The document discusses carbocrete, which is concrete reinforced with carbon fibers. It provides a history of carbon fibers dating back to Thomas Edison's use in light bulbs in the late 1800s. The manufacturing process of carbon fibers is explained involving stretching and heating fibers to increase strength. Carbocrete has higher strength than steel but is lighter. Testing shows improved flexural and tensile strength over concrete. Applications include buildings, bridges, and unique 3D printed structures. While expensive initially, carbocrete provides durability and reduced long term costs.

1. The American University In Cairo
School Of Science And Engineering
Department Of Construction and Architectural
Engineering
Presented to: Dr. Mohamed Nagib Abou-Zeid
Aly
Ihab
Attia
Khalil
Fathy
Abdel
Halim
Mohamed
Mubarak

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What is Carbocrete?
History of carbon fibers
Manufacturing of carbon fibers
Carbon fibers in construction
Carbon fibers vs. steel (Properties)
Carbocrete Mixing
Testing
Key properties of Carbocrete
Advantages & disadvantages
Economic aspects
Applications
Conclusion
References

3.  It is a type of concrete that is reinforced with carbon fibers so it’s also
known as “Carbon Reinforced Concrete”.
 It is a new highly stressable lightweight composite construction that
combines special fine grain ultra high-strength concrete and carbon fibers.
 It has higher strength than steel with quarter of its weight.
Carbocrete
http://www.haute-innovation.com

4.  In late 1800s, Thomas Edison was the first to use carbon fibers as filaments
for early light bulbs.
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It lacked the high tensile strength of today’s carbon fibers; however he
used it because of their high tolerance to heat which made these fibers ideal
for conducting electricity.
Thomas Edison
www.biography.com
Filament
en.wikipedia.org

5.  It wasn’t until the late 1950 that high-performance carbon fibers was
manufactured by Mitsubishi Rayon
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The USA’s Air Force and NASA didn’t wait develop the carbon fiber
technology and began to use carbon fiber reinforced polymers to replace
heavy metals to allow aircrafts to be lighter and faster.
Carbon fiber aircraft propeller
pics1.this-pic.com

6. Raw carbon fiber is made from either polyacrylonitrile (PAN)
or petroleum coal.
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 These fossil-fuel- based materials come from either petroleum
refining or natural gas processing
PAN
Petroleum coal
www.c-chem.co.jp
www.c-chem.co.jp

7.  1st: in the thermoset treatment, the fibers are stretched and heated to no more
than 400 C
 2nd: in the carbonize treatment, the fibers are heated to about 800 C in an
oxygen free environment to remove non-carbon impurities.
 3rd: fibers are graphitized; this step stretches the fibers between 50 to 100%
elongation, and heats them to temperatures ranging from 1100 C to 3000
C. The stretching ensures a preferred crystalline texture, which results in the
desired tensile strength.
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4th: the last two treatment steps, surface treatment and epoxy sizing, are
preformed to enhance the carbon fiber bonding strength.

8. PAN Manufacturing Process
www.arrhenius.ucsd.edu

9.  Carbon fibers are mostly used for repair purposes of old structural
element against shear and flexure failure; the material know as CFRP.
www.sglgroup.com
http://www.carbonwrapsolutions.com
 However, in the early 1990s, researches showed that carbon fibers can
be used inside the concrete instead of steel reinforcement showing a
significant improvement in the flexural and tensile strength of
concrete.

10.  Up to 75% lighter
 More durable/corrosion-free
 5 times higher tensile strength
 2 times higher stiffness
 Higher temperature tolerance
Comparison of Fiber Strengths
www.innovationskraftwerk.de

11. Comparison Between Carbon
Fibers and Steel Fibers
www.innovationskraftwerk.de

12.  Methods:
 Dry mix
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Wet mix
Mixing Methods
http://wings.buffalo.edu

13. Mix Design For different CF sizes
http://wings.buffalo.edu

14.  Compressive Strength Test
 Flexural Strength Test
 Slump Test

15. Properties of Carbocete
www.sglgroup.com

16. Advantages
Disadvantages
High tensile strength:
 Smaller cross-sections
 Earthquake resistance
Expensive:
 High initial cost
Higher durability:
 Corrosion-free
 Less running cost
Lack of knowledge:
 Absence of codes
 No implementations yet
Eco-friendly:
 Less materials needed for
maintenance and construction.
High thermal conductivity
 High HVAC consumption
Low weight:
 Easy to handle
Risk of lung cancer in the manufacturing
phase
High flexibility:
 More creative architectural design
High abrasion resistance:
 Suitable for highway construction
Low coefficient of thermal expansion
 High fire resistance

17. www.toray.com

18. www.utsi.edu

19.  Limited applications
 In 2012, SGL Group launched a competition among
innovative engineers to answer the question "What can I
make from carbon concrete?„
 A total of 319 ideas were submited

20.  Carbocrete Balcony
www.sglgroup.com

21.  Shore protection seashells
www.sglgroup.com

22.  Carbocrete bicycle stands
www.sglgroup.com

23.  Carbocrete Z-shell
www.sglgroup.com

24.  Carbocrete residential/office buildings
www.sglgroup.com

25.  Video:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux1yIpGO7p8

26.  Carbocrete pushed the limits of creativity and flexibility in
design
 Made it possible to build unique structures that can withstand
very high loads
 Save maintenance costs on the long run

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http://www.carbonwrapsolutions.com
http://www.toray.com
http://www.biography.com
http://www.sglgroup.com
http://www.haute-innovation.com/de/vortraegediskussionen/werkstoffe-fuer-nachhaltiges-bauen.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux1yIpGO7p8
http://www.innovationskraftwerk.de/Wettbewerb/sgl/CarbonBeton/Details/38
http://wings.buffalo.edu/academic/department/eng/mae/cmrl/Concret
e%20reinforced%20with%20up%20to%20vol%20of%20short%20ca
rbon%20fibers.pdf
http://www.utsi.edu/research/carbonfiber/cf.htm