Evaluate your concrete with a variety of tests
Petrography offers in-depth evaluation of your concrete so you can feel confident in the quality, reliability, and structural integrity of the material itself and all projects utilizing it. Trust us to use a variety of methodologies to investigate your concrete’s characteristics and ensure proper usage.
Find out more about our variety of tests
- Alkali-Silica Reactivity
- Chloride Ion Content
- Cracking investigation
- Degree of Hydration
- Depth of Carbonation
- Estimated Water Content Ratio
- Full Petrographic Examination
- Hardened Air Void Analysis (ASTM C457)
What can a Petrographer do for you?
Conduct quality assurance by verifying:
- Compressive strength
- Unit weight
- Air content
Identify improper construction practices in:
- Mixing
- Placement
- Finishing
- Curing
Determine causes of premature failure and long-term deterioration of concrete, through testing:
- Air void system
- Alkali-silica reactivity (ASR)
- Depth of carbonation
- Chloride ion content
- At the surface and depth of the rebar
- Compressive strength
- Unit weight
- Water/cement ratio
Hardened Air Void Analysis (ASTM C457)
Air voids, an important component of concrete, are dispersed uniformly throughout the concrete to improve durability and workability. Air voids improve durability by increasing freeze-thaw and scaling resistance. Air voids improve workability by reducing bleeding and segregation.
Chloride ion content
Testing is often conducted to determine the amount of chloride ions (typically from deicing salts) on the surface of the damaged concrete.
Cracking investigation
Unexplained cracking often requires a visual inspection or sampling of cores to determine potential causes.
Degree of hydration
Concrete hydration occurs when the paste hardens and gains strength. The degree of hydration is dependent on curing temperature, age, curing conditions (available of water), and water-cement ratio of the concrete.
Depth of carbonation
Carbonation is a type of concrete distress that occurs when carbon dioxide from the air interacts with the concrete resulting in a reduction the pH of the concrete.
Estimated water-cement ratio
The water-cement (w/c) ratio of concrete is a large indicator of compressive strength and durability.
Full Petrographic examination
Often determining the quality of the concrete and potential causes of concrete distress requires a full petrographic examination, combination of petrographic techniques. This technique can include macroscopic testing, microscopic testing, and/or chemical testing.
