TY - JOUR A1 - Gottlieb, Cassian A1 - Gojani, Ardian A1 - Völker, Tobias A1 - Günther, Tobias A1 - Gornushkin, Igor B. A1 - Wilsch, Gerd A1 - Günster, Jens T1 - Investigation of grain sizes in cement-based materials and their influence on laser-induced plasmas by shadowgraphy and plasma imaging T2 - Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy N2 - The effect of particle grain sizes in different cement-based mixtures on the laser-induced plasma evolution is studied using two experimental methods: (i) temporal and spatial evolution of the laser-induced shock wave is investigated using shadowgraphy and two-dimensional plasma imaging, and (ii) temporal and spatial distribution of elements in the plasma is investigated using two-dimensional spectral imaging. This study is motivated by the interest in applying laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for chemical analysis of concrete, and subsequently obtain information related to damage assessment of structures like bridges and parking decks. The distribution of grain sizes is of major interest in civil engineering as for making concrete different aggregate grain sizes defined by a sieving curve (64mm to 0.125 mm) are needed. Aggregates up to a size of 180 μm can be excluded from the data set, therefore only the amount of small aggregates with a grain size below 180 μm must be considered with LIBS. All components of the concrete with a grain size smaller than 0.125mm are related to the flour grain content. Tested samples consisted of dry and hardened cement paste (water-cement ratio w/z=0.5), which served as a reference. Aggregate mixtures were made by adding flour grains (size 40 μm) and silica fume (size 0.1 μm) in different ratios to cement: 10%, 30%, 50% and 60%, all combined to the remaining percentage of dry or hydrated cement. The visualization results show that a dependance in the evolution of the plasma as a function of sample grain size can be detected only in the initial stages of the plasma formation, that is, at the initial 3 μs of the plasma life. Spectral information reveals the elemental distribution of the silicon and calcium in plasma, in both neutral and ionized form. Here also, a significant effect is observed in the first 1 μs of the plasma lifetime. PB - Elsevier B.V. KW - LIBS KW - Cement-based materials KW - Particle size KW - Shadowgraphy KW - Plasma imaging PY - 2020 UR - https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-bam/frontdoor/index/index/docId/50319 AN - OPUS4-50319 VL - 165 SP - 105772 AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany