Abstract
Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) has been used since the 1980s for measuring the moisture content of soils. The principle of TDR is based on measuring the reflection time of an electromagnetic signal sent down a set of waveguides that are inserted into the material. This paper reports research work examining the suitability of TDR for measuring the moisture content of building materials. Results suggest that TDR is an effective way of monitoring relative changes in the moisture content. Measurement of absolute moisture content is more complicated as it requires a calibration function, and the existing empirical relationships used in the soil sciences consistently overestimate the moisture content. A semi-empirical calibration relationship has been found to offer a better approach to absolute moisture content evaluation with TDR.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 261-272 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Building Services Engineering Research and Technology |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Aug 2008 |
Keywords
- moisture content
- building materials
- environmental science