r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Nov 03 '19

Chemistry Scientists replaced 40 percent of cement with rice husk cinder, limestone crushing waste, and silica sand, giving concrete a rubber-like quality, six to nine times more crack-resistant than regular concrete. It self-seals, replaces cement with plentiful waste products, and should be cheaper to use.

https://newatlas.com/materials/rubbery-crack-resistant-cement/
97.2k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

1.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

850

u/kiHrt Nov 03 '19

How is the compressive strength compared to traditional concrete mix?

770

u/sailphish Nov 03 '19

This is the real question. Concrete has incredible load bearing ability, especially for its cost and weight. Sure the new stuff might be less brittle, but if it cannot hold up to compressive forces, it might not be an adequate replacement.

-4

u/RicketyFrigate Nov 03 '19

Yep, and really cracks mean nothing to engineers and the ACI, the only people who care about that are the architects that have to design around control joints.

2

u/clancularii Nov 03 '19

Crack resistance could improve the resistance of reinforced concrete to the deleterious effects of sulfites and chlorides.

1

u/RicketyFrigate Nov 03 '19

True, but where that is specifically a major issue, reinforcement is already either stainless steel or epoxy coated.

1

u/clancularii Nov 03 '19

But if this concrete is more environmentally-friendly, than it might not be necessary to provide a galvanized or epoxy coating to secure the same level of protection.