Concrete can be used in a variety of ways around your home or business. Concrete is used to create a foundation for the structure, to lay a patio, to create walkways, for walkways, for concrete floors, and for parking lots. Unfortunately, one of the downsides associated with concrete is that, as the ground underneath the concrete sinks over time, it can cause the concrete to break and crumble, and that is where Self-Healing Concrete comes into play.
Self-Healing Concrete is relatively a new product that is designed to prevent this problem and belongs to a class of smart material that has structurally incorporated the ability to repair damage caused by structural use over time.
There are two different types of self-healing concrete
- Biotic
- Abiotic
Biotic Concrete
In biotic concrete, bacteria are used. Hence, it’s called concrete bacteria.
The bacteria used to self-cure cracks are acid-producing bacteria. In the crack healing process, bacteria serve as a catalyst. It is favored when a concrete structure has access to water or to moisture.
Various bacteria used are as following:
- bacillus pseudofirmus
- bacillus balodurans
- bacillus cohnil
- bacillus paterurizing
- bacillus spaericus
- escherichia coli
Bacterial function
As cracks occur in the concrete, the water escapes through the cracks, the spores of the bacteria germinate and the calcium lactate begins to be transformed into insoluble limestones, the insoluble limestone begins to harden by filling immediately without any external assistance.
Abiotic Concrete
Some of the chemicals are cyanoacrylate, epoxy, polyurethane (PU), methyl methacrylate (MMA), dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), Na2Sio3, etc., are healing agents that are mixed with other components such as water.
How the healing agents are applied
- Direct Application: The bacteria and the chemical precursor are added directly while making the concrete.
- Encapsulation LWA: The part of the coarse aggregate is replaced by the light weight aggregate, which is impregnated with the twice the calcium lactate solution and the spores of bacteria. After impregnation the alcy particles with 6% healing agents and the concrete is made.
The Cons of Self-Healing Concrete
Expensive
Cost is currently one of the main disadvantages of self-healing concrete. Many people choose concrete for their projects because it is an inexpensive construction material. Self-healing concrete is relatively recent and very unusual. As such, it may be expensive. If you’re on a budget or searching for cheap construction material, self-healing concrete might not be the best choice for you.
Not Many Contractors Know How to Use This Product Yet
The second drawback to self-healing concrete is that not many contractors already know how to use this product. It’s still new, and as such, not every company uses it, and not every contractor is qualified for it. It might be difficult to find a contractor that uses this product and has experience depending on where you live.
The Pros of Self-Healing Concrete
Can Last Decades or Centuries
The biggest benefit of self-healing concrete is that it can last for decades, or even centuries. It is estimated that the lifetime of self-healing concrete can be as long as 200 years. This means that you will never have to repair your concrete surface again during your lifetime.
Decreases Concrete Maintenance
The other advantage associated with self-healing concrete is that it reduces the amount of maintenance you need on your concrete floor. It is necessary to fill and seal cracks on a standard concrete surface to prevent cracks from increasing and expanding.
Conclusion
Microbial concrete technology has proven to be better than many traditional technologies due to its eco-friendly quality and self-healing capabilities and the improved longevity of different building materials, giving them high strength for more bearing power and increasing the life of a structure.
