Self-Healing Concrete Summary + Reader Response Draft 4
While Spinks gave some information about the self-healing
concrete, he should also have mentioned the viability such as, high-cost
limitations, how water and air will affect the concrete, how the bacteria would
affect the mechanical properties of concrete, and also if there is an Indian
Standard Code as it is a safety guideline for constructions.
Firstly, there is an Indian Standard (IS) code that covers every aspect
of civil engineering, and this is especially true for construction
activities. In order to use the self-healing concrete, there is a need to mix
the bacteria along with the concrete, and according to Pal (2019), this becomes
an issue where mixed concrete with bacteria does not exist within the IS code.
Without an IS code, it is harder to get the exact mix for the best performance,
and it also means there will be a lack of safety due to the possible weakening
in performance. It will be better if the design for mixed concrete with
bacteria is included in the IS codes.
Secondly, the self-healing agents is dependent on the existence of
air and water. According to Pal, D. (2019) and Shanmuga, R. (2016), being
dependant on air and water helps reduce the permeability of the concrete,
improves the durability of steel reinforced concrete, and also reduces
corrosion of steel. When the self-healing agents activates due to contact with
air and water, it causes certain reactions within the cement to form. This causes
the porosity to decrease, which in turn reduces the permeability of the cement.
With the lack of air and moisture, reinforced steel will not corrode as easily which
in turn strengthen the durability of the steel. This makes it viable to be used
in construction as it greatly enhances the structure of the building and
reduces the need of maintenance.
Thirdly, the cost of self-healing concrete is relatively high.
This is mainly due to one of the elements that is being used in the creation. According
to Build Abroad (2017) and Silva et al., (2016), the cost of self-healing
concrete limits the use to only at areas where water leakage or corrosion of
steel are serious due to the high cost. It can also be used when there is an
urgent need to repair cracks such as, a museum, or a library. However, the cost
of the self-healing concrete is due to the materials used and it may be
resolved if it could be “tweaked with a sugar-based nutrient”. If the cost of self-healing concrete gets
cheaper, it will be a good replacement toward conventional concrete.
Lastly, the bacteria that is being used in the concrete not
only repairs crack and has a long lifespan, it also improves the
compressive strength of the cement, which enables it to become stronger. According
to Hitendra et al., (2018), various tests were done on the 7th day
and the 28th day on the self-healing concrete. The result of
the test shows a value greater than conventional concrete.
Although Spinks gave some information on self-healing concrete, more
detailed information on how the viability of the concrete should be elaborated.
Having more detailed information would allow countries to understand if the
product could be used for their constructions.
References:
Build Abroad (2017, January
17). This is crazy! Self healing concrete is a material you have to see to
believe.
https://buildabroad.org/2017/01/17/self-healing-concrete/.
Hitendra, S., & Vijay, S.,
& Satyendra, D. (2018, October). Study of compressive strength of
self-healing concrete. Irjet.
https://www.irjet.net/archives/V5/i10/IRJET-V5I10217.pdf
Pal D. (2019, July 28) What is Bacterial
Concrete or Self-Healing Concrete? Civil Engineering Notes.
https://www.civilenggnotes.in/what-is-self-healing-concrete/.
Shanmuga, R.(2016, December).
A review on bacteria-based self-healing concrete. Imperial Journal of
Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR), 3(1), 1023-1026.
Silva, F., & Boon, N., & De Belie, N.,
& Verstraete, W. (2015, January). (PDF) Industrial application of biological
self-healing concrete: challenges and economical feasibility. Journal
of Commercial Biotechnology, 21(1), 31-38.
Spinks, R. (2015, June 29). The self-healing concrete that can
fix its own cracks. The Guardian.
Thanks for the revision, Amos.
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