A new mixture of concrete has been developed to decrease the damage done in bomb attacks. This mix was used in the construction of the One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, Science Daily reports.
The danger posed by explosions to buildings is mainly in the debris that comes loose and goes flying. Traditional concrete is brittle, meaning that an explosive force can easily tear off chunks and fling them into the air.
This new concrete mix, developed by Dr. Stephan Hauser, Managing Director of Ducon Europe GmbH & CoKG, actually deforms instead of breaking. Very hard high-performance concrete is combined with finely-meshed reinforced steel, and when a certain threshold of pressure is exerted on the concrete, the steel ruptures and the shock is distributed uniformly throughout the concrete.
A new computational formula is what makes this possible. Researchers have developed a universal formula which allows them to rapidly compute the required thickness of the concrete for each specific application.
This formula was used in the application of the concrete to the One World Trade Center. The tower rests on a 20-story, bombproof foundation, and has "safety concrete" at vulnerable points, according to Science Daily.
Related Stories
| May 31, 2012
Perkins+Will-designed engineering building at University of Buffalo opens
Clad in glass and copper-colored panels, the three-story building thrusts outward from the core of the campus to establish a new identity for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the campus at large.
| May 30, 2012
Construction milestone reached for $1B expansion of San Diego International Airport
Components of the $9-million structural concrete construction phase included a 700-foot-long, below-grade baggage-handling tunnel; metal decks covered in poured-in-place concrete; slab-on-grade for the new terminal; and 10 exterior architectural columns––each 56-feet tall and erected at a 14-degree angle.
| May 30, 2012
Boral Bricks announces winners of “Live.Work.Learn” student architecture contest
Eun Grace Ko, a student at the Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, named winner of annual contest.
| May 30, 2012
Hill International to manage construction of Al Risafa Stadium in Iraq
The three-year contract has an estimated value to Hill of approximately $3.3 million.
| May 29, 2012
Torrance Memorial Medical Center’s pediatric burn patients create their version of new Patient Tower using Legos
McCarthy workers joined the patients, donning construction gear and hard hats, to help with their building efforts.
| May 29, 2012
Reconstruction Awards Entry Information
Download a PDF of the Entry Information at the bottom of this page.
| May 29, 2012
Legrand achieves over 20% energy-intensity reduction in Presidential Challenge
West Hartford headquarters announced as Better Buildings, Better Plants “Showcase” site.
| May 29, 2012
Thornton Tomasetti/Fore Solutions provides consulting for Phase I of Acadia Gateway Center
Project receives LEED Gold certification.
| May 24, 2012
2012 Reconstruction Awards Entry Form
Download a PDF of the Entry Form at the bottom of this page.
| May 24, 2012
Gilbane’s Spring 2012 economic report identifies multiple positive economic and market factors
Anticipating increasing escalation in owner costs through 2014.
