Determination of Relationship between Dielectric Properties, Compressive Strength, and Age of Concrete with Rice Husk Ash Using Planar Coaxial Probe

This paper deals with an investigation of the dielectric properties of concretes that includes rice husk ash using a planar coaxial probe. The planar coaxial probe has a planar structure with a microstrip and coaxial features. The measurement was performed over the frequency range of 0.5-3.5 GHz, and concrete specimens with different percentages of rice husk ash were tested. The results indicated that the dielectric constant of the concretes was inversely proportional to the frequency, while the conductivity was proportional to the frequency. The dielectric constant decreased with the increasing age of the concrete at the frequency of 1 GHz. The conductivity of the concrete decreased with the increasing age of the concrete at the frequency of 3.2 GHz. In addition, the dielectric constant and the conductivity decreased when the compressive strength increased. It was also shown that the obtained dielectric properties of the concrete could be used to investigate the relationship between the compressive strength and age of the concrete. Moreover, there is an opportunity to apply the proposed probe to determine the dielectric properties of other materials.