Concrete is the most widely used man-made material in constructing homes and buildings around the world. Yet new research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology seek to redesign this material using nature’s blueprints as inspiration.
Redesigning Cement Paste
The research team from MIT contrasted cement paste with the properties and structure of biological materials, such as shells, deep-sea sponges and shells. Civil engineer companies can attest that cement paste is an indispensable part of the cement, as this is the binding ingredient in concrete.
The researchers observed that these natural materials are exceptionally durable and strong. This can be largely attributed to the precise assembly of their molecular and macro-level structures. With this in mind, they proposed a new way of designing cement paste: the “bottom-up” approach.
Looking Internally
The durability and strength of concrete greatly depends on the configuration and internal structure of the pores. Unfortunately, there is still no technology that could precisely control the overall properties of concrete, including that its internal structure. This is what the researchers wanted to address.
After a number of observations and studies of different biological materials, they were able to develop a general methodology or framework for civil engineers to determine how certain ingredients can impact the overall strength of the cement.
The team hopes that research will lead to a more sustainable recipe that can improve the longevity and overall performance of concrete in building different structures. They’re looking at twice or thrice the design life for these structures.
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