Ceramics and Composite Materials

Since its widespread use in concrete began over 100 years ago, the chemical composition and physical properties of hydraulic cement have changed only incrementally in response to varied a and competing pressures of constructability and cost. Instead, the event demands are met largely through the development and introduction of chemical admixtures that are added to the binder during mixing. These same demands persist from the 21st Century and are just as important now as before, yet newer driving forces are simultaneously pushing the industry both toward more automated construction and toward more sustainable concrete materials that generate lower CO2 and have longer service life.