MSAR113-SUSTAINABLE GREEN BUILDING MATERIALS

STUDY OF INNOVATIVE BUILDING MATERIAL

LIGHT EMITTING CONCRETE
S.P SHARANYA

1240500203

Abstract
This paper deals with the study of light emitting concrete which has the property of transmitting light
from concrete by using optical fibers. Since years concrete has a low impression because of its dirty
greyish color, opaqueness and sharp edge but this concept has been changed after the development of
light emitting concrete, which gives the increased strength, better looks and light transmitting
features. Plastic optical fibers are used because of its total internal reflection as its working principle
as it gives maximum efficiency in transmitting light. The percentages of optical fiber added in this
experimental study are 5%, 10%, 15%. The moulds are casted in a special type of formwork which
has slots to place optical fibers. The moulds are prepared by cement mortar mix and optical fibers
embedded in them alternatively. After the casting process it is left for curing. The strength is
determined by compression test and compared with the conventional concrete. The maximum strength
is obtained at 10% of optical fibers. This paper gives the structure a good aesthetic look without loss
of strength parameters and serves as a eco-friendly building material and is also a energy efficient
which reduces energy consumption by 30% by allowing the natural light by transmitting light through
optical fibers and will also have a good scope in future. This experiment will be a series of initiatives
to look closely at new and emerging advanced construction in future.

Keywords – Light Emitting Concrete, Optical fiber, Compressive Strength

INRODUCTION
Concrete has learned to respond to almost all new threats. In 2001, the idea of transparent concrete
was first put forward at the Technical University of Budapest by Hungarian architect Aron Losonzi,
and in 2003, the first transparent concrete block was successfully created by combining vast amounts
of glass fiber into concrete, called LiTraCon. The translucent concrete relies specifically on clarity
and its implementation purpose applies to green energy and decorative painting. This is the
"combination of perfect concrete and optical fibres" Green buildings are increasingly heavily focused
on saving electricity by indoor thermal systems. It is also imperative that a new practical material be
created to fulfill the system in terms of security control (such as hazard prevention, fire alert),
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environmental safety, energy conservation and creative modelling. The area between buildings is
diminished due to globalization and development of high-rise structures; this leads to increased use of
non-renewable energy sources, so smart design strategies such as green building and indoor thermal
systems are required. Translucent concrete (Transparent Concrete) is a separate method from standard
concrete. Translucent concrete makes for greater light and less weight than regular concrete. Instead
of using electrical energy, the use of sunlight supply of light is the main aim of transparent concrete to
reduce the burden on non-renewable sources and result in energy saving. Optical fibers are an aspect
of sensing or transmitting, thereby minimizing the use of artificial illumination, replacing the usual
concrete with translucent concrete which has natural lighting.

Fig.1 light emitting concrete

MATERIALS AND PROPERTIES

 Ordinary Portland Cement of 53 Grade cement
 Fine aggregate
 Water
Table 1 Properties of OPC Cement
Physical properties of cement
Initial setting time(minutes) 53 mins
Final setting time(minutes) 257 mins
Standard consistency 31.0%
Specific gravity 3.15
Fineness of cement 10%

3. Glass sand (fine aggregate)

In our investigation we have used the waste glass bottle which is thrown in the ground. We collected
all the waste glass bottles from the various places and crushed the bottles using compressive machine
and impact testing machine in our lab. After crushing all the bottles we got fine particles of glass
powder where we used sieve of 2.56 microns to get finer particles as like fine aggregate.
Glass aggregate can replace part or all of the sand and gravel in concrete, for effects that range from
colorful terrazzo, to granite- or marble-like finishes, to concrete that reflects light like a mirror. Glass
aggregate can even be used to produce concrete that literally glows.
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Table 2 Physical and Chemical Properties of glass sand

S NO Physical and Chemical Properties of glass sand Glass % mass
1 SiO2 71.35
2 Al2O3 1.02
3 Fe2O3 8.74
4 Cao 3.55
5 Mgo 0.25
6 So3 0.37
7 K2O 11.76
8 Na2O5 -
9 TiO2 0.05
10 P2O5 0.01
11 Loss on ignition 147

Figure Glass sand

Advantages of Light transmitting concrete panel

 Translucent concrete inserts on front doors of homes, allowing the resident to see when there
is a person standing outside.
 Translucent concrete walls on restaurants, clubs, and other establishments to reveal how many
patrons are inside.
 Ceilings of any large office building or commercial structure incorporating translucent
concrete would reduce lighting costs during daylight hours.
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 Sidewalks poured with translucent concrete could be made with lighting underneath, creating
lit walkways which would enhance safety, and also encourage foot travel where previously
avoided at night.
 The use of translucent concrete in an outer wall of an indoor stairwell would provide
illumination in a power outage, resulting in enhanced safety.

Dis advantages of Light transmitting concrete panel

 It is precision material and the correct procedure need to be followed.

 It is extremely important to ensure the integrity of optic strands if they break within
the product property would almost be neglected.
 Costing of this material is difficult as the techniques are just start to develop.

Conclusion
1. Recycling of waste scrap glass materials and waste plastic materials
2. To reduced all types of pollution such as marine pollution, water pollution, land Pollution, etc.
3. The full replacement of waste scrap glass sand instead of river sand and waste
materials plastic aggregate instead of coarse aggregate.
4. The waste materials concrete, compressive strength concrete is more or less is the same
compare to the conventional concrete specimen.
5. Lane markers in roadways could incorporate various colors in the translucent concrete,
allowing for dynamic adjustments when required by traffic fluctuations.
6. Subways using this material could be illuminated in daylight.

REFERENCE
1. Optical Fibers in the Modeling of Translucent concrete Blocks by M.N.V.PadmaBhushanet.al,
D.JOHNSON, MD. AFZAL BASHEER BASHA AND MS. K. PRASANTHI.
2. Jianping He. (2011). “Study on Smart Transparent Concrete Product and its performances”, 6thinternational
workshop on advanced smart materials and smart structures technology, (2011)
3. IS: 10262-1982 Recommended Guidelines for Concrete Mix Design.
4. SANTHAKUMAR.A.R, “Concrete Technology”, Oxford Publishing & Co., New Delhi, 2007, First Edition.
5. Varsharaina. (2013). “A Study on Transparent Concrete: ANovel Architectural Material to Explore
Construction Sector”, International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology, volume 2, issue 8, pp83-
87, (2013
6. Abey Lulseged, K. Mehantharaja, C.V.S.R.Prasad. “A study on using plastic coated aggregate in bituminous
mix for flexible pavement” International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Technology Research.
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7. Prasad, C. Venkata Siva Rama, and TVS Vara Lakshmi. "Experimental investigation on bacterial concrete
strength with Bacillus subtilis and crushed stone dust aggregate based on ultrasonic pulse velocity." Materials
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