LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Michigan’s road crews might finally get a break—thanks to concrete that can bend, heal, and hold up through harsh winters.
Researchers at Michigan State University say they’ve developed a new kind of “self-healing, self-heating” concrete that could make cracked roads and crumbling bridges a thing of the past.
“The concrete is twice as strong in compression compared to normal concrete pavement and 300 times more ductile,” Qingxu “Bill” Jin, assistant professor of civil engineering and lead researcher, said.
The material’s secret: a design that allows tiny cracks to close on their own, preserving strength while embedded conductive materials generate heat to prevent ice buildup in freezing weather. MSU says that could mean safer winter roads, fewer repairs, and far less salt and deicer.
The team showed off the new concrete on October 11 outside the Engineering Research Complex with MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz and other university officials on hand. The project received $55,000 through MSU’s Advance Grant Program, backed in part by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
With a patent filed and field testing on the way, MSU engineers hope their “bendable concrete” might finally fill the gap in Michigan’s road repair problem.