Abstract
Recent advances in nanotechnology have guided the development of a new generation of multifunctional construction materials. An example of this are cement-based composites, some of which can be used not just to pave roads but, also to monitor them. A cement composite, integrating a carbon black (CB) filler, was used as a piezoresistive sensor to identify different cyclic compressive loadings, at temperatures ranging from 15 degrees C to 45 degrees C. The mechanical essays were performed under realistic conditions using 600 cm(3) specimens and uniaxial loads typical of automobile traffic. A linear and reversible pressure sensing performance was found with gauge factors ranging from 40 to 60. Overall, these results show that CB/cement composites can act as stress -sensitive materials for traffic monitoring. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.