Materials Today: Proceedings 65 (2022) 1774–1778

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Materials Today: Proceedings

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Transparent concrete by using optical fibre

Chandrasekaran Palanisamy, Nirmalkumar Krishnaswami, Sampath kumar Velusamy,
Harsath Krishnamurthy ⇑, Harish kumaar Velmurugan, Harish Udhayakumar
a
Kongu Engineering College, Department of Civil Engineering, Perundurai, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Transparent concrete is a modern type of concrete that is gaining popularity in the construction industry.
Available online 24 May 2022 The advancement of material technology has resulted in the production of modern materials as well as
environmental and energy conservation. Furthermore, the creative component of the design process must
Keywords: be used to achieve current environmental design thinking. Transparent Concrete is in line with the find-
Optical fibre ing solution for environmental problems. At present scenario, limiting the use of artificial light in build-
Aesthetical properties ings becomes critical. As a result, the transparent concrete, a new type of concrete, has been developed.
Compressive strength
Transparent Concrete 28 days Compressive strength of 21.99 N/mm2 was obtained for M20 grade of
Light transmittance
Concrete. Light Transmittance Values of 9.47%, 8.42% and 7.76% were obtained at the respective fiber
spacings of 0.5 cm, 1 cm and 1.5 cm. Because of the optical fibres, both natural and artificial light can pen-
etrate through the translucent concrete. The main goal is to reduce the lighting power consumption by
using sunlight as a light source, as well as to use the optical fibre to detect structural stress.
Copyright Ó 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Confer-
ence on Advances in Construction Materials and Structures.

1. Introduction rely solely on man-made lights to keep people’s visual activity

There was a misunderstanding about Concrete in 19600 s, it was
hated, and captivated by its image stuck. However, concrete has
come a long way since then, both technically and aesthetically.
But not for longer period it is treated as the heavy, cold, and dreary
substance of yesteryear; it is now lovely one [1]. Countries with a
large population have a higher proportion of buildings than those
in countries with a small population. Structures are isolated bio-
spheres which depend exclusively on artificial lighting for people’s
vision and activities. In India 20% of total electrical energy is used
for lighting the buildings. Green building constructions are cur-
rently concentrating their efforts on energy conservation through
indoor thermal systems [2].
With the advancement of science and technology, more large-
scale constructions, such as towering buildings, underground
structures, and iconic buildings, are being constructed all over
the world [3]. The structures which are isolated biospheres that
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: harsathmurthy@gmail.com (H. Krishnamurthy).
under check. Simultaneously, the largest buildings, such as
skyscrapers, are developed in close proximity to one another [4].
When the multiple buildings are constructed adjacent to each
other, the chance for natural light coming through ii reduced and
the importance of natural light is understood [5].
The basic components of concrete have not yet altered. The dry
mix’s composition consists mostly of three ingredients: coarse
aggregates, fine aggregates, and cement [6]. In 2001, Hungarian
architect AronLosonzi developed the concept of translucent con-
crete for the first time, and the transparent concrete block, termed
as LiTraCon was manufactured successfully in 2003 combining a
considerable quantity of glass fibre in to the concrete. Joel S. and
Sergio O.G. created a translucent concrete material that allows 80
percent of light to pass through while being it has only 30 percent
the weight of standard concrete [7]. It is worth noting that the Ital-
ian Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010 exhibits a type of translu-
cent concrete created by combining glass and concrete in 2010
[8]. While translucent concrete is primarily concerned with trans-
parency, its application goal is related to green technology and
artistic finish. Transparent or translucent concrete is a recent
response to architects’ calls for more transparent architecture
[9,20]. Transparent concrete is similar to regular concrete in that
it is made of the same materials but with the addition of an optical

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2022.04.799
2214-7853/Copyright Ó 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Advances in Construction Materials and Structures.
C. Palanisamy, N. Krishnaswami, S. kumar Velusamy et al. Materials Today: Proceedings 65 (2022) 1774–1778

fibre. Many concrete fibres are used to increase the tensile proper- functional material that combines the qualities of concrete and
ties of the concrete, but optical fibres in transparent concrete are optical fibre, offers enormous potential in building and sensing
not employed for this purpose and instead transmit light [10]. applications [11]. Transparent concrete is nothing but fine concrete
Transparent concrete is a novel concrete that differs from conven- with fibre optics. As a Panels and building blocks it can be fabri-
tional concrete. It allows light to pass through and it is lighter in cated. As fibre are small size, they easily blend into concrete and
weight than regular concrete [11]. The major purpose of transpar- becomes a component like small pieces of aggregate. Optical fibre
ent concrete is to limit the use of non-renewable resources by strands of are embedded in concrete to transfer artificial and nat-
using sunlight as a light source rather than electrical energy. As a ural and illumination by translucent concrete panels [16,21]. Mate-
result of this technique, energy is saved. Optical fibres serve as a rial Specifications is shown in Table 1.
detecting or transmission element, and in order to restrict the
use of non-natural light, replacement of ordinary concrete is done
3.1. Cement
with translucent concrete, which incorporates Art design and nat-
ural lighting [12]. Transparent concrete is as strong as conventional
In concrete cement binds the constituents such as fine aggre-
concrete and can pass the light through wall of even twenty-two
gate and coarse aggregate in the presence of water. 53 Grade of
feet thick. The research contains a fact study and prediction analy-
Ordinary Portland Cement was employed in the research work.
sis performed on key records and data linked to the research target,
To test the qualities of the cement, IS 12269–1987 specification
which assisted us in reaching a conclusion on Transparent concrete
was used. Cement has a specific gravity of 3.14. Initial and final set-
using optical fibre, applications, problems, benefits, and
ting times are 51 min and 546 min respectively. Cement has a stan-
drawbacks.
dard consistency of 40%.
When it comes to selecting optical fibres, there are significant
distinctions between the two materials. In comparison to glass
fibres, plastic core fibres are more flexible and less expensive. Opti- 3.2. Fine aggregate
cal fibres are 60 percent lighter than glass fibre and are easier to
install. They can also resist greater loads [12]. Fibres are used for Sand that had been sieved with a 4.75 mm IS sieve was used.
illumination and are grouped together to carry images, allowing Fine aggregate with a specific gravity of 2.75 and a fineness mod-
for viewing in small places [10]. In communication field, Multi- ulus of 2.80 was employed. Sand has a loose bulk density of
Mode Fibres (MMF) has different propagation paths or transverse 1600 kg/m3 and a compacted bulk density of 1688 kg/m3, with
modes, whereas Single-Mode Fibres (SMF) has only one mode water absorption of 1.1%.
(SMF) [13]. Optical fibre is a silica-based substance that is both
transparent and flexible [14]. In order to increase the total financial
3.3. Coarse aggregate
benefit and construction quality, researchers have recently focused
on the use of innovative, original, and creative forms of building
Granite aggregate crushed from local sources was used. Maxi-
material to achieve a variety of goals linked with the ground-
mum 10 mm size of coarse aggregate having specific gravity of
breaking concept of ‘‘Eco-friendly Construction.” [18,19]. The main
2.6 and fineness modulus of 5.60 was employed. The bulk density
disadvantage is this concrete is very costly because of the optical
of coarse aggregate is 1437 kg/m3 free and 1556 kg/m3 compacted
fibres. Casting of Transparent Concrete block is difficult for the
with water absorption of 0.4%.
labour so special skilled person is required. Natural or any artificial
light passes through in the direction of fibre laid, only at this con-
dition shadow image appears on darker side. Transparent concrete 3.4. Optical fibre
blocks suitable for floors, pavements and bearing walls and
increasing visibility in dark subway station. A transparent fibre, flexible, created by pulling glass (silica) or
plastic to a diameter of larger than of human hair is known as an
optical fibre [23]. Optical fibres are most commonly employed to
2. Principle of Operation:
convey light between the fibre’s end to end. Fibre-optics mainly
used in communications and allow the transmission for a longer
Transparent Concrete is based on ‘‘Nano-Optics”, fibers are act
distance with higher bandwidths than the wire cables. The effect
as slit and carry light throughout. Thousands of optical fiber is rein-
of optical fibers spacing on compressive strength is inversely pro-
forced from one face to another and transmit lights [9]. Fiber optics
portional to the compressive strength (i.e.) if the fiber spacing
function as a cylindrical wave guide and, by internal reflection and
increased the compressive strength decreases and if the spacing
transmits light along its axis [15]. Light reflection in Concrete is
of fiber is decreased the compressive strength increases rapidly.
shown in Fig. 1.

3.4.1. Core
3. Materials used
The Light travelling part which is thin glass centre of the fibre.
The refractive index of the core must be greater than of the clad-
Transparent concrete is manufactured from two basic materi-
ding to confine the reflection with in the core.
als: one from the construction industry and other from the sensing
industry. The development of translucent concrete, a revolutionary
Table 1
Material Specifications.

S.No. Materials Specifications

1 Cement 53 Grade
2 Fine Aggregate 4.65 mm Sieve Passing
3 Coarse Aggregate 10 mm
4 Optical Fiber 2 mm thickness
5 Concrete M20 grade
6 W/C Ratio 0.45
Fig. 1. Light reflected in Concrete panel.

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C. Palanisamy, N. Krishnaswami, S. kumar Velusamy et al. Materials Today: Proceedings 65 (2022) 1774–1778

3.4.2. Cladding Table 2

The part covering the core and outer optical material which Mix Proportion of Concrete for each 150 mm cube.

reflects the light back into the core. SI.No. Materials Proportion M20 Grade Ratio
1 Cement 1.5 kg 1
3.4.3. Buffer Coating 2 Fine Aggregate 2.5 kg 1.5
Plastic or Buffer Coating which protects the fibre from damage 3 Coarse Aggregate 3.2 kg 3
4 Water 750 ml 0.5%
and moisture. Fig. 2 shows the different parts of an optical fibre
5 Optical Fiber 4% –
and a ray path.

3.5. Types of optical Fibres:

There are three basic types of Optical Fibres:
 Single mode step index fiber.
 Multimode step index fiber
 Multimode graded index fiber
The Fig. 3 shows the three types of Optical Fibers
In experimental work, Single mode step index fiber namely
Mono mode step index fiber was used. Propagation of only one tra-
verse electromagnetic mode is allowed in single mode and hence
the core diameter must be in the range of 2 lm to 10 lm. As only
one mode is transmitted, it has the distinct advantage of low inter-
modal dispersion.
3.6. Mix proportion
Proportioning the ingredients for this experiment, the Transpar-
ent Concrete mix has been designed according to Indian Standard
requirements. Normal mix has been used to make the samples.
For this experiment, concrete of the M20 grade has been used.
Mix proportion has been shown in Table 2.
Optical Fibers of 4% of volume are inserted inside along one direc-
tion from one side to other side at centre height of mould and then
the prepared Concrete mix is poured into the mould. Wooden
mould and Casting are shown in Fig. 4. Vibrator compaction was
done and specimen was de-moulded after 24 h. 28 days curing
was carried out. The compressive strength test and the light trans-
mitting test are carried out and the satisfactory test results were
obtained.
5. Testing of specimen
The casted three specimens are tested for Compressive strength
and Light Transmittance test.
5.1. Compressive strength
As per IS 516–1959 (1989) specifications with the compression
testing machine capacity of 2000 kN, the Compressive strength test
was carried out. The ultimate load (P) was noted down. As from the
literatures collected it is observed that addition of 4% of optical
fibre in concrete yields maximum Compressive strength of
concrete.

4. Mould Preparation, Casting and curing Compressive Strength ðN=mm2 Þ ¼ ðP=AÞ

A wooden cube mould of 150 mm  150 mm  150 mm with
side holes at centre was used for the preparation of specimens.
Cement, Fine Aggregate, Coarse Aggregate, were weighed in accor-
dance with the specified mix proportions of M20 Grade of Concrete
[24]. The Material Properties Specific Gravity, Fineness Modulus
and Water Absorption were examined. In the Wooden Mould, the
Fig. 2. Fiber Cross Section.
where
P is Ultimate load (Load of Failure) in Newton.
A is area of cube in mm2
5.2. Light Transmittance test
By using an electrical circuit setup with a Light Dependent
Resistor (LDR), the light transmittance performance of translucent
concrete was investigated to measure the current proportional to
the light intensity that passed through the specimens. A light-
sensitive resistor, also known as a photo resistor, in which the
resistance varies with the wavelength of light. The percentage vol-
ume of fibre optics incorporated in the concrete and roughness
degree of the surface area determines the light transmission
through transparent concrete.
Translucent Concrete Light Transmittance efficiency of was
measured at distances of 100 mm, 200 mm, 300 mm, 400 mm
and 500 mm from the specimen location. Fig. 5 illustrates the test
setup and illumination of typical translucent concrete. Light Trans-
mittance values are shown in the Table 4. The percentage of light

Fig. 3. Three types of Optical Fiber.

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C. Palanisamy, N. Krishnaswami, S. kumar Velusamy et al. Materials Today: Proceedings 65 (2022) 1774–1778

Fig. 4. Mould Preparation, Optical Fibre insertion and Specimen casting.

Fig. 5. Light Transmittance test setup and Transparent Concrete illumination.

Table 3 6. Results and discussion

Compressive Strength for Transparent Concrete.
6.1. Compressive strength of concrete
SI.No No. of Days Compressive strength in N/mm2
Conventional Transparent Results shows the Compressive strength of Transparent con-
1 7 13 14.26 crete is more than the Conventional concrete. It may be due to
2 14 18 19.95 increase in optical fibre percentage in the specimen [17]. Table 3
3 28 20 21.99
gives the Compressive strength of Conventional concrete and
Transparent concrete and Fig. 6 shows the Compressive strength
comparison between Conventional concrete and Transparent
concrete.

Table 4
Light Transmittance test values at 200 mm distance. 6.2. Light Transmittance test results
SI. Fibre Ammeter Reading Light
No. spacing cm Transmittance Table 4 and Fig. 7 gives the comparison between spacing and
(%) light transmittance. As from results when spacing increases the
Without With sample
sample (A1) (A2) Compressive Strength-Convenonal
iCompressive Strength n MPa

1 0.5 15.2 1.44 9.47 Conrete VS Transparent Conrete

2 1.0 15.2 1.28 8.42
3 1.5 15.2 1.18 7.76

25 19.95 20 21.99
transmitted through translucent concrete specimen was 20 18
Convenonal
calculated. 15 13 14.26
Concrete
10
LT ð%Þ ¼ f1  ½ðA1  A2 Þ=A1 g  100 Transparent
5
Concrete
where
0
LT Light Transmittance in percentage.[22] 7th day 14th day 28th day
A1 Reference current of the light intensity source in milli
Ampere (mA). Number.of Days
A2 Current of Transmitted light intensity through translucent
concrete specimen in milli Ampere (mA). Fig. 6. Compressive strength of Conventional Concrete and Transparent concrete.

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C. Palanisamy, N. Krishnaswami, S. kumar Velusamy et al.
Light Transmiance
9.47
10
8.42
Light Transmiance (%)
9 7.76
8 and smart structures technology, 2011.
7 [2] A.G. Wankhede, V.S. Chaudhari, S.G. Raut, P.V. Durge, Transparent Concrete is a
6
5 181.
4 Light Transmiance…
3 (2013) 1–10.
2 [4] S. Luhar, K. Urvashi, Compressive strength of translucent concrete, Int. J. Eng.
1 Sci. Emerging Technologies 8 (2) (2015) 52–54.
0
0.5 1 1.5
Spacing in (cm)
Fig. 7. Light Transmittance test results for Transparent Concrete.
percentage of light Transmittance is reduced. Hence to get lighter
transmittance the fibres to be kept at 200 mm intervals.
7. Conclusion
Translucent concrete blocks can be utilised in a variety of ways
and forms; hence they can be quite useful in Construction field.
The optical fibre volume to concrete ratio is proportional to trans-
mission, and the transparent concrete has good light transmitting
properties. Even where the light cannot reach with sufficient inten-
sity, it can also be employed. Even though it is expensive it is used
by high end architects for the aesthetical point of views. The results
of artistic concrete’s strength are compared to the of conventional
cement concrete. For M20 grade Mis design, 28 days Compressive
strength of 21.99 N/mm2 was obtained for Transparent Concrete.
At the fibre spacings of 0.5 cm, 1 cm and 1.5 cm Light Transmit-
tance Values of 9.47%, 8.42% and 7.76% were obtained [25]. The
results clearly reveal that artistic concrete’s performance in terms
of strength is also rather good. As a result, the use of optical fibre
makes the concrete aesthetic and structurally efficient. As it
reduces the electric consumption and thus reduction of emission
of CO2 in one way, the Transparent Concrete serves as a energy sav-
ing construction material.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Chandrasekaran Palanisamy: Conceptualization, Methodol-
ogy, Writing – review & editing. Nirmalkumar Krishnaswami:
Visualization, Investigation, Data curation. Sampath kumar Velu-
samy: Supervision. Harsath Krishnamurthy: Writing – original
draft. Harish kumaar Velmurugan: Writing – review & editing.
Harish Udhayakumar: Formal analysis.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing finan-
cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared
to influence the work reported in this paper.
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Materials Today: Proceedings 65 (2022) 1774–1778
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