Concrete Planet

Robert Courland 2011 978-1616144814

booknotes

• Claims concrete very early discovery, used for temples
  • Not convincing
• Joseph Davidovits
  • Pyramids concrete, book says nonsense
  • Geopolymer concrete
• Reinforced concrete
  • Starts out alkaline, then moisture seeps in
  • Rebar oxidizes, volume increases, breaks concrete
  • NOT fireproof, surface bakes out and powders
    • Collapsed buildings 1906 SF quake
  • High strength concrete - fast cure, 70% stronger, but cracks easier and corrodes faster
    • Normal 21MPa, High Strength 31-37MPa, in 7 days
    • Service Life 50 years, average age 42 years
    • Partial repair, $2.2T
  • Sewage as corrosive as seawater
  • Sacrificial anodes, aluminum or magnesium
  • Active cathodic protection adds 15% to bridge cost
    • too much and makes hydrogen
  • Glass fiber polymer rebar
    • Hard to shape
    • RF transparent
  • Carbon fiber rebar
  • Aluminum bronze cheaper than "stainless" steel
  • Roman structures, Hockney viaduct has no rebar, still stands
• Concrete shrinks while setting, and changes volume with moisture
• Megatons of CO_2_ from kilning lime (Calcium Carbonate into Calcium Oxide )
  • Second largest source after power plants
• Edison concrete houses and appliances
• Three Gorges - 27 M cu meters
• Sydney Opera House - Jørn Utzon Denmark

Other sources

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Properties_of_concrete

• 2,400 kg/m³
• Portland cement 8to12 microstrains/°C)(8-12 1/MK)
• Reactive Powder Concrete, up to 800MPa lab, 200MPa deployed
  • Steel wool fibers - yikes!