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Devac · 2029 days ago · link · · parent · post: Beetle inspired 3D printed cement could lead to disaster proof buildings
Wouldn't it exacerbate shear stress from things like soil movement?
Concrete is crazy strong under compression and crazy weak under tension. My mat sci is a generation old at this point but it sure looks like they're casting at a small enough size where the object of the game is to permit macrocellular flex prior to macrocellular shear. I mean, cement don't bend like that. At a guess, the goal is to create a composite material matrix that mitigates concrete's piss-poor shear behavior while retraining it's strength under compression. Effectively they're trying to out-rebar rebar through math and chicanery.