Evaluating corrosivity of geomaterials in MSE walls: determination of resistivity from pore water chemistry


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CAIT project no.: CAIT-UTC-NC38

Fiscal Year: 2015/2016

Status: Final

Rutgers-CAIT Author(s): W. Shane Walker, Ph.D., Patrick Szary, Ph.D.

External Author(s): Kenneth L. Fishman

Sponsor(s): USDOT-FHWA, McMahon & Mann Consulting Engineers, P.C.

Summary:

We propose that the electrical resistance of a geomaterial-water-air mixture can be modeled fundamentally as parallel electrical resistances of the geomaterial, pore-water, and air-voids.  We will develop a fundamentals-based model of pore water conductivity and soil-water resistivity as a function of pore water chemistry.  These models will allow us to incorporate a fundamental mechanism for validating water quality and resistivity measurements and defining accurate values for acceptance criteria used for determining the corrosivity of geomaterials in metal-reinforced MSE walls.