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Author
Stutzman, P. E.
Title
Serial Sectioning of Hardened Cement Paste for Scanning Electron Microscopy.
Coporate
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
Report
NISTIR 90-4235, March 1990, 23 p.
Distribution
Available from National Technical Information Service
Keywords
backscattered electron imaging | cement paste | Knoop identification | microstructure | polishing | serial sectioning | scanning electron microscopy
Abstract
Serial sectioning is a technique of making and examining thin sections of material to obtain information on three-dimensional structures from a series of two-dimensional images. Procedures were developed to make serial sections of hardened cement paste by the removal of thin layers by polishing. Backscattered electron imaging of the remaining paste block was used to record the paste microstructure after each section was removed. Procedures developed cover the polishing practice, the removal of thin layers by polishing, the estimation of layer thickness, and the location and alignment of specific regions for imaging.