Multi-scale metrology of concrete surface morphology: Fundamentals and specificity

• Fundamentals of metrology of concrete surface morphology were presented.
• Fundamental scales of metrology of concrete morphology were elucidated.
• Epistemology, etymological and the semantic context were discussed.
• Fundamental approaches to concrete 3D morphology measurement were proposed.
• The selection of the most relevant 3D roughness parameters is an key open problem.

Nowadays the interest in esthetical and functional aspects of concrete surfaces has considerably increased. To reach a desired functionality and level of durability of constructed and existing concrete structures, proper and improved descriptors of physical-chemical and morphological states are needed. The proper generation, treatment and characteristics of concrete surface are an important stages in building and renovation of architectural structures. Moreover, due to the complexity of heterogeneous concrete materials, the multi-scale and multi-physics approaches are discussed. The needs of specific algorithms and methods useful for the measurement and characterization of a heterogeneous concrete surface, and therefore its complexity, is demonstrated.