Victor Li from the University of Michigan along with his Japanese peer, Yingzi Yang have created a concrete that can bend as well as heal by itself. Unlike normal concrete which is brittle and could break easily on strain, these concrete composites bend and in worse cases, develop hairline cracks that can be healed within a few days.
The auto healing is the result of a dry material being exposed and then reacting to the rainwater and CO2 in the air. The reaction helps to produce calcium carbonate and thus rectifies the damage.
Li reckons that even though the bendable concrete is expensive than the traditional ones, it is cheaper in the long run considering its low maintenance cost as well as help to reduce property damage during earthquakes or other natural calamities.
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