Sampling approach for quantitative microscopic investigation of concrete through planar and spatial measurements Available to Purchase

A statistical sampling iterative approach has been developed for selection of sample size in quantitative microscopic analysis of concrete microcracks. The process involves division of the concrete system between different sub-regions, with rather uniform damage condition within each sub-region as well as coring each sub-region. The proposed scheme established the variability of key quantified microcrack characteristics, and employed statistical criteria to develop methodologies for assessing the adequacy of the number of sub-regions across the structure and the number of samples (cylindrical cores) extracted from each sub-region. Criteria were also developed for determining the statistical significance of the differences between measurements of different sub-regions. The quantified characteristics of the concrete microcrack system covered both planar (two-dimensional) and spatial (three-dimensional) features; stereological aspects were employed to derive spatial characteristics using planar measurements.