Seebeck effect in steel fiber reinforced cement

Cement pastes containing short steel fibers, which contribute to electron conduction, exhibit positive values (up to 68 mu V/degrees C) of the absolute thermoelectric power. A steel fiber content of 1.0% by mass of cement gives a higher value of the absolute thermoelectric power than a content of 0.5% by mass cement, in addition to yielding more reversibility and linearity in the variation of the Seebeck voltage with temperature difference (up to 65 degrees C). In contrast, cement pastes containing short carbon fibers, which contribute to hole conduction, exhibit negative or slightly positive values of the absolute thermoelectric power. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.