This work pertains to improving the precision and accuracy of quantitative x-ray diffraction (QXRD) of clinker by undertaking a microscopy-based validation approach. The sample preparation in QXRD was first standardized by pelletizing the powder at high pressure which produced extremely precise phase fraction determinations. The alite and belite phases in the pellet were affected by the preferred orientation effect due to high pressure application. Hence, accuracy validation of the highly precise pellet quantification was performed through microscopic imaging of clinker polished sections. Instead of the traditional point-counting method, the etched polished sections were processed through multi-spectral image analysis algorithms to classify the phase fraction distribution within an image-field. Analysis of several image-fields yielded accurate alite and belite quantification which were then correlated with the alite and belite quantification from the pellet. The authors intend this method as a rapid way of producing accurate and reliable phase fraction information in automated cement quality control, where the microscopy correlation with pellet quantification need to be performed only once for a particular clinker composition.
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