Concept: Self-Healing concrete
Introduction:
Self-healing concrete is a new type of concrete. Concrete can repair the cracks
autonomously. It helps to heal the wounds of the body by secretion of some kind of
material. To create self-healing concrete some materials like fibres or capsules are used
which contain adhesive liquids and are dispensed into the concrete mix. When cracked,
the capsules and fibers break and the liquid inside helps to heal the cracks quickly.
When water penetrates through the cracks, bacterial spores come into contact with
water and nutrients and begin eating calcium lactate. After Bacteria which is also
called bacillus pasteurii with a form of starch which helps them to serve as food for the
bacteria which are available on self-healing concrete.
After the crack calcite bonds with concrete and fill the cracks and also seals the wound of
concrete. Due to their low tensile strength, these types of concrete often crack. The
durability of this type of concrete is affected by these types of cracks because it is
easy to transport gases and liquids and also contains contaminants. When micro
cracks reach the rebar, they can be attacked and the stiffeners corrode. Therefore,
the width of the crack should be controlled and the crack should be repaired as
soon as possible. The main cracks are subsidence cracks, expansion cracks, shear
cracks, and bending cracks. Improper mixing, vibration and hardening are the
causes of cracks.
The cost of self-healing construction materials is too high for construction. The cost of
maintaining and repairing self-healing concrete structures is high. It's about $ 33-
44 per square meter. This concrete is more durable and sustainable. The self-healing
concrete is divided into two types autogenic and autonomic.
Purpose of self-healing concrete
-Self-healing concrete improves the life span of the structure.
-Self-healing concrete prevent the erosion of steel reinforcement.
-Self-healing concrete minimize maintenance costs.
-Self-healing concrete decreases the corrosion risk.
-Self-healing concrete reduce environmental pollution.
-Self-healing concrete increase the compressive strength and tensile strength higher than
standard concrete.
The mission of self-healing concrete
The concept of self-healing material has been noticed more than 20 years ago. The old
structure which is constructed many years ago are standing for long periods and those
structures are not well maintained or limited maintenance. This observation concludes
that structural cracks are repaired when water interacts with non-hydrated cement.
But in the present-day construction which is built up with cement is lowered as a result of
the old structure. This means that the amount of non-hydrated cement is reduced and
the natural healing properties are reduced. The mission of the self-healing concrete is
to follow the same process for upcoming construction. While it helps to control pollution,
the durability of the structure is more than cement concrete and eco-friendly. The
challenge of self-recovery concrete is to keep time and money. And keep the
structure strong and long-lasting like the old structure which is built hundred years ago.
Functional analysis of self-healing concrete
Research on self-healing concrete has become one of the research hotspots for
treating and controlling cracks. After the cracked concrete, it can self-repair the cracked
part without the influences of humans or any equipment. The process of self-healing of
concrete is called self-healing. There are two methods for self-healing concrete they are
-Direct method
-Encapsulation methods
In the direct method, we add a healing agent directly to the cement and mix it with the
concrete motor in a ratio. The ratio of the healing agent changes according to the cement
we used.
In the encapsulation method, we use different types of shell material and geometric
properties of the capsule. The large size of the capsule affects the workability of the
cement material. But in some cases adding more capsules can render the mixture of
concrete more workable. Many of the shell materials can endure the hydration heat. For
organic shells, most shell materials show good stability in strongly alkaline
environments. There are two types of self-healing concrete they are
-Biotic
-Abiotic
In biotic concrete, we use bacteria so it is called biotic concrete Bacteria that produce
acid are used to self-repair cracks. Bacteria act as catalysts during the healing of
cracks. It is used when the concrete structure has access to water. Various bacteria used in
biotic concrete are bacillus pseudofirmus, bacillus cohnil, bacillus spaericus, bacillus
balodurans, Escherichia coil, bacillus paterurizing. When the concrete cracks, water
penetrates the concrete and bacterial spores germinate and eat calcium lactate,
which turns into insoluble limestone. After that limestone starts to harden and start
filling automatically.
In abiotic concrete, we used chemical compounds. It is used when there is not any access
to moisture in a structure. Some of the chemicals that are used in abiotic concrete are
cyanoacrylate, epoxy, methyl methacrylate, Na2Sio, etc. All these chemicals are mixed
with other components like water.
Failure modes analysis of self-healing concrete
-Cost required for self-healing concrete is more than conventional concrete.
-Bacteria used on self-healing concrete is not good for our atmosphere.
-Till now there is no standard code for this concrete.
-Only skilled labour can work.
-Investigation need for calcite precipitation is so costly studied.
-Bacteria which are used for this concrete can be affected by different environmental
conditions.
-The concrete which contains clay pallets almost covers 20% of the volume of concrete so
this may become a fault zone in the concrete.
Failure modes analysis of self-healing concrete
-Cost required for self-healing concrete is more than conventional concrete.
-Bacteria used on self-healing concrete is not good for our atmosphere.
-Till now there is no standard code for this concrete.
-Only skilled labour can work.
-Investigation need for calcite precipitation is so costly studied.
-Bacteria which are used for this concrete can be affected by different environmental
conditions.
-The concrete which contains clay pallets almost covers 20% of the volume of concrete so
this may become a fault zone in the concrete.
Validation plan of self-healing concrete
Many expensive chemicals and calcium carbonate deposits are used to extend the
life of concrete materials, causing autonomous healing of cracked concrete
components. Various types of experiments are used to develop self-healing
cement-based materials. Various types of experiments are used to develop self-healing
cement-based materials. However, self-healing efficiency is not performed at the
macro, micro, or Nano scale levels. All of these are based on water absorption
durability and acid resistance. Fine structure level tests are performed to maximize
the reliability of the results. Few tests are performed at the nanostructure level. The
use of cement-based materials, polymers and microorganisms is the most
appropriate approach to achieving self-healing concrete results. Many experiments
have shown that the cracks seal well, but the width of the cracks is the main issue.
A maximum crack size of 0.97 mm will be repaired. All of these visual
observations are made with a microscope and digital images. Few studies have
reported healing of cracks to depths of 32 mm and 27.2 mm, and only one report
has confirmed healing of cracks up to 5 mm in length.
Sustainability of self-healing concrete
Self-healing concrete has a useful life of 60-90 years, while cracked concrete has a
useful life of 7 years. The environmental benefit of self-healing concrete is 56-
75%, mainly caused by achievable life extension.
Safety needed while working with self-healing concrete
-Need to protect your head and eyes by using proper safety equipment and need to remain
alert and should use hard hats for head protection.
-when working with fresh concrete we should be careful to avoid skin irritation or any
chemical burns.
-All materials used on concrete are heavy even in small quantity so we should make our
body parts straight and legs bent.
-Safety glass and face shield should be used to protect eyes from dust and concrete.
-Always use rubber boots or any other legs protection tools for legs safety.
-Waterproof gloves and long-sleeved shirts and long pants should be used while working.
-To avoid the skin problem we should wash hands frequently with pH-neutral soap or with
clean fresh water.
Reliability of self-healing concrete
Self-healing concrete is in
