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org © 2024 IJCRT | Volume 12, Issue 5 May 2024 | ISSN: 2320-2882

Research Paper on Investigating the use of Self-

Healing Concrete for Sustainable Infrastructure
Development
1Satyendra Patel, 2Shiv Kumar, 3Kartikey Palia, 4Updesh Maurya, 5Er. Mohd Shariq
1,2,3,4
B. Tech Students Department of Civil Engineering, Axis Institute of Technology and Management,
Rooma Kanpur, 5Head of Department of Civil Engineering, Axis Institute of Technology and Management,
Rooma Kanpur
Department of Civil Engineering
Axis Institute of Technology and Management, Rooma Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Abstract: The importance for innovative and sustainable building materials has been brought to light by the city's fast development
and growing demand for robust infrastructure. An essential part of infrastructure, concrete is prone to deterioration and cracking
over time, creating maintenance issues as well as environmental problems. The possibility of self-healing concrete as a viable option
for environmentally friendly infrastructure construction is investigated in this study. The inherent capacity of self-healing concrete
to self-heal microcracks increases its longevity and lessens the need for regular maintenance and repairs. The purpose of this
research is to determine whether encapsulated healing agents and mineral precipitation caused by bacteria are two examples of self-
healing processes that may be used to extend the life and improve the mechanical characteristics of concrete buildings. Laboratory
tests are used in the study technique to evaluate the mechanical strength, healing effectiveness, and longevity of self-healing concrete
specimens in various environmental settings. In addition, the viability from an economic and environmental standpoint of using
self-healing concrete in major building projects will be assessed.

Index Terms - Self-Healing Concrete, Urbanization, Resilient Infrastructure, Concrete Degradation, Cracking, Durability,
Microcrack Repair
1. INTRODUCTION
The need for sustainable infrastructure development is becoming more and more apparent in light of the growing urbanization and
need for long-lasting and environmentally friendly building materials. An essential component of contemporary infrastructure,
concrete is prone to deterioration and cracking over time, creating major maintenance issues as well as environmental problems.
This review explores the emerging subject of self-healing concrete as a possible way to overcome these obstacles. With its innate
capacity to self-heal microcracks, self-healing concrete has enormous potential to extend the life of buildings and lessen the
frequency of repairs. The goal of the paper is to thoroughly examine and summarize the state-of-the-art research on a variety of
self-healing mechanisms, including bacterially induced mineral precipitation and encapsulated healing agents, and assess how well
they work to enhance mechanical properties and support the development of sustainable infrastructure. This study aims to guide
future research attempts and help to the realization of resilient and environmentally aware infrastructure systems by offering an
overview of the accomplishments and gaps in this sector.
1.1 Objective
The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and sustainability of the implementation of Self-healing Concrete (SHC) as
a sustainable infrastructure development solution. The objective of the study is to examine the material properties, the durability,
and the long-term durability of SHC in a wide range of environmental conditions. The study will also look at the economic and
environmental advantages of incorporating SHC into construction practices with the aim of advancing sustainable infrastructure
development.
1.2 Mechanism of self-healing Concrete
When concrete is damaged, it automatically repairs itself and regains its structural integrity. Natural Self-Repair For instance,
calcium carbonate secreted by bacteria is activated by water to seal fissures. Natural Self-Healing For instance, when honeyed
cement particles interact with water, calcium silicate hydrate gel is created. Capsules with medicinal ingredients When a capsule
ruptures, it can be inserted into the concrete mixture and allowed to react with the surrounding components, sealing the fissure.
External Self-Repair Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Fibers stop the spread of cracks memory polymers in various shapes Revert to the

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initial state shuts crevices Vascular Structures with Incorporated Channels Brimming with Restorative Ingredients Concrete that
mends itself by allowing healing chemicals to seep into fissures.

Fig: Concept Energy saving and Sustainability

1.3 Bacillus Megaterium as healing Agent

In the field of construction engineering, using Bacillus megaterium to create self-healing concrete is a viable strategy. One kind of
bacteria called Bacillus megaterium is well-known for its capacity to use metabolic processes to create calcite, or calcium carbonate.
When these bacteria are added to concrete, they can stay dormant until cracks appear. When this happens, the bacteria get activated
and start to generate calcite to fill the crevices, which allows the concrete to mend itself.
1.4 PROPERTIES OF BACILLUS MEGATERIUM

The Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus megaterium has unique characteristics that make it very interesting for a variety of
applications, such as its possible use in self-healing concrete. Its ability to generate spores, which permits survival under unfavorable
climatic conditions, is one of its important characteristics. Bacillus megaterium is also well-known for its capacity to generate urease
enzymes. Since ammonia and carbonate ions are produced when urea is hydrolyzed, this enzymatic activity is essential to the
process of self-healing concrete.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW

Poonam Ghodke et al. (2018) Concrete will always be an essential part of infrastructure because of its excellent qualities, which
include easy availability, affordability, strength, durability, and ease of casting. Although it is resilient to tensile stresses and can
tolerate compressive forces, it is more prone to cracking, which shortens its lifespan and makes the concrete structure more
vulnerable. Because of temperature and humidity variations, the chance of cracking increases while the concrete cures. [1]

Ishraq Mohammad Ali Khattab et al. (2019) The self-healing technique is the most widely used treatment for concrete structures
in order to increase the material's endurance. The relationship between cracks and potential self-healing techniques is intricate and
takes the environment into account. The primary goal of this study is to review the biological processes of self-healing concrete. It
also includes a detailed evaluation of previous journal publications on the subject of biological, natural, and chemical mechanisms
of self-healing concrete. [2]

Aishwarya S. Dagade, et al. (2021) Because of the concrete's poor tensile strength, cracks are a regular occurrence that led to the
early disintegration of the structure due to the transportation of dangerous elements. There are more costly ways to fill in cracks,
including as gravity filling, epoxy injection, routing and sealing of cracks, drilling and plugging, and dry packing. Therefore, self-
healing concrete is the ideal crack-filling material in terms of sustainable development. A more recent development in concrete
technology is microbial concrete [3]

Arun Kumar Parashar et al. (2021) When cement concrete is subjected to significant shrinkage and settling, the existence of
voids in the material may cause a decrease in performance. This study concentrated on using bacteria to decrease concrete voids
and increase performance. It was discovered that the Bacillus family of bacteria were the concrete's greatest healers. In the current
investigation, Bacillus megaterium bacteria from the Bacillus family were used at a concentration of 108 CFU. After seven and
twenty-eight days of curing, a total of forty-eight specimens were cast and examined for mechanical strength and water absorption.
In comparison to a conventional M30 grade concrete mix, the test results show that after 28 days of curing, the compressive, split
tensile, and flexural strengths improved to 12.91%, 10.28%, and 9.02%, respectively. It was also discovered that the bacterial
concrete had a lower water absorption value than the conventional concrete mix. This is because the Bacillus megaterium bacteria's
production of calcite precipitation causes the concrete to fill in its fractures. Thus, by decreasing the vacancies, the Bacillus
megaterium bacteria of the Bacillus family can be efficiently used to increase the mechanical strength.[4]

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Gaikwad, Nikhil Sanjay et al. (2021) An essential component of the construction business is concrete. We employ a variety of
techniques, materials, and systems to produce high-quality, long-lasting concrete. We find cracks even after taking all necessary
precautions throughout the mixing, casting, and curing processes. Concrete cracking has eventually been accepted as an inevitable
occurrence. Our structure may crack for a number of causes, including changes in temperature and the application of large weights.
Cracks lengthen the seepage, which causes corrosion of the reinforcement and reduces the structure's durability and life. [5]

Victor C. Li at al. (2021) In order to promote sustainable infrastructure, this article presents the idea of self-healing concrete, which
minimizes maintenance and repairs during the use phase. Self-healing must meet at least six robustness requirements in order to
achieve this goal: long shelf life, ubiquitous, quality, dependable, adaptable, and repeatable. The robustness criteria are used to
evaluate five general categories of self-healing approaches: chemical encapsulation, bacterial encapsulation, mineral admixtures,
chemical in glass tubing, and intrinsic healing with self-controlled tight crack width. [6]

Mugahed Amran et al. (MDPI 2022) Despite its propensity for fracture development, concrete is a material that is frequently
utilized in the building industry because of its affordability and accessibility. As a result, there has been a sharp increase in interest
in self-healing materials, especially those with the ability to repair in green and sustainable concrete materials. Over the past 20
years, numerous researchers have presented various approaches to this problem. But selecting the best strategy is challenging since
every research organization uses a different set of tests to determine how well healing occurs. Self-healing concrete (SHC) has the
ability to mend itself, reducing the need for outside assistance in identifying and fixing internal damage (such as cracks). [7]

Ismael Justo Reinoso et al. (2023) The environmental impact of bacteria-based self-healing concretes (BBSHCs), in which non-
uratolytic bacterial endospores are encased in porous calcium silicate granules, is assessed in this work using life cycle assessment
(LCA). Results show that 1 m3 of BBSHC has an overall environmental effect that is 85% higher than that of similar conventional
concrete. This is mainly because to the presence of polyvinyl acetate and calcium nitrate. Moreover, BBSHC has a 51% bigger
water footprint (260 L) and a 36% larger embodied carbon footprint (120 kg CO2 eq).However, depending on the impact category,
sustainability improvements ranging from 12% to 50% can be achieved by strategically incorporating BBSHC in particular areas
of reinforced concrete structures, utilizing its innate self-healing properties to purposefully allow wider crack widths, and
subsequently reducing the amount of non-structural steel needed to control early-age cracking. Accordingly, a BBSHC-structure's
embodied carbon footprint might be lowered by 12%, averting the release of 51 kg of CO2 equivalents [8].

3. METHODOLOGY

The primary focus of methodology is the gathering of materials. To ensure that this project is successful, the following processes
must be followed during project work:

COLLECTION OF MATERIAL

SELECTION AND PREPRATION OF

HEALING AGENT

MIX PROPORTION AND CASTING OF

CONCRETE

CURING OF CONCRETE

COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH TEST AND

CALCULATION

STORE OF CREAKED CONCRETE FOR

SELF HEALING

CONCLUSION
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4. MIX PROPORTIONS

Cement = 445.53 Kg / m3
Fine Aggregate = 6576.23 Kg / m3
Coarse Aggregate = 1114.62 Kg / m3
w / c ratio = 0.43
Water = 192 lit / m3
Healing Agent = 4.5 kg/m3

5. COMPRESSION TEST

According to IS 516-1959, Cubes of size 15cm x 15cm x 15cm should be cast. The specimen should be given sufficient time for
hardening and then it should be cured for 7, 14 and 28 days. After 7, 14 and 28 days, it should be loaded in the compression testing
machine and tested for maximum load. measured compressive strength of the specimen shall be calculated by dividing the maximum
load applied to the specimen during the test by the cross-sectional area. Average of three cubes taken under consideration for finding
out compressive strength.

Compressive strength (N/mm2) = load applied/cross sectional area of cube.

Fig: Testing of concrete cube using CTM

6.RESULT
Table: 1 Compressive Strength Test

Day Strength (%)

7 65%

14 90%

28 99%

6. CONCLUSION

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In general, research into the application of self-healing concrete for sustainable infrastructure has the potential to completely
transform the way we plan, construct, and maintain infrastructure, making the built environment more robust, effective, and
ecologically friendly for coming generations.

7. EXPECTED OUTCOMES

Investigating the application of self-healing concrete for the construction of sustainable infrastructure is likely to yield a variety of
diverse and multifaceted results. These results are critical for directing decision-making procedures, encouraging improvements in
building techniques, and advancing the sustainability of infrastructure as a whole. Among the anticipated results are:

● Enhanced Durability and Lifespan

● Improved Structural Performance

● Environmental Sustainability

● Cost Savings over the Life Cycle

● Development of Standards and Guidelines

8. FUTURE SCOPE

With continuous research and development efforts focused at developing the technology and increasing its applications, self-healing
concrete has a huge future potential. The following are some possible future paths and opportunities:
● Better self-healing mechanisms: Investigating new bacterial strains, streamlining nutrient delivery systems, and improving
encapsulation techniques are some ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of concrete's self-healing processes and
guarantee prompt and comprehensive fracture repair.

● Integration of smart materials: By combining sensing technologies and smart materials with self-healing concrete, it may be
possible to monitor the structural health of a structure in real time and activate repair mechanisms automatically in response to
damage or deterioration that is detected, increasing resilience and lowering maintenance costs.

● Customization for particular uses: Adapting self-healing concrete formulations and methods to suit the needs of various
infrastructure kinds and environmental circumstances; examples include high-performance concrete for transportation
infrastructure in challenging environments, offshore structures, and bridges.

REFERENCES

[1] Poonam Ghodke, Swarda Mote, (2018) “The Self-Healing Concrete” Journal - International Journal of Advances in
Engineering & Technology

[2] Ishraq Mohammad Ali Khattab, CORE (2019)

[3] Aishwarya S. Dagade, Sumit R. Thakur, (2020) “Use of Bacillus Bacteria in Self-Healing Concrete”

[4] Journal- (International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology Volume 7)

[5] Arun Kumar Parashar, Ankur Gupta, (2021) “Experimental study of the bacillus megaterium on cement concrete” Journal
- IOP Conference Series: Material Science and Engineering

[6] Nikhil Sanjay Gaikwad (International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology

[7] Victor C. Li (Journal of Advanced Concrete Technology 2021)

[8] Mugahed Amran (MDPI 2022)

[9] Ismael Justo Reinoso (Journal Prep roof 2023):

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