Description du projet de recherche

Following the development of an Accelerated Mortar Bar Test (AMBT) to diagnose pyrrhotite-related deterioration in Trois-Rivières (QC) region, an unexpected behavior was observed: certain silica-bearing aggregates also show significant expansion in this test, despite containing no sulfide minerals. This project aims to determine why these aggregates are reactive under these AMBT conditions. The research methodology will involve testing aggregate samples in different solutions used in accelerated assessment protocols (e.g., NaOH, NaCl, bleach) to isolate the key factors driving the expansion. The objective is to define the expansion minerals in different conditions. The reactive phases will be characterized using a multi-technique approach combining mineralogical (XRD, µXRD) and geochemical methods (µXRF, ICP-OES, total S, SEM-EDS, EPMA).