Normal reinforced concrete lacks the ability to directly respond to the formation of cracking within its own cross section during dynamic loading. A way to introduce this ability is to apply self-healing concepts in the design of reinforced concrete members. Such members could then 'intelligently' react in the event of damaging forces -- by deriving the means of repair from within themselves. Self- healing involves the timed release of adhesive into the member at the time of cracking. Chemically inert encapsulations are filled with adhesive and cast within the cross section of the member. At the onset of cracking, the wall fractures, allowing adhesive to exit and penetrate the developing crack. With this method, adhesives with different characteristics could be applied to different areas of a monolithic, reinforced concrete structural system, in order to accomplish specific results. For example, high strength adhesive could be used in areas where increased stiffness was desired, and more flexible adhesive could be potentially be used to improve energy dissipation or damping. The method would be most appropriate for highly indeterminate structures, where moment redistribution between members tends to 'refocus' stress temporarily. This gives the adhesive time to repair the cracked section and improve local capacity against further damage.

Date Published: 17 June 1998
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 3325, Smart Structures and Materials 1998: Smart Systems for Bridges, Structures, and Highways, (17 June 1998); doi: 10.1117/12.310622

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3325:
Smart Structures and Materials 1998: Smart Systems for Bridges, Structures, and Highways
S.-C. Liu, Editor(s)