Application of MRI technology to quantify chloride ion permeability in concrete and comparison with the standard electrical test method

The standard electrical test method for determining chloride ion permeability only yields a qualitative measure of the permeability of concrete. Here we propose to use Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for quantifying permeability of concrete. The results will then be used to correlate the results from standard electrical tests so that an easy and clear measure of the permeability of concrete can be established. Several experiments were conducted using an MRI scanner and a standard chloride ion testing equipment.; The results of the MRI were inconclusive because of the presence of ferromagnetic materials in the concrete. To isolate the sources of the ferromagnetic materials, MRI tests were conducted for each of the ingredients used to make the concrete. The source was found to be the aggregate. Further tests using non-ferromagnetic aggregate are necessary to get a conclusive correlation between the MRI results and those from the standard chloride ion testing equipment.; The concrete specimens were made in the materials laboratory at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. PROOVE'it equipment was used to perform the standard electrical test on concrete samples and the MRI tests of the same specimens were performed at Christus Spohn Hospital Kleberg in Kingsville.