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Researchers Make Bendable Concrete
karvind writes "PhysOrg is reporting that scientists from University of Michigan have developed a new type of fiber-reinforced bendable concrete. The new concrete looks like regular concrete, but is 500 times more resistant to cracking and 40 percent lighter in weight. Tiny fibers that comprise about 2 percent of the mixture's volume partly account for its performance. Also, the materials in the concrete itself are designed for maximum flexibility. Because of its long life, the Engineered Cement Composites (ECC) are expected to cost less in the long run, as well." Michigan roads must make the perfect test cases for this stuff, and I look forward to their improvement.
Now finally we can see buildings that bend and shift better under harsh weather conditions such as wind and rain.
The benefits of this extend greatly beyond that as well however.
It will be intresting to see where this goes...
Michigan roads must make the perfect test cases for this stuff
Except that roads crack because water infiltrates under the surface and freezes over. I don't know many material, even 500x stronger concrete, that can withstand the force of expanding freezing water.
I think the material is more targeted toward seismic-proof constructions.
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
If the material won't bend/stretch at all, it might shatter, this new elastic concrete supposedly kand bend at least a little, so it could withstand the freezing expanding water. At least I think that the freezing expansion is not enough to stretch the new concrete to it's limits.
-Is the meaning of life vanity, or is vanity the meaning of life?
Doesn't say in the article, but wouldn't this be useful in making buildings that would fare better in absorbing the shocks of an earthquake, instead of crumbling down?
The article fails to state whether the ductility of the concrete results in elastic (returns to its original shape when load is relieved) or plastic (stays in the shape you bent it) deformation.
One would hope for the former, since structures made out of this material may look strangely 'bent' over time if it readily undergoes plastic deformation.
And one last note: is this material going to be more cost-effective than steel?
I'm Trappped at Berkeley.
even if you replaced 2% of the volume with vacuum, you could only make it 2% lighter
how the hell do they come up with this 40% figure?
I forgot to note that the "noise" that you're suffering is from the grooving they put into the concrete road. Without this grooving people would be crashing everywhere when it starts raining from aquaplaning (even the smoothest asphalt road will not be as slippery as a wet smooth concrete one).
Paul.
Fiber reinforced materials have been around for years. Carbon and glass fiber reinforced polymers are used in many everyday applications without harm. The problem with asbestos was its crystal structure and cleavage planes, which enabled it to break down into very small (micrometer scale) fibers that were easily inhaled.
The above comment is about as insightful as saying "Cotton fiber? That seems eerily reminiscent of asbestos, better not wear clothes!" or "AIDS medicine? Wasn't thalidomide also orally available in pill form? Better not give it to pregnant women..."
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How much does this road bend, also what kinda of deformation would we see from traffic. The current roads currently get grooves in them. But make a road that actually felxes, wht kind of effect would that have on the surface of the road? This to me would mean MORE maintaining the road, not less.
Also, what effects would this have on gas mileage of vehicles. If the road was givein way a little as say a semi or large vehicle was driveing over the road, to waht degree would it "sink" into the road? Would you be wanting to run more air pressure in the tires of the vehicle on these types of roads, to compensate for the flex inherant in this road? And over time, what effect would this have on gas. Another valuable resource.
Also, adding fibers into a road, could effect it's traction. Current roads, are rather random. If (through wear) all these fibers were to orientate themselves one way would this effect the grip these roads provided? Also, now does this fiber react after years of abuse, and oil contamination? If oil were to cause these fibers to swell, or if they were to absord it, I would imagine it would have negative effects.
But what the heck, it may just work. Imagine, no ccracks in the slab of your home anymore. All for only a few side effects (and probably 3x the cash).
- Ice_Hole
"I couldn't give him (Bill Gates) advice in business and he couldn't give me advice in technology." Linus Torvalds
construction, but scaled composites, USA company, has done some rather innovative work. Space ship one, voyager, ...
Innovative is not always practical. Building construction is about cost. Steel reinforced aggregate is still the least expensive in most applications. Especially when you can pour at 5AM and 24 hours later pull your forms off 3000+ PSI material.
I know a company in Georgia that puts up chicken coops using a robot. They erect a jig, the robot sprays and trims a foam form and then sprays concrete on the interior and exterior. A friends machine shop makes the spray guns, which were designed in his shop.
I think the main reason for slow adoption is not so much the codes, as the lobbying against change on the part of established companies. This is changing as the old boys are retiring in droves. Hawaii recently approved bamboo for use in resdential construction...finally. This is old technology that is good, especially where termites are such a big problem.
Michigan roads must make the perfect test cases for this stuff
I got a pothole the size of the Grand Canyon that says Ontario would be a better test case.
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I was two sentences into this article when I thought about the condition of Michigan's roads. I was already thinking about a post on how ironic it was that it was the Univ. of Michigan that developed this concrete, and look at the road conditions. As the article noted, it is perfect conditions here in Michigan to test this new concrete.
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Another lame blog
Oklahoma roads are not nearly as bad as the crap they call "expressways" in Michigan. Michigan roads are subjected to continual freezing and thawing sometimes in the same week (2 weeks ago it was near 80 on Tuesday and freezing with snow by Sunday). There is virtually no public transportation, so everyone drives... and just to punish the roads a bit more, at 82 tons Michigan's truck weight limit is more than double the national average of 40 tons. Add an underfunded MDOT that outsources most of it's work to 3rd party construction companies and you have a recipe for blown tires and bumpy rides. At least with the 2006 Superbowl coming to Detroit they are pusing the ususal summer road construction into overdrive so they roads are at least halfway decent around here before the press shows up. Of course now if this new concrete tests well on an experimental stretch of highway it will usher in a new 15 year schedule of road construction while they upgrade all the major highways...
As the old saying goes, there are only 2 seasons in Michigan: winter and road construction.