STUDY ON SELF HEALING

CONCRETE
Presented by:
BITS Pilani Yashas K C
Hyderabad Campus

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Introduction :
• The most prominent problem is the higher probability of cracking caused by low
tensile strength of concrete
• Early age cracks can have negative impacts on durability and the service life of
reinforced concrete infrastructure.
• In crack repair becomes difficult when cracks are not visible or accessible.
• Due to reasons like freeze-thaw reactions, shrinkage, low tensile strength of
concrete etc, cracks occur during the process of concrete hardening and this
ultimately leads to weakening of the buildings

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• The strength of the concrete decreases and which results in the decay of
structure .
• The durability of concrete is therefore primarily related to its permeability
and/ or diffusion to liquids, gases or ions

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SELF HEALING CONCRETE:

Self healing concrete is a concrete which heals itself when it comes in contact
with air and water, it produces lime on outer layer of concrete. There are two
types of self-healing concrete :

1.Autogenous healing : Concrete’s capacity to fill up the cracks .

CO2+Ca(OH)2 CaCO3+H2O

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2. Bacteria-based self-healing concrete:

Agent which has the potential to improve self-healing

capacity mainly achieved by bacteria induced mineral precipitations.

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Bacterial based self healing concrete

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Mechanism :
• The bacteria and calcium lactate are both embedded in capsules, to prevent interaction
before cracks appear .
• The bacteria are added to the concrete mixture as spores. Spores are inactive cells with a
high survival rate(like temperature fluctuations ).
• When the living conditions become unfavourable again, the active bacteria will form spores.

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Requirements :
a) Capsule material and encapsulation of bio-agents.
b) Survival of capsules during concrete mixing.
c) Effect of addition of bio-agents and capsules on concrete properties.
d) Sealing ability and recovery of mechanical and durability properties.

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Types of bacteria:

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Disadvantages :
• Cost of bacterial concrete is higher as compared to conventional concrete.
• Growth of bacteria is not good in any atmosphere and media.
• If the volume of self-healing agents (bacteria and calcium lactate) mixed becomes
greater than 20%, the strength of the concrete is reduced.
• According to the some researches, some of the bacteria are not good for human health.
• A point should be consider that, as the process of mixing the bacteria in concrete is
somewhat complicated, so it requires skilled labors .
• There is no code or other code is available.
• Investigation of calcite precipitation is costly studied.

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Autogenous self healing concrete

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Mechanism :
Continuous hydration :
During the hardening of concrete mixtures, not all the cement grains react with water. The
cement matrix therefore still contains a vast amount of unhydrated cement particles.
Loose parts blocking crack path :
Crack closure may also result after sedimentation of solid particles, if these are present in the
penetrating fluid.
Carbonation :
Carbonation reaction lies at the base of the calcium carbonate production, where carbon
dioxide present in the air, or diffused in the penetrating water, reacts with the hydration
product calcium hydroxide to form limestone, which closes the crack

CO2+Ca(OH)2 CaCO3+H2O

carbon dioxide+calcium hydroxide limestone+water

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• Since calcium hydroxide dissolves easily in water, the amount of calcium hydroxide present
on the surface of a crack will dissolve in the penetrating water and subsequently rinse out.
• The reaction of the leached calcium hydroxide with the carbon dioxide takes place outside
the crack, where carbon dioxide is more abundant than inside the crack.
• Consequently, the limestone produced by the reaction will mainly form on the outside of the
crack .
• Carbonation results in a decrease of porosity making carbonated paste stronger.

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SELF-HEALING CHARACTERIZATION

• Sample pre-conditioning for healing testing

The healing effectiveness is evaluated through the recovery of durability and/or
mechanical performance, by applying the same mechanical test after self-healing occurs.
• Analysis of healing products and their properties
Using microscope and digital imaging, the crack width can be determined. The X-Ray
Computed Tomography has been employed to assess the ability of healing agents to fill
the cracks inside the material bulk .
• Characterization of performance recovery after preventive repair
treatments
Different aspects must be analyzed to evaluate the quality of the repair, from its
durability to success of the treatment in recovering the concrete substrate performance .

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Experimental investigation :

1. Cement with fly ash :

• Fly ash is a pozzolanic material that reacts with Ca(OH)2 from cement hydration
and produces C–S–H gel.
• In fact, this reaction is less influenced by the availability of free water than the
hydration reaction of cement .
• Fly ash is also effective for improving various properties of concrete such as long
term compressive strength, permeability and resistance to chloride diffusion.
• The C–S–H gel produced by the pozzolanic reaction of fly ash may seal micro
cracks, and accordingly it is expected that the concrete made with cement and fly
ash may show self-healing ability.

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• Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and fly ash are used in this study.
• The replacement ratios were 0%, 15%, 25% and 50% by volume, therefore, the
water– binder ratio by weight are 0.48, 0.49 and 0.53, respectively
• At the required age, the samples were broken into 2.5–5.0 mm pieces by hammer,
soaked in acetone to stop the hydration reaction, and further dried at 105 C.
• A part of each of the samples was kept in a desiccator for mercury intrusion testing.
• The compressive strength of the hardened pastes was measured until 182 days.
• The hydration degree and porosity were measured until 365 days.

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Compressive strength :

The compressive strength decreased when

cement was replaced by fly ash. However, the
increase in compressive strength after 28 days is
notable. As shown in fig , the increase of
compressive strength after 28 days of FA
25% was highest, following by FA 50%, FA 15%
and OPC, respectively.

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Test on Permeability:

The reductions of total capillary pores after

28 days in fly ash–cement paste were
higher than those in Portland cement
paste. They increased with an increase of
the replacement ratio of fly ash.

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Hydrated materials :

Figure shows the amount of cementitious particles

that hydrated after 28 days. At 91 days, the
specimen that had highest hydrated fraction after 28
days was FA 50%, followed by FA 25%, OPC and FA
15%,respectively. However, at 182 and 365 days,
the sequence has changed corresponding to the
replacement ratio of fly ash.
Figure shows the fraction of cementitious particles
that hydrated after 28 days. As the replacement ratio
of fly ash increases, the hydrated fraction of fly ash
increases.

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2. Cement with silica fume and GGBS :

• Cubes have been prepared by adding silica fume in percentage of 2.5%,

5%,7.5%, 10%, 12.5% as a binder in addition to adding cement to concrete
and also by replacing 35% and 55% of cement with GGBS.
• The specimens are first tested for compressive strength at 28 days, and then
70% and 90% of the compressive load is applied to another set of specimens
to generate microcracks for studying the durability properties of the specimens.
• The concrete mix containing cement replaced with 35% GGBS has given
maximum compressive strength value.
• Further when silica fume is added as mineral admixture, the mix has given
maximum strength at 12.5% addition of silica fume.

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2. Cement with expansive additive and crystalline additive :

• In an effort to enhance the self-

healing potential of cement-based
materials, mortar mixtures
incorporating different cementitious
materials were evaluated.
• The effects of additives on surface
crack closing ability, water tightness
and microstructures of pre-cracked
specimens were investigated.

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• Ordinary Portland cement CEM I 42.5 N, crystalline additive and expansive
additive were used in this study.
• Crystalline additive is a synthetic cementitious material which contains
reactive silica and some crystalline catalysts.
• Its reactive components react with Ca(OH)2 to form crystalline products
which disconnect pores and fill cracks in the concrete.
• The crystalline products can only occur when sufficient moisture is present.
• The main application of crystalline additive is to improve the water tightness
and to stop leakage of concrete structure .

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• With CSA additions, however, cracks with the width of 250–400 lm can be
completed closed.
• In view of transport property, the rates of water permeability through crack of
mortars with additives were considerably reduced with respect to exposure
period. After 28 days, M4– M6 showed zero permeability.
• In this study, calcium carbonate was found to be the major healing product.
• CSA, it was found in previous study that the maximum replacement ratio would
be limited to 10% which is also a value suggested by manufacturer.(expansive
nature ).
• Eventually, the appearance of healed cracks was observed internally. The profile
of crack and formation of healing products were studied on polished specimens
by using stereo microscope .
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Applications :

• Self healing concrete can be used for sectors such as tunnel-lining,

structural basement walls, highways, bridges, concrete floors and marine

structures.

• This is new technology can provide ways to durable roads.

• High strength buildings with more bearing capacity.

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Advantages :

• Helps to fill the cracks

• Improvement in compressive strength of concrete.
• Better resistance towards freeze thaw attack reduction.
• Reduction in permiability of concrete.
• Reduction in corrosion of reinforced concrete.
• Helps to reduce maintance and repair.

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Objectives :

• To improve the understanding of the introduction of bacteria into concrete

there has been increase in the compressive and flexural strength with decrease
in permeability when compared to conventional concrete.
• To study and review the different types of bacteria that can be used for
healing cracks, such as Bacillus subtilis, bacilluscohnii species in healing of
cracks in concrete.
• Comparative studies show that there are advantages and limitations about
different healing agents.

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Conclusion :

To obtain self-healing properties in cementitious materials, different approaches

have been proposed by research groups all over the world, as shown in this
review.
In our opinion, the development of standard test methods would be very useful
to compare the efficiency of one approach against another and should thus be
one of the future goals.
The first reason is that autogenous healing will always remain restricted to small
cracks and the second reason is that the reliability of autogenous healing is
lower as it will always depends on the composition of the matrix, determining
the feasible reaction mechanisms, at the moment of crack formation.

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• It is important that future research is devoted to the development of
capsules which are able to survive the concrete mixing and manufacturing
process while not influencing the mechanical properties of the concrete too
much.
• The in situ application of any self-healing approach will mainly depend on
the required costs.
• Therefore, it is of utmost importance to keep the costs of the mechanism as
low as possible and preferentially lower than the sum of direct and indirect
repair costs which appear over the lifetime of the structure.
• Only this may help to convince manufacturers to make use of self-healing
concrete.

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Literature review:
S.N Authors Journals(year) Main Areas of Study Conclusions
o
1. Kunamineni Vijay, Bacteria based self- Different types of Positive effects on the
Meena murmur healing concrete. bacteria . compressive strength on
oncrete.
2. V.wiktor H.M.Jonkers Quantification of crack- observing autogenous crack closure over time gives
healing in novel crack-healing potential a good indication about the
bacteria-based self- of concrete using improvement of the concrete
healing concrete specific healing agents permeability after the
damage.
3. Rafat Siddique, Abir Effect of bacteria on study the influence of bacterial silica fume concrete
Jameel, Malkit Singh strength, permeation bacteria on strength containing 10% silica fume
characteristics and and permeation demonstrated highest
micro-structure of silica characteristics concrete benefit in improvement in its
fume concrete in corporating silica properties and
Construction fume corresponding highest
benefit/cost ratio.

4. V.wiktor H.M.Jonkers Field performance of liquid-based repair the freeze/thaw resistance of

bacteria-based repair system aims at the concrete that was treated
system: Pilot study in a Sealing of cracks , with the bio-based repair 31
parking garage system was
BITS higher
Pilani, thanCampus
Hyderabad the
Sl.no Authors Journals(year) Conclusions

Gupta Souradeep , Autonomous healing in Reliable sealing ability and

5. Pang Sze Dai , Kua concrete by bio-based healing recovery of concrete properties
Harn Wei agents(2016) for short term .

Martin Megalla , H.M Bacteria based self-healing Identify and evaluate the most
6. Jonkers concrete (2017) optimal and cost effective
form and quantity of the healing
agent

Mian Luo, Chun- Factors affecting crack the microbial self-healing agent
7. xiang Qian, Rui-yang repairing capacity of bacteria- could be used to achieve the goal
Li based self-healing of concrete crack self-healing
Concrete(2015)

Mohit Goyal, P. Behavior of Bacterial compressive strength improved by

8. Krishna Chaitanya Concrete as Self-Healing 30% in bio concrete and bacterial
Material (2015) concrete with fly ash by 15% and
GGBS by 20%
Sl.no Authors Journals Year

K. Sisomphon , O. Self-healing of surface cracks in

9. Copuroglu , mortars with expansive additive (2011)
and crystalline additive

RA. B. Depaaand T. Experimental Investigation of Self

10. Felix Kala Healing Behavior of Concrete using (2015)
Silica Fume and GGBFS as Mineral
Admixtures

Pipat Termkhajornkit Self-healing ability of fly ash–cement

11. a,*, Toyoharu Nawab, systems (2007)

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 BITS Pilani
Hyderabad Campus

THANK YOU!
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