In the Netherlands and throughout Europe, whether bridges, tunnels or roads, they are usually made of concrete. But even concrete cannot withstand environmental influences and loads forever. Cracks in concrete occur as a result of permanent loads, for example, or through freeze-thaw cycles, but also as shrinkage cracks during construction. Repairs of concrete structures are time-intensive and often result in extensive delays. That is why a European international team of scientists participating in the healCON Project is doing research on self-healing concretes. They are investigating three different mechanisms for self-healing. In the healCON Project, Prof. Christian Große, Chair of Non-destructive Testing at TUM, and his working group use non-destructive testing techniques to investigate how well the cracks actually heal.
For the HealCON website, please go to: http://www.healcon.ugent.be.
For the ISCP September 2016 article on the HealCON Conference to be held in November, please click here.