REPORT ON SMART MATERIALS

IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

Submitted to :- Mrs. Ajitha Kumari

Submitted by :- WCA Vikrant Sangwan

GC Yashvardhan Singh Shekhawat
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to express our special thanks
of gratitude to my teacher and mentor Mrs.
Ajitha Kumari who gave us the golden
opportunity to do this wonderful and
important project on the topic Smart
Materials in Civil Engineering, which helped
us in doing a lot of research and work and in
the process we came to know about a lot of
things. We are really grateful to her for her
guidance.
Introduction:-

Smart construction materials, which also known as

intelligent materials, active materials and, adoptive
materials, are those that have the capability to respond
to changes in their condition or the
environment(terrain) to which they are exposed, in a
useful and controlled manner.

The input that cause the change in smart material

properties may be in the form of mechanical stress /
strain, electrical / magnetic field or changes in
temperature, moisture, pH, and light.

Their unique properties make them a crucial material

in many fields of engineering and science. They are
used in civil engineering projects and contribute in
increasing performance, comfortability, and energy
efficiency of structure.
Therefore it is very important to develop a smart
system for reinforced concrete structures, which can
minimize internal and external disturbances for
structural safety and extension of its service life.
Although SMAs have been known for decades, they
have not been used much in the civil structures until
rather recently. Many research activities are at
laboratory stage towards use of SMA in civil
structures, but few have been implemented for field
applications and found effective.

Reinforced concrete structures must be designed to

satisfy the requirements of both the strength and
serviceability limit state. The design for serviceability,
however, is not straightforward, since the prediction
of behaviour under sustained service loads is
complicated by time-dependent deformations in the
composite beams due to creep and shrinkage of
concrete. It exhibit strains with age of concrete and
causes considerable impact on its performance results
in deflection as well as affecting stress distribution. It
also causes dimensional change in the material under
the influence of sustained loading.

Shape Memory Alloys (SMA, also known as memory

metal) are materials capable of undergoing large
recoverable strains of the 8% order while producing
hysteresis. It is a metal that “remembers” its initial
geometry during transformations. After a sample of
SMA has been changed from its “original”
conformation, it regains its original geometry during
heating or, at higher ambient temperatures, during
unloading. These extraordinary properties are due to
the temperature and stress dependent phase
transformation from a low-symmetry to a highly
symmetric crystallographic structure.
History of smart materials:-

The first recorded observation of smart material

transformation was made in 1932 on Gold-cadmium.
In addition, in 1938 the phase transformation was
observed in brass (Copper- zinc).

It was not until 1962, however, that Beehler and co-

workers found the transformation and attendant shape
memory effect in Nickel-Titanium at the Naval
Ordinance Laboratory. They named this family of
alloy Nitinol after their lab. A few years after the
discovery of Nitinol, a number of other alloy systems
with the shape memory effect were found Though
product development using smart materials began to
accelerate after the discovery of Nitinol, many of the
smart materials contained expensive and exotic
elements. Only the copper-based alloys came close to
challenging the Nitinol family as a commercially
attractive system. During the 1980s and early 1990s, a
number of companies began to provide Ni-Ti
materials and components, and an increasing number
of products, especially medical products were
developed to market.
Types of Smart Materials

Based on input and output, the smart materials are

categorized as follows.

1. Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs)

Such materials possess the ability to regain to some

previously defined shape or size when subjected to
appropriate thermal changes. Shape memory alloys
find their applications in new applications in civil
engineering specifically in seismic protection of
buildings.
The application of shape memory alloy in civil
engineering application, are- repeated absorption of
strain energy without permanent deformation, for
obtaining wide range of cyclic behavior, to resist
fatigue resistance under large strain cycles, and due to
their great durability and reliability in the long run.
Smart Alloy Materials Working Principle

Smart Alloy Materials

2. Magnetostrictive Materials

These materials undergo mechanical deformation in

proportional to the square of the electric field, which
refers to the material quality of changing size in
response to either an electric or magnetic field, and
conversely, producing a voltage when stretched. These
materials show promise in applications ranging from
pumps and valves, to aerospace wind tunnel.

Magnetostrictive Materials Change Their Shape in Response to Applied

Magnetic Field
Magnetostrictive Materials
3. Piezoelectric Materials

These are the materials possess capability to produce

voltage when surface strain is introduced. Conversely,
the materials undergo deformation (stress) when an
electric field is applied across it. When integrated into
a structural member, a piezoelectric material generates
an electric field in response to mechanical forces.

Piezoelectric Materials
4. Electrorheological Fluids

These are the colloidal suspensions that undergo

changes in viscosity when subjected to an electric
field. Such fluids are highly sensitive and respond
instantaneously to any change in the applied electric
field. find their application in shock absorbers.

Electrorheological Fluids
5. Electrochromic materials

These materials alter their light transmission

properties when voltage is applied.

Electrochromic Materials
6. Smart Concrete

Smart concrete (a composite of carbon fibres and

concrete) used in smart structures is capable of
sensing minute structural cracks / flaws. Unlike
conventional concrete, the smart concrete has higher
potential and enhanced strength.

Smart Concrete
Application of Smart Materials in
Civil Engineering
1.Smart concrete can be used in electromagnetic
shielding and for enhanced electrical conductivity of
concrete. Smart concrete under loading and unloading
process will loose and regain its conductivity, thus
serving as a structural material as well as a sensor.
Smart concrete plays a vital role in the construction of
road pavements as a traffic-sensing recorder, and also
melts ice on highways and airfields during snowfall in
winter season by passing low voltage current through
it.

Details of Smart Bridge

2. Smart materials have applications in the design of
smart buildings. Smart materials are used for vibration
control, noise mitigation, safety and performance.

3. In construction of smart buildings, for

environmental control, structural health monitoring.

4. In smart building, it used to transform efficiency,

comfort, and safety for people and assets.

5. Smart materials reduce the effects of earthquakes.

6. In marine and rail transport applications for strain

monitoring using embedded fibre optic sensors.

7. The use of smart materials permits the construction

of smart bridges especially cable stayed bridge with a
wider span to avoid the increased susceptibility to
vibrations caused by ambient factors such as wind,
rain or traffic. Hence, the structure required less
maintenance and the response of the structure can be
monitored.

8. They are used to monitor the civil engineering

structures to evaluate their durability.

9. Smart materials in structures used to monitor the

integrity of bridges, dams, offshore oil-drilling towers
where fiber-optic sensors embedded in the structures
are utilized to identify the trouble areas.

10. They can be used to rehabilitate the cracking of

concrete when super elasticity smart material is used
as the reinforcement bar.
Civil Engineering in different
terrains