Integration of self-healing concrete into NYC roadways
Table of contents
Integration of self-healing concrete 1
Table of contents 2
Replacing New York City Concrete Roads with Self-Healing Concrete 3
Summary 4
Introduction 5
Technical Description 6
Graphics 10
Innovation Process 12
Task Schedule 15
Evaluation Techniques 16
References 18
Concrete Engineers IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 05/08/2023 Better NYC Inc. 1-800-CracksNoMore [email protected]
Replacing New York City Concrete Roads with Self-Healing Concrete
Increasing sustainability and safety of NYC roads
New York City, NY: The proposed program of replacing New York City’s concrete roads with self-healing concrete is a promising solution to a persistent problem in infrastructure development worldwide. By automatically filling in cracks, self-healing concrete can significantly reduce the need for costly repairs and maintenance, which can save time and money. Recent research has explored the use of lime clasts, a type of calcium-based mineral, in self-healing concrete, which can improve its overall durability. Incorporating lime clasts in the concrete mix can provide long-term self-healing capabilities.
The relevance of this proposed program to the real world is clear, as it addresses a persistent problem in infrastructure development that affects communities worldwide. The use of self-healing concrete can help communities save time and money while increasing the lifespan and sustainability of their infrastructure. This proposed innovation is a significant advancement in construction technology that has the potential to create a more sustainable future for all.
For instance, the implementation of self-healing concrete in New York City can not only save time and money on costly repairs and maintenance but also reduce the amount of concrete waste generated. This would have a positive impact on the environment by decreasing the carbon footprint of concrete production and reducing the amount of concrete waste sent to landfills.
- The proposed program will utilize self-healing concrete with lime clasts as a nucleation site for the growth of calcium carbonate, which can fill in cracks and improve the overall durability of the concrete.
- Implementation of this program has the potential to decrease the carbon footprint of concrete production and reduce the amount of concrete waste sent to landfills, creating a more sustainable future.
About Better NYC Inc.: Better NYC Inc. proposes a project to replace New York City’s concrete roads with self-healing concrete that can automatically fill in cracks. This proposal aims to revolutionize infrastructure development by addressing the persistent problem of concrete road damages that affect communities worldwide.
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Summary
This proposal will provide New York City with long-lasting, durable roads fused with lime clast chunks that will automatically repair any cracks in the roads. As a result, the city won’t need to spend billions of dollars each year on road maintenance since these roads can repair themselves. This proposal will require a significant investment in terms of budget, expertise, and experience to ensure that the project is executed effectively.
The proposal will require a team of highly skilled professionals with extensive experience in pavement design and construction. The team should include civil engineers, pavement specialists, geologists, and materials scientists who have a deep understanding of the properties and characteristics of lime clasts. Civil engineers will be responsible for designing the pavement structure and determining the appropriate thickness, drainage, and slope for the roadways. Pavement specialists will be responsible for selecting the appropriate lime clasts to be used in the pavement mix. Geologists will be responsible for evaluating the geological characteristics of the locations for the roadways, such as identifying the types of soils and rock formations that will affect the pavement’s structure and durability. Materials scientists will be responsible for testing the properties of the lime clasts and the asphalt mix to ensure that the pavement meets the required standards for durability, strength, and resistance to weathering.
The budget should include the cost of the lime clasts, the asphalt mix, transportation costs, the equipment used for mixing and laying the pavement, and labor costs. The cost of the lime clasts will depend on the source of the limestone and the processing costs. The cost of the asphalt mix will depend on the quality of the materials used and the mixing process. The equipment costs will depend on the size and complexity of the project and the specific needs of the construction process. Labor costs will depend on the number of workers required and their level of expertise. The budget should also include a contingency fund to cover unexpected costs and delays in the construction process to ensure that the project stays within budget and is completed on time.
The proposal to include lime clasts in NYC roads is a significant investment in terms of budget, expertise, and experience. The project will require a team of highly skilled professionals with extensive experience in pavement design and construction. The budget will depend on the length and width of the roadways and the specific materials and equipment used in the construction process. The inclusion of lime clasts in NYC roads will ensure that the city’s pavement is more durable and resilient, reducing the need for repairs and maintenance and saving the city significant amounts of money in the long term.
Introduction
NYC is one of the most popular cities in the world. With its various iconic tourist destinations and being a central hub for companies and businesses, the city needs to make sure that its roads are serviceable for all the vehicles that come and go through the Big Apple. The problem that our organization will tackle is the issue of potholes that plague the majority of US roadways. Potholes are formed when water seeps through the cracks or expansions caused by traffic on the road surface. As the surface of the road heats up and cools down due to the day-night cycle, the water underneath the surface freezes and thaws, weakening the integrity of that spot. Constant traffic over the weakened spot will eventually cause the surface of the spot to break down and thus create a pothole.
Potholes can cause a multitude of damages to cars on the road, such as flat tires, damaged wheels, suspension damage, and more. Damage from a pothole can cost drivers an average of $300 in repairs. Potholes can also cause personal injury to people who trip and fall due to the pothole. Overall, potholes are very costly to the city due to damage and personal injury claims. According to a report from the NYC Comptroller, from 2010 to 2015 alone, the city paid about $1.8 million for around 1,500 damage claims and about $136.3 million for around 2,600 personal injury claims, coming out to a total expenditure of around $138 million just from damages related to potholes. The cost also increases when maintenance and labor costs are factored for the repair of potholes. However, our organization plans to circumvent the issues that potholes present to the city and drivers
Our mission is to integrate the use of materials such as self-healing lime clast concrete into the roadways of NYC. Self-healing concrete is able to regenerate any formed cracks on its surface due to the recrystallization property of lime clast. This, in turn, will reduce water seepage into the road and thus reduce the number of potholes that form in NYC. However, since the new mixture of concrete is significantly more expensive than the normal concrete used, we will phase in the integration of this material in repairing potholes in critical roadways such as the Belt Parkway and Grand Central Expressway alongside deep flash flood areas, such as waterfront districts in southern Brooklyn and the east and west waterfronts of Staten Island. We will not be aiming to make new roadways with this material just yet due to high costs; however, even though our scope is small due to the cost of materials, we are confident that the areas that we will implement this material will reopen less frequently and be serviceable for a longer period of time, which in turn will lead to driver and car safety improvements and hopefully lower maintenance costs
This proposal is organized into several sections that go into detail about our organization’s mission, including a technical description of lime clast concrete and its functions, the innovation process of integrating the concrete into roadways taking into account costs, time, labor power, and other factors; the process of evaluation; a summary; and a press release. Specialized terms will be defined and explained in the proposal for clarity.
Technical Description
This technology can significantly improve the durability and lifespan of concrete structures, reducing the need for frequent repairs and replacements.Our proposal involves the use of self-healing concrete with lime clast, which is a type of concrete that incorporates lime-based binders into its mixture to enhance its self-healing properties. The addition of lime clast increases the capacity of the concrete to precipitate calcium carbonate when exposed to moisture, which effectively seals cracks and other forms of damage in the concrete.
We recommend the use of self-healing concrete with lime clast in a variety of construction applications, including roads, bridges, tunnels, and buildings. The benefits of this technology include:
- Reduced maintenance costs: Self-healing concrete reduces the need for costly and time-consuming repairs, which can be disruptive to the infrastructure and cause downtime for businesses and residents.
- Longer lifespan: The use of self-healing concrete can extend the lifespan of concrete structures, reducing the need for frequent replacements and improving the sustainability of infrastructure.
- Improved safety: Cracks and other forms of damage in concrete structures can pose safety risks to people and property. Self-healing concrete can help mitigate these risks by effectively sealing damage and preventing further deterioration.
- Environmental benefits: Self-healing concrete can have a positive environmental impact by reducing the amount of waste generated by concrete repair activities and the carbon footprint associated with infrastructure maintenance.
We are confident that the use of self-healing concrete with lime clast will bring significant benefits to your construction projects.
Self-healing concrete with lime clast is a novel material that has gained significant attention in recent years due to its ability to repair cracks and other forms of damage on its own. This material is a type of concrete that incorporates lime clast, which is a type of lime-based binder, into its mixture. The addition of lime clast improves the self-healing properties of the concrete by increasing its capacity to precipitate calcium carbonate when exposed to moisture.
The self-healing process of this type of concrete involves the reaction of the lime clast with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which leads to the formation of calcium carbonate. This reaction occurs when the concrete is exposed to water or moisture, which causes the cracks to fill with calcium carbonate crystals, effectively sealing the damage.
The mechanism behind the self-healing process of self-healing concrete with lime clast involves the following steps:
- Damage detection: The first step in the self-healing process involves the detection of cracks or other forms of damage in the concrete. This can be achieved through various techniques, including visual inspection, acoustic emission monitoring, or the use of embedded sensors.
- Activation of healing agents: Once the damage has been detected, the next step is the activation of the healing agents within the concrete. In self-healing concrete with lime clast, the healing agent is calcium carbonate, which is formed by the reaction between lime clast and carbon dioxide.
- Precipitation of calcium carbonate: The activated healing agents then start to precipitate calcium carbonate crystals in the presence of moisture or water, which fills the cracks and other forms of damage, effectively sealing the concrete.
The self-healing process of self-healing concrete with lime clast has several advantages over traditional concrete. First, it reduces the need for costly and time-consuming repairs, which can be disruptive to the infrastructure. Second, it increases the lifespan of concrete structures, reducing the need for frequent replacements. Finally, it has a positive environmental impact by reducing the amount of waste generated by concrete repair activities.
The above description covers the basics of self-healing concrete with lime clast. However, there are still many ongoing research efforts to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of this material. For instance, researchers are exploring ways to enhance the activation and distribution of the healing agents within the concrete, to optimize the healing process.
Moreover, the use of lime clast in self-healing concrete is still relatively new, and there may be some challenges and limitations associated with its use. For example, lime clast may not be suitable for use in structures that are exposed to harsh environmental conditions, such as extreme temperatures or high humidity. Additionally, the production and use of lime clast may have certain environmental impacts that need to be considered.
Overall, self-healing concrete with lime clast is a promising material with great potential for improving the durability and sustainability of concrete infrastructure. As research continues in this field, we can expect to see even more advancements and innovations in self-healing concrete technology.
Graphics
Recrystallization of cement once mixed with water. The water allows this process to speed up and can even fill in large cracks such as this one. In between the crack are loose particles of cement and debris that will eventually bind the cracked cement together and fully restore the cement.
Sadeghian, P. [Main mechanisms of autogenous self-healing in concrete] [Image]
This image shows the different stages of self healing concrete. At first, it heals the surface, but then sinks down and begins to heal the cracks all the way at the bottom of the cement.
(A) Specimens without self-healing agent
(B) Specimens with self-healing agent.
Shows the recrystallization of cement that has been exposed only to air. Takes only 5 days to go into effect and fully heals itself by 20 days.
Qian, C. [Surface images of specimens after different healings time] [Image]
Image of a block of cement before and after recrystallization. Adding water to the mix speeds up this crystallization process which usually would take longer if the cement is only exposed to air.
Corbley, A. [Self-healing cement automatically fills any cracks that form] [Image]
Serma, P. [Autogenous Healing Concrete] [Image]
This image shows the process of autonomous self healing concrete that fills up the crack in the image by using crystalline admixtures, superabsorbent polymers, microencapsulated silicate, resins/ adhesives and bacteria to fully heal the crack in the concrete.
Innovation Process
The innovation process of developing and implementing the proposed program to implement self-healing concrete into NYC roadways Smart decisions on cost, materials, time, and execution of our proposal will be needed to reduce pothole risk on the city’s roads.
Our mission is to repair potholes in at-risk zones such as critical infrastructure (bridges, highways,etc.) and flash flood-prone areas. Instead of repairing the potholes with traditional asphalt patching, we will fill the holes with concrete mixed with lime clast. Potholes are filled with asphalt due to its cost effectiveness; however, it is more prone to instability and has a 30 percent chance for the repaired pothole to open up within a year of being repaired. Lime clast mixed with concrete will not have that problem as concrete is a much more durable material than flexible asphalt, and the lime clast mixed within the concrete gives the material self-healing properties, where it is able to heal any cracks that form on its surface by itself through recrystallization, preventing water seepage into the pavement, which is the main cause of potholes.
The cost of traditional concrete comes out to around 108 dollars per cubic yard, and though there is no set price estimate for self-healing concrete, we theorize it to be at least double the price of traditional concrete due to the process of hot mixing the lime clast into the concrete. We will order around 2 tons of this material, which is just enough to be able to repair about 100 potholes that measure around two square feet.
Since we will be altering official state-owned roadways, it is crucial that we partner with the NYC Department of Transportation for their permission. For our labor force, we will again partner with the DOT for their support in alerting us of any pothole complaints in our specified zones, to which we will send a unit of four DOT road workers along with a specialized paving expert to repair the pothole with the self-healing concrete. Working alongside the DOT will lead to an easier time repairing the potholes with the regenerative concrete, as we will not have to spend time. We expect all repairs to be done within a maximum of five days from the time of the pothole complaint to the finished repair. We will pay the four road workers an average of 20 dollars per hour for five-hour workdays and the paving specialist 28 dollars per month for the same time. For the duration of the three months, the cost of the labor force would be $24,000 for the four road workers and $8,400 for the specialist, totaling out to around $32,400.
We will continue our operation for a period of 3 months, during which we plan on using up our supply of self-healing concrete for pothole repairs. If the material ordered still persists after the allotted time, we will donate the self healing concrete to DOT for them to use in other services.
Task Schedule
| Group Member’s Name: | Tasks: | Completed or NOT Completed: |
| Simona Isakova | Complete 3 slides (introduction, historical context, and conclusion), complete the summary, references and appendices section of the proposal | Completed |
| Lindsey Rosario | Complete 2 slides (what is lime clast and purpose), complete the press release and innovation section of the proposal | Completed |
| Imran Ashraf | Complete 2 slides (costs and expenditures and innovation process), complete the introduction and innovation process section of the proposal | Completed |
| Lambrinos Tsangarides | Complete 2 slides (technical description and benefits), complete the technical description section of the proposal | Completed |
Evaluation Techniques
In order to implement lime clast in New York City roads, a thorough evaluation of the material and its properties must be conducted. This evaluation should include several key techniques that will help to determine the effectiveness of the material and ensure that it is safe and ecologically sound for use in road construction.
One of the primary evaluation techniques that should be used to implement lime clast in New York City roads is laboratory testing. This includes subjecting samples of the material to a variety of tests to determine its physical and chemical properties, as well as its performance characteristics under different conditions. For example, laboratory testing can be used to determine the density and strength of the material, as well as its resistance to water, freeze-thaw cycles, and heavy traffic.
Another important evaluation technique for implementing lime clast in New York City roads is field testing. This involves conducting tests on the material to assess its performance and effectiveness in various situations. For example, several parts of roads should be tested by implementing lime clast in order to measure its ability to withstand traffic, weather conditions, and other environmental factors.
In addition to laboratory and field testing, it is also important to conduct a comprehensive review of existing research and data on the use of lime clast in road construction. This can help to identify any potential risks or limitations associated with the material and ensure that it is appropriate for use in New York City roads.
Other evaluation techniques that may be necessary to implement lime clast in New York City roads include costs, environmental impact, and public knowledge. Cost analysis can help to determine the economic viability of using lime clast in road construction, while environmental impact can assess the potential ecological impacts of the material. Making sure that the public is educated and aware of this project can help to ensure that local communities are informed and involved in the decision-making process.
Overall, implementing lime clast in New York City roads requires a thorough and comprehensive evaluation process that includes laboratory testing, field testing and public engagement. By using these techniques, engineers and planners can ensure that the material is safe, effective, and appropriate for use in the city’s roadways, ultimately improving the durability, stability, and sustainability of New York City’s infrastructure.
References
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