wayneburgess Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 It only took us two millennia to figure out how the Ancient Romans made such amazingly durable concrete. Scientists at the Berkeley National Lab and a team of researchers from around the world have discovered the unique recipe used to construct Roman cities and landmarks—a surprising number of which still stand after 2000 years of use. Compare that with modern concrete, which is engineered to maintain its design strength for anywhere from 50 to 100 years, and you can see the value of the Roman recipe. The two most surprising ingredients: Volcanic ash and seawater. In addition to longevity, the Roman recipe is reported to be a much greener material, requiring substantially less energy in the manufacturing process. Making Portland cement—which makes modern concrete stick together—produces an enormous amount of CO2. It turns out that the Romans would've baked their ingredients at much lower temperatures, reducing the amount of fuel burned to make concrete. If you're as intrigued by this new development as I was, here's plenty more. Tim Layton is a home and DIY blogger for Popular Mechanics. Follow him on Twitter: @RemodelingGuy Read more: Ancient Roman Concrete: The Building Material of the Future? - Popular Mechanics Follow us: @PopMech on Twitter | popularmechanics on Facebook Visit us at PopularMechanics.com 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter4187 Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 Just think.......What if concrete wasnt invented.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 I can't believe it took this long to figure out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 Very nice find BTW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Wray Posted June 28, 2013 Report Share Posted June 28, 2013 Very cool information! Thanks Wayne! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayneburgess Posted June 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2013 No worries just found it and it made me chuckle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyandy Posted June 28, 2013 Report Share Posted June 28, 2013 Thanks for sharing that!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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