Patent ID: 6023170
Filing Date: 2000-02-08
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A method for determining the degree of hardening of a hardenable material comprising the step of:determining the complex electrical permittivity of the hardenable material at various instants in time by determining both:i) the ratio .di-elect cons.""(t=0)/.di-elect cons.""(t) of the imaginary part, .di-elect cons.""(t), of the complex electrical permittivity .di-elect cons.'(t)-j.di-elect cons.""(t) at a reference instant in time t=0 and at an instant in time t, andii) the ratio .di-elect cons.'max/.di-elect cons.'(t) of the maximum value of the real part of the complex electrical permittivity .di-elect cons.'max over the time interval t=0 to t and the real part of the complex electrical permittivity .di-elect cons.'(t) at the instant in time t, as a measure of the strength of the hardenable material at an instant in time t,wherein the measurements are taken at frequencies between 1 MHz and 17 GHZ.