Brid

Deborah D. L. Chung’s mixture of carbon fibers and conventional concrete, is an electrically conductive “smart concrete” (developed at the Composite Materials Research Laboratory) that can be continuously monitored for changes in electrical resistance as the material goes under stress.With smart concrete, short carbon fibers are added to the conventional concrete mixture. This modification gives the concrete the ability to detect stress and tiny deformations in the concrete. In the presence of structural flaws -- within a levee made of smart concrete, for example -- the concrete's electrical resistance increases. This change can be detected by electrical probes placed on the outside of structures.[via] link

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