Construction materials - Page 11

Rice University and Iran University of Science and Technology researchers have found a unique ceramic material that could act as a sensor for structures.

The ceramic becomes more electrically conductive under elastic strain and less conductive under plastic strain, and could lead to a new generation of sensors embedded into structures like buildings, bridges and aircraft able to monitor their own health.

Versarien has announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group Co Ltd. ("CTCE"), a subsidiary of China Railway Group Limited ("CRG").

CRG is one of the world's largest construction and engineering contractors and is listed on the Shanghai and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges. CTCE is specifically focused on railway, bridge, tunnel and highway infrastructure engineering. It is active in China and overseas, including in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

Versarien, the advanced materials engineering group, has announced that it has signed a supply agreement to provide Versarien's new graphene enhanced polymer range to AECOM for a current infrastructure project.

This supply agreement follows the collaboration Versarien entered into with AECOM, a US headquartered and Fortune 500 company. This collaboration covered a project that AECOM and Versarien have been undertaking involving the incorporation of Versarien's graphene nano-platelets into large scale polymer structures used in civil infrastructure projects, with a view to increasing their structural strength.

First Graphene has reported a large purchase order for 2,000 kg (2 tonnes) of PureGRAPH range products from newGen for delivery during 2019. FGR states that this order represents a step change in the business as it starts to scale up for larger size orders. In addition, FGR says that the premium price to be received pursuant to the order "debunks the myth that graphene is expensive".

As previously reported, FGR is working closely with newGen Group to provide performance enhancement to their existing products. newGen Group has recently introduced a branded Amour-GRAPH product range of wear liners for bucket wheel, pipe spools and conveyor applications.

First Graphene has announced a new contract introducing its PureGRAPH range of graphene products into the cement industry. FGR confirmed its manufacturing partner newGen Group will supply a wear lining system for dyer chute applications to a large Australian cement producer in their Perth facility. FGR reports that each 50 sqm liner will contain 10-12kg of PureGRAPH product and is expected to be cast and installed in December.

This contract follows other recent announcements made in relation to First Graphene’s research and development collaboration with newGen. According to First Graphene, the client is a leading supplier of cement and lime to Western Australia’s mining, agriculture and construction industries.

Urbix Resources has announced the first economically viable graphene-enhanced lightweight concrete, an achievement that according to Urbix represents an industry breakthrough.

Designed in collaboration with one of the world’s largest producers of lightweight concrete, Urbix’s solution is said to deliver material performance improvements, but at a cost that is lower than current lightweight concrete alternatives. A graphene industry first.

Researchers at Hong Kong-based advanced materials company Surwon Technology say they have developed a way to integrate graphene into concrete, significantly increasing the construction material's tensile strength and resistance to water.

According to data from initial tests, the resulting combination is twice as strong and three times as resistant to water than standard, construction-grade concrete. Surwon Technology’s Chief Technical Officer said that the development had enormous implications for construction standards, particularly those in areas susceptible to flooding and those with a history of earthquakes and tremors.

Versarien reports it has signed an agreement with U.S-based firm AECOM, a Fortune 500 company, to explore the potential of its graphene-based Nanene in construction. AECOM is involved in various construction projects from planning new cities and building skyscrapers to "repairing damaged environments."

AECOM "will initially be working on a project involving the incorporation of Versarien's proprietary Nanene few layer graphene nano-platelets into large-scale polymer structures used in civil infrastructure projects, with a view to increasing their structural strength".

Versarien, the advanced materials engineering group, has announced that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with AXIA Materials to develop graphene-enhanced composite materials and smart graphene devices using both Versarien's proprietary Nanene graphene nano platelets and proprietary Graphinks graphene inks.

AXIA, based in South Korea, develops advanced thermoplastic composite material solutions under its LiteTex brand for the automotive, sports, electronics and building sectors, and produces pre-fabricated buildings under its Pixel Haus brand.

Washington State University researchers have attempted to find a solution to the problem of fly ash, a waste product of coal-based electricity generation and a known environmental and waste management issue. Xianming Shi, associate professor in WSU's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and graduate student Gang Xu, have used graphene in their new method that makes use of fly ash for the production of concrete.

The durable new concrete eliminates the use of cement, which is known to be harmful to the environment. Instead of cement, the fly ash is used as a binder in the concrete. By doing this, Shi and Xu are able to tackle two environmental issues with one solution.