Project

Develop an Innovative Self-healing Concrete Technology for Bridge Deck Life Extension

Team Members

Xiong (Bill) Yu
Professor and Interim Chair
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Case Western Reserve University

Description

The proposed research aims to conduct pilot study to develop a self-healing concrete technology that rapidly heal the cracks by use of microorganism fungi. Fungi is selected due to its capability to rapidly cover exposed surfaces of concrete cracks with its hyphae fiber. The recovery of mechanical properties will be achieved with fungi induced bio mineralization process, which glue the cracked surfaces together. Besides, the hydrophobic nature of the fungi fiber prevents water ingression and therefore mitigates the corrosion due to deicing salt. Fast and autogenous cracking healing of concrete will extend the service life of bridge decks and bring major cost and labor savings compared with conventional treatment procedures.

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