LAFARGE
Images of nanomatter

The porosity of concretes
The rate of porosity of concrete gives the material some of its qualities: smooth appearance, a capacity for thermal insulation, durability and strength…
The porosity of concretes
… resembling a road network, the microstructure of concrete reveals the secret of the connections between all the components which determine its properties.
Technologies in the hearth of materials
With concrete formulas sometimes requiring anything up to 15 components, an empirical approach has become impossible to maintain. Ultra-sophisticated technologies allow to go in the hearth of materials…
Unpolished concrete magnified 5,000 times
… and nanotechnologies in the realm of materials allow to investigate the variables in this way. Today the future is being invented through new technologies!
A polished concrete magnified 1,000 times
Here the cement is well hydrated and the elements are well distributed. In white: cement particles. In black: voids in the material. In gray: mixtures of sand and hydrated cement.
Porous polished concrete magnified 1,000 times
In white: a large, poorly hydrated cement particle is surrounded by numerous voids. The material is fragile.
Sound polished concrete magnified 1,000 times
The cement is better hydrated and the components are well distributed.
Polished Ductal® magnified 1,000 times
The image shows the density of Ductal®: the lightest areas are the densest, and the darkest areas the least dense.