Development of Bio-healing Fiber Composite Concrete at Different Curing Conditions

Self-healing bacteria, when integrated with natural fiber-reinforced concrete, form a distinctive and sustainable building material with the inherent ability to enhance strength and facilitate crack healing. This paper reports on effective curing method that can reduce the excessive consumption of curing water for self-healing bacteria integrated natural fiber-reinforced concrete. A comprehensive analysis is conducted to evaluate parameters such as compressive strength (CS), compressive strength regain (CSR), and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) under different curing systems, namely, pond curing (PC) and wet covering (WC). The investigation commences with the identification of bacteria from a suitable environment, followed by their direct addition to concrete, along with varying percentages of jute fibers (0.3, 0.5, and 0.7). The results obtained from the WC system reveal that, in comparison with Bacillus paramycoides, Bacillus tropicus exhibits increased values of CSR, UPV, and crack healing by 88%, 28%, and 92%, respectively. Numerical analysis is carried for evaluating crack pattern behavior of cubes under compression and compared with experimental data. Microstructural analysis explores the fact that the porous microstructure of the cement matrix is densified through the microbial-induced precipitation of various polymorphs of calcium carbonates.