An electrical modeling approach for analysis of the behavior of carbon nanotubes cement-based composite

The advancement of nanomaterials allowed the discovery of new applications and the improvement of the properties of concrete and mortar. For example, the discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNT's) allowed the development of smart materials for potential application in structural integrity monitoring (SHM). Thus, the combination of nanotubes and cement composite made it possible to advance in the study of concretes with interesting electrical properties. However, studies on the properties of composites based on carbon nanotube cement (CNTC) are complex. CNT acquisition costs are still high, making a significant number of samples challenging for experimental testing or producing full-scale structures for testing. Thus, numerical modeling can be a powerful tool to optimize research, saving time and resources. Thus, this work aims to develop a numerical model based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) to simulate and analyze the electrical behavior of CNTC. The developed model was calibrated and validated with analytical and experimental studies in the literature. Numerical simulations of electrical tests on specimens of CNTC with 2% of CNT by weight of cement with different distances between the electrodes were performed. The results indicated that the distance between the electrodes has a significant influence on the electrical behavior of CNTC. In addition, it was possible to prove the efficiency and accuracy of the numerical model, proving to be an excellent tool to aid in the development of SHM sensors.