Cement Manufacturing
Cement Practice
Scanning Electron Microscopy of Cement and Concrete
Using scanning electron microscopy to answer questions about cement and concrete that other methods cannot.
- Duration
- 5 days
- Contact hours
- 30
- Level
- Intermediate
- Fee from
- US$1,500
Overview
Electron microscopy resolves questions routine testing can only infer: what a hydration product actually looks like, whether an aggregate reaction has occurred, why a clinker burned badly. This week covers sample preparation, which is where most of the quality of the eventual image is decided, imaging modes and what each shows, microanalysis and its quantification, and interpretation of cement and concrete microstructures. Artefacts are given their own session, because a preparation artefact confidently interpreted is worse than no analysis.
Who should attend
Laboratory managers and microscopists, research and development staff, quality engineers investigating failures, and concrete technologists and forensic investigators.
What you will be able to do
- Prepare cement and concrete samples without destroying what you came to see.
- Select imaging modes appropriate to the question.
- Carry out and interpret microanalysis.
- Identify hydration products, clinker phases and deterioration features.
- Recognise preparation and imaging artefacts.
How it is taught
Short input, then work, across 5 days of roughly 6 teaching hours each. Exercises run on situations delegates bring rather than on a case study written for a different organisation. Cohorts are capped so that everybody is asked something.
Available as classroom, live online, in house.
Programme outline
Day 1
Preparation
- Sectioning, impregnation and polishing
- Drying methods, and what each does to the microstructure
- Coating and charging
Day 2
Imaging
- Secondary and backscattered electron imaging
- Contrast, resolution and magnification choice
- Image acquisition settings
Day 3
Microanalysis
- Energy dispersive spectroscopy
- Quantification and its limits in porous material
- Element mapping
Day 4
Interpretation
- Clinker phases and burning history
- Hydration products and degree of hydration
- Alkali silica reaction, ettringite and carbonation features
Day 5
Artefacts
- Drying cracks and preparation damage
- Beam damage
- Reporting with appropriate caution
What you leave with
- Prepared and imaged samples of your own.
- A microanalysis interpretation.
- An artefact reference set.
Dates and fees
| Dates | Location | Format | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 to 27 November 2026 | Cairo, Egypt | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 30 November 2026 to 4 December 2026 | Nairobi, Kenya | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 7 to 11 December 2026 | Lagos, Nigeria | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 14 to 18 December 2026 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Classroom | US$1,500 |
Fees are per delegate and cover tuition, all programme materials and the certificate. Travel, accommodation and visas are arranged by the delegate. Registration closes two weeks before a programme starts.
Certificate
A GATI certificate recording what was attended, issued after the programme has run and attendance has been taken. Attending at least 80 per cent of the days earns a certificate of completion; attending less earns a certificate of attendance stating exactly what was attended. Every certificate carries a code that anybody can check against GATI's own record.
It records participation. and GATI does not claim one it does not hold.