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Innovation seems to be
leading the way when it comes to usage of construction material. New materials
and methods are changing the way we perceive the industry. There are already
such innovative materials in use.
Manufactured Sand
Aggregates used in making
concrete are either naturally occurring or produced from stone crushers. As natural sources are fast depleting, there
is a need to produce aggregates of high quality to make concrete which is
durable in all conditions.
Conventional stone
crushers tend to produce flaky and elongated aggregates. These are mostly
two-stage and three-stage crushing plants. Conventional crushers cannot produce
crushed stone of required near cubical shape. The solution can be found in a
Vertical Shaft Impact (VSI) crusher as it produces cubical crushed stones,
ideal for self-compacting concrete. The greatest use of this crusher is its
ability to produce manufactured sand.
Self-compacting Concrete
Self compacting concrete
(SCC) is an advanced type of concrete that can flow through intricate
geometrical configurations under its own mass without vibration or segregation.
It is made with the same materials which are used for making normal concrete
except for high powder content (fly ash or slag along with cement) and use of
hyper plasticisers for making flowing concrete. It has proved beneficial economically because of following reasons :
› Faster construction
› Elimination of
compaction
› Reduction in site power
› Better surface finishes
› Easier placing
› Improved durability
› Greater freedom in
design
› Thinner and complicated
section
› Improved working
environment at a construction site by reducing noise pollution.
Curing Compound
Proper curing is essential
in producing acceptable concrete performance. This affects both mechanical
properties and durability characteristics, and reduces volume changes due to
shrinkage. A truly effective curing approach requires two components : Prevents
loss of moisture through evaporation. Supplies additional water for continued
hydration. Excessive evaporation from concrete surface must be avoided. This is done by using curing compounds. There are two types of curing compounds viz.,
wax based and resin based. Liquid membrane-forming compounds are suitable for
application to concrete surfaces to reduce the loss of water during the early
hardening period.
White-pigmented
membrane-forming compounds serve the additional purpose of reducing the temperature rise in concrete
exposed to radiation from the sun. curing compounds are used extensively in large areas such as concrete
pavements, canal lining etc.
The future of Concrete
You might think hat
concrete is a boring material. Not at
all. You can now find concrete that
bends like metal and which is five times as strong as regular concrete without
any reinforcing steel bars. Or you can use concrete which doesn't need a vibration machine to remove the air
bubbles inside, which can save loss of time during construction.
There are also translucent
concrete or concrete incorporating transparent elements, allowing to build
floors lit from below. And by adding
titanium dioxide to cement, you obtain a self-cleaning concrete that remains
the same colour for centuries and can even clean the air by breaking down
dangerous pollutants.
Ultra
High-performance Concrete
Ultra-high performance,
fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is a revolutionary material that offers
superior strength, durability, ductility and aesthetic design flexibility. It
is significantly stronger than conventional concrete. Available in a range of colours, it is
extremely moldable and replicates form materials with great precision. By utilizing
Ductal's combination of superior properties, designers can create thinner
sections and longer spans that are lighter, more graceful and innovative in
geometry and form, while providing improved durability and impermeability
against corrosion, abrasion and impact.
Nano technology
Studying the nanostructure of concrete could help reduce
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions during its manufacture, according to work by
engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Around 2.35 billion tons
of concrete are produced each year and producing cement, the main component of
concrete, accounts for five-ten per cent of the world's total CO2 emissions –
an important contribution to global warming.
Franz-Josef Ulm and
Georgios Constantinides of MIT have found that concrete is strong, thanks to
the way in which the nanoparticles are organised.
“If everything depends on
the organizational structure of the nanoparticles that make up concrete, rather
than on the material itself, we can conceivably replace it with a material that
has concrete's other characteristics – strength, durability, mass availability
and low cost – but does not release as much CO2 into the atmosphere during
manufacture,” explains Ulm.
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