C Shivakumar
Chennai:
If you are worried about a crack in your building, help is on way.
Scientists at Structural Engineering Research Centre are working on
biomineralisation, the process by which living organisms produce
minerals as a possible method to promote concrete crack remediation.
This self-healing concrete is being developed in the SERC lab in
Chennai, says Prof Nagesh R Iyer, the director of SERC.
Interestingly, the healing of cracks in building could be done with
the help of bacteria, which would be able to produce the minerals. “We
are identifying the right culture that survives in the crack,” said
Iyer during a workshop on Engineering of Cementitious Composites using
Nanotechnolgy.
Interestingly, there are there are few ongoing research projects in
several parts of the world on the use of micro-organisms in developing
self-healing construction materials. Interestingly, SERC is working
with cell biologists to develop this concrete. “The project is still
in the initial stage,” he says.
Interestingly, SERC is also developing a novel cost-effective method
for the production of high performance thin-sheet fabric-reinforced
cement composites. This will help produce a new class of high
performance fabric-cement composite materials which may open the way
for a multitude of new products and applications, he says. These are
water as well as fire proof, says Rao.
He says that potential for developing new durable, strong,
environmentally friendly, and economical, construction materials is a
global challenge as natural resources are becoming scarce.
Prof Surendra P Shah, visiting professor of IIT, said that the aim of
the workshop is to provide an opportunity for consultants, practising
engineers, academicians and researchers belonging to public and
private sector institutions and other engineering professionals to
familiarise themselves with recent developments in construction
materials, specially cement based materials towards green and smart
materials.
No comments:
Post a Comment