Thin Sectioning Equipment for Multi-Disciplinary Research in Engineering and the Geosciences

用于工程和地球科学多学科研究的薄切片设备

• 批准号: EP/F027117/1
• 负责人: Debra Phillips
• 金额: $ 23.82万
• 依托单位: Queen's University Belfast
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2008 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FF027117%2F1
• 关键词: Thin; Sectioning; Equipment; Multi; Disciplinary

SummaryThin sectioning of soil, geological and engineering materials is an important investigative tool. Within Queen's University Belfast (QUB), for example, it is already used to study 1) contamination in soil, 2) weathering and durability of natural rocks and stone and other materials such as concrete used in construction, 3) geomaterials in a forensic context and 4) to characterise across a wide range of both traditional and novel engineering materials. Increasingly, thin and polished sections are also examined by electron microscopy, both for fabric analysis using backscatter and chemically using EDS (energy dispersive x-ray analysis). Advances in X-ray diffraction also allow the mapping and quantification of surface and near surface mineralogy by multiple spot analyses across polished surfaces. Thin and polished sections are thus an extremely effective cross-disciplinary tool that is not only invaluable in its traditional format, but has the potential to unlock a range of additional analyses. It is for these reasons that it features strongly in the arsenal of techniques already employed in the engineering and geoscience research at QUB. In both laboratories, the present equipment is serviceable, but is reaching the end of its working life and in some instances is not amenable to the wider research goals. The success of the two research groups has, for example, not simply demanded more thin sections but has also required the development of new techniques for increasing non-traditional materials. The request is not, therefore, for a direct replacement, but for the opportunity to upgrade facilities. To automate where possible, but also to develop techniques and protocols for the impregnation of structurally weak and often chemically complex materials in a manner that facilitates quantitative analysis of morphology, chemistry and, where appropriate, mineralogy. The bid is also designed specifically to synergistically build on the expertise available in the two research groups by concentrating impregnation development in Engineering and the mechanics of section preparation in Geography. The intention is also that this will cement strong research links between the two groups that already exist through joint EPSRC funding and further strengthen their focus on interdisciplinary solutions for a range of applied and theoretical issues. The recent appointments of Dr. Phillips who is a micromorphologist and environmental engineer and Dr. McKinley who is a geologist and spatial analyst have stimulated a requirement for taking thin and polished section analysis beyond existing capabilities in the Schools of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering; and Geography Archaeology and Paleoecology at QUB. Additionally, this new state-of-the-art thin sectioning equipment will allow QUB to become a regional facility for making thin sections of a variety of materials.

土壤、地质和工程材料的薄片切片是一种重要的研究工具。例如，在贝尔法斯特女王大学(QUB)，它已经被用来研究1)土壤污染，2)天然岩石和石材以及其他材料(如建筑中使用的混凝土)的风化和耐久性，3)法医背景下的岩土材料，以及4)各种传统和新型工程材料的特征。越来越多的薄片和抛光切片也通过电子显微镜进行检查，既可以使用反向散射进行织物分析，也可以使用EDS(能量色散X射线分析)进行化学分析。X射线衍射技术的进步也使得通过对抛光表面进行多点分析来绘制和量化表面和近表面矿物学成为可能。因此，薄片和抛光切片是一种极其有效的跨学科工具，不仅在其传统格式中是无价的，而且有可能解锁一系列额外的分析。正是出于这些原因，它在昆士兰州立大学的工程和地球科学研究中已经采用的各种技术中占据了重要地位。在这两个实验室中，目前的设备是可以使用的，但其工作寿命即将结束，在某些情况下不符合更广泛的研究目标。例如，这两个研究小组的成功不仅需要更多的薄片，还需要开发增加非传统材料的新技术。因此，这一请求不是为了直接更换，而是为了有机会升级设施。在可能的情况下实现自动化，但也要制定技术和方案，以便以便于对形态、化学和适当的矿物学进行定量分析的方式浸渍结构薄弱且往往是化学复杂的材料。该招标还专门设计，通过集中工程浸渍开发和地理学部分准备的机械技术，协同加强两个研究小组现有的专业知识。其目的还在于，这将巩固两个小组之间通过EPSRC联合资助已经存在的强有力的研究联系，并进一步加强他们对一系列应用和理论问题的跨学科解决方案的关注。菲利普斯博士是一名微地貌学家和环境工程师，麦金利博士是一名地质学家和空间分析师，最近的任命刺激了对规划、建筑和土木工程学院以及昆士兰大学地理考古和古生态学院现有能力之外的薄层和精致切片分析的需求。此外，这种新的最先进的薄片切割设备将使QUB成为制造各种材料薄片的地区性设施。

项目成果

Changing climate, changing process: implications for salt transportation and weathering within building sandstones in the UK

气候变化、过程变化：对英国建筑砂岩中盐输送和风化的影响

• DOI: 10.1007/s12665-013-2278-2
• 发表时间: 2013
• 期刊: Environmental Earth Sciences
• 影响因子: 2.8
• 作者: McCabe S

Distribution of uranium and thorium in dolomitic gravel fill and shale saprolite.

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2014.11.046
• 发表时间: 2015-03
• 期刊: Journal of hazardous materials
• 影响因子: 13.6
• 作者: D. Phillips;D. Watson

Spatial characterization of salt accumulation in early stage limestone weathering using probe permeametry

• DOI: 10.1002/esp.2050
• 发表时间: 2011-03-01
• 期刊: EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
• 影响因子: 3.3
• 作者: Buj, O.;Gisbert, J.;Smith, B.
• 通讯作者: Smith, B.

Formation of Soluble Mercury Oxide Coatings: Transformation of Elemental Mercury in Soils.

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b00263
• 发表时间: 2015-10
• 期刊: Environmental science & technology
• 影响因子: 11.4
• 作者: Carrie L. Miller;D. Watson;B. Lester;J. Howe;D. Phillips;Feng He;L. Liang;E. Pierce

Integrating petrography, mineralogy and hydrochemistry to constrain the influence and distribution of groundwater contributions to baseflow in poorly productive aquifers: insights from Gortinlieve catchment, Co. Donegal, NW Ireland.

综合岩相学、矿物学和水化学来限制地下水对低产含水层基流的影响和分布：来自爱尔兰西北部多尼戈尔郡 Gortinlieve 集水区的见解。

• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.08.105
• 发表时间: 2014
• 期刊: The Science of the total environment
• 作者: Caulfield J