When
May 23, 2024
Time
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST
Contact Hours
1
Location Online - Course
One Hour Webinar
Description
The Virginia LTAP, in partnership with the Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC), the research leg of VDOT, invites you to join us for a one-hour lunch and learn event. This new series will showcase VTRC’s transportation innovation and research.
These monthly, one-hour events will take place at various locations across the Commonwealth from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. You may join remotely via Zoom or attend in-person. Lunch will be provided for those who attend in-person. Those attending in-person will also receive some swag.
Raman spectroscopy has been used for the characterization of a variety of cementitious materials for nearly 50 years. However, hyperspectral mapping or Raman imaging is a relatively new technique that produces phase maps or spectral images of sample surfaces by collecting a Raman spectrum on every pixel.
Over the last 10 years, the capabilities of Raman imaging have significantly improved, primarily due to hardware and software advancements in the Raman confocal microscopes and spectrometers.
In this talk, I will outline recent applications of Raman imaging on construction materials and discuss opportunities as well as challenges. Specifically, Raman imaging allows highly accurate and precise mineral mapping of heterogenous ingredients of concrete (ranging from traditional aggregates to modern, blended cements). By collecting high-resolution (µm scale) and large-area (mm scale) Raman images of diverse systems, my group has recently demonstrated mineral quantification in complex phase assemblages.
In addition, most recently, we have also shown how this technique can be exploited to obtain phase-specific Particle Size Distributions (PSDs) in blended cements which are key for predicting myriad concrete properties such as workability, strength, and durability.
Instructor
Nishant Garg
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois.
Nishant Garg is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 2018. He completed his Postdoctoral research at Princeton University (2016-2018) and obtained his Ph.D. in Nanoscience at Aarhus University, Denmark in 2015. At Illinois, his research group focuses on the characterization and chemistry of construction materials, and is supported by agencies such as the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), US Department of Energy (DOE), National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). In 2021, he was awarded the Stephen Brunauer Award from the Cements Division of the American Ceramic Society.
Registration and Payment
The following registration fees cover the session, all course materials and meals:
Free
Click here for UVA TTA's general registration information, cancellation policy, and refund policy. UVA TTA accepts the following credit cards: American Express, VISA, MasterCard, and Discover. Credit card information cannot be taken over the phone. Alternatively, after registering you can print out a voucher to send in with your payment. After you have completed the transaction you will receive an automatically generated email confirming registration and payment if applicable. Final confirmation and instructions will be sent out during the week prior to the class date.
Special Registration Instructions for Employees of the Virginia Department of Transportation
VDOT employees must register through the VDOT Virtual Campus. Registration fees and related expenses for all VDOT employees will be paid from the VDOT Learning Services Center budget. Registrants should contact their District Training Coordinator or the VDOT Learning Services Center (Central Office employees) for instructions on how to seek reimbursement for travel expenses.
Due to current travel restrictions, VDOT employees are strongly encouraged to attend U. Va. TTA workshops on a day trip basis. Overnight travel requires permission from your District Administrator or Chief -- and in some cases higher levels of authority. If you require overnight lodging to attend a U. Va. TTA workshop, consult with your supervisor, District Training Coordinator, or VDOT Learning Services Center on travel approval procedures.