Welcome to RJ Lee Group Materials Insights!
The articles on this page represent a renewed endeavor among our multi-disciplinary scientific staff, providing a technical resource to our clients (existing and prospective) on a wide variety of materials behavior. Each internally peer-reviewed article is written by RJLG scientific staff based on our knowledge, training, and experience serving the analytical and consultative needs of diverse industries, both domestically and internationally. We acknowledge that the topics discussed here are frequently more complex and nuanced than can be covered in a short article, but it is our hope that the information provided will prove useful to the reader in understanding an array of materials phenomena, and convey some of the breadth and depth of knowledge and experience that RJLG applies to industrial problem solving and root cause analysis. New topics will be added on a regular basis so check back frequently or sign up for RJLG Materials Insights alerts.
We invite you to call 1.800.860.1775 for more information, or to get in contact with one of our scientific staff who can assist you in your project. We hope you enjoy this resource and find it useful.
Matthew J. Perricone, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator and Technical Consulting Group Manager
- PThe reader should note that the summary descriptions presented in each article are offered for educational purposes only and no warranty (express or implied) is given on the applicability of this information to any component, material, application, or product. The articles are not intended to be a complete dissertation on the subject topic and the reader is encouraged to contact RJ Lee Group for consultation regarding individual applications, materials, or situations.
Advanced Technology: Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS)
Mass spectrometry is a critical component of many analytical techniques used for the identification and quantification of organic compounds in a wide variety of sample matrices from both environmental and industrial sources. The...
Testing Concrete for Chloride Penetration
One of the most common causes of structural concrete deterioration is corrosion of the reinforcing steel within the concrete member. Engineers dealing with concrete exposed to chlorides are likely asked to answer these questions: How resistant is the concrete to...
Nuisance Dust Damage Claims
Nuisance Dust Damage Claims A broad spectrum of industrial operations, naturally occurring sources, and vehicular emissions has the potential to generate particulate that – if not properly contained – can be cause for environmental or health concerns. A combination of...
The Characterization Advantage of Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) Microscopy
Written By: Christopher M. Hefferan, Ph.D Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) microscopy is a characterization technique used with scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) for determination of crystallographic information present in both metal and mineral samples....
Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) of Concrete with UPV
Written By: Eric R. Giannini, Ph.D., P.E. Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) is an acoustic non-destructive test (NDT) method most often used to evaluate the relative quality, or uniformity, of concrete structures, and to identify the presence of internal flaws such as...
Predicting the Thermal Maturity of Shale
Written by: Jason Lupoi, Ph.D. Geochemists exploring potential hydrocarbon production from source rock must be able to accurately predict the type and relative abundance of each type of hydrocarbon that is present prior to investing resources in the material’s...
Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) of Concrete with Impact-Echo
Impact-echo is an acoustic non-destructive test (NDT) method developed by Sansalone and Carino1 in the 1980s for flaw detection in plate-like concrete structures, such as bridge decks, walls, and slabs. Internal flaws such as cracks, voids, honeycombing, and...
Environmental Stress Cracking in Plastics
Environmental stress cracking (ESC) is a well-documented phenomenon in plastic/polymer components and can occur when a polymer component is exposed to an aggressive chemical agent while under tensile stress, whether residual or applied. Also referred to as...
Iron Sulfides in Concrete
Oxidation of Iron Sulfide Minerals Iron sulfides are accessory minerals found in a variety of rock types, with pyrite (FeS2) and pyrrhotite (Fe1-xS) (x = 0 to 0.2), being most common. Under some conditions, these minerals can undergo oxidation reactions that have the...
Alkali-Silica Reaction
What is Alkali-Silica Reaction? Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) is a common cause of premature concrete deterioration, resulting in expansion and cracking of concrete elements. ASR is a chemical reaction between alkali hydroxides in the pore solution of concrete and...
Stress Corrosion Cracking
What Is Stress Corrosion Cracking? Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is an environmentally-driven failure mechanism that can be found in metal alloys of all types including pure metals, though pure copper is thought to be immune to SCC. Ceramics and polymers also...