Page 17 - Handbook of Thermal Analysis of Construction Materials

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Thermoanalytical

Techniques

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Thermal analysis has been defined by the International Confedera-
tion of Thermal Analysis (ICTA) as a general term which covers a variety
of techniques that record the physical and chemical changes occurring in a
substance as a function of temperature. [1][2] This term, therefore, encom-
passes many classical techniques such as thermogravimetry (TG), evolved
gas analysis (EGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and differential
scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the modern techniques, such as thermo-
mechanical analysis (TMA) as well as dynamic mechanical analysis
(DMA), and dilatometry, just to name a few. The application of thermal
analysis to the study of construction materials stems from the fact that they
undergo physicochemical changes on heating.

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