Petrographic Testing For Industrial Stacks
Industrial Access is able to perform petrographic analysis on industrial concrete structures and during industrial chimney inspections to help identify potential deficiencies or to determine the cause of a structural failure.
Cracking and spalling of industrial concrete chimneys are often caused by corrosion of the steel reinforcement bars. There are a number of factors, such as; depth of concrete covering the rebar, depth of carbonation, moisture permeability, and the presence of waterproof coatings, that can affect the speed of corrosion. Performing Petrographic Testing can help determine the cause of premature failure in your chimney structures.
Petrographic analysis identifies chemical & physical irregularities in concrete. By using this type of analysis, we can determine:
- presence of chemical attack
- reactive aggregates
- strength of the material
- mixture proportion estimates (water/cement ratio)
- cement and fly-ash content
- corrosion potential of embedded steel
- degree of carbonation
- aggregate size and distribution
- presence of alkali-aggregate or sulfate reaction
With Petrographic Testing, we are able to diagnose the main cause of failure in a structure, or the extent of cracking, spalling, scaling, dusting, or coating delamination.
If your concrete structure has experienced any of the following problems, it’s a good idea to have a Petrographic analysis performed.
- Surface Scaling
- Delamination
- Aggregate Popouts
- Plastic Shrinkage Cracking
- Corrosion of Reinforcing Steel/Rebar
- Low Strength Test Results
- Chlorides
- Blistering
- Dusting
- Drying Shrinkage Cracking
- Structural Cracking
- D-Cracking
- Cement-Aggregate Reactions
- Discoloration
- Sulfate Attack
- Acid Attack
- Fire Damage
Non Destructive Testing
Non Destructive testing is a method of examining the structural integrity of a chimney or smokestack without causing damage to it. Common NDT tests include Ultrasonic Thickness Testing, Schmidt-Hammer Testing, Laser Surveys, and Hot Camera Inspections.
Contact Industrial Access today to discuss inspection program options that will fit in with your company and facility’s needs. 877-697-9337 | 770-255-1313 – info@industrialaccess.com