Cluster algorithm for the evaluation of heterogeneous materials by LIBS
- The laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a fast method to provide multi-elemental analysis of any sample. At the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) the LIBS technique is applied on building materials to measure ingress profiles of harmful species like chloride and alkalis. The ingress depth and the quantitative amount is important for the evaluation of the potential for damage processes like the alkali-silica reaction or chloride-induced corrosion. Concrete as an example is a highly heterogeneous material with 1/7 cement (major component CaO) and 6/7 aggregates (SiO2) with different grain sizes. Due to a scanning procedure a two dimensional element distribution of a concrete surface can be measured. In order to have an automated Separation method to evaluate heterogeneous materials, different cluster algorithm have been tested. Best results have been achieved with the Expectation-Maximization-Algorithm (EM-Algorithm).