Aplicación de la Tomografía Axial Computerizada de Rayos X al estudio de materiales rocosos

Abstract

Samples of the Laspra dolomite used as a building material in the Cathedral of Oviedo, have been subjected to freezing-thawing cycles, with the aim of assessing the applicability of XRay computed tomography to the study of the textural characteristics of rocks and the inner damage due to weathering processes. The samples have been externally observed by binocular magnifying microscope after each performed cycle, and fissures were visible in the fourth cycle. The XRay tomography has provided a precise information of the developed fractographic network inside the specimens, this being associated to the boundary between two texturally different zones. Due to the “Non-destructive” character of the X-ray tomography, its utility in the inner study of rock materials has been assessed, and can be used not only to detect fissures inside the rock, but to know their distribution and development in relation to the rock texture.