Experimental study of light-transmitting concrete

International Journal of Sustainable Building Technology and Urban Development

ISSN: 2093-761X (Print) 2093-7628 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tsub20

Experimental study of light-transmitting concrete Abdelmajeed Altlomate, Faesal Alatshan, Fidelis Mashiri & Mohamed Jadan To cite this article: Abdelmajeed Altlomate, Faesal Alatshan, Fidelis Mashiri & Mohamed Jadan (2016) Experimental study of light-transmitting concrete, International Journal of Sustainable Building Technology and Urban Development, 7:3-4, 133-139, DOI: 10.1080/2093761X.2016.1237396 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2093761X.2016.1237396

Published online: 07 Nov 2016.

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Date: 04 October 2017, At: 13:04

International Journal of Sustainable Building Technology and Urban Development, 2016 VOL. 7, NOS. 3–4, 133–139 https://doi.org/10.1080/2093761X.2016.1237396

Experimental study of light-transmitting concrete Abdelmajeed Altlomatea , Faesal Alatshana , Fidelis Mashirib and Mohamed Jadana a

Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering Technology, Houn, Libya; bSchool of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia

Downloaded by [Abdelmajeed Altlomate] at 13:04 04 October 2017

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to investigate the performance of concrete which incorporates plastic optical fibre (POF). In this study, the performance of light-transmitting concrete (LTC) specimens made by using different dosages and spacings of POF is investigated. The properties of POF are investigated and discussed. The experimental results show that LTC can provide a high light-transmitting ratio. This paper contributes to the determination of new alternatives for sustainable construction around the world. LTC can help to reduce power consumption in buildings by allowing natural light to shine into the building interior through external walls. This paper adds distinctive knowledge to the area of sustainable construction by studying the effect of POF on the properties and performance of concrete. In addition, the use of POF in concrete can lead to an increase in compressive strength.

1. Introduction Concrete is one of the most significant materials used in the construction industry. Each year, billions of cubic metres are produced. This trend in the use of concrete is due to many reasons, including its ability to resist mechanical loads, its fire resistance and its durability. Additionally, the raw materials needed to make concrete are readily available and competitively priced compared to other types of construction materials and systems. The increase in the rate of development and modernisation in the construction sector has become significant in the past few years. Part of the industry’s progression is the inclusion of optical fibres in concrete to make what is known as light-transmitting concrete (LTC) or translucent concrete. It is one of the new discoveries and subsequently trends in the building industry, and it is being used to create environmentally friendly and bright building material. The economic growth and development of new technology around the world has led to the building of more civil engineering infrastructure such as high-rise buildings and underground construction. This urban growth is accompanied by an increase in energy consumption. Lighting consumes a significant part – 19% of all electricity in the world [1]. For example, in the United States (US), and according to the estimates of the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), nearly 15% of all electricity consumption in 2014 is attributed to lighting

CONTACT Abdelmajeed Altlomate

[email protected]

© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

ARTICLE HISTORY

Received 23 June 2016 Accepted 1 September 2016 KEYWORDS

Plastic optical fibre; lighttransmitting concrete; energy saving; visual appeal; architecture; environment; sustainability

in the residential and commercial sectors [2]. The large amount of electricity needed for lighting influences many issues relating to climate change, economic growth and rising energy prices. High-rise buildings, for example, have significant lighting demands, even during daylight hours. This has led to thinking about the need to invent new, creative and sustainable construction materials. LTC technology is utilised to harness the vast amount of potential energy in sunlight as a source of light in order to reduce electrical energy consumption. In addition, LTC technology contributes to reducing the negative image of concrete as being a grey, dark, harsh, rigid and opaque material. 1.1. The concept of LTC The basic idea of LTC is quite simple, and it can be considered an eco-friendly, aesthetic and energy-saving technology. LTC is created through the addition of transparent material to concrete, which affects some of its properties. This transparent or translucent alternative material allows light to pass through the concrete. The performance of LTC is similar to slits, enabling the transmission of light through a body of concrete. The function of this invention is to change the traditional image of concrete and add a modern architectural touch. While its main purpose is to use sunlight as a source of light in order to reduce lighting


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Figure 1. Examples of applications of light-transmitting concrete: (a) Abu Dhabi, United Emirates, competed in 2015, 30 mm and 40 mm thickness, 525 m2, (b) Shanghai, China, completed in 2010, 1887 m2, (c) Izmir, Turkey, completed in 2015, 20 mm thickness, 300 m2, (d) Berlin, Germany, completed in 2014, 20 mm thickness, 60 m2, (e) Tbilisi, Georgia, completed in 2011, 15 mm thickness, 300 m2, (f) Aachen, Germany, completed in 2012, 102 m2 [3–5].

energy consumption, LTC can be used for a diverse range of applications, including floors, pavements, load-bearing walls, furniture, facades, interior wall cladding, dividing walls, and partition walls. There are two basic materials that are used to produce LTC: fine concrete and light-transmitting material. Fine concrete consists of cement, fine aggregate and water, while many materials such as optical fibre, glass and plastic fibre can be added to create LTC. Optical fibre is most commonly used to produce LTC and consists of three parts: core, cladding and coating. The light travels through the glass core centre while the cladding surrounds the core and reflects the light into it. The coating works to protect the fibre from damage and moisture.

In LTC, the optical fibre occupies 2% to 6% of the concrete’s volume. The distance between the rows of fibres ranges between 5 mm and 10 mm. The implementation of LTC in construction has increased over the last five years. Figure 1 shows examples of the application of LTC in different buildings around the world. One of the buildings that was built using the concept of LTC is the Italian Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 in China. No optic fibres were used in this LTC, however; a precast concrete panel protected by adding special plastic resins (polymer-based material) to an innovative mortar was adopted. A total of 3774 LTC panels were used to cover a surface area of 1,887 m² (around 40% of the building’s envelope). Each plate weighs 50 kg and

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGY AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT


2. Literature review The concept of LTC was introduced by the young Hungarian architect Aron Losonzi in 2001. Losonzi begun working on his project with other scientists while he was conducting a postgraduate study in Sweden’s Royal University College of Fine Arts. After returning to his hometown, Mr Losonzi had completed his project and presented his design in exhibitions across Europe [6,7]. The spread of this innovative idea reflects wide acceptance among researchers and those interested in the field of construction materials. There are few previous studies that have addressed the topic of LTC [8–15]. Bashbash et al. [14] examined the mechanical impact of adding plastic optical fibre (POF) into concrete. The results show that the compressive strength of LTC increases when the amount of fibre increases; however, the flexural strength decreases as the fibre percentage increases. Sawant et al. [12] investigated the compressive behaviour of LTC and found that the compressive strength of LTC is lower than the original mix without POF when the percentage of fibre ranges from 0.06% to 1.59%. The results obtained by Salih et al. [11] show an apparent fluctuation of the compressive and flexure strength depending on the fibre diameter and c uring duration. Overall, the mechanical properties of concrete are not significantly affected after adding POF to produce LTC. Another study conducted by Momin et al. [13] aimed to compare the behaviour of LTC using glass rods and optical fibres. The light transmittance of optical fibre LTC was clearly greater than that of glass LTC for the specimens used in that research. To the authors’ knowledge, to date no study has investigated the behaviour of LTC produced by adding transmitting resins. This paper aims to fill this gap by studying and analysing the optical and mechanical properties of concrete mixes of LTC utilising different percentages of POF.

3. Materials and method 3.1. Materials The LTC produced for this study consists of cement, water, sand and specific quantities of optical fibre. Tap water was

used when making and curing the specimens. In addition, ordinary Portland cement produced by the Al-Burg Cement Plant and complying with the Libyan specification no. 340-2009 was used in the concrete mix. The cement was examined for fineness (using a no. 200 sieve) and the result was 9.3% (