Application of Rietveld refinement technique to X-ray diffraction analysis of clinker and cement

The Rietveld method is a technique devised by Hugo Rietveld in the nineteen sixties for refining the X-ray diffraction analysis of crystalline materials. The Rietveld method uses a least squares approach to refine a theoretical line profile until it matches the measured profile. The introduction of this technique has been a significant step forward in the diffraction analysis of powder samples of cementitious materials.
The present paper is an attempt to trace the history of development of Rietveld refinement technique and to elaborate the significance of the components of the generalized Rietveld formula, followed by an endeavour to unfold the successes achieved in its application to the offline and on-line XRD analysis in cement plants for process and product quality control.

Author: A.K. Chatterjee

Section: Control of production

Keywords: X-ray diffraction analysis, the Rietveld method, cement, clinker