JOURNAL OF FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING 48, 2025.y., pp. 79-95
FIRE PERFORMANCE OF SELF-HEALING CONCRETE| |
 |
| DOI: 10.14415/JFCE-925 |
| UDC: 666.974 |
| CC-BY-SA 4.0 license |
| Author : Džidić, Sanin; Ramić, Adna |
| |
| | Summary: |
| | Self-healing concrete (SHC) is an innovative material developed to increase the durability and service life of concrete structures by enabling them to autonomously repair cracks. The primary goal of this research was to investigate the behavior of SHC when exposed to elevated temperatures, simulating the effects of fire on its mechanical and self-healing performance. The research observed concrete samples prepared using different bacterial encapsulation techniques, including calcium alginate capsules and direct bacterial incorporation. These samples were subjected to thermal exposure at various temperature levels (ranging from ambient up to 600 °C) to examine how high temperatures influence the self-healing capacity of concrete, particularly its ability to regain compressive strength and elastic modulus, as well as close cracks through biologically induced calcium carbonate precipitation. The review results revealed that SHC exhibits a noticeable decrease in self-healing efficiency and mechanical performance at temperatures above 400°C, primarily due to the degradation of bacterial spores and damage to the microstructure of the concrete. Nevertheless, samples containing encapsulated bacteria, particularly those using calcium alginate as a protective medium, demonstrated a higher level of resistance to thermal damage and retained a partial ability to self-heal cracks at moderately elevated temperatures (up to 300°C). The findings confirm that while SHC has potential for structural applications, its performance under fire conditions is limited by the thermal stability of the healing agents. The encapsulation method plays a crucial role in determining the effectiveness of the healing process after fire exposure. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the limitations and potential of SHC under extreme conditions and provides a foundation for future improvements in material formulation and encapsulation techniques aimed at enhancing fire resistance. |
| |
| | Keywords: |
| | Concrete, Self-Healing, Encapsulated Bacteria, Mechanical Properties |
| |
| |
| |
