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Transparent concrete and cement at World Expo

By Rain Noe - May 14, 2010

in Materials

When it comes to showing off unusual materials, you could do worse than transparent concrete and cement. Both are solid and strong, yet allow light to pass through them, causing a cartoon question mark to pop up over people's heads the first time they see the stuff.

At this year's World Expo in Shanghai, Italy took the opportunity to build their pavilion out of transparent cement (above), whereas Germany is displaying--if not using--transparent concrete (below) in their structure.

Both materials are strong and allow light to travel through them, but what are the differences? Italy's product, called i.light and manufactured by Italcementi, has a "higher transparency performance than the optical fibres experimentally used in this field, but also cost much less allowing for their application on a large scale," says an Italcementi researcher. Meanwhile Germany's product, called Lucem and manufactured by Robatex GmbH, is 100% recyclable, and is on display in 2cm-thick sheets.

Bragging rights have to be awarded to the Italians: They've put their money where mouths are and incorporated nearly 4,000 i.light blocks, each 1m x 50cm x 5cm thick, in their structure.

via tech on

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Tan yew chai

12 years ago

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May I know any supplier in Singapore for this concrete product? What it the charectistic of the cube strength or cylindrical strength ?
We would like to use it in housing reinforced concrete wall and slab.
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ramagopal. susarla

13 years ago

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May be the transluscent concrete helps in using the natural lighting for industrial application. May be the solar panels can be embedded in the panels and make the building self reliant in power generation by solar power.

I love to get response in this regard from readers
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Rajib Chowdhury

14 years ago

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How can I know about the i.light & what will be the unit price of this i.light? Can I use i.light in a main structural frame which will carry load like normal concret? How much compressive strength can it take?
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Aurovindo Choudhury

14 years ago

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Can you please what concrete mixture in right proportion was used for this transparent/light emitting concrete?

Thank you.
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