DARPA has said in an official press release that it is looking into how self-healing concrete could be used on runways and other military buildings.
Concrete is, by far, one of the most essential building materials ever invented. However, it is liable to crack and spall over time, which is aesthetically unpleasing and compromises its otherwise great strength.
But recent developments in material science could lead to concrete that can heal itself. Such a material would be instrumental in the construction sector, but it has also found another interesting potential client: the U.S. Armed Forces. One primary area in which such a material would be beneficial is runways.These structures suffer from wear and tear over time but are also susceptible to damage from air raids.
BRACE utilizes biological organisms to construct a vascular system within the concrete that can repair cracks internally, preventing them from reaching the surface of a structure. This allows concrete to undergo a healing process similar to living organisms. Concrete deterioration can be diagnosed using this method as well.
“The central hypothesis of BRACE is that concrete can be infused with self-repair capabilities typically found in living organisms, drawing inspiration from vascular systems found in humans and vast networks of filamentous fungi that can span acres of land similar in scale to concrete buildings,” DARPA says in a recent press release.
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