Petrography

Materials Petrography is a very important field amongst materials investigations techniques.  It employs both low power and high power microscopic techniques to identify microscopic constituents of materials in order to classify them.  Materials petrography allows scientists to observe or enhance the details of materials that are not visible or clearly discernible with the naked eye.  Petrographic techniques can be applied to a wide range of materials used in the construction industry including aggregate, concrete, rock, stone, brick, blockwork, artificial tiles, cement, mortar, bituminous mixtures, thickness and number of  paint layers, etc…

The experienced petrographer can identify in most cases, the components and proportions of original mixes, the presence of secondary deposits and/or alteration products and the presence of deleterious constituents or features that can affect the durability of the materials.  This includes microcracks otherwise invisible to the naked eye.