Experimental Investigation of Paver Blocks with Self-

Healing Concrete using Taguchi's Method

Dinesh Chandar Ka), Ganapathy Ramasamy N b), Ramasubramani R,
Prakash Chandar S

Department of Civil Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur

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a) b)
Corresponding author: dc9378@srmist.edu.in, ganapathyramasamy19@gmail.com

Abstract. This study examines the self-healing of small breaks by utilizing Bacillus subtilis as a self-mending material.
This autogenously mending system has a width of reach of 0.05-0.1mm and blends with water particles present in the
air, which leaks through the breaks. These water particles hydrate the non-cracked or fractionally cracked areas of the
extending the concrete and filling the crack. When the water in the air interacts with the unhydrated calcium present in
the solid particles, calcium hydroxide is delivered with the assistance of microscopic organisms. This calcium
hydroxide reacts with environmental carbon dioxide and structures to give limestone and water. This additional water
particle makes all the difference to the concrete. The limestone at that point solidifies itself and seals the breaks on the
solid.

INTRODUCTION
Concrete is a principal component in the design of structures as it is accessible, modest, and also cost effective
but it suffers from the drawback of exhibiting a small break, lower firmness, and less flexibility. Additionally,
failures like cracks can bring about underlying losses with potential disadvantage to long-haul operational results.
So concrete breaks in case of under-supported stacking and because of ecological reasons, which lowers the
standard of construction. This also hurts the life expectancy of the structure and during its lifetime. When cracks
develops, artificial development materials are used to fix them. But they are not compatible, costly, and affect the
visual appearance of the structure. Instead, bacterial species that produce calcium carbonate have been projected
for break remediation and is an ecologically acceptable substitute material, improving the strength and durability
of the structure. This investigation has outlined that biotechnology can genuinely be called a steady gadget to
lessen small breaks in solid designs by utilizing bacillus types of bacteria concrete [1]. This latest grouping of a
firm, set to fix itself, shows incredible gigantic growth in the local area foundation's administration life, thereby
extensively diminishing the support expenses and bringing down CO2 discharges. A few examinations are made
of bacterial cement in the most recent couple of years [2]. This paper covers the audit of cement dependent on
bacterial arrangement.
Pavers are the advanced answer for less expensive open-air applications. They are utilized in different areas
like road, streets and other developed places [3]. Interlocking solid asphalt has been to a great extent used in
various nations where regular kinds of development are less intense because of numerous operational and climate
imperatives. Solid square asphalts have become an alluring design and a practical option compared to adaptable
and unbending asphalts. The strength, sturdiness, and satisfying surfaces have made paver blocks attractive for
some business, city, and modern places like stopping zones, walker strolls, intersections, holder yards, and streets.
Interlocking paver blocks are presented over a compact stone sub-base and leveling bed of sand.
Concrete paver blocks are made with concrete essentially comprising of concrete, fine and, coarse totals (10
mm and beneath), water, synthetic materials, and so forth[4]. Paver blocks require high compressive strength and
various studies have been done to improve their compressive strength [5]. Interlocking solid clearing blocks have
additional benefits over bitumen and solid asphalts in their underlying style, development, and upkeep, operational
and conservative qualities. Concrete clearing blocks are the decision for street and urban street's surfacing[3].
Other than their straightforwardness in the application, they give plan opportunity by shading off the material, and

Proceedings of the International Conference on Recent Advances in Manufacturing Engineering Research 2021
AIP Conf. Proc. 2460, 070008-1–070008-8; https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0100279
Published by AIP Publishing. 978-0-7354-4388-4/$30.00

070008-1
vital is their pressure strength. Paver blocks are divided into four classes: nontraffic, Light traffic, Medium traffic,
and Heavy traffic, according to IS15658:2006. The standard component of the paver block we use is
225x112.5x60mm for medium traffic pavements.
The Taguchi strategy is a progression of Dr. Taguchi’s methods during the 1950s, in light of the tests' plan's
ideas[6]. It is a preventive plan method that can wipe out issues because of information dissipating or framework
deterioration. There are two methodologies of the Taguchi strategy. The static methodology applies to
circumstances where the quality brand name's target has a fixed level. The unique approach applies to issues where
the quality ascribes work over an extent of characteristics [7]. A few examinations [8]–[10] have exhibited the
advancement of geopolymers by utilizing the ''static" approach of the Taguchi strategy. In the static methodology,
a bunch of plan boundaries gives one ideal answer for a yield.
Notwithstanding, it is more helpful to change gain-esteem than the necessary presentation in practical
applications by changing the info. As instances of investigates where the Taguchi technique's unique methodology
was utilized, Tzeng et al. have covered the streamlining of a high-velocity CNC processing measure. They
reasoned that the dimensional precision of the machined item had been significantly improved by Taguchi dynamic
approach. Onoue and Coffin [11]have announced an endeavor to enhance antacid enacted mortar synthesis
utilizing common pozzolan what's more, ground granulated impact heater slag (GGBS), by zeroing in on the
boundary plan of the Taguchi technique's unique attributes. They reasoned that the Taguchi technique's robust

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methodology helps the advancement of stream esteem and flexural and compressive qualities of the material.

MATERIALS
In this study, cement OPC grade 53, coarse aggregate passing through 12.5mm sieve but held on 10 mm sieve,
M-sand, and Bacillus subtilis were used (Table 1). The gradation of M-sand was found to fall under zone II.

TABLE 1. Material properties

Materials Properties Results Standard values References
Cement Specific gravity 3.12 Around 3.15 IS 12269-2013
Coarse aggregate Specific gravity 2.75 2.5 - 3.0 IS 383-2016
Fine aggregate Specific gravity 2.64 2.5 - 2.9 IS 383-2016
Bacteria Inhibition 7 days

The bacterial concrete is used here because bacteria have this self-healing property, which helps heal cracks
formed in the conventional concrete. The advantages of using bacterial concrete are that it generally has high
compressive strength and flexural strength compared to traditional concrete, and it also shows resistance to freeze-
thaw actions. A reduction in permeability is usually observed [12]. Bacterial solution is prepared by adding 12.5g
of nutrient broth to 250ml of distilled water and heated. It is then sterilized for approximately 10–20 min using a
cooker at 120°C temperature to remove toxins which might kill bacteria. 1ml of the bacterium will be applied on
the sterilized flask and held overnight. The bacterial solution was discovered as yellowish-whitish turbid solution
within 24 hours. It shows how bacteria grow.

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION
Concrete of grade M35 was used for this investigation. The blend configuration of different materials was
determined according to IS code. The properties of cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate have been studied.
The water content used was 0.45. Water absorption, compression test, abrasion tests, were performed in addition
to employing Taguchi’s method. Taguchi method is used for optimization of number of trails and to reduce the
time wasted during casting of specimens. Total of three parameters is selected, which affect the strength of concrete
and three levels have been named from level 1 to level 3. The various parameters which affect the strength of
concrete are cement content, bacterial percentage and coarse aggregate to fine aggregate ratio. For comparison,
conventional concrete is also casted and tested. The concrete paver blocks have been designed for light and
medium traffic roads recommendation [13]. The mix design for the concrete paver block has been optimized using
Taguchi’s method, and the size of the paver block is depicted in Fig. 1.

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 FIGURE 1. Paver block dimensions.

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TABLE 2. Different composition of materials used.

Parameters Unit 1 2 3
3
Cement content kg/m 450 415 372
Bacteria % 1% 2% 3%
CA/FA ratio 1.567 1.5 1.44

TABLE 3. Orthogonal array

Experiments Cement content (kg/m3) Bacterial % CA/FA

1 1 1 1
2 1 2 2
3 3 3 3
4 2 2 2
5 2 1 3
6 3 2 1
7 1 3 1
8 2 3 2
9 3 1 3

The composition of various materials used is shown in Table 2. After mixing, bacteria into the concrete are
filled in moulds and left undisturbed for 24 h; After standing for 24h, the mixture was demoulded [14]. Once the
sample is hardened, it is cured by immersing them in curing conditions for 28 days. The temperature of curing is
27˚C. Total of nine experiments with different combinations of parameters is selected based on mix design and
one set of conventional concrete is also casted for comparing it with bacterial concrete. The nine experiments and
the materials used for mix is tabulated in Table 3.The compressive strength of bacterial concrete specimens is then
determined. Table 3 shows the orthogonal array for nine mix proportions of cement content, bacterial percentage,
and acceptable aggregate ratio(CA/FA) of the coarse material. [15]. The trail mixes are set in an orthogonal array
and material parameters are varied according to the orthogonal array. These mixes will be cast into a cube, and the
compressive strength test will be conducted. The optimum percentage of replacement material is calculated from
its respective water binder ratio and curing technique.

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 Compressive strength test
Compressive strength is the capacity of a material to withstand load. In concrete compressive load as well as
tensile strength both plays a major role giving strength of concrete structure. The compressive test was conducted
for the prepared cubes, and the values were determined for various proportions of materials. Two trails were
conducted for compressive strength measurements. Compressive strength at 3rd day, 7th day, and 28th day are
given in Table 5 [16]. From the literature studies, it is seen that addition of bacteria into the concrete will result in
gaining high strength and changes the chemical properties of the concrete. The below table is the compressive
strength of cubes for nine experiments after completion of 28days of curing.

COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
GRAPH
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH N/MM2

3 day 7 day 28 day

41.45

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39.50

40.15

38.05
36.35
37.05

38.85
37.70
39.30

39.30
21.600

22.10
21.70

18.60
14.10

12.00
18.90

13.10

13.55
13.40

18.95

12.95
19.85
12.50

12.50
19.30

20.30

17.80
11.00
10.65

M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9 C1
MIX

FIGURE 2. Compressive strength at 3rd, 7th, and 28th day

TABLE 4. Compressive strength of mix

Compressive strength (N/mm2)
Description
3rd day 7th day 28th day
M1 12.50 21.60 39.50
M2 10.65 21.70 40.15
M3 11.00 19.30 39.30
M4 14.10 22.10 41.45
M5 13.40 18.90 37.05
M6 12.50 19.85 39.30
M7 13.10 18.95 37.70
M8 13.55 20.30 38.85
M9 12.00 17.80 36.35
C1 11.95 18.60 38.05

Paver block must withstand high compressive load in traffic areas. So M1, M2, M4 are the mix which gives
more compressive strength have been selected for casting of paver block.

Compressive strength test of paver block

The compressive strength was determined of various proportions of concrete on the 3rd day, 7th day, 28th day
for three mix along with conventional mix. It is seen that M4 concrete has an average compressive strength of

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42.70 (N/mm2) which is high compared to other proportions. Using Taguchi’s method the paver block’s
compressive strength was determined and calculated as follows. The compressive strength of the M1, M2, M4 and
conventional are calculated and tabulated in Table 5 according to the IS code[19].

TABLE 5. Compressive strength using Taguchi’s method.

Compressive strength (N/mm2)
MIX
3rd day 7th day 28th day
M1 15.6 23.60 41.35
M2 15.2 22.85 40.20
M4 16.6 24.10 42.70
C1 14.8 22.35 39.60

The above table states that the compressive strength for M4 is more than the other mixes and it is seen that

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compared to conventional concrete the bacteria infused concrete shows to gain early strength and gives better
result in compression. So it is seen that concrete with 2% bacteria gives better result in compression.

Water absorption test

The code IS 2386 states that concrete's water absorption capacity should not exceed 2-3% [17]. Water
absorption contributes to compressive strength, penetrability, protection from sulphate assault, and chloride
particle dispersion. The water absorption values are shown in Table 6.

TABLE 6. Water absorption values

Wet Weight of Cube in Dry Weight of Cube in
Concrete % Water Absorption
Grams (W1) Grams (W2)
M1 3020 2950 2.32
M2 3115 3050 2.08
M4 2815 2764 1.81
C1 3100 3018 2.64

Water absorption of conventional concrete in our study according to standard codebook was 2.64 %, and that
of the M4 bacterial concrete paver block was 1.81 %. More the water absorption percent more the presence of
voids in concrete. Lesser the water absorption percent, lesser the presence voids. So M1, M2, M4 shows lesser
water absorption percent compared to conventional concrete. From the results it is seen that M4 concrete gives
water absorption of 1.8% which is denser with less voids in it. M4 concrete is 37.3% less water absorption
compared to conventional concrete.

Abrasion test
The abrasion test will likely screen out things that may make over the top wear the siphons at air massive hauler
bases due to their abrasiveness. The objective of abrasion test's is to execute something that could cause excessive
wear at the air tank bases because of their abrasive nature. The scraped area of strong pavements is a surface
property that depends mainly upon the surface layer's attributes. The most elevated place of 3-5 mm is the principle
piece of the solid material's grinding resistance.

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 FIGURE 3. Abrasion testing machine.

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FIGURE 4. Area to be cut from paver block.
The paver block is cut into 70.5*70.5mm size as per IS15658:2006. The sample used in the experiment was
appropriately dried and was set on a pivoting circle under a consistent burden. A coarse powder was uniformly
conveyed through the material to resolve the deficiency of thickness .This test was performed for M1, M2, M4,
and conventional paver blocks, and the average thickness lost in the specimen is determined for the respective
samples [20].(Table 7).

TABLE 7. Abrasion values for various specimens.

Mix type for paver block The average loss in thickness T (mm)
M1 2.70
M2 2.43
M4 1.98
CONV 3.15

Flexural strength test

Flexural strength test of concrete paver block specimens was determined at 28 days of curing. Four specimens
were tested. The load was applied from the middle of the specimen. The flexural strength of the specimens was
calculated and shown in Table 8. M4 concrete gives high flexural strength of 6.2 (N/mm2) compared to other mix
which will result in more resistance against deformation compared to other mix.

TABLE 8. Flexural strength of the concrete material.

Type of paver blocks M1 M2 M4 CONV
2
Average flexural strength H in (N/mm ) 5.7 5.9 6.2 5.8

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 The minimum breaking load for residential driveways, commercial vehicle, public pedestrian, medium traffic
roads given in IS15658:2006 is 5kN. From the test results it is seen that all the mix achieved minimum breaking
load of 5kN and M4 mix shows greater load compared to other mix.

CONCLUSION
It is concluded that the use of the Taguchi method for optimization has worked effectively, and the number of
trials and the most optimum mix have been determined using the Taguchi approach. The Bacillus subtilis can be
prepared in the laboratory and proves safe because it has biosafety level 1and the bacteria used is Agro bacteria
found in soil.
1. The water ingestion of bacterial cement is lower compared with the standard regular adhesive. This is
because the miniature living beings produce calcium carbonate, which improves solid voids, which brings
about a lower void and, consequently, a lower penetrability.
2. The compressive strength tests were conducted for the paver block on the 7th and 28th day of curing, and
it is seen that the strength of M4 is 42.70 KN which is high compared to other mixes and conventional
concrete.
3. The abrasion resistance of the M4 paver block improves at 28 days. The least scraped spot results were

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obtained by adding 2% microorganisms in the paver block blend.
4. It is seen that 2% bacteria incorporated concrete has more strength than 1%, and 3% bacteria incorporated
concrete. The results show that M4 mix incorporated with 2% Bacillus subtilis provides both better
compression and abrasion resistance and can be used in paver blocks as per IS15658:2006 standards
5. The bacteria used in the mix results in high initial strength compared to standard concrete, which shows
that the calcium carbonate precipitation has filled up voids making the material suitable for pavement.
6. Flexural strength is increased highly up to 7% compared to flexural strength of the conventional paver
block. The maximum flexural strength is obtained in a sample of M4 i.e. in which of 2% of bacteria was
added.

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