Smart Materials for Construction Industry

How many of you have watched the movie:  Terminator 2-Judgement Day? If you haven’t, give it a try once. There are few scenes in the movie where the evil cyborg pulls together its body after being blown apart and is also capable of shape shifting. Isn’t it cool? Well fact is there are materials which can self-heal and shape shift, aptly called as smart materials. These materials have been immensely studied, developed and applied by various industries in various fields, construction being one such field.

Smart materials are materials which respond to environmental stimuli like temperature, pressure, and atmospheric oxygen. So far 3 smart materials are being developed to help make buildings and structures safer and more durable. 

•    Smart Concrete

Concrete is a one vital element of construction but even the concrete crumbles down after some time due to consecutive exposure to water, wind, pressure and so on. So far annual replacement of concrete is being done but it’s a time & energy spent process. Civil and material engineers are immensely studying smart concrete which contains bacteria spores and calcium lactate in self-contained pods. Upon exposure to rain these pods create limestone which fills up the cracks and reinforces the concrete.

Smart concrete can make flexible walls, which are not fixed walls, which can be moved according to our new furniture space.

Self-healing concrete can save up the time and energy for construction industries by eliminating the repair need. The sustainability of the bacterial spore is being tested but researchers are hopeful that they will be able to officially introduce smart concrete to the construction industry.

•     Shape shifting Metal:

The example from the terminator movie might make you worried about the shape shifting property of the materials however think about it from a positive aspect. Imagine skyscrapers, bridges and homes built with these materials so that they can sustain huge amount of stress during calamities like earthquake. These materials are durable and are designed to remember and revert to their original shape after being altered. The development of these materials is still under research but many engineers and companies like Shape Change Technologies LLC are positive towards the application of these materials in civil and structural engineering.

•    Self-Healing Coatings:

Self-healing coatings, sealants and adhesives are smart materials not just being studied but newly found in market. An article from CNN.com discussed the development of self-healing coatings by a U.S Based company which are being used on marine-based structures like ships and oil rigs where the coatings are made with polymers that react with one another upon rupture, leading to self-healing.

So, it’s not far that smart materials are synthesized for application in construction industries. What are your thoughts and ideas regarding the topic? Do you wish to know more advancement in this field then join us at Smart Materials Meet 2018.