Numerical Study on the Effect of Cracking on Surface Resistivity of Plain and Reinforced Concrete Elements

Abstract

The effect of discrete cracks on the Wenner probe measurements for surface resistivity of plain and reinforced concrete elements is investigated. A numerical modeling approach is utilized to study the effect of a wide range of parameters that are related to discrete cracks (type, depth, width, location, and orientation with respect to the probe), reinforcement (cover thickness, bar spacing, and bar orientation with respect to the crack), and the Wenner probe (electrode spacing). Depending on the type of the crack and its location, the results indicate that measurements might have errors as much as