DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3865634
title: Raw data and supplementary material of the fifth inter-laboratory testing program (RRT5, self-healing concrete with macrocapsules) of the EU COST action SARCOS

description: This data is the result of a collaboration of scientists working on the development of self-healing concrete within the framework of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action “Self-healing as preventive repair of concrete structures” SARCOS CA15202.


In the framework of SARCOS 6 inter-laboratory testing programs are being executed to investigate possible standard test methods for self-healing concrete, each of the testing programs focusing on a different self-healing technique:
(1) Concrete with mineral additions,
(2) Concrete with the addition of magnesium oxide,
(3) Concrete enhanced with crystalline admixtures,
(4) High performance fibre reinforced concrete enhanced with crystalline admixtures,
(5) Concrete with preplaced macrocapsules containing polymeric healing agent, and
(6) Concrete with encapsulated bacteria.


The data which can be found here have been obtained in the inter-laboratory testing program 5 "Concrete with preplaced macrocapsules containing polymeric healing agent". In total 6 labs participated in this testing program: Ghent University, Politecnico di Torino, Riga Technical University, Cracow University of Technology, Cambridge University, and KU Leuven (Ghent Technology Campus). All specimens were cast at Ghent University and were then distributed to the different labs, where they were tested.


The testing program consisted of tests on both concrete and mortar specimens. The reinforced concrete specimens were cracked in a displacement-controlled three-point bending setup. Subsequently, they were subjected to two capillary water absorption tests, each with a different waterproofing technique. The mortar specimens were not reinforced, instead they were provided with a Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) laminate at the top. They were cracked in a force-controlled three-point bending setup, and immediately an active crack width control technique was applied to restrain the crack width of the specimens to a desired crack width range. After measuring of the crack width, the water permeability of the mortar specimens was accessed in a water flow test. In the end, the specimens were cracked open to assess the spread of the polyurethane healing agent.
description: This work is the result of a collaboration of scientists working on the development of self-healing concrete within the framework of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action "Self-healing as preventive repair of concrete structures" SARCOS CA15202. T. Van Mullem and N. De Belie acknowledge the support of the grant (19SCIP-B103737-05) from the Construction Technology Research Program funded by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Korean government. C. Litina and A. Al-Tabbaa acknowledge the support for the Resilient Materials for Life (RM4L) Programme Grant (EP/P02081X/1) from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). H. Vanoutrive has received internal funding from KU Leuven which made a contribution to this inter-laboratory study possible. The companies Tradecc, Enci and GCP Applied Technologies are thanked for their generous donation of materials (carbon fibre reinforced polymers, cement and polyurethane, respectively). Dr N. Alderete is acknowledged for her input with regards to the capillary water absorption section. The technical staff from the Magnel-Vandepitte Laboratory are thanked for the technical support. Authors from Ghent University, Politecnico di Torino, KU Leuven and Cambridge University have received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement SMARTINCS No 860006, which made the continuation of the collaborative work possible.