We Finally Know How Ancient Roman Concrete Was Able to Last Thousands of Years
We Finally Know How Ancient Roman Concrete Was Able to Last Thousands of Years
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We Finally Know How Ancient Roman Concrete Was Able to Last Thousands of Years
let me guess, the didn't fill it with iron that would corrode and expand and blow out the concrete? or the fact that it has an excess of fired lime that re-seals cracks?
You do know that rebar frames are completely essential for most concrete construction right? It's not some conspiracy to induce failure. Concrete by itself can only handle compression forces - the rebar allows it to handle tension, torsion and sheering.
I'm guessing they do, but it does also reduce the life of the concrete. Modern concrete structures would be impossible without rebar, so that makes it a good trade, but it doesn't change the fact that it's a trade.
Yep, it’s the the lime. And: “ The team is now working on commercializing their concrete as a more environmentally friendly alternative to current concretes.”
Quick lime as a 'concrete' is nothing new, or newly rediscovered though... The story seems to come up every few years, and anyone that has used a fluidised lime boiler knows how good quick lime is at forming concrete.
that'd be great, a lot of buildings are torn down just because the concrete cracks.
i'd be interested in seeing how using better concrete impacts overall costs and of course emissions. because the building ends up standing for a lot longer, the temperature isolation becomes very sub-par over time. that would increase total energy consumption compared to buildings that are frequently rebuilt.
but very promising.
the iron is a great way to increase tensile strength, but decreases lifespan, rust free metals would also be much nore expensive.
Epoxy covered rebar exists as does one made from stainless steel. It's just quite pricey so it's rarely used unless absolutely necessary. Rust is generally not an issue as long as the rebar is deep inside the concrete. When it's close to the surface and gets exposed to elements is when the problems start.
Wdym? Just replace the iron rebar with gold