We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to browse this site you agree to our use of cookies. More info.
It is widely accepted that concrete is the most pervasive and versatile building material on the planet. While the recipe is fundamentally simple — air, water, cement and aggregate — the additions and alternative compositions of the recipe can produce infinite kinds of concrete.
Having the knowledge that concrete has the capacity to withstand the forces that will be acting upon it in a given application is key to the success of any construction process using this dynamic material.
The process of making cement is initiated when limestone is quarried and crushed. Clay and sand are introduced into the mix, which is then ground and processed through a kiln. What is pulled from the kiln is known as ‘clinker,’ which is then cooled, crushed and mixed with gypsum to create the Portland cement that is widely used around the world.
Click here to read 'Metallurgic Analysis of Concrete'
It may seem counter-productive to analyze the clinker – which is an intermediate product in the cement-making process – and not the final Portland cement, but there are a number of valid reasons for doing so.
Portland cement powder is extremely fine and much harder to analyze metallographically, whereas clinker is a rock-like, solid material that is well-suited to such analysis. It also enables continuous monitoring of the cement-making process, facilitating real-time adjustments as necessary.
Finally, analysis of the clinker before it is reduced to cement offers a good estimation of the final cement product’s quality. This means that defective batches can be easily rejected rather than being turned into sub-par cement, saving both time and money.
LECO’s Metallurgist, Steve Reilly, goes into fine detail on best practices for conducting a metallographic analysis of cement clinkers in an on-demand webinar.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by LECO Corporation.
For more information on this source, please visit LECO Corporation.
Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:
LECO Corporation. (2022, May 03). A Metallurgic Analysis of Concrete. AZoM. Retrieved on May 14, 2022 from https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=21537.
LECO Corporation. "A Metallurgic Analysis of Concrete". AZoM. 14 May 2022. <https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=21537>.
LECO Corporation. "A Metallurgic Analysis of Concrete". AZoM. https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=21537. (accessed May 14, 2022).
LECO Corporation. 2022. A Metallurgic Analysis of Concrete. AZoM, viewed 14 May 2022, https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=21537.
Do you have a question you'd like to ask regarding this article?
AZoM speaks with Dr. Nicola Ferralis from MIT about his research that has developed a low-cost process of creating carbon fibers from hydrocarbon pitch. This research could lead to the large-scale use of carbon fiber composites in industries that have thus far been limited.
In this interview, AZoM speaks with Marco Enger, Senior Tribologist from GGB, to discuss how nano fillers affect transfer films within tribological systems.
Ahead of their talk on green chemistry and profitability in laboratory research at ChemUK 2022, AZoM spoke with Jacqueline Balian from Gambica and Martyn Fordman from Asynt about encouraging sustainability in the chemical industry.
COXEM's CP-8000+ is a powerful cross section polishing tool that uses an argon ion beam to allow precise, advanced sample preparation. Its state-of-the-art technology means the sample is not deformed and does not suffer any kind of physical damage.
This product profile outlines the Evolution™ Pro UV-Vis Spectrophotometers from Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Extrel’s all-new MAX300-RTG 2.0 is the real-time industrial gas analyzer now redesigned with a touch screen.
AZoM.com - An AZoNetwork Site
Owned and operated by AZoNetwork, © 2000-2022