Abstract
The effect of water-borne contaminants on the durability of concrete is was
well-known and cracked concrete is more susceptible to permeation of these contaminants. Consequently, research is attempting to develop concrete that can self-heal cracks, potentially reducing costs of repair and maintenance work on infrastructure projects dramatically. The research described in this paper was carried out to demonstrate the use of microbiologically induced calcite-precipitation as a means of autonomic self-healing of concrete in a full-scale site trial. The paper describes microbiology and concrete technology investigations carried out to select an appropriate combination of spores and nutrients, and to devise a method for encapsulating these safely within the concrete. It is demonstrated that for the encapsulation method used and the agents chosen it is possible to produce self-healing concrete with similar early-age and mechanical properties to that of normal concrete. This self-healing concrete was then used in a reinforced concrete wall, and the initial findings are described.
well-known and cracked concrete is more susceptible to permeation of these contaminants. Consequently, research is attempting to develop concrete that can self-heal cracks, potentially reducing costs of repair and maintenance work on infrastructure projects dramatically. The research described in this paper was carried out to demonstrate the use of microbiologically induced calcite-precipitation as a means of autonomic self-healing of concrete in a full-scale site trial. The paper describes microbiology and concrete technology investigations carried out to select an appropriate combination of spores and nutrients, and to devise a method for encapsulating these safely within the concrete. It is demonstrated that for the encapsulation method used and the agents chosen it is possible to produce self-healing concrete with similar early-age and mechanical properties to that of normal concrete. This self-healing concrete was then used in a reinforced concrete wall, and the initial findings are described.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The 9th International Concrete Conference 2016 |
| Subtitle of host publication | Environment, Efficiency and Economic Challenges for Concrete |
| Editors | M Roderick Jones, Moray D Newlands, Judith E Halliday, Laszlo J Csetenyi, Li Zheng, Michael J McCarthy, Thomas D Dyer |
| Place of Publication | Dundee |
| Pages | 545-554 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-0-9573263-1-6 |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2016 |
Keywords
- Self-healing
- Bacteria
- Lightweight aggregates
- Encapsulation