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Sustainable Water

Extending The Life Cycle Of Water

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Mother of Pearl Concrete

Summer construction season is underway, and many tons of concrete will be used in waterway and flood control infrastructure in the coming months. In the future, concrete materials may begin to evolve as emerging markets are developing for more bendable concrete products. The University of Michigan along with many other laboratories around the world, are developing ways to make concrete more ductile.  Experts say that a bendable concrete could make water-related infrastructure safer, extend its service life and reduce maintenance costs.[1]

Even though steel reinforcements often are added to concrete to prevent catastrophic structural failure there is a continuing effort to improve structural integrity of building materials and their longevity. A University of Michigan laboratory, called Advanced Civil Engineering – Materials Research Lab, is   gaining its inspiration for from nacre to develop new forms of Concrete. Also known as mother of pearl, nacre is a strong and flexible iridescent material found on the inside of abalone shells.

Mimicking the properties of this natural substance, the UM Lab is calling their new bendable concrete product “Engineered Cementitious Composite” (ECC) or “Strain-hardening cementitious composite.” [2]ECC can deform up to 3 to 5 percent in tension before it fails, giving it 300 to 500 times more tensile strain capacity than normal concrete. That kind of capacity allows a slab to undergo a lot of bending without fracturing into pieces, i.e. flexible or bendable concrete.

“These autonomous and adaptive functional features can contribute to the development of future smart cities with infrastructure that responds to environmental changes. University of Michigan’s goal is to create a new generation of smart, bendable concrete that will help build and maintain a resilient, sustainable and healthy living environment.” – Victor C. Li, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at University of Michigan[3]

[1] Li, Victor C. Bendable concrete, with a design inspired by seashells, can make US infrastructure safer and more durable. 25 5 2018. Web. 18 6 2018.

[2] The Michigan Engineer. Bendable concrete, with a design inspired by seashells, can make US infrastructure safer and more durable. 30 5 2018. Web. 18 6 2018.

[3] Li, Victor C. Bendable concrete, with a design inspired by seashells, can make US infrastructure safer and more durable. 25 5 2018. Web. 18 6 2018.

Photo credit: Hilary Halliwell from Pexels

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