Welcome to News and Insights by
RJ Lee Group.
RJLG Materials Insights
The articles on this page represent a renewed endeavor among our multi-disciplinary scientific staff, providing a technical resource to our clients (existing and prospective) on a wide variety of materials behavior. Each internally peer-reviewed article is written by RJLG scientific staff based on our knowledge, training, and experience serving the analytical and consultative needs of diverse industries, both domestically and internationally. We acknowledge that the topics discussed here are frequently more complex and nuanced than can be covered in a short article, but it is our hope that the information provided will prove useful to the reader in understanding an array of materials phenomena, and convey some of the breadth and depth of knowledge and experience that RJLG applies to industrial problem solving and root cause analysis. New topics will be added on a regular basis so check back frequently or sign up for RJLG Materials Insights alerts.
We invite you to call 1.800.860.1775 for more information, or to get in contact with one of our scientific staff who can assist you in your project. We hope you enjoy this resource and find it useful.
Matthew J. Perricone, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator and Technical Consulting Group Manager
Nuisance Dust Damage Claims
A broad spectrum of industrial operations, naturally occurring sources, and vehicular emissions has the potential to generate particulate that – if not properly contained – can be cause for environmental or health concerns. A combination of engineering controls and ongoing monitoring are typically deployed to ensure compliance with limits
The Characterization Advantage of Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) Microscopy
Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) microscopy is a characterization technique used with scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) for determination of crystallographic information present in both metal and mineral samples. Much like energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), which provides the elemental composition through the interaction of electron beam and individual atoms, EBSD uses
Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) of Concrete with UPV
Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) is an acoustic non-destructive test (NDT) method most often used to evaluate the relative quality, or uniformity, of concrete structures, and to identify the presence of internal flaws such as cracks, voids, and honeycombing. UPV can also be used to assess the severity of damage
Predicting the Thermal Maturity of Shale
Geochemists exploring potential hydrocarbon production from source rock must be able to accurately predict the type and relative abundance of each type of hydrocarbon that is present prior to investing resources in the material’s extraction. Many chemical and physical factors contribute to hydrocarbon formation, so hydrocarbon predictions are typically
Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) of Concrete with Impact-Echo
Impact-echo is an acoustic non-destructive test (NDT) method developed by Sansalone and Carino1 in the 1980s for flaw detection in plate-like concrete structures, such as bridge decks, walls, and slabs. Internal flaws such as cracks, voids, honeycombing, and delamination can negatively impact the capacity and service life of concrete
Environmental Stress Cracking in Plastics
Environmental stress cracking (ESC) is a well-documented phenomenon in plastic/polymer components and can occur when a polymer component is exposed to an aggressive chemical agent while under tensile stress, whether residual or applied. Also referred to as environmental stress crazing, this process is analogous to stress corrosion cracking (SCC)
Iron Sulfides in Concrete
Oxidation of Iron Sulfide Minerals Iron sulfides are accessory minerals found in a variety of rock types, with pyrite (FeS2) and pyrrhotite (Fe1-xS) (x = 0 to 0.2), being most common. Under some conditions, these minerals can undergo oxidation reactions that have the potential to cause damage to concrete pavement
Alkali-Silica Reaction
Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) is a common cause of premature concrete deterioration, resulting in expansion and cracking of concrete elements. ASR is a chemical reaction between alkali hydroxides in the pore solution of concrete and certain siliceous (silica-bearing) rocks and minerals present in some concrete aggregates. The result is the
Stress Corrosion Cracking
Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is an environmentally-driven failure mechanism that can be found in metal alloys of all types including pure metals, though pure copper is thought to be immune to SCC. Ceramics and polymers also exhibit forms of environmentally induced crack propagation; however, the focus of the present
Blog
Strategies for Thriving in Unsettled Times
Supply chain issues abound, employees are difficult to find, and market demand is volatile. As a technical services organization with a materials laboratory, one of RJ Lee Group’s enduring survival strategies for the last 35+ years has been diversification. We serve multiple industries, have significant business in the government sector, and have launched product lines from technology we developed. Collaboration is at the core of what we do, who we are, and how we are built.
Technique to Rapidly Identify COVID-19 from Human Breath Shows Promise, Developed by RJ Lee Group and Partners
A partnership of science and health experts was founded to study COVID-19 markers in human breath, and concept how ultra-rapid testing for COVID-19 can help prevent the spread of the virus. A method for identification that shows promise is Proton Transfer Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS). A high sensitivity mass spectrometer was combined with artificial […]
Research of RJ Lee Group Scientist Dr. Christopher Hefferan published in Science
The field of materials science has received significantly more attention in the previous decade with the growing recognition that many innovations require new materials to make them a reality. The continued exponential growth of computing capacity has led to the burgeoning field of computational materials science – perhaps best exemplified by the Materials Genome Project […]
RJ Lee Group Develops a Characterization System for Testing Air Monitoring Sensor Devices for South Coast Air Quality Management District
RJ Lee Group recently developed an exposure/characterization chamber (SEnTeC-2) to assist with sensor networks/sensor load program calibration, performance testing, and supplementary testing for low-cost sensors. It has comprehensive pollutants/software controls, developed in collaboration with Edelweiss Technology (Cleveland , OH) and IEStechno (Morgantown, WV). This SEnTeC-2 chamber was built for the South Coast Air Quality District […]
RJ Lee Group is part of a team which landed a contract from the Department of Energy, to Solve a Targeted Set of Challenges for the Energy and Manufacturing Industries
The U.S. Research Impact Alliance (USRIA) was awarded funding from the Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Transitions. This funding is set to initiative the launch of the USRIA IMPACT Accelerator. The goal of USRIA’s IMPACT Accelerator is to identify and mature federally funded technologies that have the potential to solve a targeted set of […]
RJ Lee Group Introducing the Second Generation IntelliSEM Software for Automated Identification and Analysis of Particles
In April 2021, RJ Lee Group is introducing the second generation IntelliSEM software for automated identification and analysis of particles. IntelliSEM software applies high performance instrument control and data analysis to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and provides a rich set of tools for data visualization and collaboration.
MERCYHEALTH, RJ LEE GROUP STUDY REAL TIME COVID-19 BREATH TEST IN JANESVILLE
JANESVILLE, Wisconsin Mercyhealth and RJ Lee Group Inc, based in Monroeville, PA, is excited to announce it has recently concluded COVID-19-related research at Mercyhealth North in Janesville. This research is the first step in developing a real time, non-invasive breath test for COVID-19 that provides results within seconds instead of days or weeks. The initial […]
Disruption of B2B Supply Chains by a Global Pandemic Highlights the Importance of Qualified Secondary Suppliers and Quality Assurance Testing
Lysol wipes, toilet paper, steak, coins, furniture and appliances. Before 2020, this would be confused with a particularly strange shopping list. But we are now aware that these products are among the many items that can be hard to find during the pandemic. These shortages are a reminder of how interconnected and complex global supply […]
Shell Partners with RJ Lee Group to Test Employees for COVID-19
With our nation’s largest construction and critical infrastructure projects returning to work, teamwork, data, and COVID-19 employee testing are keys to ensuring workplace safety. Accurate and sensitive viral testing helps large worksites to remediate and clean high-risk locations. A $6 billion construction project in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, is almost back to full capacity. This 8,000 […]
A Cost-Effective Alternative to MSHA Total Incombustible Content (75.403) Citations
Since 1977, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has been implementing mining regulations to enhance coal mine safety. Over the past ten years, the number of citations issued for many violation categories has decreased significantly because of increased compliance and because of the decreasing number of active mines