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posted by n1 on Wednesday July 05 2017, @08:21AM   Printer-friendly
from the hard-as-nails dept.

Researchers have unlocked the chemistry of Roman concrete which has resisted the elements for thousands of years.

Ancient sea walls built by the Romans used a concrete made from lime and volcanic ash to bind with rocks.

Now scientists have discovered that elements within the volcanic material reacted with sea water to strengthen the construction.

[...] This new study says the scientists found significant amounts of tobermorite growing through the fabric of the concrete, with a related, porous mineral called phillipsite.

The researchers say that the long-term exposure to sea water helped these crystals to keep on growing over time, reinforcing the concrete and preventing cracks from developing.

Source: BBC News

American Mineralogist DOI: 10.2138/am-2017-5993CCBY


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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday July 05 2017, @02:38PM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday July 05 2017, @02:38PM (#535203) Journal

    My bad. I read TFS, and went with various articles I've read in the past. I've not read Pliny's quote before.

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