Numerical modeling of the effects of rebar presence and/or multilayered concrete resistivity on the apparent resistivity measured via the Wenner method

The determination of concrete resistivity via the Wenner probe has become an established non-destructive technique either as to verify performance based concrete quality or to assess the chloride diffusivity of existing concrete structures. However, various factors can result in misinterpretations when taking the resistivity measurement. In this study, the finite element method (FEM) is employed to assess the effects of specimen geometry, specimen size, rebar presence, cover depth, multi-layered resistivity, and the combined effects of these factors. The findings confirm that the influence can be quantified by FEM computations to obtain normalization parameters (i.e. cell constants) or to better interpret field resistivity measurements.