Effects of laser radiation on the cementitious materials - three case studies

Laser processing is unarguably associated with some alterations of cementitious materials' geometrical microstructure and chemical composition. Since high temperature is involved in the laser cleaning process, the chemical composition of surfaces may change, followed by crack development and subsequent changes of roughness. The relationship between laser treatment and substrate parameters is a two-way relationship. The great variation in absorptivity of highly developed surfaces of cementitious materials results in substantial differences in their responses to laser irradiation. Paper presents selected results of three investigations on the effect of laser radiation on characteristics of porous cementitious materials.