Divya Ramanathan
Independent Researcher
India
Abstract
Self-healing concrete has emerged as an innovative solution to enhance the durability and lifespan of concrete structures by autonomously repairing cracks and defects. This paper evaluates the performance of self-healing concrete in structural applications through experimental investigation and comparative analysis with conventional concrete. The study focuses on various self-healing techniques such as microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation and encapsulated healing agents. Mechanical properties, crack closure efficiency, and durability under cyclic loading were assessed. Results indicate significant improvement in crack healing capacity and prolonged service life in self-healing concrete specimens. This research demonstrates the practical applicability of self-healing concrete in infrastructure and proposes recommendations for future engineering implementations.
Keywords Self-healing concrete, crack repair, microbial-induced healing, encapsulated healing agents, durability, structural applications
REFERENCES
- Edvardsen, C. (1999). Water permeability and autogenous healing of cracks in concrete. ACI Materials Journal, 96(4), 448–454. org
- Neville, A. M. (2002). Autogenous healing—A concrete miracle? Concrete International, 24(11), 76–82. org
- Ramm, W., & Bischoff, M. (1998). Autogenous healing and reinforcement corrosion of water-penetrated separation cracks in reinforced concrete. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 179(2–3), 191–200. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Jonkers, H. M., Thijssen, A., Muyzer, G., Copuroglu, O., & Schlangen, E. (2010). Application of bacteria as self-healing agent for the development of sustainable concrete. Ecological Engineering, 36(2), 230–235. com
- Van Tittelboom, K., & De Belie, N. (2013). Self-healing in cementitious materials: A review. Materials, 6(6), 2182–2217. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma6062182 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Gupta, S., Kua, H. W., & Pang, S. D. (2017). Autonomous repair in cementitious material by combination of superabsorbent polymers and polypropylene fibres: A step towards sustainable infrastructure. arXiv preprint arXiv:1706.02680. org
- Luo, J., Chen, X., Crump, J., Zhou, H., Davies, D. G., Zhou, G., Zhang, N., & Jin, C. (2017). Interactions of fungi with concrete: Significant importance for bio-based self-healing concrete. arXiv preprint arXiv:1708.01337. org
- Menon, R. R., Luo, J., Chen, X., Zhou, H., Liu, Z., Zhou, G., Zhang, N., & Jin, C. (2017). Screening of fungi for the application of self-healing concrete. arXiv preprint arXiv:1711.10386. org
- Dry, C. M. (1994). Matrix cracking repair and filling using active and passive modes for smart timed release of chemicals from fibers into cement matrices. Smart Materials and Structures, 3(3), 229–236. wikipedia.org
- Dry, C. M. (1999). Repair and prevention of damage due to transverse shrinkage cracks in bridge decks. In Smart Structures and Materials 1999: Smart Systems for Bridges, Structures, and Highways (Vol. 3668, pp. 232–242). SPIE. wikipedia.org
