Colman Engineering, PLC | Civil, Environmental, and Water Resources Engineering Services

  • Home
  • Services
    • Land Development
    • Water Resources
    • Environmental
  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Jobs
  • Home
  • Services
    • Land Development
    • Water Resources
    • Environmental
  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Jobs

Blog

Discussing current issues in engineering

Novel Self-Sealing Concrete Aims to Reduce Road Construction

7/28/2020

 
Picture
Photo credit: r. nial bradshaw, CC BY 2.0
With summer road construction underway, associate professor Luna Lu at Purdue University is developing a new technology that could help ease the constant need for highway road repairs across the U.S.
 
Lu and her team are investigating the use of chemical agents mixed into concrete that absorb and react with water to produce a solid substance that effectively self-seals cracks in the concrete. This technology could also help prevent the seepage of water into concrete and reduce the corrosion of rebar reinforcement.
 
With the U.S. receiving a D+ rating for infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers’ most recent U.S. infrastructure report card and an estimated 1 in 3 U.S. highway bridges in need of repair or replacement according to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, this technology has the potential to extend the service life of pavements and roads thereby easing the strain on U.S. infrastructure.
 
In 2019 Lu also developed a concrete sensor technology currently embedded into Indiana highways that provides data on the strength of newly poured concrete, which allows for contractors to know when a new concrete patch is strong enough to be opened to heavy traffic. The sensors can also be permanently left in highways and continually provide real-time information on concrete deterioration.
 
While the self-sealing research currently applies exclusively to concrete, Lu hopes to expand this technology to asphalt and other road materials in the future. She is also working with the Indiana Department of Transportation to incorporate self-sealing concrete technology into highway bridges by 2021.

Comments are closed.

    Colman Engineering, PLC

    A professional engineering firm located in Harrisonburg, VA

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015

    RSS Feed

Picture
Colman Engineering, PLC
1123 S. High Street
Harrisonburg, VA 22801
contact@colmanengineering.com
(540) 246-3712
Colman Engineering, PLC

© Colman Engineering, PLC  |  All Rights Reserved