Self-Healing Building Construction Materials: Are They Ready for Indian Roads and Bridges?
Building Construction Materials Self-healing materials, especially self-healing asphalt, are becoming popular in India for solving pothole issues and road upkeep. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is testing and researching this technology to implement it in road construction and maintenance. Even though this idea isn’t new, it is now being considered for large-scale projects in our country. How Does Self-healing Asphalt Work? Infusion with Steel Fibres A major component is the application of steel fibers inside the bitumen, making asphalt conductive. Induction Heating Once a pothole or crack develops, an induction heating process is deployed to heat the steel fibers. Self-Repair The heat melts the bitumen and later expands while filling the gap, seamlessly repairing the damage. Autonomous Repair The system is exclusively meant to independently fix surface errors, thereby reducing manual repairs. The advantages of Self-healing asphalt are listed below Minimal Pothole Issu...