You’ve probably heard about self-healing concrete before, but now, researchers are developing self-healing roads. That’s right, materials scientist Erik Schlangen, chair of Experimental MicroMechanics at Delft University of Technology, mixed steel fibers with asphalt to make it conductive, thus when it’s run over by a large induction machine, heat helps close any cracks. Continue reading for another video and more information.
“Self-healing asphalt is undergoing testing on 12 roads in the Netherlands; one has been open since 2010 and all are in excellent condition. Regular asphalt roads tend to stay in good condition for seven to 10 years, however, so Schlangen said in upcoming years the difference will be clearer. He said self-healing asphalt could be 25 percent more expensive than typical asphalt, but could last twice as long. One estimate put the Netherlands� savings with the self-healing asphalt roads at 90 million Euros every single year,” reports Inhabitat.
