SEDL / STP / STP143-EB / STP47927S

Applications of Light Microscopy in Concrete Research

Mather, Katharine
Chief, Waterways Experiment Station, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, Jackson, Miss.

Pages: 20    Published: Jan 1953

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Abstract

The applications of light microscopy in concrete research are outgrowths of its applications in petrology, mineralogy, and chemistry, but there is more quantitive emphasis in its use in concrete research than is common in petrology. Metallographic and combined petrographic and metallographic techniques are used to study portland cement. Normal petrographic methods are used to study aggregates and cement-aggregate reactions. Air content and bubble spacing in concrete are investigated by linear traverse and point-count techniques. The use of light microscopy in making comparative studies of the microstructure of concrete is described.