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Introduction
Reinforced concrete is designed to crack, but crack widths are limited to 0.2 to 0.4 mm
depending on exposure class and type of concrete (reinforced or prestressed). Although these
cracks do not impair structural stability, through-going cracks drastically affect liquid
tightness. This is a major problem in tunnels and large underground structures, where cement
hydration reactions and temperature/shrinkage effects in large concrete segments might result
in the formation of early age cracks. Since liquid-tightness is necessary, expensive preventive
measures are taken or repair works are needed right after construction. Furthermore, even if
not through-going, cracks will allow faster penetration of aggressive liquids and gases.
Certainly in case of chloride containing liquids or in case of high CO2 concentrations (e.g. in
urban environments), there will be a higher risk of reinforcement corrosion, which
compromises the long-term durability of the structure. Current practice requires regular
inspection, maintenance and repair, to ensure structural safety over the service life of the
structure. These practices involve large direct and indirect costs, such as economic losses
from traffic jams. Additionally, not all structures are easy to access for inspection and repair.
In their search to overcome these problems, researchers have been inspired by nature.
Biological systems such as bones, skin or plants have the capacity to detect damage very
quickly and have moreover the unique feature to repair the damage efficiently. It would be an
enormous advantage if this concept could be translated to our engineering materials, such as
concrete. The application of so-called “self-healing” concrete, which will in an autonomous
way repair cracks, could reduce the maintenance costs drastically. Additionally, indirect costs
such as due to traffic congestion, can be avoided.
Project objectives and research results
The overall objective of the project is to design, develop, test, apply and evaluate self-healing
methods for concrete structures. The HEALCON project focusses on two types of structures
and damages where the use of self-healing concrete will have the largest benefit:
- early age cracking in structures which demand liquid tightness
- bending cracks at concrete structural parts with a high risk of premature
reinforcement corrosion.
Depending on the type of damage, another self-healing concept is envisioned. Early age
cracks will be filled with a non-elastic material, while bending cracks in e.g. bridge beams
will be filled with an elastic healing material to cope with the opening and closing movement
of cracks under a dynamic load. This means that biogenic healing agents as well as polymeric
healing agents (hydrogels and elastic healing agents) will be considered.
Objective 1: Develop efficient self-healing techniques that enable concrete to regain liquid-
tightness: bioprecipitation by suitable micro-organisms and application of hydrogels.
Biogenic healing agents: Incorporation of bacteria in concrete can enhance crack-healing by
production of CaCO3, as a result of their metabolic activity and of subsequent chemical
reactions including the metabolic products. The CaCO3 precipitating bacteria and nutrients are
added into the concrete matrix during the process of mixing. Upon cracking, the bacteria
around the crack will precipitate CaCO3 (in-situ) to heal the cracks. Therefore, to make
biogenic precipitation occur, the bacteria should be able to (1) survive the mixing process, (2)
remain viable inside the concrete for a substantial amount of time, (3) become active when
cracks occur, and (4) be able to produce sufficient CaCO3. While encapsulation of micro-
organisms would help to achieve the first prerequisite, the key element to have a successful
self-healing is the choice of the bacterial strain. The alkaline environment of the concrete
directs the selection towards alkali-tolerant or alkaliphilic strains; while the long ‘shelf life’
favours the use of endo-spore forming bacteria. Ureolytic (Bacillus Sphaericus) as well as
non-ureolytic bacteria (Bacillus Cohnni) are investigated.
Ureolytic bacteria: Earlier research performed at the University of Ghent showed promising
results with (micro)encapsulated bacterial spores. On the one hand we are now focussing on
the optimization of the microencapsulation process (size, shell thickness etc.) and we are also
trying to boost the healing efficiency. On the other hand, the optimization for spore cultures
and the selection of sporulating bacterial mixed cultures have been both investigated.
Although we were able to up-scale the procedure to produce axenic (pure) cultures of Bacillus
Sphaericus, the procedure was considered inadequate for industrial application. Hence, a
procedure to obtain an ureolytic mixed culture was investigated. An enrichment selective
process was designed that allows the production of a bacterial community with good ureolytic
characteristics and capable to induce calcium carbonate precipitation. Further tests in mortar
specimens have to determine the real performance of the produced bacterial community.
Non-ureolytic bacteria: Alkali-resistant spores of Bacillus have been successfully
incorporated in expanded clay particles. These Liapor particles serve as healing agent
reservoirs for protection and immobilization of the biogenic healing agent. The impregnation
procedure has been optimized to increase the storage period before use in concrete. Currently,
the need to coat the Liapor particles is investigated. Furthermore, it was confirmed that
calcium lactate is the most efficient “feed” for the bacterial spores.
Superabsorbent polymers: Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) or hydrogels are three-
dimensional, crosslinked polymeric networks that are not soluble, but which can absorb large
quantities of water. In self-healing concrete, incorporated superabsorbent polymers can thus
help to seal cracks and stimulate crack healing. Within the HEALCON project, synthetic
superabsorbent polymers with improved swelling and pH sensitive hydrogels have been
developed in order to seal the crack more efficiently. Moreover, in order to prevent the
creation of macropores due the water absorption by the superabsorbent polymers during
concrete mixing different possibilities are investigated.
Objective 2: Develop efficient self-healing techniques for bending cracks in concrete elements
under dynamic loading, as solution to prevent future durability problems: by using
encapsulated polymers.
Elastic polymeric healing agents: The use of encapsulated, commercial PU-based polymer
precursors as healing agents has shown potential for efficient healing of cracked concrete in
proof-of-concept specimens containing cylindrical glass capsules. A strain capacity of at least
50% has already been obtained, but optimization of these healing agents is needed in order to
increase their resistance to cyclic loading of healed specimens so that healing of dynamic
cracks can be considered (Fig. 1). To up-scale this self-healing technique and make it
compatible with conventional concrete production and placing methods, polymer precursors
are also being encapsulated in polymeric spherical capsules with diameters in the order of 100
– 500 µm (Fig. 2). Ongoing optimization of the micro-capsules aims at increasing their
resistance to mechanical mixing.
Fig. 1. (left) A crack healed with a foaming polymer precursor. (right) The healing fails after
elongation through a combined mechanism of detachment at the interface between polymer
and crack walls and rupture in the polymer matrix
Fig. 2. First batch of spherical microcapsules obtained through interface polymerization

(microscope image of capsules dispersed in water)
Objective 3: Develop computer models to simulate the fracturing and self-healing
mechanisms in order to refine lab tests and to ultimately scale the mechanisms to an
industrial level.
In the first stage, the self-healing obtained by encapsulating bacterial spores in light weight
aggregates (Liapor particles) has been modelled (Fig. 3) and the fracture process of the
concrete with this healing agent has been simulated.
Fig. 3. 3D model of prismatic mortar sample

The results show that only considering the hitting probability (probability that the crack will
hit at least one Liapor particle), which was used as a key parameter to find the proper amount
of the Liapor particles in several published papers, is not enough. Also another parameter
named healing degree (ratio of the volume of generated CaCO3 in the crack to the volume of
the crack) (Fig. 4) has to be adopted. The research shows that this parameter is strongly
dependent on the crack width (Fig. 5), while it is almost independent of the crack depth. The
final healing degree (when the whole amount of healing agent has reacted to produce CaCO3)
can reach 50% or even 75%, depending on the crack width and the volume fraction of the
particles (a volume fraction of 25% and a crack width of 0.15mm can result in a final healing
degree of about 50%). However, it is almost impossible to get a final healing degree of 100%.
Healing degree 
Fig. 4. Reactions of self-healing and calculation of healing degree
Fig. 5. Effect of crack width on healing degree

Future research aims to develop the current numerical model by also considering the effect of
the physical properties of the cement paste, Liapor particles, etc. More realistic cracks will be
also included in the model.
Objective 4: Develop non-destructive testing and monitoring techniques and combine existing
ones to characterize the effects of different self-healing mechanisms in small and full-size
specimens.
During the laboratory tests as well as during the field tests, non-destructive monitoring
techniques (e.g. Ultrasound – trough transmission (Fig. 6) and Ultrasound – reflection (Fig.
7)) will be used to characterize healing. Up to now, we could already show on lab scale that
non-destructive testing methods are able to quantify autonomous healing effects. Three point
bending tests were realized on concrete beams (dimension of 550 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm)
containing encapsulated PU. In order (1) to avoid interference of the measuring techniques
with the presence of reinforcement, rebars Ø 6 mm were placed in the compressive zone and
(2) to assure the leakage of healing agent out of the capsules, glass tubes with large diameters
(6 mm) were used. During the test, signals have been recorded by acoustic emission analysis
which could be related to material failure. Also the time-of-flight diffraction technique
(TOFD) provided promising results. Once cracked the time difference ∆t increased due to
longer paths of the elastic waves. Unloaded, the emerged crack becomes smaller. This state is
associated with a decreasing time delay. After 10 days of curing (state: healed) the time
difference is approximately similar to the unbroken state. Additionally resonance frequency
measurements and modal analysis have been applied to measure the dynamic modulus of
elasticity in the different states (before/after cracking; after hardening of healing agents). As
with the TOFD similar results could be proven with the modal analysis.
Fig. 6. Ultrasound – through transmission
Fig. 7. Ultrasound - reflection

Objective 5: Develop a life-cycle assessment methodology to demonstrate the impact of self-
healing technologies on the economy, society and environment.
A life cycle cost (LCC) analysis will be performed for the same structural element as used for
the field test / demonstration and the LCC analysis will be supplemented by a life cycle
assessment (LCA). This will be done in a later stage of the project.
Objective 6: Demonstrate the developed technologies in a real size structure and develop
construction specifications for the use of self-healing products developed within the project.
The developed self-healing methodologies will be experimentally validated in large-scale
elements, under conditions close to reality. In the last stage, the new technologies will be
demonstrated by their implementation in an actual concrete structure.
Project impact and use

The technologies developed from the theoretical and laboratory experiments have to be
functional and adaptable to engineering design and have to be implemented on real structures.
Therefore, an end-user board is established from the beginning of the project to participate in
defining technical and application requirements and to form a stakeholder group that will
follow the project.
The expected impact of HEALCON will be:
i) Development of improved materials with prolonged lifetime and reliability leading to
enhanced safety in applications such as for example vehicles, roads and bridges; and/or
ii) Societal and economic benefits deriving from the reduction of accidents, injuries,
casualties, and permanent damages; and/or
iii) Improved competitiveness of European industry via more favourable cost/benefit ratios.

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Fig. 2. First batch of spherical microcapsules obtained through interface polymerization

Fig. 3. 3D model of prismatic mortar sample

Fig. 4. Reactions of self-healing and calculation of healing degree

Fig. 5. Effect of crack width on healing degree

Fig. 6. Ultrasound – through transmission

Fig. 7. Ultrasound - reflection

Project impact and use

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