An a.c. impedance spectroscopy study of micro-cracking in cement-based composites during compressive loading

An a.c. impedance technique was applied to the investigation of crack growth mechanisms in portland cement and cement-silica fume pastes, mortars and cement-wollastonite micro-fiber reinforced systems during compressive loading. It was demonstrated that the high frequency arc in the complex plane is very sensitive to microstructural change and micro-cracking in the specimens subjected to compressive load. The experimental results indicate that micro-cracking in different cement-based materials depends on their intrinsic microstructural characteristics.