The Red Brick Times

Tony's posting has a link that leads to LiTraCon, a company that makes concrete that transmits light. I found a description of the process at Science News Online from an article titled Concrete Nation published on January 1, 2005. The article also describes a stronger, more flexible concrete called Ductal and a self-consolidating concrete called Agilia developed by the French company Lafarge. Self-consolidating means that it doesn't require vibration or a lot of surface troweling to flow into a smooth, air-bubble-free slab. Saves time and personpower for installation. Ductal has small non-metallic or steel fibers that spread throughout the mix instead of reinforcement bars or wire. These are less likely to corrode and separate from the concrete that surrounds them than are the traditional steel bars, so the fiber-filled homogenous mixture can flex more than can a traditional slab.

On the home construction concrete front, my garage floor concrete was mixed with fiberglass strands when it was poured 10 years ago. No cracks yet. You can ask most concrete contractors to include fibers in the mix. Small cost, higher strength and longer durability. The only thing is that when the concrete cures, and you get down on the floor to look across it, it initially looks like it needs a shave. That disappears with time and use.

LiTraCon construction description:

"To ensure that the ends of each fiber make contact with the surfaces on both sides of the material, blocks of concrete are built in stages. First, a thin layer of concrete is poured into a long, narrow mold. Then, a layer of optical fibers is laid along the length of the mold. After several repetitions, the resulting long beam can be cut into short, rectangular building blocks riddled with the thin light pipes, says LiTraCon's Andreas Bittis.

The fiber diameters range from 2 microns to 2 millimeters. By using fibers of different diameters, LiTraCon designers can achieve different illumination effects. Varying the size of the blocks, however, doesn't change the effect. So far, LiTraCon has made continuous concrete beams up to 20 meters long, and the fibers transmit light the entire length.

With these blocks, architects can design and build a large variety of structures, ranging from translucent concrete walls to floors lit from below. LiTraCon has already received a number of requests from architects interested in the material, says Bittis. One firm in New York has proposed using the new concrete in its design of a police college in Kuwait City. Because concrete is an excellent insulating material, the building would protect against the desert heat while letting through some sunshine."
Posted 12:11 PM by Andy (1) comments

       Comments:

Neat stuff. Glass and rock Forward into the Stone Age!

Ford repaved the parking lot at the Rouge River palnt with porous concrete that virtually eliminated runoff into the river. One article I read claimed that the water that reached the river was cleaner than the the rain that originally fell on the lot.

A book that might interest anyone concerned with recycling is Cradle To Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

Enjoy

# posted by  A. O. : May 12, 2006 1:45 PM
 
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