Apr 24 2008 10:58AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
Blog This! using: Blogger.com | LiveJournal |

Touted as improved and more environmentally-friendly, Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) is the subject of the course “Understanding and Using Bendable Concrete” set for June 24-26 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The course will be taught by inventors Victor Li and E. Benjamin Wylie, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan and Stanford’s Michael D. Lepech, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

The topic on hand is a new material that bends but does not break because of the specially coated microscopic polymer fibers that make up the material slide past each other instead of snapping under stress. According to a press release issued by the college, reducing the brittle nature of concrete opens a new world of possibilities for commercial and residential construction by enhancing durability.  

Quick hits provided to industry insiders say the material is applied using traditional methods. It can bend like a metal, is 500 more times resistant to cracking than regular concrete and is up to 40 percent lighter. It reduces or eliminates steel reinforcement, cuts costs and allows faster precast or on-site construction. See the PDF here

More information and registration steps can be found by calling 734-647-7200 or by visiting http://InterPro.engin.umich.edu/BendableConcrete

 More information about the laboratory conducting the tests and studies is available at http://ace-mrl.engin.umich.edu