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RCON™

Bulk Electrical Resistivity Testing

Non-destructive laboratory device for measuring bulk electrical resistivity of concrete specimens

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Non-Destructive Technology 

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RCON™ | Concrete Bulk Resistivity

Test the Durability of Concrete

RCON™ is an advanced non-destructive laboratory tool for measuring the bulk electrical resistivity of concrete at various ages. The device is fast (measurement time is less than 5 seconds), accurate (utilizing a variable frequency method), and flexible (measurements can be taken with different settings for verification). No additional sample preparations are required before testing. RCON allows for continuous measurement of electrical resistivity over time, which can be used to monitor important durability parameters of concrete, such as; cracking, moisture transfer, and setting time in concrete specimens.

Discover our concrete quality testing solutions!

Applications​

  • Diffusion of chloride in concrete
  • Rebar corrosion in concrete
  • Setting time of fresh concrete
  • Moisture transfer in concrete
  • Curing of concrete
  • Cathodic protection design
RCON™ | Concrete Bulk Resistivity

Hardware

  • Fast measurement (<5 seconds)
  • Stand-alone operation device
  • Flexible sample holders
  • Customizable setup

Software

  • AC measurement (Galvanostatic)
  • Phase detection (0-180 degree)
  • Accurate data (±2%)
  • Continuous measurement
  • Free user-friendly PC program
The RCON device is an amazing tool for the concrete arena. We have successfully used the RCON on a wide variety of projects. It's ease of use coupled with dating relating to permeability helps us determine the appropriateness of concrete mixtures and the impact of the constituents. Giatec makes some great products. Giatec customer sensitivity and attentiveness also sets the bar for the concrete and construction industries. I have and will continue to reccomend the RCON device and Giatec to my customers and contacts in the concrete and construction industry.
Jon BelkowitzChanging the Industry
The efficiency of RCON allows to test a large number of specimens in a very short period of time. Giatec's technical team provides very efficient and timely support.
Dr. Burkan IsgorOregon State University

AASHTO TP 119 – Standard Method of Test for Electrical Resistivity of a Concrete Cylinder Tested in a Uniaxial Resistance Test

ASTM C1876 – Standard Test Method for Bulk Electrical Resistivity or Bulk Conductivity of Concrete

CSA A23.3 – 26C – Concrete Materials And Methods Of Concrete Construction / Test Methods And Standard Practices For Concrete

General

Reading RangeFrequency spectrumPhase measurementImpedance accuracyPhase accuracy
1 ~100 Ω1Hz ~ 30KHz0 ~ 180°± 2% ± 2digit5 % ± 3digit
100Ω~1000Ω
1 ~10 KΩ
10 ~ 100 KΩ
100 KΩ ~1 MΩ1Hz ~ 10KHz


Measurement Time

FrequencySampling timeReading time (minimum)
1 Hz ~ 4 Hz5 seconds10 seconds
5 Hz ~ 30 KHz1 second2 seconds

 

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  2. Nikkanen, P. (1962). On the Electrical Properties of Concrete and Their Applications. Vaftion Tebsilliren Tutkirndaitos, Tiedotus, Sarja III, Rakennus 60, 75 pages. In Finnish with English summary.
  3. Henry, R. L. (1964). Water Vapor Transmission and Electrical Resistivity of Concrete. Final Report. U. S. Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory, Port Hueneme, California, Technical Report,R-314, 39 pages.
  4. Tobio, J. M. (1959). A Study of the Setting Process, Dielectric Behavior of Several Spanish Cements. Silicates Zrrdrcsb-iek, 24, 30-35 and 81-87.
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  10. Budnikov, P. P., & Strelkov, M.I. (1966). Some Recent Concepts on Portland Cement Hydration and Hardening. SYMPOSIUM ON STRUCTURE OF PORTI.AND CEMENT PASTE AND CONCRETE, Highway Research Board Special Report 90, Table 3, 450.
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  14. Andrade, C. (2010). Types of Models of Service Life of Reinforcement: The Case of the Resistivity. Concrete Research Letters, 1(2), 73- 80.
  15. Bertolini, L., & Polder, R. B. (1997). Concrete Resistivity and Reinforcement Corrosion Rate as a Function of Temperature and Humidity of the Environment. TNO report 97-BT-R0574, Netherland.
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  18. Butefuhr, M., Fischer, C., Gehlen, C., Menzel, K., & Nurnberger, U. (2006). On-Site Investigation on Concrete Resistivity a Parameter of Durability Calculation of Reinforced Concrete Structures. Materials and Corrosion, 57(12), 932-939.
  19. Chatterji, S. (2005). A Discussion of the Papers, ”A Novel Method for Describing Chloride Ion Transport due to an Electrical Gradient in Concrete: Part 1 and Part 2” by K. Stanish, R.D. Hooton, M.D.A. Thomas. Cement and Concrete Research, 35(9), 1865-1867.
  20. Chini, A. R., Muszynski, L. C., & Hicks J. (2003). Determination of Acceptance Permeability Characteristics for Performance-Related Specifications for Portland Cement Concrete. Final report submitted to FDOT (MASc. Thesis), University of Florida, Department of Civil Engineering.
  21. Edvardsen, C. (2002). Chloride Migration Coefficients from Non-Steady-State Migration Experiments at Environment-Friendly “Green” Concrete. Retrieved from www.gronbeton.dk/artikler/Chloride%20migration%20coefficients.pdf.
  22. Elkey, W. & Sellevold E. J. (1995). Electrical Resistivity of Concrete. Published Report, No. 80, Norwegian Road Research Laboratory, Oslo, Norway, 36 pages.
  23. Ewins, A. J. (1990). Resistivity Measurements in Concrete. British Journal of NDT, 32(3), 120-126.
  24. Feliu, S., Andrade, C., Gonzalez, J. A., & Alonso, C. (1996). A New Method for In-situ Measurement of Electrical Resistivity of Reinforced Concrete. Materials and Structures, 29(6), 362-365.
  25. Ferreira, R. M., & Jalali, S. (2010). NDT Measurements for the Prediction of 28-day Compressive Strength. NDT & E International, 43(2), 55-61.
  26. Florida DOT FM 5-578. (2004). Method of Test for Concrete Resistivity as an Electrical Indicator of Its Permeability, 226.
  27. Forster, S.W. (2000). Concrete Durability-Influencing Factors and Testing. Farmington Hills, MI. Durability of Concrete, ACI Committee, Vol. 191, 1-10.
  28. Gowers, K. R. & Millard, S. G. (1999). Measurement of Concrete Resistivity for Assessment of Corrosion Severity of Steel Using Wenner Technique. ACI Material Journal, 96(5), 536-541.
  29. Hansson, I. L. H. & Hansson, C. M. (1953). Electrical Resistivity Measurements of Portland Cement Based Materials. Cement and Concrete Research, 13(5), 675-683.
  30. Hooton, R.D., Thomas, M.D.A., & Stanish, K., (2001). Prediction of Chloride Penetration in Concrete. Federal Highway Administration, Report No. FHWA-RD-00-142.
  31. Ishida, T., & Li, C. H. (2008). Modeling of Carbonation Based on Thermo-Hygro Physics with Strong Coupling of Mass Transport and Equilibrium in Micro-pore Structure of Concrete. Retrieved from http://www.jsce.or.jp/committee/concrete/e/newsletter/newsletter14/isida.pdf
  32. Jianyong, L., & Pei, T. (1997). Effect of Slag and Silica Fume on Mechanical Properties of High Strength Concrete. Cement and Concrete Research, 27(6), 833-837.
  33. Kosmatka, S. H., Kerkhoff, B., Panarese, W. C., MacLeod, N. F., &McGrath, R. J. (2002). Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures, Seventh Canadian Edition. Cement Association of Canada, 227.
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  36. Lataste, J. F., Sirieix, C., Breysse, D., & Frappa M. (2003). Electrical resistivity measurement applied to cracking assessment on reinforced concrete structures in civil engineering. NDT & E International, 36(6), 383-394.
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  38. McCarter, W. J., Starrs, G., Kandasami, S., Jones, R., & Chrisp, M. (2009). Electrode Configuration for Resistivity Measurements on Concrete. ACI Materials Journal, 106(3), 258-264.
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  41. Monfore, G. E. (1968). The Electrical Resistivity of Concrete. Journal of the PCA Research Development Laboratories, 10(2), 35-48.
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  43. Morris, W., Moreno, E. I., & Sagues, A. A. (1996). Practical Evaluation of Resistivity of Concrete in Test Cylinders Using A Wenner Array Probe. Cement and Concrete Research, 26(12), 1779-1787.
  44. Newlands, M. D., Jones, M. R., Kandasami, S., & Harrison T. A. (2008). Sensitivity of Electrodes Contact Solutions and Contact Pressure in Assessing Electrical Resistivity of Concrete. Materials and Structures, 41(4), 621-632.
  45. Nokken, M. R. & Hooton, R. D. (2006). Electrical Conductivity as a Prequalification and Quality Control. Concrete International, 28(10), 61-66.
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  47. Polder, R. B. (2001). Test Methods for on Site Measurement of Resistivity of Concrete – a RILEM TC-154 Technical Recommendation. Construction and Building Materials, (15)2-3, 125-131, 229.
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  49. RILEM Technical Committee. (2005). Update of the Recommendation of RILEM TC 189-NEC Non-destructive Evaluation of the Concrete Cover (Comparative Test Part I, Comparative Test of Penetrability Methods). Materials & Structures, 38(284), 895-906.
  50. Savas B. Z. (1999). Effect of Microstructure on Durability of Concrete (PhD Thesis). North Carolina State University, Department of Civil Engineering, Raleigh NC.
  51. Sengul, O. & Gjorv, O. E. (2008). Electrical Resistivity Measurements for Quality Control During Concrete Construction. ACI Materials Journal, 105(6), 541-547.
  52. Sengul, O. & Gjorv, O. E. (2009). Effect of Embedded steel on Electrical Resistivity Measurements on Concrete Structures. ACI Materials Journal, 106(1), 11-18.
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  57. Stanish, K., Hooton, R. D., & Thomas, M. D. A. (2004). A Novel Method for Describing Chloride Ion Transport due to an Electrical Gradient in Concrete: Part 1. Theoretical description. Cement and Concrete Research, 34(1), 43-49.
  58. Stanish, K., Hooton, R. D., & Thomas M. D. A. (2004). A Novel Method for Describing Chloride Ion Transport due to an Electrical Gradient in Concrete: Part 2. Experimental study. Cement and Concrete Research, 34(1), 51-57.
Part No.ItemDescription
900083RCON – Full Package-115/230VRCON unit, Power adapter, Test cable set, Alligator test clip, Sample holder, Verification kit, Fresh concrete probe, User manual, Communication PC software, USB cable, 2 bottles of conductive gels, 2 pairs of contact sponge
900082RCON Device-115/230VRCON unit, Power adapter, Test cables, Verification kit, User manual, Communication PC software, USB cable

The following replacement parts are available upon request:

Part No.ItemDescription
900018Test Cable SetA pair of test cable for connecting the device to the sample holder
900065Verificaiton KitRequired to verify the performance of the device
900013Sample Holder – BulkSample holder, 2 pairs of contact sponge
900014Contact Sponge D150 – Pair150 mm Dia. Cellulose Sponge
900015Conductive Gel – Low Viscosity250 ml bottle
900016Conductive Gel – Medium Viscosity250 ml bottle
900084Fresh Concrete ProbeProbe for testing electrical resistivity of fresh concrete
900069RCON Fresh Concrete Test Rod SetStainless steel rods

FAQs

RCON is designed to test hardened concrete samples of different sizes and shapes for both laboratory and field applications. 

Yes. There is a correlation between the results of the rapid chloride permeability test and those obtained from the electrical resistivity method. 

No, it does not. RCON can easily and quickly measure the electrical resistivity of concrete. This parameter is closely correlated with the setting time of fresh concrete and the durability characteristics of hardened concrete. 

RCON measures the electrical resistivity of concrete. This parameter can be used to estimate the durability and sustainability of concrete in a specific exposure environment. Giatec offers another device called Perma™ which measures the rapid chloride permeability of concrete based on the ASTM C1202. For more information on this device, please click here. 

Using the special fresh concrete probe designed to be embedded in concrete, you can measure the water content and the setting time by monitoring the electrical resistivity versus time. The device comes with software that can log the data. However, calibration is required to correlate the change of the electrical resistivity to the actual water content and the setting time of concrete. 

You can fit the cylindrical samples with the maximum size of 150mmx300mm and the cubic sample with the maximum size of 100mmx100mm in the regular sample holder that comes with the RCON. However, if you need to measure a 150mmx150mm cubic sample, we can customize the sample holder fixture in order to accommodate this size. 

Only one sample can be tested at a time with the current test set-up that we have. However, the test is very fast, taking only 3-5 seconds to accurately process, allowing for many samples to be tested in a short period of time. 

RCON is fully calibrated before shipping and, moreover, comes with a verification kit for the customer to verify the test results from time to time if deemed necessary. The device has been designed to provide high sensitivity and accuracy required for concrete research.  

The conductivity of fresh concrete (which is the inverse of its electrical resistivity) can be measured using the fresh concrete probe provided by Giatec or using a similar setup. This fixture incorporates two stainless steel rods (with insulating parts at the ends) embedded in fresh concrete. The rods are connected to the RCON device for monitoring the increase in the electrical resistance between them as the concrete sets and hardens. The measured electrical resistance can be converted to electrical resistivity knowing the conversion factor which depends on the geometry of the test container. This conversion factor can be easily obtained by measuring the electrical resistance of a salt solution (with known conductivity) in the test container. 

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