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Concrete Products
Combining Field Evaluations
and Petrographic Examinations |
DOMINION CONSULTING, INC. provides field evaluation and petrographic examination services for concrete, masonry, grout, mortar, plaster, stucco, terrazzo, and other similar products.
Our field work assists engineers, contractors, testing laboratories, and architects evaluate possible causes of material distress or inferior product performance. A critical part of the site visit is the selection of sampling locations. If a visit to the site is not practical, we often review electronically transmitted photographs to aid in the sample selection. We understand the stress and expense a failure creates, so we want your samples to be as representative as possible to aide with a timely identification of the problem (ASTM C823).
Your samples are carefully handled upon receipt in the laboratory. It is important to begin the laboratory examination by taking an overall look at the samples with the unaided eye and perhaps a 10X hand-lens. A supervising petrographer familiar with your field problem guides the actual sample preparation process.
A typical preparation consists of sawing and polishing longitudinal cross sections of the samples for study with the unaided eye and a stereo-zoom microscope under 16X to 80X. Overall material composition and fabric are noted. Selected areas may be then be examined in greater detail, if needed, by grinding chips to 0.001-inch-thick (20-25 microns) and analyzing them under a polarizing microscope at 100X to 400X. The binder (matrix) in the transparent chips is then described in detail as to composition and micro-fabric (ASTM C457, ASTM C856 and ASTM C1324).
Our familiarity with the engineering properties of soil and rock, earth construction, and foundation systems allows us to consider microscopic observations in a broader context. We combine field and laboratory understanding with your first hand knowledge and expertise to arrive at a comprehensive evaluation of the problem. |
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1908 2nd Street