Post by williamplayer on Jan 6, 2014 16:17:00 GMT
As the world is slowly waking to the implication of graphene, scientists around terra firma are taking massive strides into making Graphene into a pliable product that will take human beings to extreme new levels of architecture. Modern day buildings are limited in size because of the materials they are made of, which is a problem because you can only build so high before the physics of the material dictates that you can build no higher.
New wonder material Graphene, once again seems to come to the rescue. Graphene materials have been scientifically proven to be hundreds of times stronger than their closest counterpart. Even more impressive is when you add graphene to a metal such as copper or nickel; then the strengths of these materials increase dramatically. The actual numbers are 500 times stronger for copper and 180 times stronger for nickel, greater than any of their pure metal counterparts. Graphene displays strengths of 200 times that of steel but is bendable and flexible, like a thin piece of plastic(1).
Flexibility is important when it comes to construction materials and without flexibility the structure will inevitability collapse. The vibration caused by high winds is certainly a factor. Tomaco bridge in the USA during the 1940s is a prime example of how high winds can destroy a structure by vibration(2). Simply put, the bridge collapsed because the stresses that the high wind put the bridge under were not taken into account when the bridge was designed, nor when the bridge was constructed.
Graphene is different because of its unique flexible and bendable properties. Simply put this means that the material can move when a force is applied to it and not suffer material deformation. A material that does not deform under stress always returns to its original shape. Graphene buildings would be perfectly suited in areas prone to high winds, storms, hurricanes and even typhoons. Areas, which are prone to seismic activity would perfectly suit graphene buildings.
Modern buildings incorporate vibration dampeners called ‘seismic isolation’ technologies(3). These technologies are built into the foundation of a building allowing the building to sway when put under vibration. This sway allows the energy to be dispersed thorough-out the frame of the entire building, (rather than being allowed to accumulate in one place through standing-waves) which leads to structural failure and eventual collapse.
Even concrete buildings have a limited life expectance. Modern concrete will only last 50 years before it turns into rubble and even less if the building is in a environment where high-winds and earthquakes are frequent. Mixing Graphene Oxide with concrete might be a solution to these problems.
“Laboratory tests show that only 0.05% of Graphene Oxide is needed to improve flexural strength of an Ordinary Portland Cement matrix from between 41% to 59% and compressive strength from between 15% to 33%. The addition of Graphene Oxide also improves the ductility and reduces the likelihood of sudden failure of concrete.”(4)
But the use of Graphene in construction materials does not end there. Graphene can be used to produce electricity to power the building by both making the entire surface area of the building a solar cell(5) and by making the outside structure a lightening conductor(6). The energy for the lightening strike can be stored in capacitors located in the building. This stored energy can then be used to power the building, hopefully; fully autonomous and not reliant on the national grid of that country.
Now for the best bit, because of another of graphene’s unique properties; where by carbon nano-tubes are stacked upon each other to form separate strings of graphene. These strings, theoretically, can be woven together to create nano-tube ‘ropes’. This ‘rope’ can then be ‘woven’ in virtually indestructible nano-tube ribbon whose length could be tens of miles long. Regardless of the length of the rope the nano-tubes do not break down (unlike other non-graphene materials).
It has been theorized that this ribbon could be used to create the worlds first ‘Space Elevator’(6). Yes, you guessed correctly, a elevator that starts at the surface of the Earth and its final destination is in Earths Orbit. If graphene can be made into a length of ribbon that is 60 miles long then does that mean that buildings can also be built this high? The potential future building projects are endless if this is true. Skyscrapers are a thing of the past; all hail the 60 mile high ‘Orbit-Scrappers’ of the future!
Once again Graphene is proving to be the material for the future of the species of man and woman-kind alike and most importantly the continued existence of our home-world which we take for granted at this point in human evolution.
WP. 2014.
(1) www.rdmag.com/news/2013/08/researchers-use-graphene-develop-ultra-strong-nanocomposite
(2) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge_%281940%29
(3) web-japan.org/trends/11_sci-tech/sci110728.html
(4) www.monash.edu.au/assets/pdf/industry/graphene-oxide-reinforced-concrete.pdf
(5) dailyfusion.net/2013/05/buildings-may-be-powered-by-graphene-coated-walls-study-suggests-7488/
(6) news.arcilook.com/other/the-graphene-skyscraper/
New wonder material Graphene, once again seems to come to the rescue. Graphene materials have been scientifically proven to be hundreds of times stronger than their closest counterpart. Even more impressive is when you add graphene to a metal such as copper or nickel; then the strengths of these materials increase dramatically. The actual numbers are 500 times stronger for copper and 180 times stronger for nickel, greater than any of their pure metal counterparts. Graphene displays strengths of 200 times that of steel but is bendable and flexible, like a thin piece of plastic(1).
Flexibility is important when it comes to construction materials and without flexibility the structure will inevitability collapse. The vibration caused by high winds is certainly a factor. Tomaco bridge in the USA during the 1940s is a prime example of how high winds can destroy a structure by vibration(2). Simply put, the bridge collapsed because the stresses that the high wind put the bridge under were not taken into account when the bridge was designed, nor when the bridge was constructed.
Graphene is different because of its unique flexible and bendable properties. Simply put this means that the material can move when a force is applied to it and not suffer material deformation. A material that does not deform under stress always returns to its original shape. Graphene buildings would be perfectly suited in areas prone to high winds, storms, hurricanes and even typhoons. Areas, which are prone to seismic activity would perfectly suit graphene buildings.
Modern buildings incorporate vibration dampeners called ‘seismic isolation’ technologies(3). These technologies are built into the foundation of a building allowing the building to sway when put under vibration. This sway allows the energy to be dispersed thorough-out the frame of the entire building, (rather than being allowed to accumulate in one place through standing-waves) which leads to structural failure and eventual collapse.
Even concrete buildings have a limited life expectance. Modern concrete will only last 50 years before it turns into rubble and even less if the building is in a environment where high-winds and earthquakes are frequent. Mixing Graphene Oxide with concrete might be a solution to these problems.
“Laboratory tests show that only 0.05% of Graphene Oxide is needed to improve flexural strength of an Ordinary Portland Cement matrix from between 41% to 59% and compressive strength from between 15% to 33%. The addition of Graphene Oxide also improves the ductility and reduces the likelihood of sudden failure of concrete.”(4)
But the use of Graphene in construction materials does not end there. Graphene can be used to produce electricity to power the building by both making the entire surface area of the building a solar cell(5) and by making the outside structure a lightening conductor(6). The energy for the lightening strike can be stored in capacitors located in the building. This stored energy can then be used to power the building, hopefully; fully autonomous and not reliant on the national grid of that country.
Now for the best bit, because of another of graphene’s unique properties; where by carbon nano-tubes are stacked upon each other to form separate strings of graphene. These strings, theoretically, can be woven together to create nano-tube ‘ropes’. This ‘rope’ can then be ‘woven’ in virtually indestructible nano-tube ribbon whose length could be tens of miles long. Regardless of the length of the rope the nano-tubes do not break down (unlike other non-graphene materials).
It has been theorized that this ribbon could be used to create the worlds first ‘Space Elevator’(6). Yes, you guessed correctly, a elevator that starts at the surface of the Earth and its final destination is in Earths Orbit. If graphene can be made into a length of ribbon that is 60 miles long then does that mean that buildings can also be built this high? The potential future building projects are endless if this is true. Skyscrapers are a thing of the past; all hail the 60 mile high ‘Orbit-Scrappers’ of the future!
Once again Graphene is proving to be the material for the future of the species of man and woman-kind alike and most importantly the continued existence of our home-world which we take for granted at this point in human evolution.
WP. 2014.
(1) www.rdmag.com/news/2013/08/researchers-use-graphene-develop-ultra-strong-nanocomposite
(2) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge_%281940%29
(3) web-japan.org/trends/11_sci-tech/sci110728.html
(4) www.monash.edu.au/assets/pdf/industry/graphene-oxide-reinforced-concrete.pdf
(5) dailyfusion.net/2013/05/buildings-may-be-powered-by-graphene-coated-walls-study-suggests-7488/
(6) news.arcilook.com/other/the-graphene-skyscraper/
