Researchers test-bed new bendable concrete that is more potent and more durable

This innovation allows the introduction of slim precast pavement slabs for short installation, for this reason halving the time needed for street works and new pavements. it's also more sustainable, requiring less maintenance.

NTU Professor Chu Jian, interim Co-Director of the NTU-JTC I³C, said, "We developed a brand new kind of concrete that can significantly lessen the thickness and weight of precast pavement slabs, consequently allowing rapid plug-and-play installation, in which new concrete slabs prepared off-website online can easily update wiped out ones."

Mr Koh Chwee, Director, Technical services division of JTC and Co-Director of the NTU-JTC I3C, said that the discovery of this game-changing generation will not simplest allow the construction industry to lessen labour extensive on-website online paintings, enhance employees' protection and reduce construction time, it additionally benefits avenue users by way of cutting down the inconvenience because of avenue resurfacing and construction works.

"through collaborations with universities which includes NTU in research and improvement of disruptive technology, JTC hopes to pioneer present day business infrastructure solutions to cope with demanding situations confronted by Singapore and its companies inclusive of manpower and aid constraints. we are able to keep to open up more of our homes and estates to test-bed and if a success, put in force such new solutions," Mr Koh brought.

How bendable concrete works

usual concrete contains cement, water, gravel and sand. whilst this combination makes concrete tough and robust, it does now not sell flexibility. for this reason concrete is brittle and prone to cracks if too much weight is carried out.

ConFlexPave is specifically engineered to have sure varieties of difficult substances mixed with polymer microfibres. The inclusion of these special artificial fibres, besides permitting the concrete to flex and bend under tension, also complements skid resistance.

the key leap forward turned into information how the additives of the materials interact with each other automatically on a microscopic stage, stated Asst Prof Yang En-Hua from NTU's faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering who leads this research on the NTU-JTC I³C.

"With specified knowledge, we are able to then intentionally pick elements and engineer the tailoring of components, so our very last fabric can satisfy specific requirements wanted for street and pavement applications," explained Prof Yang.

"The difficult materials provide a non-slip floor texture whilst the microfibres which might be thinner than the width of a human hair, distribute the burden across the complete slab, ensuing in a concrete that is hard as metal and as a minimum twice as sturdy as conventional concrete below bending," he introduced.