As the title suggests. If roman concrete supposedly has the capabilities to mend tiny cracks via chemical reaction, why isn’t it used with modern reinforcements to seal the pathways to the steel beams to protect it from oxygen and elements and prevent corrosion? Are there any major downsides to hot-mixed concrete, is it not as good as the studies make it out to be, or is it simply not viable due to cost and manufacturing process/storage requirements?
In: Engineering
I suspect that we tend to get overexcited over click bait titles that make claims about how “Romans had better concrete that last thousands of years. Modern concrete is lousy and we’re too cheap/dumb/lazy to figure things out.”
The truth is much more prosaic. Modern concrete is better, more consistent and stronger than ancient concrete. Modern construction methods use far less materials to achieve results. We make things out of concrete today in areas and situations that civil engineers just a few hundred years ago (not to mention Romans) could only dream about.
Latest Answers