Evaluation of aggregate gradation in lightweight concrete via image processing

The present work presents a means of evaluating the particle size distribution of aggregates on hardened concretes via an image processing based technique. Such a technique may be employed to the reconstitution of hardened concrete composition, which is a matter of interest concerning, specially, lightweight aggregate concretes. This work presents the results obtained by applying the proposed methodology to synthetic experiments and to pictures taken from lightweight aggregate concrete samples.

▸ We propose an image based technique to analyze gradation in lightweight concretes. ▸ The technique allows the reconstitution of hardened concrete composition. ▸ There is a correlation between the identified and the actual gradations. ▸ Synthetic and actual images of concrete were analyzed. ▸ The obtained curves were quite close to the actual distributions.