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| Great northern notions: concrete that will last and last | Great northern notions: concrete that will last and last |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| The great tradition of invention in Newcastle-upon-Tyne is alive and as well as ever, even if its manifestations sometimes appear in distant and sunnier climes. An example is Sir Jonathan Ive, head of design at Apple and graduate in design for industry from Newcastle Poly, now Northumbria university. | The great tradition of invention in Newcastle-upon-Tyne is alive and as well as ever, even if its manifestations sometimes appear in distant and sunnier climes. An example is Sir Jonathan Ive, head of design at Apple and graduate in design for industry from Newcastle Poly, now Northumbria university. |
| His alma mater continues to explore innovation and one of its latest targets is 'Commie concrete', the flaking, discolouring blight on the world's most successful building material which takes its name from the extreme grot still visible in the former Soviet Union and its erstwhile satellites. | His alma mater continues to explore innovation and one of its latest targets is 'Commie concrete', the flaking, discolouring blight on the world's most successful building material which takes its name from the extreme grot still visible in the former Soviet Union and its erstwhile satellites. |
| India is another good hunting ground for spotting the deterioration which largely comes from water penetration. Preventing this is a skill which humanity is to some extent having to relearn; the mortar used by Roman engineers on Hadrian's Wall, just a short walk from Northumbria university, has lasted in prime condition for nearly 2000 years. | India is another good hunting ground for spotting the deterioration which largely comes from water penetration. Preventing this is a skill which humanity is to some extent having to relearn; the mortar used by Roman engineers on Hadrian's Wall, just a short walk from Northumbria university, has lasted in prime condition for nearly 2000 years. |
| The man tackling the problem in the labs at Northumbria is Dr Alan Richardson and his weapons are a couple of bacteria which have the delightful classification of 'extremeophile'. This means that they thrive in very harsh conditions which include the interior of concrete which can be a kind of alkaline hell. Once established, after being nurtured on a broth of yeast, minerals and urea – the main nitrogen-containing substance in mammals' urine, they get to work producing calcite which plugs concrete cracks. | The man tackling the problem in the labs at Northumbria is Dr Alan Richardson and his weapons are a couple of bacteria which have the delightful classification of 'extremeophile'. This means that they thrive in very harsh conditions which include the interior of concrete which can be a kind of alkaline hell. Once established, after being nurtured on a broth of yeast, minerals and urea – the main nitrogen-containing substance in mammals' urine, they get to work producing calcite which plugs concrete cracks. |
| Thus is created a potentially 'self-healing' material, a notion pioneered by Dutch engineers and scientists which is naturally very much in line with current construction thinking about sustainability, low carbon emissions and the general effort to be more 'green.' Concrete may appear to be the very opposite of green-ness but Northumbria's work, following on from the Dutch, shows that such matters are far from simple. Richardson, a senior lecturer in construction, says: | Thus is created a potentially 'self-healing' material, a notion pioneered by Dutch engineers and scientists which is naturally very much in line with current construction thinking about sustainability, low carbon emissions and the general effort to be more 'green.' Concrete may appear to be the very opposite of green-ness but Northumbria's work, following on from the Dutch, shows that such matters are far from simple. Richardson, a senior lecturer in construction, says: |
| It sounds like a strange concept but it makes sense. Bacteria are are why we are here; that is how life started. Extremeophile bacteria can survive in hostile conditions and bacteria an a highly alkaline environment can thrive, given a food source and air. | It sounds like a strange concept but it makes sense. Bacteria are are why we are here; that is how life started. Extremeophile bacteria can survive in hostile conditions and bacteria an a highly alkaline environment can thrive, given a food source and air. |
Once installed, the bacteria – bacilli megaterium and bacilli pastuerii – find their food source in the concrete and crack on with blocking pores and making structures watertight. The principle needs further research and has yet to develop into the sort of manufacturing processes which made the names of Newcastle and Lord Armstrong and his like famous; but with determination and the tradition of talent which also embraces Sir Jonathan Ive, there is every chance that that should follow. | Once installed, the bacteria – bacilli megaterium and bacilli pastuerii – find their food source in the concrete and crack on with blocking pores and making structures watertight. The principle needs further research and has yet to develop into the sort of manufacturing processes which made the names of Newcastle and Lord Armstrong and his like famous; but with determination and the tradition of talent which also embraces Sir Jonathan Ive, there is every chance that that should follow. |
| Newcastle is also famous, as any fule kno, for the invention of the electric light bulb by Sir Joseph Swan whose house in Gateshead was the first in the world to have one of these useful things. | Newcastle is also famous, as any fule kno, for the invention of the electric light bulb by Sir Joseph Swan whose house in Gateshead was the first in the world to have one of these useful things. |
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