Disrupting Construction – Smart Concrete

In construction concrete is essential and it is used extensively in all types of structures. In fact concrete is the core of every construction project. Concrete is made of cement, crush, sand and water essentially. However, concrete has a weakness since it does not have an infinite ability to withstand tension and this is often manifested through cracking. As such there are associated costs of monitoring and repairs in order to ensure the safety of others is not compromised. Durable concrete is of interest to all the construction industry practitioners as they aim to increase sustainability while simultaneously reducing the overall costs. In addition, quality control has been a challenge in construction and thus real time analysis is essential.

Nano technology is being used in the construction industry to reinforce the most commonly used materials. The concept of smart concrete was developed recently and studies are still being done on how it works. It involves reinforcing concrete with carbon fiber in order to improve the ability of the concrete to withstand strain without losing its mechanical properties. The electrical resistance of the concrete increases as well due to the mix with the carbon fibers.

Smart concrete is able to sense structural flaws while they are still tiny and gives notification before those flaws become significant. As such, the usage is extensive in terms of structure monitoring especially after natural occurrences such as earthquakes. Furthermore smart concrete is able to control cracking in order to ensure the propagation is not catastrophic. Smart concrete is especially applicable in highways where the weights of the vehicles need to be measured as well as their speeds.

Smart concrete is found to be advantageous as it’s a cheaper option in construction than the use of sensors in the different structures. In addition, smart concrete is actually stronger than the conventional concrete used in most construction projects. Another advantage of the smart concrete is its ability to withstand great stress before bending and its great absorption of energy before it fractures. More importantly, smart concrete is used to monitor the structures in real-time and this is a continuous process.

A new type of smart concrete is in the making that contains some dormant bacteria which are in pods. These bacteria will be essential in enhancing the ability of the smart concrete to self-repair when in contact with water. The self-repair will enhance and prolong the life of the smart concrete reducing the repair costs in construction significantly. In some cases, the concrete has been embedded with wireless sensors that are connected to mobile applications making the monitoring process very different and thus the term smart concrete. The sensors are able to monitor the temperature of the utilized concrete through its different stages of wetness to being fully dried. The connected mobile apps then analyze the strength of the concrete which is essential in determining the removal time of the formwork and in optimizing the curing of the concrete.

Another type of smart concrete is the conductive concrete which is being used to protect buildings from the electromagnetic waves through the magnetite component that is included. It is also being used for its snow melting capabilities in outdoor structures particularly roads which often get affected when it snows heavily in the winter seasons. Facilities such as airports could especially benefit from this type of smart concrete as the snow melts almost immediately leaving the area clear for further operations and taking away the associated costs of clearing the roads. The technology used in smart concrete continues to be varied but useful in the different ways.