Microstructure of autonomous self-healing concrete

¹ Cracow University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Chair of Construction Engineering and Building Physics, Warszawska St. 24, 31-155 Cracow, Poland
² Cracow University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Chair of Building Materials Engineering, Warszawska St. 24, 31-155 Cracow, Poland

^* Corresponding author: marta.dudek@pk.edu.pl

Abstract

Over the past years, many research projects in the field of construction have been based on the concept of intelligent materials. One example of such materials is self-healing concrete. This material has the ability to repair the damage that occurs, which in concrete materials means filling/closing the cracks formed. This paper describes autonomous concrete that heals itself thanks to modifications with mineral additives. The study used the basic method of evaluating the effectiveness of the healing process, which is visual observation of the material. For this purpose, tests were performed using optical, digital and electron microscopes. In addition to the observations, a chemical analysis of the composition was performed using the EDS detector mounted on the SEM. The findings indicate the ability of filling cracks with accumulating products of reaction with water.