Petrographic Methods of Examining Hardened Concrete: A Petrographic Manual. Revised 2004

Abstract

This manual provides a comprehensive discussion of equipment and techniques that have been found useful in performing petrographic examinations of hardened concrete and its constituent materials. It includes an introduction and chapters on equipment; general initial procedures; cracks; preparation of specimens; voids (including determination of the air-void system); determination of volumetric proportions of constituents; examination with the stereomicroscope; the water-cementitious materials ratio; alkali-aggregate reactions; cementitious materials; and examinations with the petrographic, polarizing/epifluorescence, and scanning electron microscopes. An extensive reading list, glossary, and five appendixes are included.