Computed tomography beyond medicine: Applications to the microstructural study of concrete and other engineering materials

Abstract

Computed tomography (CT) scanning is a very powerful technology for microstructural study of materials, as can be checked in the huge amount of papers published in recent years. Beyond its well-known use in medicine, CT scanning has spread to many other scientific fields. Some of them are revised in this work, with particular interest in concrete technology. Among its most relevant applications, its use in paleontology and heritage can be highlighted, in order to analyze the internal structure of fossils and relics without any damage. On the other side, it is also very used in the study of engineering materials, such as metals, composites, asphalt mixtures in pavements, rocks and concrete. In all cases, the data obtained by means of CT-scans is applied to improve the knowledge about the macroscopic response of those materials under any kind of loads, both mechanical and environmental ones. In the specific case of concrete, among its principal applications, the analysis of internal matrix can be noticed, as well as the study of crack patterns and, finally, the study of fiber-reinforced concrete.