Effect of compressive strain on electrical resistivity of carbon black-filled cement-based composites

This paper investigates the strain sensing properties of carbon black (CB)-filled cement-based composites which were prepared with 120 nm CB. A linear relationship between the fractional change in resistivity and compressive strain was observed for cement-based composites containing a large amount of CB, suggesting that this kind of composite was a promising candidate for strain sensors used in concrete structures. Tunneling effect theory and percolation theory are employed to interpret the conductivity and electromechanical properties of CB-filled cement-based composites.