Concrete petrography

As the most widely used building material in the world, concrete is unequaled for its versatility and utility in modern construction. However, numerous aspects of the construction process can lead to problems such as inadequate strength, cracking at early ages, slab surface defects, premature deterioration in aggressive environments, and progressive deterioration from mechanisms such as alkali-silica reaction. For more than 50 years concrete petrography has served as an effective tool for troubleshooting concrete performance in North America, Europe and beyond. This paper reviews some of the basic principles and aspects of this practice.

Author: D. Rothstein

Section: Concrete

Keywords: concrete, petrography, the stereomicroscope, the petrographic microscope, the scanning electron microscope