Concrete is considered an excellent building material. It is long lasting, cost-effective, and sustainable in all stages of its life span, from raw material to construction to demolition.
Concrete is tough stuff, but even it can crack and crumble
Moisture, extreme pressure, and temperature can damage concrete floors and walks.
Now scientists from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have developed a tough and flexible concrete that bends rather than breaking under pressure.
This new bendable concrete would be useful in paving light and thin roads, parking lots, and pathways. Flexible concrete could significantly reduce maintenance and speed up construction work.
The research team working at NTU-JTC Industrial Infrastructure Innovation Centre at NTU has named this new raw material ConFlexPave.
ConFlexPave is as tough as metal and twice as strong as regular concrete under pressure
Conventional concrete is made from cement, gravel, sand, and water. ConFlexPave also contains polymer microfibers in the mix. These special synthetic fibers are thinner than the width of a human hair. These polymer microfibers help to distribute loads evenly across the entire slab and bend under pressure.
ConFlexPave has been successfully tested in a lab. Over the next three years, researchers plan to test the material in real life by installing slabs at locations around the university campus.
