Researchers Find Reason for Roman Concrete's Strength
2023-01-19
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1Researchers have wanted to know for years why the buildings made by the ancient Romans held up so well.
2A new study finds that their concrete, a strong building material, had special characteristics.
3Researchers say the materials in the concrete worked together to make it stronger.
4The three main parts were lime, volcanic ash and water.
5Lime is a powdery substance that comes from heating limestone.
6Admir Masic is a civil and environmental engineering professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who led the study and published the results in Science Advances.
7He said the way the Romans started using lime over 2000 years ago gave the concrete "self-healing" properties.
8He said the discovery will help current builders improve their concrete "through a Roman-inspired strategy."
9Masic is working to make a new building product based on the Roman concrete and is hoping to sell it through a new business he started.
10Masic and his researchers wanted to know why the Roman structures lasted so long when even some modern concrete crumbles after only a few years.
11In addition, the Roman concrete was good for use underwater.
12This quality helped the Romans build harbors and other structures that could hold back the ocean.
13The researchers said some small bits of lime that were not well mixed into the concrete were not a mistake as was thought earlier.
14The pieces of lime are called clasts.
15The new study called the clasts "instrumental."
16Masic said the small pieces of lime keep the concrete from falling apart when it cracks.
17In most cases, a crack in concrete permits water to enter and the crack widens.
18But, in the Roman concrete, the small bits of lime would dissolve and send small pieces of calcium into the cracks.
19That action, Masic said, repaired the cracks.
20In addition, he noted, the calcium mixed with the volcanic ash to create a stronger structure.
21Both the Pantheon and the Colosseum are examples of buildings that are almost 2000 years old that used the ancient concrete and are still standing today.
22In the past, researchers thought the important material was volcanic ash that came from the area of Pozzuoli, near Naples.
23Linda Seymour helped write the study when she was studying at MIT.
24She called the ancient Romans "great engineers."
25She added: "The fact that we can still walk around many of their structures is a testament to that."
26I'm Dan Friedell.
1Researchers have wanted to know for years why the buildings made by the ancient Romans held up so well. 2A new study finds that their concrete, a strong building material, had special characteristics. 3Researchers say the materials in the concrete worked together to make it stronger. 4The three main parts were lime, volcanic ash and water. Lime is a powdery substance that comes from heating limestone. 5Admir Masic is a civil and environmental engineering professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who led the study and published the results in Science Advances. He said the way the Romans started using lime over 2000 years ago gave the concrete "self-healing" properties. 6He said the discovery will help current builders improve their concrete "through a Roman-inspired strategy." Masic is working to make a new building product based on the Roman concrete and is hoping to sell it through a new business he started. 7Masic and his researchers wanted to know why the Roman structures lasted so long when even some modern concrete crumbles after only a few years. 8In addition, the Roman concrete was good for use underwater. This quality helped the Romans build harbors and other structures that could hold back the ocean. 9The researchers said some small bits of lime that were not well mixed into the concrete were not a mistake as was thought earlier. The pieces of lime are called clasts. The new study called the clasts "instrumental." 10Masic said the small pieces of lime keep the concrete from falling apart when it cracks. In most cases, a crack in concrete permits water to enter and the crack widens. But, in the Roman concrete, the small bits of lime would dissolve and send small pieces of calcium into the cracks. That action, Masic said, repaired the cracks. In addition, he noted, the calcium mixed with the volcanic ash to create a stronger structure. 11Both the Pantheon and the Colosseum are examples of buildings that are almost 2000 years old that used the ancient concrete and are still standing today. 12In the past, researchers thought the important material was volcanic ash that came from the area of Pozzuoli, near Naples. 13Linda Seymour helped write the study when she was studying at MIT. She called the ancient Romans "great engineers." She added: "The fact that we can still walk around many of their structures is a testament to that." 14I'm Dan Friedell. 15Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by Reuters. 16____________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18characteristic -n. something special that makes an item different from others 19property -n. a special quality of something 20inspired -adj. used to describe something that has an influence on something else 21strategy -n. a careful plan or method for achieving a particular goal usually over a long period of time 22crumble -v. to break into small pieces 23bit -n. a small part of something larger 24dissolve -v. to wear away under the pressure of water 25testament -n. proof that something is true or exists 26____________________________________________________________________ 27We want to hear from you. Have you seen the ancient Roman buildings? 28We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 29Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.