This document discusses the development of smart transparent concrete using optical fibers, highlighting its energy-saving and self-sensing properties. The research evaluates the concrete's transparency, mechanical strength, and durability through various tests. It emphasizes the potential applications of this material in modern civil engineering and architecture, particularly in enhancing structural safety and energy efficiency.

1. PRESENTED BY:
K.S.SABHAPATHY
FINAL YEAR (CIVIL)
RCET
madurai

2. Building energy saving and safe evaluation for engineering structures
have obtained the worldwide attention. It is much of importance for
developing a new kind of building material, which can integrate green
energy saving with self-sensing properties of functional material. In this
paper, based on the excellent properties of light guiding and elasto-
optic effect of optical fiber, a novel smart transparent concrete is
researched by arranging the optical fibers into the concrete. To
evaluate the effectiveness of the smart transparent concrete, the light
guiding based on white light test, long-term durability based on
freezing and thawing test and chloride ion penetration test, and self-
sensing property based on stress elasto-optic effect test are made
respectively. The experiments results show that the smart transparent
concrete has good transparency, mechanical and self-sensing
properties.

3. With the economic growth and science-technology development, more and
more large-scale civil engineering structures such as tall buildings, underground
buildings and landmark buildings and so on are built around the world. While
the economic growth is a kind of extensive growth: high input, high consumption
and high pollution, for that the energy saving technology is low, especially in
developing countries. The brightness of indoor environment is entirely
maintained by artificial lighting, which has consumed a large number of
resources. Moreover civil engineering structures always suffer from external
environmental effects, economic loss and casualties are serious once damaged.
And now, building energy saving and building safety have been attracted much
attention. Many large span bridges and new landmark buildings have been
successfully implemented structural health monitoring systems. Optical fiber
sensors such as fiber Bragg Grating, Brillouin distributed sensors and plastic
optical fiber sensors have been widely used for the in situ monitoring of major
projects.

4. WHAT IS OPTICAL FIBERS….. ???
&
WHAT IS ITS IMPACT IN CIVIL
ENGINEERING ……???

5. • An optical fiber is a hair thin
cylindrical fiber of glass or any
transparent dielectric medium.
• The fiber which are used for optical
communication are wave guides
made of transparent dielectrics.
• Its function is to guide visible and
infrared light over long distances.

7.  Core – central tube of very thin size made
up of optically transparent dielectric
medium and carries the light form
transmitter to receiver. The core diameter
can vary from about 5um to 100 um.
 Cladding – outer optical material
surrounding the core having reflecting index
lower than core. It helps to keep the light
within the core throughout the phenomena of
total internal reflection.
 Buffer Coating – plastic coating that
protects
the fiber made of silicon rubber. The typical
diameter of fiber after coating is 250-300 um.

8. Total Internal Reflection
• When a ray of light travels from a denser to a rarer medium
such that the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle,
the ray reflects back into the same medium this phenomena is
called total internal reflection.
• In the optical fiber the rays undergo repeated total number of
reflections until it emerges out of the other end of the fiber, even
if the fiber is bent.

11. The life of fiber is longer than copper
wire
Handling and installation costs of
optical fiber is very nominal
It is unaffected with electromagnetic
interference
Attenuation in optical fiber is lower than
coaxial cable or twisted pair.
There is no necessity of additional
equipment for protecting against
grounding and voltage problems.
 As it does not radiates energy any
antenna or detector cannot detects it
hence provides signal security

12. • Optical fiber have wider range of application in almost all
field, some are been specified below
• In telecommunication field
• In space applications
• Broadband applications
• Computer applications industrial applications
• Mining applications
• In medical applications
• In military applications etc.

13. • Translucent concrete is a
concrete based building
material having light-
Transmissive property.
• Light-Transmissive property is
mainly due to uniform
distribution of high numerical
aperture Plastic Optical Fibres
(POF) throughout its body.
• Hence it is also known to be
transparent concrete, LiTraCon.

14. • The two basic materials used for
making transparent concrete
 Fine concrete
 Optical fibres
• Fine concrete: Consists of cement
and fine aggregate such as
sand.
• Optical fibres: There are 3 kinds
 Multimode graded-index
fibre
 Multimode step-index fibre
 Single-mode step-index
fibres.

15. • Translucent concrete works Based on “Nano-Optics”.
• These fibres passes as much light when tiny slits are placed
directly on top of each other. Hence optical fibers in the
concrete act like the slits and carry the light across throughout
the concrete.

16. • The manufacturing process of
transparent concrete is almost
same as regular concrete.
• Small layers of the concrete
are poured into the mould and
on top of each layers, a layer
of fibres is infused.
• Fabric and concrete are
alternately inserted into
moulds at intervals of
approximately 2 mm to 5mm.

17. • Light-transmitting concrete is
produced by adding 4% to 5%
optical fibres by volume into the
concrete mixture.
• The concrete mixture is made
from fine materials and does not
contain coarse aggregate.
• Thousands of strands of optical
fibres are cast into concrete to
transmit light
• Smaller or thinner layers allow an
increased amount of light to pass
through the concrete.

18. • We designed our sample
mould with simple plastic tray.
• used optical fiber cable at
size of (100 um)
• due to small thickness of
optical cable we are using fine
concrete (without coarse
aggregate)
• making a ratio of 1:2 for
mixing
• clay is used to withstand
optical cables for support.

19. • choosing a desire mould.
• make a needed design.
• attach clay on the bottom of
the mould.
• induce optical fiber cables at
desired shape.
• after induced pour fine
concrete at its approximate
ratio.
• set to dry and allow to curing.

20. • We get out transparent concrete in desired shape.

21. • Evaluation Method of Light Guiding of Smart Transparent Concrete :
There are many performance indicators to be considered whether the
transparency of material is good or not, such as transmittance, haze,
refractive index, birefringence and dispersion and so on. In this paper,
the transmittance is used to appraisal the light guiding of smart
transparent concrete. For the homogeneous materials such as
homogeneous glass or LiTraCon above mentioned, their transmittance
can be directly calculated by the ratio of the incident energy and
transmission energy of light expressed as following equation:

22. Newport 835 Optical Power Meter
Measuring area of the concrete in the Light
Guiding Experiment

25. PRODUCT LITRACON - LIGHT TRANSMITTING CONCRETE
Form Prefabricated blocks
Ingredients 100% concrete, 4% optical fibre
Density 2100-2400 Kg/m3
Block size 150mm x 80mm
Thickness 25-50mm
Colour Grey
Fibre distribution Organic
Finished Polished
Compressive strength 31.44 N/mm2

26. • In furniture for the decorative
and aesthetic purpose.
• Light sidewalks at night.
• Increasing visibility in dark
subway stations.
• Lighting indoor fire escapes, in
the event of a power failure.
• Illuminating speed bumps on
roadways at night.

27. • A novel architectural material called transparent concrete can
be developed by adding optical fibre or large diameter glass
fibre in the concrete mixture. The transparent concrete has good
light guiding property and the ratio of optical fibre volume to
concrete is proportion to transmission. The transparent concrete
not looses the strength parameter when compared to regular
concrete and also it has very vital property for the aesthetical
point of view. It can be used for the best architectural
appearance of the building. Also used where the light cannot
reach with appropriate intensity. This new kind of building
material can integrate the concept of green energy saving with
the usage self-sensing properties of functional materials.

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29. “TRANSPARENT CONCRETE IS
DEFINITELY THE PRESENT AND THE
FUTURE”