Alternative Materials to the Rescue!

Steel and concrete have a love-hate relationship. Steel brings tensile strength to concrete, making it stronger for structural applications. Alas, concrete lets water seep into the relationship and corrode the hope for a lasting union. To fix this marriage, Dr. Ruth (Westheimer) has been replaced by Dr. Mahbube Subhani, Ph.D., of Deakin University in Victoria, Australia. In this Tech Trends column, BCMI’s Craig Yeack provides an overview of Subhani’s work and explores how geopolymer concrete and fiber-reinforced polymer rebar can be the perfect match for sustainability in structural applications. Alternative materials become more economical when you move the needle from cradle to gate (materials to construction) to cradle to grave (full structure life cycle). Tech Trends is a monthly column published by Concrete Products magazine. Read article.