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Bend it Like Concrete

Posted by: Nate Berg

7 May 2009 - 9:00am

Advances in material development have brought to the market a new type of concrete that can bend under pressure and heal cracks with the addition of water.

"Traditional concrete is brittle and is easily fractured during an earthquake or by overuse.

By contrast, the new concrete composite can bend into a U-shape without breaking. When strained, the material forms hairline cracks, which auto-seal after a few days of light rain.

Dry material exposed by the cracks reacts with rainwater and carbon dioxide in the air to form "scars" of calcium carbonate, a strong compound found naturally in seashells, said study co-author Victor Li of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

The flexible material is just as strong after it heals, the study authors report."

Full Story: Bendable Concrete Heals Itself -- Just Add Water
Source: National Geographic, May 6, 2009
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