Project description
Safer, more resilient structural materials
Structures such as nuclear power plants demand materials that can endure extreme forces without failing. Concrete is strong, yet it is brittle and relies on reinforcements (e.g. steel rebars) that activate after cracks form. This approach leaves structures vulnerable to repeated stress and aftershocks. Auxetics – materials with a negative Poisson’s ratio – offer a way around by enhancing energy absorption and working with concrete before cracks appear. However, their low stiffness limits their potential for structural applications. The ERC-funded ACC-3D project will explore auxetics integration into cementitious composites. The goal is to double energy absorption without sacrificing stiffness. This innovation could redefine construction materials, enabling unprecedented ductility and resilience levels.
Objective
Concrete is inherently brittle. This is a problem because important structures such as nuclear power plants need ductility to remain functional after earthquakes and impacts. ACC-3D aims at creating novel, ductile cementitious composites by using local reinforcement with an unusual quality, negative Poisson's ratio, known as auxetics. Currently, steel rebars or fibers are used to make concrete ductile. Such reinforcement is only active once the concrete has cracked: it prevents existing cracks from growing. Cracking might leave structures unfunctional or vulnerable to repeated events and aftershocks. Can we make reinforcement actively work with concrete already before cracking by making it auxetic? This has never been attempted before. Emerging auxetics with complex architectures fabricated by 3D printing offer excellent energy absorption capacity. However, they have low stiffness which makes them unsuitable for structural applications. I believe that using auxetics as reinforcement in cementitious composites will result in energy absorption at least 2 times higher than current approaches without impairing the stiffness. Through a preliminary study I discovered that auxetics can outperform conventional reinforcement in cementitious composites in terms of flexural strength and energy absorption. However, the mechanism of interaction between deformable auxetic reinforcement and the stiff cementitious matrix is unknown. In ACC-3D I aim to fundamentally understand and fully exploit the potential of auxetic cementitious composites by combining design, experiments, and numerical modelling. This will allow me to create innovative cementitious composites with high ductility and energy absorption capacity. The approach developed in ACC-3D will open possibilities for development of designer construction materials, allowing mechanical response of building materials to be tuned through purposefully adjusting their material architecture.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology materials engineering composites
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences geology seismology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2021-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2628 CN Delft
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.