If you’ve ever seen the concrete in your house’s foundation or on your sidewalks start to crack and crumble after a few years then you might be interested to know that the answer to this sad situation exists in the 2,000 year old Roman Pantheon. Apparently the Romans were better engineers than we are, at least as far as concrete goes.
Researchers at MIT have been studying the phenomenal longevity of Roman concrete edifices and they’ve discovered that using quick lime instead of slaked lime provides for the more reactive inclusions in the material to actually “self-heal” incipient cracks.
“The benefits of hot mixing are twofold,” Masic says. “First, when the overall concrete is heated to high temperatures, it allows chemistries that are not possible if you only used slaked lime, producing high-temperature-associated compounds that would not otherwise form. Second, this increased temperature significantly reduces curing and setting times since all the reactions are accelerated, allowing for much faster construction.”
Near the end of the article it’s stated that the researchers plan to commercialize the ancient technique. Well, as a descendant of the Romans, I declare this cultural (or technical) appropriation. And I demand reparations. I’ve estimated my cut as approximately one billion denarii (silver of course). If enough denarii can’t be found I will settle for gold doubloons.
As a descendant of Slavs, I demand a reparation from your reparations! My ancestors were seized and transported to Rome as slave labor and forced to mix their superior concrete. (I wonder if the formula also included human blood.) I will take my payment in gold aureae, 1000 per captured ancestor and descendants to the Fall of the Empire. If coin is not available, I will accept (unrolls scroll) bullion, jewelry, a reserved parking space, my own Winnebago, a chance to direct, (OOPS, wrong scroll), vineyards, pastureland, and 5000 sheep, and a Rudis, the wooden Sword of Freedom.
Reparations denied! Your ancestors were kidnapped and enslaved for their own good. Otherwise they never would have been able to enjoy the benefits of chain store pizza, The Godfather Part III and Sylvester Stallone movies.
It’s kind of funny… all these MIT researchers needed to do was ask the cement/concrete manufacturers. They already knew this. One major issue is the faster curing times… That actually causes more problems than it solves as crews already have to get the concrete poured and into the proper form before it sets. If it were feasible to mix the concrete on location this could be a good thing. But because of the mass and volumes necessary for larger projects (and the power needed for the high levels of heat required), this becomes a logistical nightmare and cost prohibitive. The… Read more »
Jason, I’m glad someone who knows something about the process chimed in. If there are tradeoffs, cost and otherwise, then there could be an evaluation and a decision made for when the tradeoffs are more important and when longevity is more important. As for instance my house’s foundation. Paying even a significant premium to not have to worry about cracks might be a valuable commodity to some people. Of course in our modern disposable world probably most people wouldn’t even think about paying extra to cover the future. For them there is no future.
I actually work for a cement and concrete manufacturer. I was thinking more along the lines of roads and large buildings in my comments above. For individuals, I completely agree with you that stronger foundations and floors in homes would be a good thing. The problems of energy to generate heat and cost of transporting the materials are still there. But because it is on a much smaller scale it MIGHT be easier to overcome. Availability of quick lime might be an issue, as well. At least in some locations. For pouring a driveway or a garage floor though…I’m still… Read more »
Jason, thanks for that very informative review. Our world is literally built on concrete but most people are completely unaware of its importance. The same goes for petroleum. If people realized just what percentage of their world is base on petroleum they’d be terrorized at the thought of running out of oil. Luckily Joe Biden is about to drive that fact home by his “green revolution” and the poverty it will usher in.