Title:
Monitoring Fiber Dispersion in Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Materials: Comparison of AC-Impedance Spectroscopy and Image Analysis
Author(s):
Nilufer Ozyurt, Leta Y. Woo, Thomas O. Mason, and Surendra P. Shah
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
103
Issue:
5
Appears on pages(s):
340-347
Keywords:
fiber-reinforced cementitious materials; fibers; testing
DOI:
10.14359/18156
Date:
9/1/2006
Abstract:
Fiber dispersion is an important factor that affects both the fresh and hardened state properties of cement-based materials. While there are some well-studied, fundamental methods for monitoring fiber dispersion, most of them are destructive and time-consuming. Previous work has shown that AC-impedance spectroscopy (AC-IS) can be used as an effective tool for nondestructively monitoring fiber dispersion in both the fresh and hardened states of fiber-reinforced cementitious (FRC) materials. AC-IS was found to be sensitive to different dispersion phenomena. In this study, fiber clumping and orientation were studied using image analysis to verify the AC-IS measurements. The results of the two methods agreed well within experimental uncertainty, suggesting that AC-IS can be used as a nondestructive and rapid method for monitoring fiber dispersion in cementitious materials.