SCIENCE WATCH; Concrete Repairs Its

Own Cracks
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Published: September 22, 1992

SCIENTISTS are developing a type of concrete that can repair its own
cracks.

The concrete's healing components are coated, hollow fibers that are
filled with specific chemicals and distributed throughout the cement.
When the self-healing concrete cracks, it breaks open the stiff coating
of a nearby fiber that then releases its chemicals, usually adhesive or
polymer compounds, to fill in the area, said Dr. Carolyn Dry, who
designed the new concrete and is an associate professor of
architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The self-healing concrete mixture has as its basic material a new form
of cement, which when under stress produces tiny cracks rather than
larger openings. Embedded in this special cement, the self-healing
factors close these tiny openings rather than the gaping fissures that
are characteristic of ordinary cement, Dr. Dry said.

This new concrete complex is called a "smart" material because it has

an attribute of living organisms: the ability to sense that it is injured
and then heal its wounds. The National Science Foundation is
financing Dr. Dry's research and other work to develop "smart"
materials.
While concrete is commonly used to build bridges, roads, sidewalks
and buildings because it can withstand heavy stress and compression,
it is also porous and brittle. These two properties lead to cracking, a
visible sign of the internal, structural disruption that occurs when
water seeps into the permeable cement. Since water expands when it
freezes and contracts under heat, it causes areas of the concrete to
break apart.

Dr. Dry said the new cement was intended to prolong the life of
concrete structures, to reduce the need for maintenance and repair
work, and to improve safety.

In order to improve the strength and durability of structures made of

concrete even further, Dr. Dry places special fibers around the steel
reinforcing bars, called rebars, which support the structures. When
rebars begin to corrode in an alkaline environment, the nearby fibers
release anti-corrosive chemicals since their coatings are designed to
dissolve when exposed to such an environment. In this case, Dr. Dry
said, the environmental factor that induces corrosion also acts as the
stimulus for repair.

She expects to complete her research within two years but does not
know when the self-repairing concrete will be commercially available.