Minor damage of cement mortar during cyclic compression monitored by electrical resistivity measurement

Minor damage of cement mortar during cyclic compression in the elastic regime was monitored by measurement of the electrical resistivity in the stress direction. Defect generation (irreversible) resulted in an irreversible increase in the baseline resistivity as stress cycling progressed, whereas defect healing (reversible) resulted in a reversible decrease in the resistivity upon compression within a stress cycle. Defect generation was relatively significant in the early cycles and diminished upon cycling. As the cumulative damage increased, the extent of defect healing within a cycle also increased.