SAFE, SUSTAINABLE AND DIGITALLY-MONITORED CONCRETE STRUCTURES FOR SMART CITIES

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Smart cities are cities that integrate infrastructure and services to produce an efficient urban eco-system that integrates institutional, physical, social and economic infrastructure through smart sensors and advanced data-science. Concrete infrastructure in a Smart City must not only be safe and sustainable, but must also integrate Internet of Things (IoT) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to achieve operational efficiency, cost-effective maintenance and end-of-life deconstructability. The primary objective of this proposal is to contribute towards development of safe, sustainable, and digitally-monitored concrete structures for Smart Cities. These objectives apply not only to new construction, but also to deteriorated structure that need to regain their lost capacity, as well as structures that are not deteriorated but still requires strengthening against calamities such as earthquakes and fires. This proposal focuses on development of highly damage-tolerant materials that utilize principles of nanotechnology to depict self-healing, smartness and low-carbon behavior and can be placed in structures using digitally empowered processes such as 3-D printing. In doing so, the program strives to integrate cutting edge discoveries in materials sciences, sensors and structural engineering. The proposal focuses on two broad areas: FIRST: It purports to develop a novel class of fiber reinforced concretes called Eco-Friendly Ductile Cementitious Composites (EDCC) that are self-healing, durable, low-carbon, and damage tolerant up to 6% strain. It is further proposed to modify matrices in EDCC with nano-particles and reinforce them with co-extruded recycled fibers from waste streams (such as tires) modified with hydrophilic and pozzolanic nano-coatings. In one application, hollow fibers are proposed as reinforcement i