SEMINAR ON TRANSLUCENT CONCRETEBYSHASHANK R JAVALAGI7TH SEM CVNIE, MYSORE

CONTENTSINTRODUCTIONMATERIAL USED FOR TRANSLUCENT CONCRETEPRINCIPLEMANUFACTURING PROCESSAPPLICATIONSADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGESCONCLUSIONREFERENCES

INTRODUCTION

Translucent concrete is a concrete based building material having light-Transmissive property.Light-Transmissive property is mainly due to uniform distribution of high numerical aperture Plastic Optical Fibres (POF) throughout its body.Hence it is also known to be transparent concrete, LiTraCon.

MATERIAL USED FOR TRANSLUCENT CONCRETE

The two basic materials used for making transparent concreteFine concreteOptical fibresFine concrete: Consists of cement and fine aggregate such as sand.Optical fibres: There are 3 kindsMultimode graded-index fibre Multimode step-index fibre Single-mode step-index fibres.

PRINCIPLETranslucent concrete works Based on Nano-Optics.These fibres passes as much light when tiny slits are placed directly on top of each other. Hence optical fibers in the concrete act like the slits and carry the light across throughout the concrete.

MANUFACTURING PROCESSThe manufacturing process of transparent concrete is almost same as regular concrete.Small layers of the concrete are poured into the mould and on top of each layers, a layer of fibres is infused.Fabric and concrete are alternately inserted into moulds at intervals of approximately 2 mm to 5mm.

MANUFACTURING PROCESSLight-transmitting concrete is produced by adding 4% to 5% optical fibres by volume into the concrete mixture.The concrete mixture is made from fine materials and does not contain coarse aggregate.Thousands of strands of optical fibres are cast into concrete to transmit lightSmaller or thinner layers allow an increased amount of light to pass through the concrete.

MANUFACTURING PROCESSThe casted material is cut into panels or blocks of the specified thickness and the surface is then typically polished, resulting in finishes ranging from semi-gloss to high-gloss.

PRODUCT LITRACON - LIGHT TRANSMITTING CONCRETE Form Prefabricated blocks Ingredients 96% concrete, 4% optical fibre Density 2100-2400 Kg/m3 Block size 600mm x 300mm Thickness 25-500mm Colour White, Grey or Black Fibre distribution Organic Finished Polished Compressive strength 50 N/mm2 Bending Tensile strength 7 N/mm2

APPLICATIONSTransparent concrete blocks suitable for floors, pavements and load-bearing walls. Facades, interior wall cladding and dividing walls based on thin panels. Partitions wall and it can be used where the sunlight does not reach properly.

APPLICATIONSIn furniture for the decorative and aesthetic purpose. Light sidewalks at night. Increasing visibility in dark subway stations. Lighting indoor fire escapes, in the event of a power failure. Illuminating speed bumps on roadways at night.

ADVANTAGESEnergy saving can be done by utilization of transparent concrete in building.It has very good architectural properties for giving good aesthetical view to the building.

DISADVANTAGESThe concrete is very costly because of the optical fibres.Casting of transparent concrete block is difficult for the labour so special skilled person is required.

CONCLUSIONTransparent concrete can be developed by adding optical fibre or large diameter glass fibre in the concrete mixture.It has good light guiding property and the ratio of optical fibre volume to concrete is proportionate to transmission of light.It doesnt loose the strength parameter when compared to regular concrete and also it has very vital property from the aesthetic point of view.This new kind of building material can integrate the concept of green energy saving

REFERENCESVictoria Bailey, Translucent Concrete, MEENen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translucent_concrete wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_fiber byen.wikipedia.org/wiki/LiTraCon www.litracon.hu/

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