Track: Transportation

Abstract

Concrete which forms major component in the construction Industry as it is cheap, easily available and convenient to cast. But drawback of these materials is weak in tension so, it cracks under sustained loading and due to aggressive environmental agents which ultimately reduce the life of the structure which are built using these materials. This process of damage occurs in the early life of the building structure and during its lifetime. Bioengineered Self-repairing concrete biologically produces calcium carbonate crystals to seal cracks that appear on the surface of the concrete structures. It could be possible to motivate the growth and population of useful bacteria by adding another material, such as a silica since the first bacteria having evolved on earth because of silicon. In this study, the effects of pure precipitated micro silica (PPMS) as a partial replacement (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2) % by weight of cement in concretes are reported. The properties investigated include biological total bacterial growth and population properties  in addition to the compressive strength, bending strength, density, and conductivity, with scanning electron microscope test for each sample is done to make sure that the PPMS will keep or improve these properties. The research indicates that PPMS is an effective mineral addition for designing durable concrete presenting an optimal performance when the replacement ratio of cement is around 1 wt%.