TRANSPARENT CONCRETE

                                      TRANSPARENT CONCRETE

Transparent concrete or light transmitting or translucent concrete is a concrete which transmitting light through it by using optical fibre. It is material which makes green building. Conventional concrete made with the mixture of cement sand aggregate and water which is unable to transmit lights, transparent concrete is made with cement, very fine sand and thousands of optical fibre reinforced in concrete from one face to another face which guide the light passing through it. Due to development of glass and optical fibre works on transparent concrete will increases. Transparent concrete is not different from conventional concrete it has same material with addition of optical fibre. In many concrete fibres are used to increase the tensile properties of concrete but in transparent concrete optical fibres are not used for such purpose it transmits only lights.

MATERIAL FOR TRANSPARENT CONCRETE

1. Cement – Transparent Concrete is generally used for transmit light therefore no special cement is requires for it. Ordinary Portland cement of 43 grade can be used.

2. Sand - Sand passing through 1.18mm size sieve should be used.

3. Water - Water is used for mix all ingredient of concrete. For making transparent concrete portable water should be used.

 4. Optical fibres - An optical fibre or optical fibres is a flexible, transparent fibre made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibres are used most often as a means to transmit light between the two ends of the fibre and find wide usage in fibre-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at higher bandwidths (data rates) than wire cables.

WORKING PRINCIPLE

Transparent Concrete is based on “Nano-Optics”, fibres are act as slit and carry light throughout. Thousands of optical fibre is reinforced from one face to another and transmit lights. When light traveling in an optically dense medium hits a boundary at a steep angle (larger than the critical angle for the boundary), the light is completely reflected. This is called total internal reflection. The process of total internal reflection is shown below. This effect is used in optical fibres to confine light in the core. Light travels through the fibre core, bouncing back and forth off the boundary between the core and cladding. Because the light must strike the boundary with an angle greater than the critical angle, only light that enters the fibre within a certain range of angles can travel down the fibre without leaking out. This range of angles is called the acceptance cone of the fibre. The size of this acceptance cone is a function of the refractive index difference between the fibres core and cladding.

 ADVANTAGES OF TRANSPARENT CONCRETE

1. According to principle of building planning the building must have good aesthetical view. Transparent concrete makes it possible.

2. Where two building is very near to each other there are no lights inside the building, transparent concrete is beneficial for that place.

 3. It emitted less amount of carbon.

 4. It is Energy Saving.

5. It provides facility to see an image of person stands on outside of the door.

DISADVANTAGES OF TRANSPARENT CONCRETE –

 1. The main Disadvantages of this concrete is excessive cost due to use of optical fibre.

2. It requires skilled labour for installation of optical fibres.

COMPARISON BETWEEN CONVENTIONAL AND TRANSPARENT CONCRETE –

1. Transparent concrete is costly as compare to conventional concrete.

2. Good aesthetical appearance than conventional concrete.

3. Strength is almost similar to conventional concrete.

APPLICATION

The transparent concrete is a good architectural material. As discussed in various papers the strength of concrete is reduced by some amount but it can be achieved by using some addition fibre, therefore the strength parameter of transparent concrete is same as conventional concrete. Transparent concrete gives aesthetical view to buildings. It is energy efficient and makes green building.