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Nanotechnology
in Cement and Concrete Science.
Please
visit the "Cement and Art" section of this
website.
Corrosion of Steel Reinforcement in Concrete.
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 Concrete
is the most widely used construction material in the
world. It can easily be cast into various shapes. Here
is a nice concrete stair beside the Mackenzie bridge
in Ottawa. Due to the de-icing salt that is used in
the winter, rebars are corroded and the rust can be
observed below the stairs. In some severe parts, spalling
has occurred just above the other stairs! This structure
may still have its load bearing capacity but it is not
considered 'safe' by people.
< click to see the
larger size [featured as the cover page of the book entitled "Concrete Repair: A Practical Guide"]
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Instrumentation
in old days of cement and concrete research! |
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The
glove box setup
Extreme care must
be taken when conducting the experiments on cement
samples in order to avoid carbonation of the hydrated
products i.e. calcium hydroxide and C-S-H. Sometimes
maintaining a specific relative humidity is necessary.
In this case, for example in the image, air can be
circulated into the glove box over the vapor pressure
of salt solutions. |
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Thermal
analysis
This is a special
setup for the thermal analysis instrument so
that the sample can be handled in the nitrogen
gas environment. The results for heat flow and
mass change versus temperature were plotted
using a 2-D ruler type of grapher on the paper.
It is now very easy to conduct a thermal analysis
using fully computerized facilities for TGA-DTA
or TGA-DSC. |
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Researcher
I am still amazed
by the quality of the research work in those days.
It is hard to conceive that scientist have made so
many advancements using basic instruments. It brings
a serious responsibility upon us to contribute to
the knowledge as much as possible having access to
the advanced and sophisticated systems. |
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