Arnold, D. (2011). Articles - Self-Healing Concrete.
Retrieved 6 March 2020, from https://www.ingenia.org.uk/Ingenia/Articles/eb2f64de-2493-4dfc-9adc-3ae8e13ca477
The focal point of this article was
the progression of 'self-healing' concrete technology over the years. According to the article 'self-healing' concrete is a mixture of concrete containing 'self-healing' agents
such as bacteria and nutrients. The idea of incorporating 'self-healing' agents
into concrete mix design of the buildings had been conceived in the late 1900s.
However, the idea was not fully realized due to the absence of interest from
the ‘commercial engineering sector’. Fortunately, the idea was revived in the
early 2000s when numerous notable ‘industry players’ made a partnership with
Delft University to further the research and development of self-healing
concrete. The pursuit of finding a suitable self-healing agent started in 2006
at Delft University. It was
discovered that the bacteria which was encapsulated in the concrete could
convert nutrients into limestone. The article also mentioned that ‘full-scale
outdoor testing’ of the self-healing concrete started in 2011.
The article is a beneficial source
for the research of our project on the use of self-healing concrete on
monumental buildings in Singapore. It highlighted the methodology and
challenges of 'self-healing' concrete throughout the advancement of 'self-healing' concrete technology. When the formation of cracks commences and
water seeps into the cracks, the bacteria and nutrients embedded in the concrete
would react with water and produce limestones that would fill the cracks. One
of the major challenges faced in the early stage of research and development
was finding suitable bacteria to embed into the concrete. The high alkali
environment of the concrete is a hostile environment for most of the bacteria
to survive. This article aided us in understanding the concept and equipped us
with fundamental knowledge on self-healing concrete.
Commented on:
Chen Wai
Humaidi
Jiang Seng
Commented on:
Chen Wai
Humaidi
Jiang Seng
Hi Wai Yan,
ReplyDeleteYour annotated summary was very interesting. I can imagine the potential self-healing concrete can bring to future and older infrastructures. Hopefully, the use of bacteria to 'heal' concrete will come into fruition in the nearby future.
I look forward to reading more of your writings in the future.
Warm regards,
Muhd Sharifuddin
Hey Sharif,
DeleteThank you for your thoughtful comment. I am glad to hear that my annotated summary has sparked your interest in this topic. We can look forward and keep updated with this technology in the future.
With gratitude,
Wai Yan
Dear Wai Yan,
ReplyDeleteI found your summary informative and interesting. I do not really have much knowledge about this topic, but it seems that this is a very interesting study and hopefully, it can progress further. Interesting article which gave me some good background.
Keep it up and thanks for the interesting read!
Best regards,
Muhammad Humaidi
Hi Humaidi,
DeleteThank you for your pensive comment. I hope to see this technology making advancements in the future too. Who knows we might be the engineers who design concrete structures using this technology in the near future.
With gratitude,
Wai Yan
Hi Wai Yan,
ReplyDeleteI found your summary to be an enjoyable and informative read. I was shocked to hear that the idea of incorporating bacteria into concrete was actually explored in the late 1900s and experience a resurgence in interest in the early 2000s. This made me think about how many ingenious ideas have been scrapped due to lack of interest from concerned parties, and how it could have affected the world today.
Nevertheless, I hope that your team would be able to successfully implement the use of bacteria to aid the preservation of Singapore's historical monuments.
Best regards,
Cen Wei
Hello Cenwei,
DeleteI was surprise by the fact that this technology has been around for decades too. It also got me thinking, could the lack of interest be the result of failure to communicate effectively by the engineers to the stakeholders. Thank you for a well thought out comment.
With gratitude,
Wai Yan
Hi Wai Yan,
ReplyDeleteThis a very detailed and well written summary. it highlighted the advancement of this self healing technology from the 1900s to the 2000s. I hope this information will allow you to have a deeper understanding of this technology and maybe in the future, you can pioneer this in Singapore!
Regards,
Justin
Hey Justin,
DeleteI am flatter to know that you think I could pioneer this technology in Singapore. Perhaps you could join me on this pioneer journey of self-healing concrete my friend. We have written a technical report on this together. Thank you for your pensive comment and do let me know if you want to continue to explore of this technology.
With gratitude,
Wai Yan
Hi Wai Yan
ReplyDeleteThis was an informative summary about self-healing concrete that you have written. It was interesting how you took the effort to detail out the history of it so that we can understand how it became viable as an agent in today's world. Naturally, we are all awaiting the progress to continue further so that it can scale more into the future.
Here's hoping!
Best Regards
Derrick