Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:21st century concrete

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:

21st century concrete: composite metamaterial with super compressibility, energy harvesting!

"A new study introduces the use of metamaterials in the creation of concrete, making it possible for the material to be specifically designed and tailored in its attributes such as load-bearing capability, flexibility and shapeability. These can be fine-tuned in the creation of the material, enabling builders to use less material without sacrificing strength or durability." 

“This project presents the first composite metamaterial concrete with super compressibility and energy harvesting capability,” said Alavi. “Such lightweight and mechanically tunable concrete systems can open a door to the use of concrete in various applications such as shock absorbing engineered materials at airports to help slow runaway planes or seismic isolation systems.” 

"The material is also capable of generating electricity — not enough to send power to the electrical grid, but more than enough to power roadside sensors. The electrical signals self-generated by the metamaterial concrete under mechanical excitations can also be used to perform structural health monitoring (SHM), measuring damage inside the concrete structure or to monitor loads and stresses during earthquakes." 

Source:#Managingcomposites

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#composites #metamaterials #concrete #electricity #electricgrid