Anisotropic electrical and abrasion-sensing properties of cement-based composites containing aligned nickel powder

The electrical properties of aligned nickel powder-filled cement-based composites and the abrasion-sensing properties of these composites, as evaluated based on the change in their resistance at varying abrasion depths, were investigated in this paper. Micrograph characterization of nickel powder distribution indicates that the electrical conduction path preferentially forms along the direction of the nickel powder alignment, which leads to increasingly anisotropic electrical properties under greater magnetic field strengths. The level of anisotropy was also determined to be strongly dependent on the nickel powder content. The maximum anisotropic electrical properties were achieved at the percolation threshold content of the nickel powder, which is the critical point for the formation of an effective conductive network. Based on the cement-based composites anisotropic electrical properties and a sectionalized electrode design, the composites filled with aligned nickel powder demonstrated good abrasion-sensing properties, with humidity and temperature self-compensation abilities. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.