Green News: Self-healing concrete could make for safer and more durable structures

Very cool news coming out of the University of Michigan today. A concrete material has been developed that can “heal” itself when cracked. It’s healed with just water and carbon dioxide.

Just a little bit of rain would be enough for the material to heal itself if it was on an outdoor structure, as most concrete is. The material is able to heal itself since the stress causes it to have hairline fractures as opposed to large wide gaps of breakage.

Tests were performed and proved that when the concrete was stretched about 3%, its strength and stiffness were the same when the cracks healed. While 3% may not seem like a lot, it is. Imagine taking a traditional concrete slab of 100 feet and trying to get 3 more feet out of it.

Another interesting component of this material is that there is no steel reinforcement needed. The “cracks” that are appear are about half the width of human hair, and are guaranteed to heal. With traditional concrete structures, when it cracks, the steel is then penetrated by water and salts that can damage the steel. The cracks on these new materials are healed by the water and rebuild themselves so there is nothing to corrode.

To read more about this amazing work, check it out at the Michicagan Today.

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