A pressure-sensitive carbon black cement composite for traffic monitoring

•The piezoresistive properties of a carbon black-cement composite were evaluated.•Temperature variation and low traffic-like stresses were considered.•The composite showed good linearity and repeatability upon compressive cyclic loads.•Heating the specimens decreased sensors sensitivity but linearity was not affected. Recent advances in nanotechnology have guided the development of a new generation of multifunctional construction materials. An example of this are cement-based composites, some of which can be used not just to pave roads but also to monitor them. A cement composite, integrating a carbon black (CB) filler, was used as a piezoresistive sensor to identify different cyclic compressive loadings, at temperatures ranging from 15°C to 45°C. The mechanical essays were performed under realistic conditions using 600cm3 specimens and uniaxial loads typical of automobile traffic. A linear and reversible pressure-sensing performance was found with gauge factors ranging from 40 to 60. Overall, these results show that CB/cement composites can act as stress-sensitive materials for traffic monitoring.