What are the Smart materials used in construction??

This is the latest trend in the construction industry & smartest way of executing project saving considerable time & maintaining highest quality standards

Friends, mud and mortar in different ratio proportions are the materials used for construction purposes since stone age. It is the economic availablity, regional complexity and commercial viability which will enthuse us to utilise different materials in different places.

Whilst in Ladakh you may not like to use bamboo as we do whilst in Assam, it will be futile not to look at straw bales for low rise construction while in the plains of India.

In any case, India in in immensely grave danger of being hit by earthquakes of varying magnitudes, anywherre and at anytime. We, in the civil engineering community, therefore, must look most seriously to create buildings which are more ductile and lighter in construction weight rather than very rigid and heavy structures.

It is the basic design philosophy in the name of smart architecture that we should try to innovate and change rather than only looking at smarter materials to build housings which may not be able to tolerate strong ground motions at the time of decision.

Hope we civil engineers wake up to this omni-existent requirement sooner, than later. for we will be blamed by posterity for not doing enough- in this Country, where rampant money making seems to hAve induced us all to throw caution to winds.

A whole range of products ranging from Hollow Concrete Blocks in various configurations, Conduit Blocks, Lintel Blocks, Retaining Wall Blocks, Paving Blocks, Landscaping Blocks, Architectural Blocks.

According to my knowledge one such innovation is Piezo electric materials.These are those materials which generate voltage due to the application of stress. Hence, we find extensive application of piezo electric materials as sensors in different environments. They are mainly used to measure fluid compositions, fluid density, fluid viscosity, or the force of an impact. These things are used to check out the sustainability and durability of the building. So from my side this is the one such smart material which is gained entry into construction which is slowly but surely gaining importance,

So what are the other smart materials that are used on construction....do share your views.......

Dear friend...

Smart materials cannot be used in all types construction..

Smart materials can be sugested depend up on the type of structure..

Nothing can be smarter than cement and steel, they are presently the smart ones( or rather the smart manufacturers)

Pre-Stressing reduces steel required.

Well way back in 1930s there used to humble bricks which are used in the construction process for brick walls

Now a days we dont generally find them, but they are available in the market, not with the same formula but with the same name.

Advantages

The production cost is very low as compared the with the fly ash bricks.

they are as strong as the traditional bricks, & has low wastage

they are light in weight thus reducuing the load on the structure

material available with nearest distance minimum processing and lowest coast for the specific use.

Fly - Ash Concrete , Fly Ash Bricks , Hollow Bricks. Hollow Walls. Prestressing in Slabs , Beams and Columns.

Use of Flyash mixed concrete,flyash bricks in combination of Glass with Aluminum will certanly prove to be a smart choise for modern construction....this can also be used for residential /commercial/corporate buildings...it has got only one constraint and that is:proper designing of spaces and using exact amount of natural and artificial energy by the architects and the engineers. Cost of material will also drop if demand in market increases,as all the above mentioed material is available in abundance in market.

Glass and aluminum can be recycled and used,flyash is already been reused....so it can prove a 80% green Structure also.