Self-healing concrete

h.m.jonkers@tudelft.nl
Man-made Natural materials

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giEfpV8hUwk

Man-made: durable = damage prevention

Man-made Natural materials

Non-
responsive!
2013 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Man-made: durable = damage prevention

Man-made Natural materials

Adaptive
growth!

http://www.kiletree.com/?p=747

Natural: sustainable = damage management

 Living self-healing concrete!

Concrete
+
Bacteria inside!

Man-made / Natural composite material:

Durable + adaptive response to environmental stress!
Challenges traditional concrete:

Cracks Leakage

www.prevent-vochtwering.nl

Non-responsive to environmental stress!

 Self-healing concrete:

Limestone producing bacteria inside!

Bacteria Calcium lactate Limestone

 Self-healing concrete:

Llim Cicatrisation « naturelle » < 180m

CaCO3

Massive CaCO3
precipitation
0.6 mm

Crack + water  activates bacteria 

limestone production  crack-healing
Self-healing concrete products

1. Self-healing concrete

2. Self-healing repair mortar

3. Liquid repair system

Developed at Delft University of Technology

Self-healing concrete products

1. Self-healing concrete

 Based on granular additive

 Seals up to 1mm wide cracks

Self-healing concrete products

1. Self-healing concrete - Projects

Self-healing concrete products

2. Self-healing repair mortar

 Based on granular healing agent

 Based on PVA fibers

 Low shrinkage Healing agent

+
PVA fibres
 Ductile behaviour

 Strong bonding
Self-healing concrete products

2. Self-healing repair mortar - Projects

Basement walls
Self-healing concrete products

3. Liquid repair system

 Two-component liquid spray

 Forms firm gel,

converted in time to limestone

 Fast application (6000 m2 in 4 hours)

 Increases frost resistance

 Seals 0.2 mm cracks in 1 treatment

 Seals 0.2 – 0.6 mm cracks in 2-3 treatments

Self-healing concrete products

3. Liquid repair system - Projects

Sealing of cracks in parking decks

Self-healing concrete products

http://www.epo.org/learning-events/european-inventor/finalists.html

Patent EP2247551

‘Healing agent in cement-based materials and

structures, and process for its preparation’

Nominated by European Patent Office (EPO)

for patent of the year 2015 category ‘Research’

‘European Inventor Award finalists

2015: inventors behind 15 ground-
breaking innovations selected’
Self-healing concrete products

'Living concrete'
 http://www.svsu.edu/~tkschult/moia/green-basilisk-lizard.html

Bio-based, triggered by water

 Concrete facts

1. 7.4 billion (109) m3 concrete produced per year

2. 2.3 trillion (1012) € yearly spent on construction and

maintenance of worlds infrastructure

3. 55% new constructions

4. 45% maintenance and repair

5. 20% less maintenance: saves 207 billion € / y

6. 20% longer service lifetime: saves 253 billion € / y

 Business case:

Market must be created

 Launching customers required

 Ktons production ‘healing agent’

 Small/medium sized production plant to produce

required amounts at reasonable price

 High risk investment required (... M€)