36th annual conference of the international cement microscopy...

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36th annual conference of the

International Cement Microscopy Association

“Cement-based materials from the atom to the structure”

A the time of non destructive control as well as

ultra-advanced technologies, the proven microscopy

techniques, in the broadest sense, remain key

practices in both fundamental and applied cement

and concrete researchs.

The International Cement Microscopy Association

(ICMA) meetings take place each year since 1978.

Until 2012, every meeting was located in the

United States but the first European ICMA meeting

took place in Halle (Saale), Germany that year and

is now on an alternate basis US/rest of the world.

This year 2014, the 36th

meeting took place in the

beautiful city of Milano, Italy, from the 14th

to the

17th

of april. More than 70 attendees were present,

from more than 20 countries. The conferences were

balanced between purely applied, industrial topics

and more fundamental approaches.

Nowadays, the term “microscopy” does not only

refer to the microstructure in the sense of the

petrographic approach, but to the wide range of

microanalysis available in research centers, both

academic and industrial, and thus the conferences

reflect this range. However, optical microscopy has

still its word to say. For example, following the

famous “Ono’s method”, named after the Japanese

scientist Yoshio Ono, two conferences have

presented historic concretes from Japan in order to

decipher the burning conditions of the clinker.

Several other examples involving heavy

microscopical characterizations under the optical

microscope have been presented and notably

concerning concrete pathologies, such as alkali-

aggregate reaction and delayed ettringite formation.

A hot topic nowadays, the alkali-silica reaction has

been presented and richly illustrated in a talk by

Maarten Broekmans from the geological survey of

Norway, a leading expert in this domain. This

speaker, after reminding us the annual concrete

production (a 1 x 1 km square of ca. 9 km high) has

insisted the resulting societal costs of this concrete

pathology. With such a volume of concrete

produced worldwide, microscopy has definitely still

its word to say.

Thin section of concrete seen using different types of microscopes in order to highlight some of the different contrast methods available.

From the left to the right: optical microscopy, transmitted light, uncrossed polars; optical microscopy, transmitted light, crossed polars;

SEM-BSE false color image, the contrast results here from the chemical composition of the phases. Bright pink dots overlain on the image

correspond to EDX chemical mapping of iron and highlight both, for example, pyrite in the aggregate and iron-rich phases in the cement

paste. The red line is a powder XRD.

Report of Dr. Vincent Thiery on the 36th ICMA conference in Milan, Italy https://sites.google.com/site/vincentthierygeol/home

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It is worth noting that the second edition of the

famous “Concrete Petrography” handbook will be

published this year, as presented by one of its co-

author, A.B. Poole. The tremendous progresses in

sample preparation, analysis and interpretation

since the first edition of this book, which is already

a cornerstone in the world of concrete petrography,

will for sure contribute to its success and will

hopefully promote the use of applied petrography.

SEM, coupled in general with EDS, takes over

when the resolution of optical devices is reached,

and also when there is a need for local chemical

analyses. Fractured samples of cement pastes,

polished sections of aggregates can thus be studied

at higher magnifications. For example, coupled

with XRD to ensure about the nature of hydrates

present in the paste, SEM micrographs are helpful

to characterize the morphology of hydration

products of various cement types. Another forward

step can be done using polished sections in order to

realize EDX/EMPA analyses to get semi-

quantitative/quantitative local chemical analyses as

well as, for some specific applications, EBSD.

SEM on fractured samples allows the identification of cement hydrates according to their morphology. Here, typical strätlingite (hydrated

gehlenite) plates.Width of view 50 micrometers.

Another hot topic, the Rietveld method, used with

XRD to quantify the different phases in a sample, is

now of current practice, as revealed all along

several presentations. This powerful tool allows one

both the quantification but also to provide

crystallographic models, for example of C-S-H.

Nowadays, user friendly softwares can be used to

perform this quantification.

The conference consisted of 3 days of presentation

and one day of visit at the Mapei plant in the

suburbs of Milano, as well as their research center

in Milano. This visit allowed the attendees to

discover the wide range of products manufactured

by Mapei, from the specialized tile binders to the

paintings, as well as ultra-fast setting cements for

shotcrete. In the research center, both mineralogical

(XRD…) and mechanical characterization take

place, with up-to-date facilities as well as specific

testing for the quality control of some products.

To conclude, since the first description in 1887 of

the clinker phases under the microscope by the

French chemist Henry le Châtelier, cement and

concrete microscopy has opened to numerous

techniques of materials characterization. The

classical petrographic approach using the standard

thin section lies at the base of many more advanced

testing but in the case of some concrete pathologies

it is one of the best tools.


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Texture of a Portland clinker under the microscope, reflected light, nital etching.

The conference room at Melia hotel


64 RM International 48/2014

LEFT. The ICMA’s Executive Board at the

36th Congress in Milan, together with some

members of Mapei Group’s Board.

BELOW. Giorgio Squinzi (CEO of the

Mapei Group) and Arturo Nispero, ICMA’s

General Chairman.

The 36th ICMA conferenceThe last edition of the conference of the International Cement Microscopy

Association was held in Milan and co-sponsored by Mapei

With a speech on innovation in materials

for the building industry (see the following

article), Giorgio Squinzi, Mapei Group’s

CEO, opened the proceedings of the thir-

ty-sixth edition of the “ICMA” (International

Cement Microscopy Association) confer-

ence held in Milan (Italy) from the 14th to

the 17th of April 2014, co-sponsored by

Mapei.

ICMA is a non-profit organisation founded

in 1981, with a mission to provide a more

in-depth understanding of the relationship

between the microstructure and perfor-

mance of cementitious materials, from

manufacturing to application, using the

most innovative analytical techniques.

ICMA holds a meeting every year where

discussions are held on practical applica-

tions in cement production plants, new

analytical techniques and approaches

and the very latest research in the field of

construction materials.

Speakers and participants are generally

chemists, sector specialists, petrologists,

technicians, engineers and managers

from the industry, universities, consultancy

companies and government institutions

from all over the world.

The convention was traditionally held on

the American continent until 2012 when,

for the first time, it was organised in Euro-

pe, in Halle, Germany.

During the 35th edition of the conference

held in Chicago, Mapei, after 15 years of

active participation and 18 scientific pa-

pers presented, joined the European Ad-

visory Board and was offered the chance

to become co-sponsor of the event for the

second European edition.

Thanks to the firm conviction of Giorgio

Squinzi and the whole Mapei Group’s

Board that a close collaboration between

the scientific community and industry is

necessary to develop new materials and

improve performance and reduce costs,

the project was accepted and organised

thanks to the intense participation of the

entire Mapei staff.

Twenty countries took part at the event

(Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Can-

ada, China, England, France, Germany,

Holland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, New Zea-

land, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Swit-

zerland, Tunisia and USA) and more than

forty papers were presented.

A research team from the University of

Padua (Italy), working in close contact

with Mapei researchers, made a signifi-

cant contribution in the field of new tech-

nology and innovative analytical methods.

The subjects discussed regarded the

application of X-ray micro-tomography

to the characterisation of the 3D micro-

structure in cement pastes, the use of

nano-dispersion of silicate hydrate for the

solidification and stabilisation of waste

NEWS

and the use of advanced techniques for

the micro-chemical and micro-mineralog-

ical characterisation of clinker relicts from

aged cement composites.

In the session dedicated to practical ap-

plications in cement manufacturing plants,

Mapei presented a paper on the investi-

gation of the effects of chemical grinding

aids on cement milling and separation ef-

ficiency.

Mapei’s contribution to new research in

the field of materials for the building indus-

try discussed the effect of fluorides on the

mechanical strength development of mor-

tar admixed with alkali-free accelerators,

a microscopic analysis of cementitious

tile adhesives and a comparison among

hydraulic binders commonly used in com-

mercial products used in the repair of his-

torical buildings.

The programme for the conference in-

cluded three days of presentations and

a whole day spent visiting Mapei Corpo-

rate Research and Development Centre

and Mapei’s manufacturing plant in Rob-

biano di Mediglia, near Milan, where the

130 participants were given the chance to

discover the vast range of Mapei products

and the various steps that take them from

raw material analysis, formulation right

through to manufacturing.

The event was rounded off with a speech

by Giorgio Squinzi and other members of

the Mapei Group’s Board during a gala

dinner held at Mapei SpA’s headquarters.

36th annual conference of the international cement microscopy...

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