A

Mini Project Report

On
NANO CONCRETE
In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of degree of
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
CIVIL Engineering
Submitted by
JIJIN P JOSEPH

Under the guidance of

Name:
Designation:
Department of Civil Engineering

NORTH EAST FRONTIER TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

AALO (P.O), WEST SIANG (DIST.)

ARUNACHAL PRADESH – 791001

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 CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION

I hereby certify that the Mini Project Report entitled NANO CONCRETE
which is being submitted in Civil Engineering Department is a record of my
own work carried out under the supervision and guidance of ………………
, Department of CIVIL Engineering and NEFTU.

All information in this document has been obtained and presented in

accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I have fully cited and
referenced all material and results that are not original to this work.
To the best of my knowledge the material presented in this report has not
been submitted to any other place (i.e. institute, university, organization) as
thesis/report except the industry, where this work has been carried out.

Date: JIJIN P JOSEPH

Place:

This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidate is correct
to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Guided by

Name:
Designation:
Department of Civil Engineering

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my guide for his guidance,

encouragement, and support throughout the course of this work. It was an
invaluable learning experience for me to be one of their students. From them
I have gained not only extensive knowledge, but also a careful research
attitude.
I am also thankful to Anybody who have helped you during mini project for
his cooperation with me in facilitating the infrastructure and lab facility
during my work.
I would like to thank…………… Head department of CIVIL
Engineering, for his constructive criticism throughout my mini project.
I would like to thank………………………… mini project Faculty
coordinator Department of CIVIL Engineering for their support and advices
to get and complete mini project in above said organization. I am extremely
great full to my department staff members and friends who helped me in
successful completion of this mini project.

Date: JIJIN P JOSEPH

Place:

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 ABSTRACT

Nanotechnology is one of the most active research areas that include a number of disciplines
including civil engineering and construction materials. Nanotechnology is the understanding,
control, and restructuring of matter on the order of nanometers (i.e., less than 100 nm) to create
materials with fundamentally new properties and functions. Nanotechnology encompasses two
main approaches:

(i) the ‘‘topdown” approach, in which larger structures are reduced in size to the nanoscale
while maintaining their original properties or deconstructed from larger structures into their
smaller, composite parts and (ii) the ‘‘bottom-up” approach, also called ‘‘molecular
nanotechnology” or ‘‘molecular manufacturing,” in which materials are engineered from atoms
or molecular components through a process of assembly or self-assembly.

Traditionally nanotechnology has been concerned with developments in the fields of

microelectronics, medicine and material sciences. However the potential for applications of
many developments in the nanotechnology field in the area of construction engineering is
growing. The evolution of technology and instrumentation as well as its related scientific areas
such as physics and chemistry is making the nanotechnology aggressive and evolutional. There
are many potential areas where nanotechnology can benefit construction engineering like its
applications in concrete, structural composites, coating materials and in nano-sensors, etc.
Nanotechnology products can be used for design and construction processes in many areas.

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INTRODUCTION

The nanotechnology generated products have unique characteristics, and can significantly fix
current construction problems, and may change the requirement and organisation of
construction process. The recent developments in the study and manipulation of materials and
processes at the nanoscale offer the great prospect of producing new macro materials,
properties and products. But till date, nanotechnology applications and advances in the
construction and building materials fields have been uneven. Exploitation of nanotechnology
in concrete on a commercial scale remains limited with few results successfully converted into
marketable products. The main advances have been in the nanoscience of cementitious
materials with an increase in the knowledge and understanding of basic phenomena in cement
at the nanoscale.

Concrete, the most ubiquitous material in the world, is a nanostructured, multi-phase,

composite material that ages over time. It is composed of an amorphous phase, nanometer to
micrometer size crystals, and bound water. The amorphous phase, calcium–silicate–hydrate
(C–S–H) is the ‘‘glue” that holds concrete together and is itself a nanomaterial. Viewed from
the bottom-up, concrete at the nanoscale is a composite of molecular assemblages, surfaces
(aggregates, fibres), and chemical bonds that interact through local chemical reactions,
intermolecular forces, and intraphase diffusion. Properties characterizing this scale are
molecular structure; surface functional groups; and bond length, strength (energy), and density.

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The structure of the amorphous and crystalline phases and of the interphase boundaries
originates from this scale. The properties and processes at the nanoscale define the interactions
that occur between particles and phases at the microscale and the effects of working loads and
the surrounding environment at the macroscale. Processes occurring at the nanoscale ultimately
affect the engineering properties and performance of the bulk material. There are two main
avenues of applications of nanotechnology in concrete research;the nanoscience and nano-
engineering. Nanoscience deals with the measurement and characterization of the nano and
microscale structure of cement-based materials to better understand how this structure affects
macroscale properties and performance through the use of advanced characterization
techniques and atomistic or molecular level modeling.

Nano-engineering encompasses the techniques of manipulation of the structure at the

nanometer scale to develop a new generation of tailored, multifunctional, cementitious
composites with superior mechanical performance and durability potentially having a range of
novel properties such as: low electrical resistivity, self-sensing capabilities, self-cleaning, self-
healing, high ductility, and self-control of cracks. Concrete can be nano-engineered by the
incorporation of nanosized building blocks or objects (e.g., nanoparticles and nanotubes) to
control material behavior and add novel properties, or by the grafting of molecules onto cement
particles, cement phases, aggregates, and additives (including nanosized additives) to provide
surface functionality, which can be adjusted to promote specific interfacial interactions.

At the basic science level, much analysis of concrete is being done at the nano-level in order
to understand its structure using the various techniques developed for study at that scale such
as Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Focused Ion
Beam (FIB). This has come about as a side benefit of the development of these instruments to
study the nanoscale in general, but the understanding of the structure and behaviour of concrete
at the fundamental level is an important and very appropriate use of nanotechnology.

One of the fundamental aspects of nanotechnology is its interdisciplinary nature and there has
already been cross over research between the mechanical modeling of bones for medical
engineering to that of concrete which has enabled the study of chloride diffusion in concrete
(which causes corrosion of reinforcement). Concrete is, after all, a macro-material strongly
influenced by its nano-properties and understanding it at this new level is yielding new avenues
for improvement of strength, durability and monitoring.

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Addition of nanosized and nano-structured materials

Nanosized particles have a high surface area to volume ratio, providing the potential for
tremendous chemical reactivity. Much of the work to date with nanoparticles has been with
nano-silica (nano-SiO2) and nano-titanium oxide (nano-TiO2) .There are a few studies on
incorporating nano-iron (nano-Fe2O3), nano-alumina (nano-Al2O3) , and nanoclay particles .
Additionally, a limited number of investigations are dealing with the manufacture of nanosized
cement particles and the development of nanobinders . Nanoparticles can act as nuclei for
cement phases, further promoting cement hydration due to their high reactivity, as
nanoreinforcement, and as filler, densifying the microstructure and the ITZ, thereby, leading to
a reduced porosity. The most significant issue for all nanoparticles is that of effective
dispersion. Though it is particularly significant at high loadings, even low loadings experience
problems with self-aggregation, which reduces the benefits of their small size and creates un-
reacted pockets leading to a potential for concentration of stresses in the material.

Nano-SiO2 has been found to improve concrete workability and strength, to increase resistance
to water penetration, and to help control the leaching of calcium, which is closely associated
with various types of concrete degradation. Nano-SiO2, additionally, was shown to accelerate
the hydration reactions of both C3S and an ash–cement mortar as a result of the large and highly
reactive surface of the nanoparticles. Nano-SiO2 was found to be more efficient in enhancing
strength than silica fume. Addition of 10% nano-SiO2 with dispersing agents was observed to
increase the compressive strength of cement mortars at 28 days by as much as 26%, compared
to only a 10% increase with the addition of 15% silica fume.

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Even the addition of small amounts (0.25%) of nano-SiO2 was observed to increase the
strength, improving the 28 day compressive strength by 10% and flexural strength by 25%. It
was noted that the results obtained depended on the production route and conditions of
synthesis of the nano-SiO2 (e.g., molar ratios of the reagents, type of reaction media, and
duration of the reaction for the sol–gel method) and that dispersion of the nano-SiO2 in the
paste plays an important role. Nano-SiO2 not only behaved as a filler to improve the
microstructure but also as an activator to promote pozzolanic reactions.

Nano-TiO2 has proven very effective for the self-cleaning of concrete and provides the
additional benefit of helping to clean the environment. Nano-TiO2 containing concrete acts by
triggering a photocatalytic degradation of pollutants, such as NOx, carbon monoxide, VOCs,
chlorophenols, and aldehydes from vehicle and industrial emissions. ‘‘Self-cleaning” and ‘‘de-
polluting” concrete products are already being produced by several companies for use in the
facades of buildings (e.g., the Jubilee Church in Rome, Italy). In addition to imparting self-
cleaning properties, a few studies have shown that nano-TiO2 can accelerate the early-age
hydration of Portland cement, improve compressive and flexural strengths, and enhance the
abrasion resistance of concrete. However, it was also found that aging due to carbonation may
result in loss in catalytic efficiency.

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Use of Nanoreinforcements

Carbon nanotubes/nanofibers (CNTs/CNFs) are potential candidates for use as

nanoreinforcements in cement-based materials. CNTs/CNFs exhibit extraordinary strength
with moduli of elasticity on the order of TPa and tensile strength in the range of GPa, and they
have unique electronic and chemical properties.

CNTs/CNFs, thus, appear to be among the most promising nanomaterials for enhancing the
mechanical properties of cement-based materials and their resistance to crack propagation
while providing such novel properties as electromagnetic field shielding and self-sensing.
Single-wall CNTs (SWCNTs), multi-wall CNTs (MWCNTs), and CNFs are highly structured
graphene ring-based materials with very large aspect ratios (of 1000 or more) and very high
surface areas. SWCNTs are single graphene cylinders and MWCNTs are multiple, concentric
graphene cylinders coaxially arranged around a hollow core.

Unlike CNTs, CNFs present numerous exposed edge planes along the surface that constitute
potential sites for advantageous chemical or physical interaction. Compared to CNTs, vapor
grown CNFs have a lower production cost (about 100 times lower than SWCNTs) and are
suitable for mass production. While CNTs/CNFs have been extensively studied in polymeric
composites, their use in cement has, to date, remained limited. Most research efforts have
focused on CNTs compared to CNFs and have been performed on cement pastes. One of the
main challenges is the proper dispersion of CNTs/CNFs into cement paste, partly due to their
high hydrophobicity and partly due to their strong self-attraction. Incorporating the unique
mechanical properties of CNTs/CNFs in cement composites has proven to be rather complex
and to date mixed results have been obtained. A number of methods have been investigated to
improve dispersion and to activate the graphite surface in order to enhance the interfacial
interaction through surface functionalization and coating, optimal physical blending, and the
use of surfactant and other admixtures.

CNTs can affect early-age hydration and that a strong bond is possible between the cement
paste and the CNTs. Their dispersion process consisted of sonication in isopropanol followed
by cement addition, evaporation, and grinding, which produced cement particles coated with
CNTs. Both MWCNTs and SWCNTs, when added to cement paste as a pre-mix with gum
Arabic (a water-soluble gum used as a dispersing agent), were shown to increase the Young’s
modulus and hardness. But the mechanical properties got worsen when no dispersing agent

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was added. When MWCNTs was introduced as a water suspension with added surfactant
admixtures, did not increase the compressive and bending strengths, though good dispersion
was obtained.

They also found the bonding between the MWCNTs and the cement matrix to be very weak,
where, under tension, the MWCNTs were easily pulled off the matrix. But the combination of
MWCNTs with polyacrylic-acid polymers found improved dispersion, good workability, and
increased compressive strength. In mortar, a study using untreated CNTs and CNTs pre-treated
with sulfuric and nitric acid found an increase in compressive strength up to 19% and in flexural
strength up to 25% and that CNTs can decrease the electrical resistivity and improve the
pressure sensitive properties of mortars.

Oxidized multi-walled nanotubes (MWNT’s) show the best improvements both in compressive
strength (+ 25 N/mm²) and flexural strength (+ 8 N/mm²) compared to the reference samples
without the reinforcement. It is theorized the high defect concentration on the surface of the
oxidized MWNTs could lead to a better linkage between the nanostructures and the binder thus
improving the mechanical properties of the composite rather like the deformations on
reinforcing bars. However, two problems with the addition of carbon nanotubes to any material
are the clumping together of the tubes and the lack of cohesion between them and the matrix
bulk material. Due to the interaction between the graphene sheets of nanotubes, the tubes tend
to aggregate to form bundles or “ropes” and the ropes can even be entangled with one another.
To achieve uniform dispersion they must be disentangled.

Further more due to their graphite nature, there is not a proper adhesion between the nanotube
and the matrix causing what it is called sliding. An alternative approach was recently developed
by Cwirzen et al. for a hybridized Portland cement that incorporated CNTs and CNFs grown
in situ on the cement particles using a modified chemical vapor deposition method. The
resulting hybrid cement, called Carbon Hedge Hog (CHH), allows for a composite containing
up to 20% CNTs/CNFs. No significant change in the flexural strength was found; however, the
electrical conductivity was increased by one order of magnitude. The cost of adding CNT’s to
concrete may be prohibitive at the moment, but work is being done to reduce their price and at
such time the benefits offered by their addition to cementitious materials may become more
palatable.

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Applications in Steel Structures, joint and welds

Fatigue is a significant issue that can lead to the structural failure of steel subject to cyclic
loading, such as in bridges or towers. This can happen at stresses significantly lower than the
yield stress of the material and lead to a significant shortening of useful life of the structure.
The current design philosophy entails one or more of three limiting measures: a design based
on a dramatic reduction in the allowable stress, a shortened allowable service life or the need
for a regular inspection regime. This has a significant impact on the life-cycle costs of structures
and limits the effective use of resources and it is therefore a sustainability as well as a safety
issue. Stress risers are responsible for initiating cracks from which fatigue failure results and
research has shown that the addition of copper nano particles reduces the surface unevenness
of steel which then limits the number of stress risers and hence fatigue cracking. Advancements
in this technology would lead to increased safety, less need for monitoring and more efficient
materials use in construction prone to fatigue issues.

Current research into the refinement of the cementite phase of steel to a nano-size has produced
stronger cables. High strength steel cables, as well as being used in car tyres, are used in bridge
construction and in pre-cast concrete tensioning and a stronger cable material would reduce the
costs and period of construction, especially in suspension bridges as the cables are run from
end to end of the span. Sustainability is also enhanced by the use of higher cable strength as
this leads to a more efficient use of materials

High rise structures require high strength joints and this in turn leads to the need for high
strength bolts. The capacity of high strength bolts is realized generally through quenching and
tempering. When the tensile strength of tempered steel exceeds 1,200 MPa even a very small
amount of hydrogen embrittles the grain boundaries and the steel material may fail during use.
This phenomenon, which is known as delayed fracture, has hindered the further strengthening
of steel bolts and their highest strength has long been limited to somewhere around 1,000 to
1,200 MPa. Research work on vanadium and molybdenum nano particles has shown that they
improve the delayed fracture problems associated with high strength bolts. This is the result of
the nano particles reducing the effects of hydrogen embrittlement and improving the steel
micro-structure through reducing the effects of the inter-granular cementite phase.

Welds and the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) adjacent to welds can be brittle and fail without
warning when subjected to sudden dynamic loading, and weld toughness is a significant issue

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especially in zones of high seismic activity. The current design philosophies include selective
weakening of structures to produce controlled deformation away from brittle welded joints or
the deliberate over-sizing of structures to keep all stresses low. Research has shown that the
addition of nanoparticles of magnesium and calcium makes the HAZ grains finer (about 1/5th
the size of conventional material) in plate steel and this leads to an increase in weld toughness.
This is a sustainable as well as a safety issue, as an increase in toughness at welded joints would
result in a smaller resource requirement because less material is required in order to keep
stresses within allowable limits.

Although carbon nano tubes (CNT’s) have tremendous properties of strength and stiffness, they
have found little application as an addition to steel as their inherent slipperiness (due to their
graphitic nature) makes them difficult to bind to the bulk material and they pull out easily,
rendering them ineffective. In addition, the high temperatures involved in steel manufacture
and the effects of this on CNT’s presents a challenge for their effective use as a composite
component.

Applications in Wood

Wood is also composed of nanotubes or “nanofibrils”; namely, lignocellulosic (woody tissue)

elements which are twice as strong as steel. Harvesting these nanofibrils would lead to a new
paradigm in sustainable construction as both the production and use would be part of a
renewable cycle. Lignocellulosic surfaces at the nanoscale could open new opportunities for
such things as self-sterilizing surfaces, internal self-repair, and electronic lignocellulosic
devices. Due to its natural origins, wood is leading the way in cross-disciplinary research and
modelling techniques.

Firstly, BASF have developed a highly water repellent coating based on the actions of the lotus
leaf as a result of the incorporation of silica and alumina nano particles and hydrophobic
polymers. And, secondly, mechanical studies of bones have been adapted to model wood, for
instance in the drying process. In the broader sense, nanotechnology represents a major
opportunity for the wood industry to develop new products, substantially reduce processing
costs, and open new markets for bio-based materials.

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CONCLUSION

Nanotechnology offers the possibility of great advances whereas conventional approaches, at

best, offer only incremental improvements in the field of construction engineering.
Nanotechnology is not exactly a new technology, rather it is an extrapolation of current ones
to a new scale and at that scale the conventional tools and rules no longer apply.
Nanotechnology is therefore the opposite of the traditional top-down process of construction,
or indeed any production technique, and it offers the ability to work from the “bottom” of
materials design to the “top” of the built environment. However, many of the advances offered
by nanotechnology, be they for economic or technical reasons, are years away from practical
application, especially in the conservative and fragmented construction business.

The main limitation is the high costs of nanotechnology, also concerns with the environmental
and health effects. The waves of change being propagated by progress at the nanoscale will
therefore be felt far and wide and nowhere more so than in construction due its large economic
and social presence. There are three main issues that are preventing the widespread use of the
nanotechnology (1) Lack of vision to identify those aspects that could be changed through its
use, (2) Lack of skilled personnel and (3) Level of investment.

The potential of nanotechnology to improve the performance of concrete and to lead to the
development of novel, sustainable, advanced cement based composites with unique
mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties is promising and many new opportunities are
expected to arise in the coming years. However, current challenges need to be solved before
the full potential of nanotechnology can be realized in concrete applications, including proper
dispersion; compatibility of the nanomaterials in cement; processing, manufacturing, safety,
and handling issues; scale-up; and cost.

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REFERENCES

[I] Tina Lai "Structural behavior of Nano Concrete and their applications to lightweight bridge
decks" ,M.Tech thesis, MIT, 2009.

[2] Sergiu Cal in, Ciprian Asavoaie and N. Florea, "Issues for achieving an experimental
model" Bul. Inst. Polit. la��i, t. LV (LIX), f. 3, 2009.

[3] Martina Schnellenbach-Held and Karsten Pfeffer,"Punching behavior of biaxial hollow

slabs" Cement and Concrete Composites, Volume 24, Issue 6, Pages 551-556, December 2002.

[4] Sergiu Calin, Roxana Glntu and Gabriela Dascalu, "Summary of tests and studies done
abroad on the Nano Concrete system", The Buletinul Institutului Politehnic din la��i, t. LV
(LIX), f. 3, 2009.

[5] Sergiu Calin and Ciprian Asavoaie, "Method for Nano Concrete concrete slab with gaps",
The Buletinul Institutului Politehnic din la��i, LV (LTX), f. 2,2009.

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