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Multi-Modal Characterization of Aggregates in Concrete via EDS and Raman Imaging

The potential extension of the lifetime of nuclear power plants has cultivated an interest in the long-term aging behaviour of materials such as concrete. Since concrete is a complex material and its properties evolve with time, the effect of prolonged radiation exposure is of high interest and needs to be understood. Cracking and radiation-induced volumetric expansion (RIVE)(Le Pape et al., 2020) of the mineral components in aggregates occur as a result of neutron radiation and depends on several factors including the chemical nature and mineralogical characteristics of the aggregates such as composition, crystallinity, grain size, and phase distribution.

Product Number: ED22-17288-SG
Author: Krishna C. Polavaram, Elena Tajuelo Rodriguez, Amani Cheniour, Yann Le Pape, Nishant Garg
Publication Date: 2022
$20.00
$20.00
$20.00

Aging nuclear infrastructures prompt the need for accurately characterizing radiation damage in various structural components of a nuclear power plant, including concrete. The most significant damage, from neutron radiation, occurs in siliceous aggregates and thus granite is a target rock for understanding radiation damage.
Typical granite contains a complex mixture of minerals, and their identification is not straightforward. Previous approaches for obtaining phase compositions have relied on methods like optical petrography and electron microscopy, which often require laborious sample preparation procedures, in addition to stochiometric assumptions, which are ineffective in detecting polymorphs of the same mineral. In this study, we formulate a custom confocal Raman imaging protocol which allows direct mapping of mineral polymorphs on surfaces of unprepared samples, ensuing in high-fidelity and high-resolution mineral phase maps. Specifically, we demonstrate an accurate analytical methodology for mineral identification that can be applied to any multiphase system that is heterogenous.

Aging nuclear infrastructures prompt the need for accurately characterizing radiation damage in various structural components of a nuclear power plant, including concrete. The most significant damage, from neutron radiation, occurs in siliceous aggregates and thus granite is a target rock for understanding radiation damage.
Typical granite contains a complex mixture of minerals, and their identification is not straightforward. Previous approaches for obtaining phase compositions have relied on methods like optical petrography and electron microscopy, which often require laborious sample preparation procedures, in addition to stochiometric assumptions, which are ineffective in detecting polymorphs of the same mineral. In this study, we formulate a custom confocal Raman imaging protocol which allows direct mapping of mineral polymorphs on surfaces of unprepared samples, ensuing in high-fidelity and high-resolution mineral phase maps. Specifically, we demonstrate an accurate analytical methodology for mineral identification that can be applied to any multiphase system that is heterogenous.