Innovative Sustainable Materials - Group 16

Group Members Perera J.K.D.S.(162430N) PereraP.A.L.P.(162431T) Karunarathna T.A.D.C.D(162421M) SenarathP.A.N.B.(162692R) Sivasangeetha V.(162673K)

Innovative sustainable materials Group 21

Innovative Building Materials

                                          Innovative Building Materials

New innovative thinking and new invention is necessary to save our valuable time and energy. Nowadays many new emerging innovative materials are being invented and many new materials are being in research. Some of the innovative materials are included below.

Translucent concrete

Translucent concrete is a concrete based building material with light transmitting properties due to embedded light optical elements. It is usually made of optical fiber. According to the concretes manufactures, the optical fibers make up only 4 percent of the mixer.

Sensi tile 

The concrete of the tiles is embedded with acrylic fiber-optic channels that transfer light from one point to another. As shadows move across Terrazzo’s surface, the light channels flicker with a randomized.

Radiant barriers

  

Radiant barriers can be applied anywhere in attic space of house. It keeps heat out in summer, warmth in during winter. Usually radiant barriers are made of aluminum. 

Solar panel roofing tiles

Solar panel roofing tiles transform the sun’s energy into usable electricity to power buildings. It receives rebates from the government for installing them. 

Electrified wood

 This material incorporates a source of electricity directly into tables and chairs. If two metal layers are pressed between the wood of the furniture, making it possible to pass an electrical current through the whole thing. The 12 volt power is fed to the metal layers via one connector, lamps and other devices can be connected via the other.   

Kinetic glass (living glass)

It is made of a cast silicone that has been slit and embedded. The surface is embedded with wires that contract due to electrical stimulus. This contraction causes the slits or gills to open. The living glass uses these microprocessors rather than motors to collect information about the environment. The gills would open to allow airflow when needed thus maintaining a healthy air status quality.

Unfired clay bricks

Unfired bricks are created using earth materials and are air-dried instead of fired like conventional bricks. It is eco-friendly and with additional construction properties. This has the benefit of reducing the energy used in manufacturing and increases strength and decreases shrinkage.  

Group 29

Self healing concrete

He calls the material “bioconcrete” that can “self-heal.” In order to keep the bacteria dormant until it is needed, it is placed in small, biodegradable capsules containing the nutrient. When the concrete cracks, and water enters the gaps, it comes into contact with the bacteria and the food source, setting the healing process off. The bacteria then feed on the calcium lactate, joining the calcium with carbonate to form limestone, fixing the crack.

The process has been proven to work effectively, and can even be added to a liquid that could then be sprayed onto existing buildings. The problem, however, as always is the price. It is currently twice the cost of traditional concrete, but Jonker says that this is mainly due to the price of the calcium lactate, and if they can get the bacteria to use a sugar-based nutrient instead, the price would be dramatically reduced.  

Bendable concrete

A new type of fiber-reinforced bendable concrete will be used for the first time in Michigan this summer- and University of Michigan scientists hope that their new material will find widespread use across the country. 
The new concrete looks like regular concrete, but is 500 times more resistant to cracking and 40 percent lighter in weight. Tiny fibers that comprise about 2 percent of the mixture's volume partly account for its performance. Also, the materials in the concrete itself are designed for maximum flexibility. Because of its long life, the Engineered Cement Composites (ECC) are expected to cost less in the long run, as well.

Liquid granite

Scientists have developed a new building material that is fire resistant to temperatures in excess of 1100 degrees Celsius, is made largely from recycled material and is as versatile as concrete.

Liquid Granite offers a real breakthrough in reducing fire risk in buildings as, unlike concrete, it doesn't explode at high temperatures. It can also withstand high temperatures for longer periods, offering valuable minutes in the case of a fire.

The material is made up of between 30 and 70 per cent recycled material, mainly base products from industry. It uses less than one third of the cement used in precast concrete, which also reduces its carbon footprint.

Unfired clay bricks

Also known as earth masonry, unfired clay brickwork is constructed using earth materials (possibly with some additives). Earth masonry is not “fired” like conventional bricks, but the masonry units are air dried after manufacture to reduce shrinkage and improve strength. In some traditional forms of earth construction (e.g. cob or rammed earth), monolithic (solid) walls are constructed, but unfired clay bricks are similar to other masonry systems where there the units (“bricks”) are bonded together with mortar and possibly covered with a finishing system (paint or render).

Traditional forms of unfired clay bricks (cob blocks, adobe and mudbricks) are generally made by hand and as a result, have variable dimensions and other properties. Traditional earth masonry has thick walls (often over 300mm thick) as the mortar provides low bond strength and the thick walls have sufficient mass to keep themselves stable against lateral loads in dwellings.

Because of the environmental and financial cost of using materials in construction, it is preferable to reduce the wall thickness to approximately 100mm for internal partitions (the standard thickness for fired clay bricks and concrete blockwork). Thinner walls also reduce the structural loading and increase available space inside buildings.

Modern unfired clay brickwork uses units manufactured to accurate tolerances using a commercial extrusion or pressing system to provide a consistent, high quality product. This enables rapid, cost effective, 100mm thick walls with low environmental impact to be constructed. In most cases, modern unfired clay bricks are produced in commercial fired brick manufacturing plants using similar materials to fired bricks, but without putting the bricks through the firing process. This significantly reduces the energy used in manufacture and previous research has indicated unfired bricks have 14% of the embodied energy of fired bricks and 25% of the embodied energy of concrete blocks. In Germany, some fired brick plants have moved to making only modern earth masonry and associated products.

CPVC PIPES:

These pipes don’t allow the salt content of the water to get deposited on their walls. Thus they prevent the corrosion of the pipes and there byreduce the frequent replacement of the pipes. They are even resistant to fire andalso to acids to some extent. Though their initial cost higher than that of conventional pipes, their maintenance cost is very low

FLY ASH CEMENT:

This consists of a small proportion of fly ash instead of the usual components present in it. This will not only reduce the cost of cement but also it reduces the effect of pollution by removing the concentration of carbondi oxide in air.

INHIBITORS ADMIXED CEMENT

 New concrete buildings are built for long life. Inhibitors added concrete structureshave still longer life.The crack formation in concrete structure occurs due to the corrosion of rebar inside the concrete. This occurs because of the surface oxidization of iron rod into ironoxide due to diffused oxygen and moisture in the concrete.

The places, where the chloride content in the ground water is more, carbonationreaction occurs which leads to the decrease in alkalinity. Because of this, the rate of corrosion of steel rebar increases and eventually the cracks are formed. By adding theinhibitors admixture to the concrete mix, the corrosion of steel rebar can be prevented

SENSI TILE

o If you walk across your kitchen floor to get something from the refrigerator, the floor twinkles with lighted path that guides your way through the dark room.  The concrete of the tiles is embedded with acrylic fiber-optic channels that transfer light from one point to another.  As shadows move across Terrazzo's surface, the light channels flicker with a randomized.

Translucent Concrete

ØTranslucent concrete is a concrete based building material with light transmissive properties due to embedded light optical elements. It is usually made of Optical fiber. According to the concretes manufacturers, the optical fibers make up only 4 percent of the mixture. The light transmitting property makes them appear fresh, open and spacious

Ultra Touch Jeans Insulation

Jean is recycled through some process and it can be used for roofing like this It is light weight and this method reduces landfill waste

ELECTRIFIED WOOD

:  This European-designed material incorporates a source of electricity directly into tables and chairs.  If Two metal layers are pressed between the wood of the furniture, making it possible to pass an electrical current through the whole thing.  The 12-volt power is fed to the metal layers via one connector, and lamps, and other devices can be connected via the other.

 KINETIC GLASS (Living Glass)

 It is made of a cast silicone that has been slit and embedded.  The surface is embedded with wires that contract due to electrical stimulus . This contraction causes the slits or gills to open. The Living glass uses these microprocessors rather than motors to collect information about the environment The gills would open to allow airflow when needed thus maintaining a healthy air status quality

RICHLITE

 It is a dense material made from partially recycled paper and phenolic resin.  70 percent of the material is made with recycled paper.  It has a very high strength and has resistance to High temperature up to 350 F .

 Carbon Fiber

 Carbon fiber is made up of carbon strands that are thinner than human hair. The strands can be woven together, like cloth, and then that can be molded to any shape you might want. Carbon fiber is an extremely strong, lightweight material.  It's five times as strong as steel, two times as stiff, yet weighs about two-thirds less.

Group 10- Assessed project work 1- phase2

Innovative Sustainable Materials

Ferrock 

Concrete can be seen in almost everywhere such as highways, bridges, buildings and sidewalks and around 4 billion tons of cement are produced every year.it is used because of its properties such as durability, vigorous and long-wearing in construction. A new material has been researched which is stronger, more flexible, less expensive and carbon-negative to work with, acting as a sponge to literally absorb Co2 than concrete namely, Ferrock. Recycled materials including steel dust from the steel industry is used to create a concrete-like building material that is even stronger than concrete. Compared to Portland cement which is one of the leading types in use throughout the world today, Ferrock is actually five times stronger. It can withstand more compression before breaking and is far more flexible, meaning it could potentially resist the earth movements caused by seismic activity or industrial processes. One of the unique properties of Ferrock is that it becomes even stronger in salt water environments, making it ideal for marine-based construction projects. And rather than emitting large amounts of Co2 as it dries, this unique material actually absorbs and traps carbon dioxide as part of its drying and hardening process by making it not only less Co2 intensive than traditional concrete, but actually a carbon neutral. This results in a carbon-negative process that actually helps to trap greenhouse gases, thus it is an alternative to concrete and a far greener building material. 

Grasscrete

Grasscrete is used for ground stabilisation. It is a cellular reinforced concrete system with voids created by plastic formers. Grasscrete is a method of laying concrete flooring, walkways, sidewalks, and driveways in such a manner that there are open patterns allowing grass or other flora to grow. The construction offers significant structural advantages over precast concrete and plastic paving systems. Grasscrete is an environmentally friendly solution for emergency vehicle access, Fire paths, hard standings, Slope protection, and improved storm water absorption and drainage.

HempCrete

Hempcret is a concrete like material created from the woody inner fibres of the hemp plant. It is a one of the most amazing building product made from industrial hemp .The hemp fibers are bound with lime to create concrete-like shapes that are strong and light. The use of lime instead of cement will save approximately 80% of the Co2 release compared to ordinary cement. Hemcrete blocks are super-lightweight, which can also reduce the energy used to transport the blocks. And also hemp is a renewable resource, modern day building materials are either mined from the earth or harvested from century’s old forests. And hemp itself is a fast-growing, hemp crops can be harvested annually in perpetuity. Some of benefits of hempcrete are non-toxic, mold resistance, high vapour permeability, humidity control and durability.

Bamboo corrugated sheet

Bamboo has been utilized as a building material since ancient times. However, the bamboo mat corrugated sheet is an ideal substitute for asbestos and galvanized steel sheets for roofing purposes. Sinusoidal wave platens have been designed for hot pressing phenol formaldehyde resin coated and preservative treated bamboo mats into corrugated sheets. These sheets are environment friendly, energy efficient and possess good fire resistance as well.

AshCrete

AshCrete is a concrete alternative that uses fly ash in place of cement. By using fly ash which

is a by-product of burning coal, most of traditional components in concrete can be replaced with

recycled material. It is lightweight and has a greater structural strength and durability, so it is

both effective and sustainable. As a building product AshCrete is known for its extreme

strength, approximately twice the strength of Portland cement, besides the sustainable

materials, it has lower transportation costs due to its lighter weight.

Timbercrete

Timbercrete is a fascinating building material which is made of sawdust and concrete mixed together. It is environmentally friendly in all the way from its raw ingredients through to its everyday use. It has a lower embodied energy, and it acts as a carbon trap. Since it is lighter than concrete, it reduces transportation emissions, and the sawdust both reuses a waste product and replaces some of the energy-intensive components of traditional concrete. This timbercrete is used not only in residential, industrial and commercial building projects, but also for landscaping design. And also it can be moulded into a vast array of different sizes, shapes,colours and textures.

Mycelium

Mycelium is a fully natural material made from the root structure of fungi. It can be encouraged to grow in certain shaped moulds and once dried it is extremely light. Dried Mycelium can form an incredibly strong material that is not only water-resistant, but also fire and mold-resistant. It can be used to manufacture furniture, tableware and even entire buildings.

Solar Tiles

Traditional roof tiles are either mined from the ground or set from concrete or clay - all energy intensive methods. Once it is installed, they simply exists to protect a building. Unlike most solar units which are fixed on top of existing roofing, solar tiles are fully integrated into the building, protecting it from the weather and generating power for its inhabitants. Solar roof tiles, also called building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV). Just like conventional solar PV panels, solar roof tiles can generate electricity to heat the water, run the appliances and cool the house.

Wool bricks

This is made by adding wool and a natural polymer found in seaweed to the clay of the brick, the brick is 37% stronger than other bricks, and also it is more resistant to the cold wet climate. They also dry hard, reducing the embodied energy as they don't need to be fired like traditional bricks. This was developed by researchers with an aim to obtain a composite that was more sustainable, non-toxic, using abundant local materials that would mechanically improve the bricks' strength. These kinds of bricks can be manufactured without firing, which contributes to energy savings.

Aircrete

AirCrete is a lightweight non-toxic masonry material that is easy and inexpensive. It offers good thermal and acoustic insulation. It will not rot, warp, or corrode.Unlike concrete which is hard, heavy, cold and difficult to work with, AirCrete is easy to work with. It had good compressive strength to make excellent foundations, subfloors, building blocks, poured walls, domes, it can be molded or formed into practically any shape. Aircrete,consists of 80% recycled content. Requiring no additional fireproofing, Aircrete comes off 8% cheaper than a timber frame. The lightweight material can be used for loadbearing purposes, and paint or wallpaper can be applied straight onto the smooth surface.

De Zoysa G.H.W. -162612B

Jayathilaka K.P.S.M. -162417G

Nafha M.N.F. -162654E

Seneviratne S.M.L.V. -162669E

Viroshitha R. -162679J

Innovative Building Materials -Group 16

Sustainability and Innovative construction Article

Innovative Sustainable Materials

From the early period of time for constructions traditional building materials have been used ; such as concrete, wood and clay bricks. With the improvement from the time with new and different techniques and technology in order to have a better performance, quality, strength and environmental as well as economical benefits. Along with the improvement of traditional materials, new building materials have been produced.

“An innovative sustainable material is one which through the course of its life cycle, provide services to all generations in excess of that which they must put forth to implement it”.

Innovative sustainable materials are the major part in the development of building materials. It refers to the materials which are environmental friendly and resource – efficient throughout a building’s service life, from design to construction. They are used in order to reduce the overall impact on the natural environment.

Translucent concrete

Translucent concrete is a concrete with light-transmitting property due to uniform distribution of high numerical aperture plastic optical fibers throughout the concrete. It is made using fine concrete and optical fibers.

It can be applied on;  Floors,Load bearing walls, Facades , Partition walls,Interior wall cladding In furniture for aesthetic appearance. 







Translucent concrete is a innovative sustainable building material which can be used to save energy as well as provide a great and better aesthetic appearance. Along with the advantages several disadvantages can be identified in the material such as;

•        High cost due to usage of optical fiber for construction.
• .     Requirement of special/high skilled labours

1

Oriented Strand Board

Oriented Strand Board has been introduced recently which has been recognized by the construction fields in a short period of time. It is a versatile structural wood panel which is manufactured by rectangular wood strands arranged in cross-oriented layers.

There are four kinds of oriented strand boards depending from bending strength and moisture resistant such as;

    1. OSB – 1

2. OSB – 2

3.  OSB – 3

4.  OSB – 4

several advantages identified from  OSB such as:

•     After the construction no shrinkage is allowed.
•     Construction features do not make any restrictions on the design of the house
•     Price is low compared to traditional building materials.
•      Speed of construction is high.

    OSB is an innovative sustainable material as the production process is environmental friendly and reduces the emission of harmful factors into the environment.

    Carbon Fiber    

      carbon fiber is an advanced reinforcement material made up of strings of carbon woven together. It can be molded into any required shape which reduces the workload in a construction. It is an extremely strong and durable, light weighted material which can be used in constructions where high strength is required.

Many advantages can be gained from carbon fiber. Namely;

•  High strength
• Flexibility
• Durability
• Resistance to high temperature

But, the most important fact is that it is environmental friendly. Therefor it can be used to construct sustainable buildings to be durable in order to be usable for future generations.

 

Self - repairing cement

self repairing cement is one of the innovative building materials which have been introduced very recently. The mixture of this cement includes with microcapsules that release an epoxy resin which automatically repair any crack which is the significant ability of the material.

Comparing to the traditional materials, it is one of the innovative sustainable material which has solved the challenges and problems that conventional materials had to face, such as;

•  Pollution and resource usage from the manufacturing process of traditional cement.
• Deteriorating concrete structures
• Energy consumption of traditional concrete production.

Plywood material

Plywood is a wood-based panel, which has a very good mechanical strength. It is made from thin sheets of wood veneer and one of the most widely used wood products. Plywood can be used instead of ordinary wood because of its special properties like workability, flexibility, re-usability and resistance for cracking, shrinking and twisting.

Many advantages can be recognized from the plywood materials. Some of them are given below.

           1.      Wastage of wood is lower than ordinary wood products.

           2.      Strength is higher as the wood layers are situated across the grains.

           3.      Resistance for splitting.

           4.      Can be molded into different shapes and sizes.

           5.      Reduces shrinkage, swelling and warping.

                         

The most important fact about plywood is that it is a renewable natural resource. It has a long life period which ensures the availability for future generations.

     

CO2 Absorbing Concrete

Concrete is the most widely used material all over the world because of its strength and durability. Production process of cement requires energy which results generation of carbon dioxide to the environment. Therefore carbon dioxide absorbing concrete has been invented recently in order to reduce the emission of CO2 to the environment. Supplementary cementing material including waste products from other industries, such as fly ash and ground granulated blast furnance can be ground with clinker in order to reduce emission of green house gases and air pollution.

These materials also have the advantages of reducing energy consumption. Supplementary cementing material in concrete is one of the most sustainable construction material because it;

•  Reduce emission of greenhouse gases.       
• Reduce use of natural raw materials.
•   Increase the life time of the structure.
• Avoid disposal of industrial byproducts.

Reactive powder concrete

Reactive powder concrete is a building material which has been most recently also known as Ultra High Performance Concrete. The density of the concrete has been maximized through the utilization of a precise gradation of all particles in the mix.

Reactive powder concrete is a sustainable material as it is durable than standard concrete. With greater strength and density RPC is able to perform the same functions of standard concrete. Also, it has many advantages such as,

• Withstands corrosion effects on acid.
• Withstands penetration by radioactive particles.
• Low wastage from production.
• Structures can be reused.

 

Group members

Perera J.K.D.S.(162430N)
PereraP.A.L.P.(162431T)
Karunarathna T.A.D.C.D(162421M)
SenarathP.A.N.B.(162692R)
Sivasangeetha V.(162673K)