This past week has been super hectic at work. We have many big projects that have been going on that have to get done right and quickly. This last week, I was focusing on helping with Non destructive testing on concrete. These tests included testing the concretes hardness and how well sound travels through the concrete if its struck, which help identify cracks in the concrete. This type of testing is something I haven't experienced in school yet. So, there has been a lot of things to learn. This type of work is something that I normally would think I could do with a geology major. In all reality though, concrete is just another type of rock. In fact one could identify it as an conglomerate or sometimes a breccia depending on the sizes of the aggregate in the concrete. I am learning a lot about the chemical and geological make up of the concrete. Its also fun for me to try to identify the aggregate. The aggregate usually is some form of quartz or feldspar, so a rock type whose majors components are quartz and feldspar.
Making thin sections is another be component of the concrete testing. I already have a good amount of experience making thin section from juniata; but, at RJ Lee making thin section is a lot easier due to a awesome machine that elminates a lot of steps I would normally have to do by hand. Which just saves time. At Juniata it would take me about 4-7 hours making one thin section but at RJ Lee you could make 4-8 thin sections in a day. The record being 13 thin sections in one day. The only thing that is sort of frusterating about making thin section at RJ Lee is the fact that you cannot use water with most concrete samples. One has to use isopar, which is a refined version of kerosine, and oil based diamond pastes. There are pros and cons to each method, but water is generally easier to work with and cheaper.
Overall this past week, though it has been hectic, it has been a great learning experience. Which is what this whole summer is about. I am definently learning that I'd rather be busy then have nothing really to do.
Making thin sections is another be component of the concrete testing. I already have a good amount of experience making thin section from juniata; but, at RJ Lee making thin section is a lot easier due to a awesome machine that elminates a lot of steps I would normally have to do by hand. Which just saves time. At Juniata it would take me about 4-7 hours making one thin section but at RJ Lee you could make 4-8 thin sections in a day. The record being 13 thin sections in one day. The only thing that is sort of frusterating about making thin section at RJ Lee is the fact that you cannot use water with most concrete samples. One has to use isopar, which is a refined version of kerosine, and oil based diamond pastes. There are pros and cons to each method, but water is generally easier to work with and cheaper.
Overall this past week, though it has been hectic, it has been a great learning experience. Which is what this whole summer is about. I am definently learning that I'd rather be busy then have nothing really to do.
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