In the article, "The Self-Healing Concrete…"
Spinks (2015) discusses how the construction industry can benefit from
self-healing concrete (SHC). According to Spinks, Jonkers, the inventor, explained
that the invention optimized the concrete lifetime and reduces maintenance
fees. She also mentions that SHC can mend up to 0.8mm cracks of an existing
structure. According to Spinks, research from HealCON showed the maintenance of
cracked old-fashioned concrete for the fundamental infrastructure in the EU
costs €6bn yearly. However, she remarks a cubic meter of self-healing concrete
is 30€ more expensive than standard concrete. Jonkers mentioned that he had
successfully constructed a canal and drainage system by the invention. The
project can be a successful record to convince the building industry. He went on
to mention how any coastal society can obtain advantages from it. He concluded
that SHC can be a game-changer for the future of risk-taker investors in the
construction field. At the same time, Spinks states that SHC is a better
construction material due to its longer lifespan. However, she needs to
emphasize more on the material properties for SHC if she wants her readers to
believe that it can replace standard concrete in the future building industry.
First and foremost, Spinks should
have compared the compressive strength between SHC and standard concrete to
show the advantages of SHC. Stanaszek-Tomal (2020) states that bacterial activity in
concrete can improve its compressive strength. She presents several experiments
data of SHC compressive strength showed that SHC has 10% more than the ordinary
concrete. In my opinion, presenting the data of improved compressive strength is
essential for the readers to make better judgment since higher compressive
strength means can resist heavier loads. Besides that, the construction
industry might consider SHC has a weaker compressive strength and avoid using
it as a construction material because an overload can cause corruption of the
building. However, having higher compressive strength, SHC can be used to build
a more stable construction or infrastructure. This point can be further
supported by an article published, “An Experiment Investigation …” (2015).
Secondly, Spinks only mentions that the self-healing properties of SHC can increase the lifespan of concrete but fail to mention permeability. Kunamineni et al. (2017) mention that the bacteria in concrete will absorb water and form carbonate precipitation causes a reduction of permeability in concrete. I think for the article to mention having a low permeability for concrete is critical. It can prevent aggressive chemicals enter the concrete which contributes to increasing the lifespan of the concrete. The readers can then realize that utilizing SHC in the construction industry will be a better choice. Nowadays, we are encouraged to protect the earth as it is the only home for humans. Utilizing SHC can aid in environmental protection due to the reduction of new concrete products that will increase carbon emission causes global warming.
Lastly, Spinks should discuss chloride ion permeability
which can affect the durability of concrete. In the article, “Effect on
Bacteria…” (2019) the authors explain that the forming of calcium carbonate layer
produced by bacteria resists the penetration of chloride ion. Hence, SHC has a
lower chloride ion permeability that can improve the durability of concrete. Through
this statement, the readers can be relieved from worrying about the corrosion
of reinforcing steel. They can understand that applying SHC as a manufacturing
ingredient will be more secured due to its improved chloride ion resistance.
In a nutshell, Spinks should elaborate more on
the better material properties of SHC in the article to convince the construction
industry that it can replace standard concrete as a construction material.
The references:
Spinks, R. (2015, 20 June). The Self-Healing Concrete That Can Fix Its Own Cracks. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jun/29/the-self-healing-concrete-that-can-fix-its-own-cracks
K.Vijay, M. Murmu, and S. V. Deo (2017, 15 July). Construction and Building Materials. Science Direct https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0950061817313752?token=6C82D31EC054641C6295A82F1163C1CFBF535E83787AA37FA37208060D25A8702D065FDB973BD2B8106811F01DDC2A1A
E. Stanaszek-Tomal (2020, 17 Jan). Bacteria Concrete as a Sustainable Building Material? MDPI https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/2/696
Manikandan, A.T.; Padmavathi, A. An Experimental Investigation on Improvement of Concrete Serviceability by using Bacterial Mineral Precipitation. Int. J. Res. Sci. Innov. 2015, 2, 46–49. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Atmanikandan/publication/316644933_An_Experimental_Investigation_on_Improvement_of_Concrete_Serviceability_by_using_Bacterial_Mineral_Precipitation/links/59099b94a6fdcc49616833c6/An-Experimental-Investigation-on-Improvement-of-Concrete-Serviceability-by-using-Bacterial-Mineral-Precipitation.pdf
P. Saha, A. Sikder (2019, July). Effect on Bacteria on Performance of Concrete/Mortar: A Review. ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334626974_Effect_of_Bacteria_on_Performance_of_ConcreteMortar_A_Review
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