PROJECT

SYNOPSIS
On

LIGHT TRANSMITTING CONCRETE WITH THE HELP OF OPTICAL FIBRE AND

PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF FINE AGGREGATE WITH GLASS POWDER.

Submitted for partial fulfillment of award of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
In

CIVIL ENGINEERING
(2021)

By

Abhishek Yadav (1712200007)

Amartya Nayak Shukla (1712200016)
Mohd Faheem (1712200060)

Under the Guidance

Of
Mr. Mukesh Saw
(Assistant Professor)

SHRI RAMSWAROOP MEMORIAL GROUP OF PROFESSIONAL COLLEGES

LUCKNOW
Affiliated to Dr.APJ ABDUL KALAM TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY,
Improving Durability and Strength of Plain and Reinforced Concrete Structure with addition of Ground Granulated
Blast Furnace Slag

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1… ........................................................................................................... 1
1.1 INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 2… ........................................................................................................... 2
2.1 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

CHAPTER 3… ........................................................................................................... 3-4

3.1 LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER 4… ............................................................................................................... 5
4.1 THEORY (PROJECT METHOLOGY)

CHAPTER 5… ..................................................................................................... ……6-7

5.1 MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS

CHAPTER 6… ............................................................................................................. 8-9

6.1 ADVANTAGES OF PROJECT

REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 10

Department of Civil Engineering , SRMGPC , LUCKNOW

Production of light transmitting concrete using optical fibers with partial replacement of fine aggregate with glass
powder.

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

The economic growth and science technology development, more and more large-scale civil
engineering structures such as tall buildings, underground buildings and landmark buildings
and so on are built around the world. Those buildings are isolated biosphere only based on
manmade lights to maintain people's optical activities. At the same time, most of the big
buildings are built close to each other, all in the same areas, like sky scrapers. When many
buildings are stacked close to each other, there is not much natural sunlight passing through
and the importance of natural sunlight is pretty well known. Translucent concrete comes in as a
blessing solution for easier day lighting. By arranging the high numerical aperture Plastic
Optical Fibres (POF) or big diameter glass optical Fibre into concrete. Optical Fibres transmit
light so effectively that there is virtually no loss of light conducted through the Fibres Optical
Fibre have very good light guiding and sensing capability. The light is conducted through the
stone from one end to the other. Therefore the Fibres have to go through the whole object.
Transparent concrete is also known as the translucent concrete and light transmitting concrete
because of its properties. It is used in fine architecture as a facade material and for cladding of
interior walls.

It is considered to be one of the best sensor materials available and has been used widely since
1990. Hungarian architect, Aron Losonczi, first introduced the idea of light transmitting
concrete in 2001 and then successfully produced the first transparent concrete block in 2003,
named LiTraCon. Since concrete is strong in compression and weak in tension
and flexure.

Our project of casting translucent concrete aims at reducing this operating energy by exploiting
vast amount of potential energy in the form of sunlight. Another additional feature is its
pleasing aesthetics that can change the picture of the concrete which is generally perceived as
dull, pale, opaque greyness material.

Department of Civil Engineering , SRMGPC , LUCKNOW

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 Production of light transmitting concrete using optical fibers with partial replacement of fine aggregate with glass
powder.

CHAPTER II
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

PROJECT OBJECTIVE

In recent past concretes were considered a structural member only, but the concept of concrete
has changed today. Innovative and smart building material like light transmitting concrete have
come up in which concrete can be used as a decorative material. It can be observed that the
concrete with light transmitting property shows increase in strength and also provides a pleasing
appearance to concrete.

Thus this project aims in making concrete stronger, attractive, energy efficient and eco-friendly
green building material. In fact, 50% day lighting is a mandatory requirement in a green
building according to (IGBC) Indian Green Building Council. In coming future the light
transmitting concrete would be more economical as the production cost of optical fiber will be
minimised.

Department of Civil Engineering , SRMGPC , LUCKNOW

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 Production of light transmitting concrete using optical fibers with partial replacement of fine aggregate with glass
powder.

CHAPTER III
LITERATURE REVIEW

Earlier studies on the topic have already compared the compressive strength and light
transmissibility of the translucent concrete with that of conventional concrete. Keeping the mix
design and other factors same the compressive strengths of the two types of the concrete have
observed. For the transmissibility test, some have cast glass fibre reinforced concrete to compare
the results with the translucent concrete. Apart from these, self-sensing property, mechanical
property, light guiding property, permeability and all have been explored.

The development of a light transmitting concrete using plastic optical fibre (POF) is discussed and
producing a new alternatives to entrench the concept of sustainability in Gaza Strip, which will
help to reduce the consumption of electric energy in closed environments based on the traditional
means of lighting, which can manufacture some parts of the exterior walls of the molds are made
of concrete, transparent and that allow the entry of the nature lighting from outside to the inside.
The experimental results show that an optical fibre can be easily combined with concrete and that
the POF could provide a steady light transmitting ratio.

Description and Production:

Transparent concrete is a concrete based building material with light Tran missive properties due to
embedded light optical elements usually Optical FIBERs. Light is conducted through the stone
from one end to the other. Therefore the fibers have to go through the whole object. Transparent
concrete is also known as the translucent concrete and light transmitting concrete because of its
properties. It is used in fine architecture as a facade material and for cladding of interior walls. The
main purpose is to use sunlight as a light source to reduce the power consumption of illumination
and to use the optical FIBER to sense the stress of structures.

Department of Civil Engineering , SRMGPC , LUCKNOW 3

 Production of light transmitting concrete using optical fibers with partial replacement of fine aggregate with glass
powder.

For production, first, low-cost acrylic rod or pipe for securing transparency is prepared, with 110
mm lengths. The outside of the mold is drilled to make various-sized holes (3, 5, and 10 mm) in
stainless steel. The distance between the holes is the same as the size of the hole. The size and
number of holes are important factors that determine the constructability and economic efficiency
of the project, and the degree of light transmission is determined depending on the number of
holes.

The advantages of the external-type mold are that it can be reused as it is prefabricated by the
outside partner and requires no intricate operations for the arrangement of the optical fibres in
a line after adjusting each fibre and connecting it to the holes. In addition, there is no need to
widen the surface area by heating the end of the optical fibre, as in the case of optical fibre.
In the prepared mold as shown in Fig. (3), cement, water, fine aggregates, steel fibre and
super-plasticizer were mixed with high fluidity (about 70 cm as a result of the flow test) and
were placed inside the mold, into which a transparent material was inserted, and then the
mold was hammered lightly with a rubber mallet so that the mold would be filled with the
concrete. The prototype was completed by cutting it with the desired thickness after
proceeding with underwater curing for 28 days by removing the mold after room curing for at
least 24 hours in the mixing process.

Department of Civil Engineering , SRMGPC , LUCKNOW 4

Production of light transmitting concrete using optical fibers with partial replacement of fine aggregate with glass
powder.

CHAPTER IV
THEORY (PROJECT METHODOLOGY)

MATERIAL COLLECTION

CEMENT, AGGREGATES, OPTICAL FIBRES, GLASS POWDER

MATERIAL CASTING
MOULD PREPARATION, FIBRE PLACEMENT, CASTING, GRINDING OF SPECIMEN,
TESTING OF SPECIMEN.

RESULT AND ANALYSIS

INTERPRETATION AND FINAL CONCLUSION

Department of Civil Engineering , SRMGPC , LUCKNOW. 5

 Production of light transmitting concrete using optical fibers with partial replacement of fine aggregate with glass
powder .

CHAPTER V
MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS

Ingredients Of Transparent Concrete

1. Cement
2. Fine Aggregate
3. Optical Fibres
4. Glass powder
5. Water

1.Cement:- Cement is a major ingredient of binding material used in concrete. It provides good
adhesive property to bind fine aggregate and course aggregate. The major ingredients of cement is
limestone and clay.

2.Fine Aggregate:- Sands are commonly used as fine aggregate. Sand may be either natural or
artificial. The fine aggregate fills the voids present in coarse aggregate and minimizes shrinkage of
concrete. The size of sand particles should be between 75 micron to 4.75mm.

3.Optical Fibre:- An optical fibre is a flexible, transparent fibre made of extruded glass (silica) or
plastic, slightly thicker than a human hair. It can function as a waveguide, or “light pipe”, to
transmit light between the two ends of the fibre. The field of applied science and engineering
concerned with the design and application of optical fibres is known as fibre optics. Optical fibres
are widely used in fibre-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer
distances and at higher bandwidths than wire cables. Fibres are used instead of metal wires
because signals travel along them with less loss and are also immune to electromagnetic
interference. Fibres are also used for illumination, and are wrapped in bundles so that they may be
used to carry images, thus allowing viewing in confined spaces. Specially designed fibres are used
for a variety of other applications, including sensors and fibre lasers.

Department of Civil Engineering , SRMGPC , LUCKNOW 6

 Production of light transmitting concrete using optical fibers with partial replacement of fine aggregate with glass
powder.

Optical Fibres typically include a transparent core surrounded by a transparent cladding material
with a lower index of refraction. Light is kept in the core by total internal reflection. This causes
the fibres to act as a waveguide.

4.Glass Powder:- Glass powder is an extremely fine powder made from ground glass. It can be
used in a number of industrial and craft applications and is often available through suppliers of
glass and industrial supplies. High precision machining equipment is necessary to prepare it, as it
needs to be very uniform, with an even consistency. Costs vary, depending on the level of grind
and the applications. The process can involve dry or wet grinding to achieve particles of the
desired size. Pigments can be added to make colored glass powders, and companies can also work
with colored glass if they want to make powders of a particular color, like blue. The finished
product can be hazardous and must be handled with care.

In transparent concrete 95% space is occupied by cement mortar, i.e. cement and sand. The
remaining 5% is occupied by plastic optical fiber (POF). To increase the transparency of concrete
cement is replaced by glass powder. Based on trial mix design the binding solution proportion will
vary.

Department of Civil Engineering , SRMGPC , LUCKNOW 7

 Production of light transmitting concrete using optical fibers with partial replacement of fine aggregate with glass
powder.

CHAPTER VI
ADVANTAGES OF PROJECT

• It has very good architectural properties for giving good aesthetical view to the building.
• Totally environment friendly because of it is light transmitting characteristic. And it is
requirement for green buildings.
• Energy saving can be done by using transparent concrete in building.
• Blocks work as heat insulator which can be adopted in cold counties.
 When used on a large scale, the porous texture is visible - while it becomes indistinct at a
distance.
 A solid wall infused with the optical fiber uses fewer lights to illuminate the interior parts of a
building during the daytime.
 It has excellent architectural properties which give good aesthetical view to the building.
 It can be used to enlight dark corners of a building.
 Reduction of energy consumption can be achieved by utilization of translucent concrete in
buildings.
 Light transmitting property promotes the use of renewable solar energy. Thus, it is environment-
friendly.

APPLICATION:-
 Light Transmitting Concrete can be used for interior and exterior walls.
 Facades, interior wall cladding and dividing walls based on thin panels.
 Increasing visibility in dark subway stations.
 In furniture for the decorative and aesthetic purpose & Light sidewalks at night.
 Lighting fixture & Transmitting concrete walls of restaurants, clubs, and other establishments to
reveal how many Customers are inside.

Department of Civil Engineering , SRMGPC , LUCKNOW 8

 Production of light transmitting concrete using optical fibers with partial replacement of fine aggregate with glass
powder.

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE:-

As every nation is looking towards better, strong, beautiful building materials and are facing
problems of energy crisis. The translucent concrete seems to be the better and the optimal solution
for the above said problems. Using translucent concrete helps us to save about 25%of electrical
energy during days. Being better looking helps in reduction of plastering charges. As itis
transparent helps in improving security as we can nearly see through them. Being strong means
better strength, better load carryingcapacity.

The work is extended to study some of other important parameter with respect to light transmitting
concrete:-

 To study the different proportions of optical fibres and glass fibre used and various curing
periods in light transmitting concrete.
 To study the long term durability properties of light transmitting concrete.
 To study the shrinkage and creep behavior of light transmitting concrete.
 To predict the harden properties in soft computing technique Viz ANN & probability
analysis.

Department of Civil Engineering , SRMGPC , LUCKNOW 9

 Production of light transmitting concrete using optical fibers with partial replacement of fine aggregate with glass
powder.

REFERENCES

 Jianping He, Zhi Zhou and JinpingOu, Study on Smart Transparent Concrete Product and
Its Performances.
 Carl Hartman, Seeing the future of construction through translucent concrete, The
Associated Press, July 8, 2004.
 litracon.huhttp://illumin.usc.edu/245/translucent-concrete-an-emerging-material/
 Sonali.M.kanakriya(2016) “Translucent concrete by using Optical Fiber and Glass rods”
IJSRD Publications, Volume 6, Issue 10.
 A.A. Momin1 , Dr. R.B. Kadiranaikar (2014) “Study on Light Transmittance of Concrete
Using Optical Fibers and Glass Rods.” JMCE Volume 4, Issue 6.
 M.N.V.Padma Bhushan, (2013) “Optical Fibres in the Modeling of Translucent Concrete
Blocks”, IJERA, Volume 3, Issue 3.

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