Penetration resistance and electrical resistivity of cement paste with superplasticizer

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the setting process and evolution of electrical resistivity of Portland cement pastes with constant water to cement ratio (w/c) of 0.3 and with different dosages of naphthalene superplasticizer (SP) from 0 to 1.2 %. The setting process of cement paste was monitored by the Vicat needle test. The depth of penetration was recorded and used to calculate the shear resistance generated by the cement paste. Electrical resistivity was measured by a non-contacting electrical resistivity apparatus. The hyperbolic curve of electrical resistivity versus time was plotted to determine the ultimate electrical resistivity. The results show that the addition of SP to the pastes with a fixed w/c can cause longer setting time and delay the evolution of electrical resistivity. The final setting time (tf) and the occurring time of maximum rate of electrical resistivity (tr) were both delayed when the dosage of SP was increased. This may indicates that the electrical resistivity measurement can be used to monitor the setting process of cement. The compressive strength at 28 days and the ultimate electrical resistivity show a same tendency for the cement pastes with different dosages of SP. Thus, it would be possible to predict the compressive strength of hardened cement paste by its ultimate electrical resistivity.