Surface state analysis by means of confocal microscopy

This article aims at the illustration of the potentialities offered by new imaging technologies: in the present case, confocal microscopy. Such an approach gives access to surface information like porosity, wear, cracking and roughness, and is thus a very powerful tool for the evaluation on the surface state of various materials: concrete, ceramics, aluminum alloys, textiles. A perspective is given to exploit and visualize this new data in the best way