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Concrete is arguably the
most widely used construction material worldwide. There are a number of reasons
for it:
- it can be durable –
structures built by the Romans have served for over 2000
years;
- it is moldable – it can be
given almost any shape or form;
- its properties can be
engineered to suit almost any purpose;
- it can be esthetically
attractive, whether appearing like conventional concrete, emulating natural
stone, or having novel appearances, with a virtually unlimited range of
possibilities to explore;
- it provides an opportunity
to recycle materials, thereby contributing to the conservation of natural
resources.
Research in concrete materials has been conducted in Columbia
University's Civil Engineering Department and its Carleton Strength of Materials
Laboratory since the early 1990's, to advance the state of the art in concrete
technology, specifically:
- to study the basics of
cement hydration and setting behavior to engineer new materials for specific
applications;
- to improve the mechanical
and thermal properties of concrete products and to develop cost-effective
production technologies;
- to utilize recycled
materials (e.g. waste glass, reprocessed carpet fibers, and dredged material)
and by identifying and exploiting their inherent properties, add value to such
materials;
- to develop technologies
for producing architectural concrete with unique esthetic
properties;
- to cooperate with industry
to assure that the technologies developed here are practical and economically
viable.
Covering the full spectrum of research activities from basic
science to commercial production has the advantage of academia/industry feedback
and its synergistic effects. Moreover, it offers all those involved, students
and staff alike, fulfilling experiences.
The links to our project
pages here are intended to illustrate the most important examples of our
research and development.
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