Study of Weak Electric Current Emissions on Cement Mortar under Uniaxial Compressional Mechanical Stress up to the Vicinity of Fracture.

An experimental technique that deals with the detection of weak electric signals emitted during the application of temporal uniaxial stress on solid materials has been applied on cement mortar samples. These electric signals are met in the literature as Pressure Stimulated Currents (PSC). Two different stress techniques were applied: uniaxial compressional stress at a) a low and b) at a high rate. Both qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the PSC are correlated with the mechanical state of the samples with respect to crack creation and propagation in the bulk of the material and consequently with the stages of composite damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]