Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-x4r87 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T17:33:34.734Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Use Of Backscattered Electron Microscopy And Image Analysis To Study The Porosity Of Cement Paste

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2011

Karen L. Scrivener
Karen L. Scrivener*
Affiliation:
Dept. Materials, Imperial College, London SW7 2BP, England.
Get access

Abstract

In backscattered electron images of polished sections of cement paste pores can be identified down to a size of about 0.05 microns. Moreover, the contrast between pores and the solid phases is sufficient to allow the pores to be distinguished and quantified by an image analyser. There is a good correlation between measures of porosity obtained by this technique and those obtained by methanol absorbtion methods despite the lower limit to resolution.

The bse method can also be used to study the distribution of the porosity in space. However, as only two dimensional sections can be examined, there are difficulties in determining the connectivity by this method. The possibility of using serial section reconstruction is examined and discussed.

Despite the difficulty in relating two dimensional characterisation to three dimensional properties, several techniques have been used with some success for sandstones. Results from these techniques for cement paste are presented and discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 137: Symposium P – Pore Structure and Permeability of Cementitious Materials , 1988 , 129
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1989

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Scrivener, K.L. & Pratt, P.L., ”Characterisation of portland cement hydration by electron optical techniques”, in Electron Microscopy of Materials, edited by Krakow, W., Smith, D.A. and Hobbs, L.W. (Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 31, Pittsburgh, PA 1983) pp. 351–356.Google Scholar
2. Scrivener, K.L. & Pratt, P.L., ”Backscattered electron images of polished cement sections in the scanning electron microscope”, Proc. 6th Int. Conf. on Cement Microscopy, Albuquerque, 145–155 (1984).Google Scholar
3. Winslow, D.N., “The fractal nature of the surface of cement paste”, Cem. & Concr. Res. 15, 817–824, (1985).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4. Scrivener, K.L., Bentur, A. & Pratt, P.L., ”Quantitative characterisation of the transition zone in high strength concretes”, Advances in Cement Research, 1(4), (1988).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5. Scrivener, K.L., Patel, H., Pratt, P.L. & Parrott, L.J. “Analysis of Phases in Cement Paste using Backscattered Electron Images, Methanol Absorption and Thermogravimetric analysis”, pp 67–76 in Microstructural Development During the Hydration of Cement, eds Struble, L.J. and Brown, P.W., Symp. Proc. Mat. Res. Soc. 85, 1987.Google Scholar
6. Patel, H.H., ” ”, PhD Thesis, University of London (1987).Google Scholar
7. Winslow, D.N. & Shi, D., ”Automatic segmentation of digital images by using fuzzy probability”, Civil Engineering Systems, 5, 104–108 (1988).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. Macdonald, I.F., Kaufmann, P. & Dullien, F.A.L., ”Quantitative analysis of finite porous media: I. Development of genus and pore map software”, J. Microsc. 144(3), 277–296 (1986); and “II. Specific genus of cubic lattice models and Berea sandstone”, J. Microsc. 144(3) 297–316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9. Dilks, A. & Graham, S.C., ”Quantitative Mineralogical Characterisation of Sandstones by Backscattered electron image analysis.” J. Sed. Pet. 55(3), 347–355 (1985).Google Scholar
10. Berryman, J.G. & Blair, S.C., ”Use of digital image analysis to estimate fluid permeability of porous materials: Applications of two point correlation function”, J. Appl. Phys. 60(6), 1930–1937 (1986).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11. Serra, J., ”Mathematical Morphology and Image Analysis”, Academic Press (1982).Google Scholar