Investigating the Use of Bacteria-Enabled Self-Healing Concrete for Pavement Crack Repair

Abstract

The utilize of self-healing concrete gives an elective strategy to repair splits that shape over time as a result of natural impacts, overwhelming activity, and absconds within the fabric. This unmistakable run of concrete contains microorganisms, counting bacteria and organisms, beside supplements and recuperating substances. These organisms are enacted when water enters the breaks and starts to recuperate the concrete. They create calcium carbonate, a fabric that fills up the splits within the concrete and makes a difference itreestablish its quality. This prepare is known as \"self-healing\" since it parallels the way our bones mend themselves. Self-healing concrete amplifies the life of structures, counting bridges, buildings, and streets, whereas moreover making strides their toughness andbringing down support costs. This makes foundation more tough and versatile since it canendure corruption over time. In this inquire about work consider M20 concrete to perform exploratory work.

Introduction

Self-healing concrete is an innovative type of concrete that can autonomously repair cracks up to 0.8 mm, restoring its mechanical strength and durability. This capability is largely due to the incorporation of bacteria, specifically Bacillus clausii, which produce calcium carbonate (CaCO3) through a biomineralization process that fills cracks and reduces voids in the concrete.

The study aimed to improve the compressive and flexural strength of concrete, minimize plastic shrinkage cracks, and enhance the concrete’s ability to regain strength after failure by using Bacillus clausii bacteria.

Materials used include cement, coarse and fine aggregates, fly ash, clay, and the bacteria. The water-cement ratio was maintained at 0.5 in the experiments.

Experimental tests conducted:

• Slump test (workability)

• Water absorption test

• Compressive strength test (at 7 and 28 days)

• Flexural strength test

• Split tensile strength test

Results showed:

• Workability increased with higher bacteria percentages, as indicated by increased slump values.

• Water absorption remained fairly stable across samples.

• Compressive strength improved progressively with more bacteria, with the highest strength observed at 10% Bacillus clausii content.

• Flexural and split tensile strengths also increased significantly in bacteria-enhanced mixes compared to control concrete.

Conclusion

1) The overall development of strength and durability of self-healing concrete by using bacillus clausii bacteria and other material has investigated and compare with control concrete (CC). 2) Bacillus clausii utilized its ability precipitate calcium carbonate (CaCo3)to seal the crack of the concrete and improve its strength. 3) According to IS: 456: 2000 the water cement ratio for the M20 concrete is lies between 0.4 to 0.6 and in the concrete mix it used at 0.5. 4) The compression strength, Flexural strength and split tensile strength is increased after mixing the bacteria (bacillus clausii) as compered to the common concrete. 5) Self-healing concreteis not only fill the cracks and voids it also restoredthe mechanical properties of the structural element partially or completely. 6) The highest compressive strength gained by the SHC-4 (Self-healing concrete-4) with 10% bacteria of the water cement ratio of the concrete and increased the strength of concrete and similarly the flexural strength and split tensile strength is slightly increase after mixing bacillus bacteria. 7) Using of bacteria in concrete is an eco-friendly alternative to traditional repair methods.

References

[1] IS 10262:2009 “Indian standard code of recommended guidelines for concrete mix design”, Bureau of Indian standard, New Delhi. [2] IS:456:2000 “Indian standard cod for reinforced concrete cod and for water cement ratio” Bureau of Indian standard, New Delhi. [3] GhanShyam, Deepak Mathur “A study of self-healing concrete prepared with bacteria to pavement cracks (2024). [4] Bang S.S., Galinat J.K. and Ramakrishnan V., ?Calcite precipitation induced by polyurethane immobilized Bacillus pasteurii.” Enzyme Microb. Technol., pp 404– 409,2001. [5] De Muynck W., Cox K., De Belie N. and Verstraete W. “Bacterial carbonate precipitation as an alternative surface treatment for concrete” Constr. Build. Mater.Vol.22, pp.875 -885,2008. [6] M. Monishaa, Mrs. S.Nishanthi, “experimental study on strength of self-healing concrete”,

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Sunil Meena, Alok Meena, Sajjan singh, Rohit Soni. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.