Better Concrete!
Aug 18, 2023 9:23:30 GMT -5
Post by Radrook Admin on Aug 18, 2023 9:23:30 GMT -5
Better Concrete!
Roman concrete, also called opus caementicium, was used in construction in ancient Rome. Like its modern equivalent, Roman concrete was based on a hydraulic-setting cement added to an aggregate.
Many buildings and structures still standing today, such as bridges, reservoirs and aqueducts, were built with this material, which attests to both its versatility and its durability. Its strength was sometimes enhanced by the incorporation of pozzolanic ash where available (particularly in the Bay of Naples). The addition of ash prevented cracks from spreading.
Recent research has shown that the incorporation of mixtures of different types of lime, forming conglomerate "clasts" allowed the concrete to self-repair cracks.
Recent research has shown that the incorporation of mixtures of different types of lime, forming conglomerate "clasts" allowed the concrete to self-repair cracks.
Roman concrete was in widespread use from about 150 BC; some scholars believe it was developed a century before that.
A concrete that repairs itself? Had I been told that modern science found this out, it would be far less impressive. The question is how did the Romans keep this very effective method of making concrete a secret? Also, how did they discover this method in the first place?
Reverse engineering
Reverse engineering (also known as backwards engineering or back engineering) is a process or method through which one attempts to understand through deductive reasoning how a previously made device, process, system, or piece of software accomplishes a task with very little (if any) insight into exactly how it does so. It is essentially the process of opening up or dissecting a system to see how it works, in order to duplicate or enhance it.