title: New System of Shrinkage Measurement through Cement Mortars Drying.
abstract: Cement mortar is used as a conglomerate in the majority of construction work. There are multiple variants of cement according to the type of aggregate used in its fabrication. One of the major problems that occurs while working with this type of material is the excessive loss of moisture during cement hydration (setting and hardening), known as shrinkage, which provokes a great number of construction pathologies that are difficult to repair. In this way, the design of a new sensor able to measure the moisture loss of mortars at different age levels is useful to establish long-term predictions concerning mortar mass volume loss. The purpose of this research is the design and fabrication of a new capacitive sensor able to measure the moisture of mortars and to relate it with the shrinkage.
authors.affiliation: Sensors and Actuators Group, Department of Building Technology, Madrid Technical University, 28040 Madrid, Spain. carlos.moron@upm.es.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morón
authors.affiliation: Architectural Construction and Control Department, Madrid Technical University, 28040 Madrid, Spain. pablo.saiz@upm.es.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saiz
authors.affiliation: Sensors and Actuators Group, Department of Building Technology, Madrid Technical University, 28040 Madrid, Spain. daniel.ferrandez.vega@alumnos.upm.es.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ferrández
authors.affiliation: Sensors and Actuators Group, Department of Building Technology, Madrid Technical University, 28040 Madrid, Spain. luisa.garcia.fuentevilla@alumnos.upm.es.
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: García-Fuentevilla
keywords: capacitive sensor; cement mortar; moisture; recycled aggregate; shrinkage