Increasing the Deflection of Concrete

Overview

Objectives/Goals My primary focus in this experiment was to see if I could increase the deflective properties of concrete by strengthening the crystaline stucture of concrete through the addition of chemicals with higher molar fractions of hydrogen than water. This is because concrete gets its strength from silicon and hydrogen bonding. Methods/Materials portland cement, fine sand, 28% ammonium hydroxide, denatured alcohol, hexane, water, wax, plastic wrap, 1000ml graduated cylinder, triple beam balance, laser, resperator, gloves, power supply, improvised deflection testing base, measuring board, gogles, concrete molds, notebook. Results Addition of a 3.5% concentration of Ammonium hydroxide solution to a dry concrete mixture increased the amount of deflection by at least 30% compared to the control (normal concrete w/water). Conclusions/Discussion It can be concluded that the addition of ammonium hydroxide solution increases the strength of concrete a only specific concentrations and that certain concentrations of ammonia can actually decrease the concretes deflective properties. It cannot be concluded however whether or not this increase in deflection is due to catalytic processes or the concentration of hydrogen in the system. Nonpolar solvents decrease the strength of the concrete significantly. Increasing the flexibility of concrete is very important in securing key structures during an earthquake.

Awards (1)

• Category Award

Competition history

• CSEF 2004 Applied Mechanics/ Structures & Mechanisms/ Manufacturing · Entry S0219

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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