 9
Price: $25.00
Related
Reprints and Permissions
Reprints and copyright permissions can be requested through the
Copyright Clearance Center
Details
Stock #: JTE20150033
ISSN: 0090-3973
DOI: 10.1520/JTE20150033