Essay On Bioconcrete

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Abstract: Concrete is used as a construction material in structures since the days of Roman and Greek civilisations. Now it is one of the most used construction material on the planet. In present day almost every structure is made of concrete. Therefore its performance under loading is quite important. Concrete structures are very susceptible to cracking and repairs as well as maintenance of concrete structures due to cracking are difficult and very expensive. As a possible solution to this problem, considerable interest has been directed presently towards the introduction of self-healing materials in concrete. Here, attention is focused on different healing approaches including encapsulation techniques and Bioconcrete.

Keywords: Bioconcrete, …show more content…

There are two mechanisms which are mainly responsible for this form of healing (1) Due to the continued hydration of unhydrated cement grains and (2) Precipitation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Therefore Autogenous self-healing is achieved by hydration reaction of cementitous products present within the matrix. When cracks are formed, the water percolates inside the concrete and reacts with the debris or loose concrete particles and the Portland cement particles remaining unreacted in the cement paste which now reacts to form calcium carbonates and calcium hydroxide resulting in the closure of the crack. Autogenous healing is mostly effective for very narrow cracks. This limitation was addressed by Li and Li (2011), who proposed using engineered cementitous composites (ECC) containing synthetic fibers, such as polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) for restraining crack width. Moreover, a constant supply of water must be present to support the hydration process. So superabsorbent polymers (SAP) which can store and supply moisture over longer period of time can be used. Their function is to absorb water during wet periods and release it slowly during dry periods. Water is thus made continuously available for the autogenous healing

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