1/31/2024 0 Comments Translucent concrete![]() By switching ingredients and adding new ones, engineers have been able to create a multitude of interesting new products, one of which is translucent concrete. Other ingredients, known as admixtures, can be added to alter the concrete’s drying time, workability, color, and consistency. Bigger aggregates lead to rougher concrete and vice versa. By simply adjusting the ratio of ingredients, engineers can change the strength and texture of the material. The simple formula for concrete, however, lends itself to endless modifications. Modern concrete is most often reinforced with steel, a practice that was developed in the 1850s. Three ingredients make up the dry mix: coarse aggregate, consisting of larger pieces of material like stones or gravel fine aggregate, made up of smaller particles such as sand and cement, a very fine powder material that binds the mix together when water is added. What Makes Concrete ConcreteĬoncrete has been used since Roman times, but its basic components have remained the same. In the future, as translucent concrete becomes easier to manufacture and more available, engineers and architects will be able to utilize this amazing material in everything from furniture to entire buildings.įigure 1: Translucent concrete can be used in the exterior of buildings. They are addressing the challenges and problems that occur in every new material, and some companies have started production. Now engineers are expanding those possibilities by modifying the basic ingredients of concrete to create translucent concrete. Concrete has been called an “indispensable medium,” the “quintessential material” for architects and engineers, due to the vast “sculptural and expressive possibilities” that it can achieve. But what if concrete could be translucent, transmitting light into spaces, making them seem light and airy? Engineers today are challenging concrete to shed its opaque reputation to become both window and wall, simultaneously glowing, ethereal, and structural (see Fig. This concrete can also be used cold countries to transmit heat with sunlight.When you think of concrete, most likely, your mind conjures up images of something solid, heavy, and monolithic. Transparent concrete uses sunlight as source of light instead of electrical energy and reduces power consumption. Since it can transmit light from natural as well as artificial sources, the building can have fewer lights to meet its demand for lighting. There, it can be used to make green buildings. The main advantage of transparent concrete is that it can transmit light. Thickness of the optical fibers can be varied between 2 µm and 2 mm to suit the particular requirements of light transmission.įig: Transparent Concrete Wall Advantages of Transparent Concrete: Optical fibers: Optical fibers in the range of 4 to 5% by volume is used for transparent concrete. Water: Water to be used for transparent concrete should be of drinking water quality, free from any impurities. ![]() The sand should be free from any impurities such as vegetation, large stones etc. Sand: Since the transparent concrete is manufactured only using fine materials, the size of sand should pass through 1.18mm sieve. So, ordinary Portland cement is used for transparent concrete. This concrete can have the compressive strength of that of high strength concrete around 70 MPa ( 10,000 psi).įig: Light Transmitting Concrete Materials used: Cement: As the optical fiber is only responsible for transmission of light, there is no special cement required. Transparent concrete is manufactured using fine materials only. The light is transmitted through the core of the optical fiber. Optical fiber consists of three layers called as core, cladding and buffer coating or jacket. The main reason for using optical fiber in concrete is that it can transmit light even an incident angle greater than 60 0. These optical fibers can transmit light from natural and artificial sources into spaces enclosed by the translucent concrete panels. These fibers blend into the concrete like any other aggregates. Transparent concrete is manufactured by using combination of fiber optics and fine concrete. This concrete has less weight compared to original concrete. ![]() Transparent concrete is produced by mixing 4% to 5% (by volume) optical fibers in the concrete mixture. Transparent concrete was originally developed in 2001 by a Hungarian architect Aronlosonzi by using glass fibers. Use of optical fibers and fine concrete also used as transparent concrete. The bonding material in transparent concrete may be able to transmit light by using clear resins the concrete mix. Transparent concrete also called as translucent concrete or light transmitting concrete is achieved by replacing aggregates with transparent alternate materials. ![]() □ Reading time: 1 minute What is Transparent Concrete or Light Transmitting Concrete? ![]()
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