Team:Newcastle/problem

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{{Team:Newcastle/mainbanner}}
{{Team:Newcastle/mainbanner}}
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===Concrete Background===
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=Problem=
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[[Media:Concrete.pdf|Deena's concrete lecture]] provides some basic knowledge on concrete as well as questions from our presentation at iGEM UK Get Together.
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==Concrete Background==
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[[Media:Concrete.pdf|Deena's concrete lecture]] provides some basic knowledge on concrete as well as answers to questions asked after our presentation at the [[UK_Meetup_2010#UK_iGEM_get-together.2C_Newcastle.2C__20th_and_21st_July.2C_2010|2010 iGEM UK Get Together]].
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===Reasons cracks are bad!===   
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===Reasons cracks are bad===   
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{|
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|[[Image:newcastle_corrosion.jpg|400px]]
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|[[Image:newcastle_brokenbridge.jpg|400px]]
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|}
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# Allow water to reach and corrode steel reinforcements  
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# Cracks allow water to reach and corrode steel reinforcements;
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# Weaken concrete structures
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# They weaken concrete structures;
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# Difficult to repair
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# They are difficult to repair.
Work in this area has already been started:
Work in this area has already been started:
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[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyBR3PDPa-c Bio-concrete]
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[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyBR3PDPa-c Bio-concrete] and a non-biological method [http://ace-mrl.engin.umich.edu/ self healing concrete].
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This project is different to ours in that it only repairs the microcracks that are formed in concrete within a certain period after the concrete sets and ''Bacillus subtilis'' cells only remain viable in the bio-concrete for a short period of time. This is not concern for our project as we do not want the cells to survive for a long period of time; just enough time to fix the cracks.
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The projects mentioned above are different from our project because they only use bacteria to repair cracks that form in specialised concrete in new buildings, whereas our BacillaFilla can repair cracks that were formed in existing structures. This makes a big difference to the construction industry because it can protect against the process of corrosion in steel reinforcements in existing structures.
===How our project is helpful===
===How our project is helpful===
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# Reduces corrosion rate of the steel reinforcements  
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Our project aims to:
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# Reduces the need to demolish and re-build concrete structures  
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# Reduces cement production
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# Reduce the rate of corrosion of the steel reinforcements
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# Reduces carbon dioxide emission
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# Reduce the need to demolish and replace existing concrete structures
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# Reduces consumption of energy resources
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# Reduce the need for cement production
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# Reduce carbon dioxide emission from cement production
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# Reduce the consumption of energy resources
===How our project is novel===  
===How our project is novel===  
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# Filamentous cells - like steel fibres
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# Our project focuses not only on newly set concrete structures, but also existing ones.
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# Getting the Bacteria to produce the gel/glue that hold it all together.  
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# All the cells will produce calcium carbonate which has similar properties as that of concrete.
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# Environmental kill switch
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# Filamentous ''Bacillus subtilis'' cells have similar properties to the synthetic fibres used in fibre-reinforced concrete, and thereby act as reinforcements within the cracks.
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# We are working with a well known strain: '''''Bacillus subtilis''''' '''168''' (previous work required specific stains)
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# Getting BacillaFilla to produce levans glue that is able to hold the calcium carbonate and filamentous cells together. It will then fill up the crack.
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# Environmental kill switch which allows BacillaFilla to kill itself in the absence of sucrose, which we will add to the cracks in the concrete.
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# We are working with a well known strain: ''Bacillus subtilis'' 168 (previous work required specific strains).
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===5th August 2010===
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===Visit to the Structures Lab===
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[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_1.jpg|200px|right]]
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====Concrete Splitting Test====
====Concrete Splitting Test====
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On the 5th of August, the whole team went to the structures lab of Cassie Building, the building that houses the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, to do tensile splitting test on concrete cylinder. We got to understand the problems of cracks forming on concrete structures and how our project Bacilla Filla will help.
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On the 5th of August, the whole team went down to the Structures Lab of Cassie Building that houses the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, to do tensile splitting test on a concrete cylinder. We tried to understand the problems of crack formation on the concrete structures and how our project BacillaFilla can help.
====More photos====
====More photos====
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[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_2.jpg|220px|left]]
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{|
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[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_3.jpg|220px|center]]
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|-
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[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_4.jpg|220px|right]]
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|[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_1.jpg|thumb|Dr. Colin Davie showing steel reinforcements of concrete]]
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|[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_5.jpg|thumb|How cracks form in bridges]]
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|[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_2.jpg|thumb|Concrete in tensile strength testing machine]]
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|[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_17.jpg|thumb|Concrete cylinder cracked into two]]
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|-
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|[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_14.jpg|thumb|Teaching properties of concrete]]
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|[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_15.jpg|thumb|Tensile strength testing machine]]
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|[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_16.jpg|thumb|Dr. Colin Davie carrying cracked concrete]]
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|[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_3.jpg|thumb|Concrete in tensile strength testing machine]]
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|-
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|[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_4.jpg|thumb|right|Structures lab assistant, Billie explaining how concrete cracked]]
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|}
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====Materials used to mix concrete====
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{|
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|-
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|[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_11.jpg|thumb|Coarse aggregates]]
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|[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_12.jpg|thumb|Fine aggregates]]
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|[[Image:Newcastle_Concrete_13.jpg|thumb|Cement]]
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|}
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===References===
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#Neville A. (2008) ''Properties of Concrete''. 4th Edition, London, Pearson Education Limited.
{{Team:Newcastle/footer}}
{{Team:Newcastle/footer}}

Latest revision as of 17:43, 26 October 2010

iGEM Homepage Newcastle University BacillaFilla Homepage Image Map

Contents

Problem

Concrete Background

Deena's concrete lecture provides some basic knowledge on concrete as well as answers to questions asked after our presentation at the 2010 iGEM UK Get Together.

Reasons cracks are bad

Newcastle corrosion.jpg Newcastle brokenbridge.jpg
  1. Cracks allow water to reach and corrode steel reinforcements;
  2. They weaken concrete structures;
  3. They are difficult to repair.

Work in this area has already been started: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyBR3PDPa-c Bio-concrete] and a non-biological method [http://ace-mrl.engin.umich.edu/ self healing concrete].

The projects mentioned above are different from our project because they only use bacteria to repair cracks that form in specialised concrete in new buildings, whereas our BacillaFilla can repair cracks that were formed in existing structures. This makes a big difference to the construction industry because it can protect against the process of corrosion in steel reinforcements in existing structures.

How our project is helpful

Our project aims to:

  1. Reduce the rate of corrosion of the steel reinforcements
  2. Reduce the need to demolish and replace existing concrete structures
  3. Reduce the need for cement production
  4. Reduce carbon dioxide emission from cement production
  5. Reduce the consumption of energy resources

How our project is novel

  1. Our project focuses not only on newly set concrete structures, but also existing ones.
  2. All the cells will produce calcium carbonate which has similar properties as that of concrete.
  3. Filamentous Bacillus subtilis cells have similar properties to the synthetic fibres used in fibre-reinforced concrete, and thereby act as reinforcements within the cracks.
  4. Getting BacillaFilla to produce levans glue that is able to hold the calcium carbonate and filamentous cells together. It will then fill up the crack.
  5. Environmental kill switch which allows BacillaFilla to kill itself in the absence of sucrose, which we will add to the cracks in the concrete.
  6. We are working with a well known strain: Bacillus subtilis 168 (previous work required specific strains).

Visit to the Structures Lab

Concrete Splitting Test

On the 5th of August, the whole team went down to the Structures Lab of Cassie Building that houses the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, to do tensile splitting test on a concrete cylinder. We tried to understand the problems of crack formation on the concrete structures and how our project BacillaFilla can help.

More photos

Dr. Colin Davie showing steel reinforcements of concrete
How cracks form in bridges
Concrete in tensile strength testing machine
Concrete cylinder cracked into two
Teaching properties of concrete
Tensile strength testing machine
Dr. Colin Davie carrying cracked concrete
Concrete in tensile strength testing machine
Structures lab assistant, Billie explaining how concrete cracked

Materials used to mix concrete

Coarse aggregates
Fine aggregates
Cement

References

  1. Neville A. (2008) Properties of Concrete. 4th Edition, London, Pearson Education Limited.


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