Use of computed tomography scan technology to explore the porosity of concrete: Scientific possibilities and technological limitations

Abstract

This paper shows the scientific possibilities of computed tomography for the study of concrete porosity. The enormous technological advances in computed tomography equipment used in materials research, with increasingly higher energy, better resolution and smaller pixel size will allow, in the near future, viewing pore sizes that are currently unthinkable, competing in resolution with the traditional techniques of mercury porosimetry and nitrogen adsorption. The challenge at that time (and to a lesser extent today) will be how to extract as much information as possible from the large amount of data provided by computed tomography equipment. In this article, through the study of six cubic specimens of 40 mm sides, different techniques of extraction and presentation of the information are shown, which help us to better understand the characterization of the morphology and distribution of the pores inside the concrete matrix. This information is essential to understand some of the macroscopic responses of the concrete.