Have you ever wondered why Roman structures like The Pantheon and the Colosseum which are thousands of years old, have withstood the test of time? Scientists have been asking the same questions and now they may have the answer.
The concept is like something out of science fiction: a building with a material that, after it sustains damage, is able to repair itself. But we’re not talking about nanotechnology on an interstellar vehicle here; we’re not even talking about something that might take place decades or centuries from now. Instead, this technology came to the foreground thousands of years ago, in the time of ancient Rome.
Now there is evidence that the Romans employed hot mixing, using quicklime in conjunction with, or instead of, slaked lime, to create an environment where high surface area aggregate-scale lime clasts are retained within the mortar matrix.
It has been proposed by scientists that these macroscopic inclusions might serve as critical sources of reactive calcium for long-term pore and crack-filling or post-pozzolanic reactivity within the cementitious constructs. The subsequent development and testing of modern lime clast–containing cementitious mixtures demonstrate their self-healing potential, thus paving the way for the development of more durable, resilient, and sustainable concrete formulations.
Could these findings lead to a resurgence in the building techniques of the ancient Romans?
Gary Fleisher is the Editor in Chief of Modular Home Source and Offsite Builder magazine. Email at [email protected]
Gary Fleisher, the Modcoach
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