A team of MIT students have come up with a way to incorporate irradiated plastic into cement paste to make concrete that is nearly 15% stronger than what’s available today. This could reduce the amount of plastic in landfills and lower concrete’s carbon footprint.
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ETH Zurich researchers have used computational modeling to design an ultrathin concrete roof for that optimizes strength while eliminating extra material and weight.
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Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology, in collaboration with BAM Infra, recently completed construction of the world’s first 3-D printed reinforced concrete bridge. The steel cables, added during printing, help prestress the concrete to support loads beyond its weight.
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Salt has long been used on roads and sidewalks to melt snow and ice, but it can destroy vehicles and the environment over time. Researchers have developed a method for melting snow and ice using paraffin, which is less expensive and environmentally-friendly.
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A mechanical engineering student recently participated in a NIST summer project involving 3-D printed concrete—watch this video to see how the project team tested various cement paste samples to measure viscosity, yield stress, and printing defects.
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A research team may have solved the cigarette butt litter problem. By mixing discarded cigarette butts with asphalt concrete, they produced a material that can handle heavy traffic and reduce the urban heat island effect.
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An international group of scientists recently found that the key to the strength of ancient Roman concrete is the presence of aluminous tobermorite, a mineral that slowly forms within voids and prevents cracks from traversing through the concrete.
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Students, young professionals, and researchers gathered at Georgia Tech to learn, present, and network with others at the 8th Advances in Cements-Based Materials meeting, June 26–28, hosted by ACerS Cements Division. Highlights included the student poster session and Della Roy Lecture.
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Scientists at the University of British Colombia (Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada) have a new strategy that just might be going somewhere—they’ve devised a technique to incorporate recycled rubber tire fibers into concrete to reuse the waste material, improve the durability of concrete, and reduced the carbon footprint of the concrete industry.
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According to studies of wind power potential from towers positioned at varying distances off the ground, taller wind turbine towers would make wind power viable in a much wider region of the United States than is currently feasible.
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