via Inside Construction
A pedestrian bridge designed by Deakin University researchers for a North Geelong park will use a new type of reinforced concrete that doesn’t need any maintenance.
The bridge over Cowies Creek at Deppeler Park will be made from sustainable concrete with carbon and glass fibre reinforcement that should ensure the bridge requires no maintenance over its 100 year life-span.
Deakin researchers Dr Mahbube Subhani and Dr Kazem Ghabraie designed the bridge for North-Geelong based engineering firm Austeng when Austeng won a tender to build two pedestrian bridges from the City of Greater Geelong (COGG).
Dr Subhani said the new design would avoid the usual problem of corrosion that occurs in conventional steel reinforced concrete construction.
“We have replaced the steel reinforcing bar normally used in steel reinforced concrete with more durable carbon and glass fibre reinforced polymer,” Dr Subhani said.
“Structures made with steel reinforced concrete require maintenance about every five years and major maintenance or rehabilitation every 20 years.
“This bridge should not require any maintenance for the whole of its design life,” Dr Subhani said.
Carbon and glass fibre reinforced polymer is stronger than steel and five times lighter than reinforced steel.
It also needs much less energy to make – just 25 per cent of the energy required to produce steel.
“The geopolymer concrete used in the bridge construction is also environmentally sustainable,” Dr Subhani said.
“Instead of cement, the concrete has been made using fly ash, a by-product of coal combustion.
“Cement is responsible for seven per cent of the world’s total CO2 emissions so this structural element has the potential to cut down the maintenance cost as well as reduce CO2 emissions.”
The beam was cast by geopolymer concrete manufacturer, Rocla, and pre-testing has already shown the bridge can successfully carry the design load.
COGG maintains about 160 recreational bridges and that number is growing through subdivision development.
Dr Subhani and his design team hope that their environmentally sustainable maintenance-free bridge is a potential candidate for new and replacement bridges throughout the city.
Learn more: Deakin researchers design maintenance-free bridge for Geelong park
The Latest on: Sustainable concrete
via Google News
The Latest on: Sustainable concrete
- Parsippany Signs Sustainable Jersey Gold Pledge in Energyon March 2, 2021 at 7:02 am
Mayor Michael Soriano signed the Sustainable Jersey Gold Pledge in Energy last week, joining 12 other mayors in the state to sign onto the pledge. Sponsored by Sustainable Jersey and the National ...
- What is bendable concrete, and how can it help fight climate change?on March 1, 2021 at 5:04 pm
Bendable concrete might seem counterintuitive. But the new material is actually stronger, able to withstand stress from heat and weather without cracking, and more durable than traditional concrete.
- Stunning new photos from around the world showcase the beauty and importance of concreteon February 26, 2021 at 4:05 pm
Concrete plays a fundamental role in the world around us and in our daily lives. It supports our communities, keeps us connected, and provides our homes, key infrastructure and the cities around us.
- Beauty In Concrete: The Concrete in Life 2020 Photography Competitionon February 26, 2021 at 1:05 am
and concrete in daily life). The entries demonstrate the widespread, diverse & sustainable use of concrete across the globe. The overall winning photographer, Nurlan Tahirli, captured the elegant ...
- Humankind Investments Launches First Sustainable ETF (HKND)on February 24, 2021 at 6:32 am
Humankind Investments, a quantitatively driven asset manager specializing in socially responsible investments, announced today the launch of its first exchange traded fund (ETF), the Humankind US ...
- Red Wing Link Up With Want Show Laundry, The "Concrete Cowgirl" and Bioni Samp for New “Out of Fashion” Campaignon February 24, 2021 at 5:41 am
Iconic US footwear imprint Red Wing has just launched their global campaign celebrating and showcasing stories from those living permanently "out of fashion".
- Concrete mixture designed to cut carbon emissionson February 24, 2021 at 3:55 am
Consulting - Specifying Engineer - Concrete is not glamorous. It is the workhorse of building materials: versatile, durable, and almost universally ubiquitous, with 30 billion tons of ...
- Changes to Make the Industry More Sustainableon February 23, 2021 at 9:30 pm
As more construction firms pledge to be net-zero, Richard Robertson is calling on businesses to utilise technology to create more sustainable workforces.
- Total: the Coalition for the Energy of the Future Unveils Its First Seven Concrete Actions and Welcomes Three New Memberson February 23, 2021 at 6:45 am
Total (Paris:FP) (LSE:TTA) (NYSE:TOT): Launched in late 2019, the Coalition for the Energy of the Future aims at accelerating the development of future energies and technologies to sustain new green ...
- Viridis Terra International launches TreesOfLives®, a sustainable impact investment fundon February 23, 2021 at 5:15 am
Operating on a global scale, notably in Canada, Haiti, Peru, and Burkina Faso, Viridis Terra International officially announces the launch of its sustainable impact investment fund, TreesOfLives®.
via Bing News