Abstract

This paper examines the effects of using O2, Ar and He process gasses during the treatment of the ordinary Portland cement (OPC) surface of concrete with a high power diode laser (HPDL). The study revealed that, depending on the shield gas used, distinct difference existed in the surface condition of the concrete after HPDL treatment. In particular, the use of O2 as the shield gas was seen to result in glazes with far fewer microcracks and porosities than those generated with either Ar or He shield gases. Such differences were found to be due to the smaller O2 gas molecules dissolving molecularly into the open structure of the HPDL generated glaze on the OPC surface of concrete and react with the glass network to increase the fluidity of the melt. This is turn was also seen to affect the cooling rate and therefore the tendency to generate microcracks.