This document describes a new type of transparent concrete composed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as the binder and glass as the aggregate. PET is a cheap, transparent plastic commonly used in bottles that can bind the glass aggregate when heated to 200 degrees Celsius. The resulting composite material is transparent like glass, but offers improved mechanical properties and reparability compared to glass alone. It is durable, weather resistant, fireproof, and can be reused or recycled after heating to melt the PET binder. The document argues this transparent concrete has many potential applications and environmental benefits due to the use of waste materials as the raw ingredients.
2. The concrete as it is known in present days
Gravel and cement and water…
3. The concrete as it is known by constructors I.
Portland cement (with many kind of consistence
improvers) and water and aggregate…
4. The concrete as it is known by constructors II.
Ferroconcrete: Portland cement (with many kind of
consistence improvers) and water and aggregate….
moreover some iron rods are put into it.
5. The concrete, which is not even called concrete
Gabion wall: unequivocally ferroconcrete without portland
cement and water, but there are the iron rods and aggregate.
6. The concrete in real
Back to the definitions:
The concrete is a composite material, which consists of
aggregate (gravel) and binder (cement+water).
Glass concrete: the aggregate is glass fiber.
Cement: CaSiO3 ; Cement+water: Ca(HSiO3)2+CaO
In practice: there was simply found a new chemical reaction,
which is a little bit different than that of lime setting.
Nevertheless:
The meaning of cement is more (a matrix material).
The meaning of composite is also more.
The mixture of two materials, the aggregate and the binder
(matrix).
7. Asphalt concrete
Asphalt: a concrete with bituminous binder.
The aggregate is also stone, but the binder is more elastic.
9. Stabilized gravel pavement
A special kind of polimer concrete. The binder (resin) is
absolutely transparent, there is only one special grain size.
10. Transparency
For creating transparent concrete, both the binder and the
aggregate must be transparent.
On the previous slide there is a good example for transparent
binder, these are polimers like different types of
resin, poliethylene, polipropylene, PET, policarbonate, teflon
etc.
To be able to find the ideal transparent aggregate there must
be take into consideration its demanded attributes:
High pressure resistance and great hardness. The aggregates
are typically hard, with high density, very high pressure
resistance and because of these they are typically brittle and
fragile in greater size.
12. Improved glasses
Layered glass, there are transparent polimer adhesive between
them. This improves mechanical attributes, but in case of any
damage there are still not any possibility for repair, the problem
remained, only the mechanical attributes were improved.
13. The glass as aggregate
The glass is an amorphous silicate, ideal aggregate for composite
materials. In case of it is not coloured, then the high rate of
transparency can be also provided.
14. The binder (matrix)
The transparent polimer, which is extremely cheap and
affordable everywhere: PET (poliethylene-terephthalate). The
raw material of ordinary plastic bottles. It has a very good
transparency, unless it is coloured.
15. The transparent concrete I.
A composite material made of PET binder and glass screening
aggregate.
Advantages
- The binder is cheap and affordable (it is a waste).
- The aggregate is cheap and affordable (it is a waste).
- The binder can be transformed at a relatively low
temperature (200 °C)
- The binder and the aggregate is weatherproof, wear-proof,
chemically neutral and repellent.
- There is neither oxidation, nor ageing.
- It is fireproof due to the great glass content.
16. The transparent concrete II.
Further advantages (mechanical properties):
- Considering hardness(pressure resistance) and abrasion
resistence this new composite matrial is similar to the
aggregate (glass).
- Considering the tensile strength and elasticity this new
composite material is similar to the binder (the polimer).
- In case of any damage this composite material can be easily
repaired, despite any similar materials (ie. security glasses).
Locally heating up the material at about 200 °C and adding
any necessary material surplus, the original material quality
(and even the aesthetic value) can be entirely
reconstructed.
17. The transparent concrete III.
Further advantages:
- The binder and the aggregate can be easily reused or even
reclaimed (reused by melting and reclaimed by simply
screening after melting)
- The usage of these raw materials are environment friendly,
because great amount of waste can be effectively used up
on this way.
- The production is relatively cheap and has a low energy
demand as against other materials (metals/metallurgy).
Only mechanical processes and 200 °C is necessary.
- There is an extremely wide range of applications!!!
(buildings, transparent panels, cars, trains, planes any kind
of vehicles etc.)
