RCON™

Bulk Electrical Resistivity Testing

Non-destructive laboratory device for measuring bulk electrical resistivity of concrete specimens

SmartRock® | Concrete Temperature and Strength Maturity Sensor

Fast & Accurate Measurements 

In less than 5 seconds, easily test specimen at various stages of hydration in order to study workability, setting, and durability performance of concrete.
iCOR® | Wireless NDT Corrosion Detection

Non-Destructive Technology 

This non-invasive device can be used in both the lab and in the field to monitor concrete quality without disrupting structural integrity.
Perma™ | Rapid Chloride Permeability

Customizable Setup 

The devices’ AC impedance technique continuously obtains measurements at customizable intervals set up in its easy-to-use software.
RCON™ | Concrete Bulk Resistivity

Test the Durability of Concrete

RCON™ is an advanced non-destructive laboratory tool for measuring the bulk electrical resistivity of concrete at various ages. The device is fast (measurement time is less than 5 seconds), accurate (utilizing a variable frequency method), and flexible (measurements can be taken with different settings for verification). No additional sample preparations are required before testing. RCON allows for continuous measurement of electrical resistivity over time, which can be used to monitor important durability parameters of concrete, such as; cracking, moisture transfer, and setting time in concrete specimens.

Applications​

  • Diffusion of chloride in concrete
  • Rebar corrosion in concrete
  • Setting time of fresh concrete
  • Moisture transfer in concrete
  • Curing of concrete
  • Cathodic protection design

Hardware

  • Fast measurement (<5 seconds)
  • Stand-alone operation device
  • Flexible sample holders
  • Customizable setup

Software

  • AC measurement (Galvanostatic)
  • Phase detection (0-180 degree)
  • Accurate data (±2%)
  • Continuous measurement
  • Free user-friendly PC program

General

Reading RangeFrequency spectrumPhase measurementImpedance accuracyPhase accuracy
1 ~100 Ω1Hz ~ 30KHz0 ~ 180°± 2% ± 2digit5 % ± 3digit
100Ω~1000Ω
1 ~10 KΩ
10 ~ 100 KΩ
100 KΩ ~1 MΩ1Hz ~ 10KHz


Measurement Time

FrequencySampling timeReading time (minimum)
1 Hz ~ 4 Hz5 seconds10 seconds
5 Hz ~ 30 KHz1 second2 seconds

 

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Part No.ItemDescription
900083RCON – Full Package-115/230VRCON unit, Power adapter, Test cable set, Alligator test clip, Sample holder, Verification kit, Fresh concrete probe, User manual, Communication PC software, USB cable, 2 bottles of conductive gels, 2 pairs of contact sponge
900082RCON Device-115/230VRCON unit, Power adapter, Test cables, Verification kit, User manual, Communication PC software, USB cable

The following replacement parts are available upon request:

Part No.ItemDescription
900018Test Cable SetA pair of test cable for connecting the device to the sample holder
900065Verificaiton KitRequired to verify the performance of the device
900013Sample Holder – BulkSample holder, 2 pairs of contact sponge
900014Contact Sponge D150 – Pair150 mm Dia. Cellulose Sponge
900015Conductive Gel – Low Viscosity250 ml bottle
900016Conductive Gel – Medium Viscosity250 ml bottle
900084Fresh Concrete ProbeProbe for testing electrical resistivity of fresh concrete
900069RCON Fresh Concrete Test Rod SetStainless steel rods

FAQs

RCON is designed to test hardened concrete samples of different sizes and shapes for both laboratory and field applications. 

Yes. There is a correlation between the results of the rapid chloride permeability test and those obtained from the electrical resistivity method. 

No, it does not. RCON can easily and quickly measure the electrical resistivity of concrete. This parameter is closely correlated with the setting time of fresh concrete and the durability characteristics of hardened concrete. 

RCON measures the electrical resistivity of concrete. This parameter can be used to estimate the durability and sustainability of concrete in a specific exposure environment. Giatec offers another device called Perma™ which measures the rapid chloride permeability of concrete based on the ASTM C1202. For more information on this device, please click here. 

Using the special fresh concrete probe designed to be embedded in concrete, you can measure the water content and the setting time by monitoring the electrical resistivity versus time. The device comes with software that can log the data. However, calibration is required to correlate the change of the electrical resistivity to the actual water content and the setting time of concrete. 

You can fit the cylindrical samples with the maximum size of 150mmx300mm and the cubic sample with the maximum size of 100mmx100mm in the regular sample holder that comes with the RCON. However, if you need to measure a 150mmx150mm cubic sample, we can customize the sample holder fixture in order to accommodate this size. 

Only one sample can be tested at a time with the current test set-up that we have. However, the test is very fast, taking only 3-5 seconds to accurately process, allowing for many samples to be tested in a short period of time. 

RCON is fully calibrated before shipping and, moreover, comes with a verification kit for the customer to verify the test results from time to time if deemed necessary. The device has been designed to provide high sensitivity and accuracy required for concrete research.  

The conductivity of fresh concrete (which is the inverse of its electrical resistivity) can be measured using the fresh concrete probe provided by Giatec or using a similar setup. This fixture incorporates two stainless steel rods (with insulating parts at the ends) embedded in fresh concrete. The rods are connected to the RCON device for monitoring the increase in the electrical resistance between them as the concrete sets and hardens. The measured electrical resistance can be converted to electrical resistivity knowing the conversion factor which depends on the geometry of the test container. This conversion factor can be easily obtained by measuring the electrical resistance of a salt solution (with known conductivity) in the test container. 

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