30-09-2016, 10:59 AM
1456985797-ABSTRACT.docx (Size: 14.53 KB / Downloads: 8)
The construction industry consumes more natural resources than any other industry. With increasing public awareness of the needs and demands of sustainable development and environmental conservation, no other industry is called on as much as the country's construction and building industry to evolve their practices to satisfy the needs of our current generation, without curtailing the resources of future generations to meet theirs. For example, concrete is by far the most important building material, with billions of tons produced each year worldwide, and without which the nation's infrastructure is unthinkable. Considerable progress and breakthroughs have been made in recent years in concrete technology, which have largely gone unnoticed by the public at large
Smart materials, defined as those materials that can change their properties in response to external conditions, are also being introduced into civil infrastructure systems, and so are new developments in metals, with new high-strength steel alloys and non-corrosive steels that are changing engineering practice. All of these advanced materials are essential for an efficient renewal and maintenance of our infrastructure and offer exciting prospects for vibrant research areas.