A Novel TEM Fractional-Inductive Sensor for Cement Expiry and Adulteration Determination
摘要
This study introduces a cutting-edge fractional-order inductive sensing for real-time, non-destructive evaluation of cement quality. Unlike conventional approaches, the sensor employs fractional-order calculus to capture the dynamic behavior of cementitious materials. It consists of a cylindrical transverse electromagnetic (TEM) model encasing a cement core, with impedance spectroscopy used to assess frequency-dependent changes in fractional-inductance and its order from 5 kHz to 5 MHz. The findings indicate that adulterants such as red mud powder, sugarcane ash, and calcium carbonate reduce fractional inductance and elevate the fractional order at varying rates, signaling compromised strength and loss of material uniformity. Similarly, aging effects are evident in the sensor’s response, showing a decline in fractional inductance and a slight increase in fractional order (from 0.01 to 0.15). The sensor exhibits exceptional sensitivity, particularly at high frequencies, allowing it to detect subtle material changes that conventional integer-order models fail to capture. A comparative study of fresh and aged cement cores validates the sensor’s effectiveness in tracking long-term integrity. The sensor proved highly sensitive to changes in adulterated and aged cement samples. This demonstrates that the technology could be a practical, scalable solution for improved quality control in cement construction projects.