X-ray microtomography: Application to microstructure analysis of a cementitious material during leaching process

Leaching of cementitious materials leads to an increase in porosity, which has important consequences on transport and mechanical properties. The present study outlines the characterization of microstructural evolution in a mortar subjected to a chemical attack, by means of a powerful non-intrusive experimental method, namely synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography. This innovative method is used to measure the variation of porosity in a leached mortar. Having described the effects of leaching in mortar (influences on microstructure and on mechanical properties), we present the accelerated leaching process and the microtomographic analysis that have been used to monitor it. We then investigate the capacity of this method to quantify the evolution of porosity during the leaching process. The method is validated by comparison of the results obtained with data available in the literature.