UTC gets donation for concrete durability test lab

photo A piece of concrete is displayed beneath a microscope in a new research lab at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
photo Researcher A. Brent Rollins, right, gives Dalton Holmes and others a tour of a new research lab Tuesday during its dedication ceremony at UTC. The lab will be used for researching ways of making concrete more durable and sustainable.

Sometimes concrete goes bad.

And when it happens, it can be ugly. Like a collapsing bridge ugly.

So researchers around the country and here in Chattanooga are looking for ways to make the do-it-all material better, while simultaneously decreasing the environmental impact of the substance's production.

And the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is doing its part.

On Tuesday, the school hosted a science lab dedication ceremony to honor McCallie School alum Dalton Holmes, who donated more than $120,000 to the school to start a concrete durability research facility.

Holmes has been watching and reading the research and progress of A. Brent Rollins, a UTC researcher who for two years has studied the impact of concrete production innovations by testing innovative concrete durability.

"I feel like my gift has made a difference in [Rollins'] work, in what he can do and what he will do," said Holmes.

Holmes himself graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and now works in architecture and construction in North Carolina.

He said upon hearing of Rollins' work, "I had a lot of questions for him."

But Rollins had a lot of answers in return.

He talked Tuesday about the goal of his research to develop sustainable concrete that can stand the test of time and use.

To achieve that, Rollins and his professional partners -- an outside concrete company -- is working biomass (organic matter) into concrete mixes, which has proved successful. Rollins said biomass fibers strengthen concrete and make it more flame retardant. In turn, less concrete goes farther.

Rollins is not the first researcher to present the biomass solution.

photo Research equipment is seen in a new research lab at UTC in Chattanooga.

For years, scientists and concrete manufacturers have been looking for ways to manufacture stronger concrete while cutting back on the negative environmental impact of concrete production.

In 2008, Chemistry World, a Royal Society of Chemistry publication, wrote that concrete is "the single most widely-used material in the world -- and it has a carbon footprint to match."

Concrete production creates pollutants. As the world increasingly depends on concrete for its expanding population, it consequently creates more harmful byproducts.

But Rollins thinks he has a fix. He said Tuesday that he is now field testing a concrete mix with biomass infused, and so far, it's standing up to durability tests.

And this is where a first-class lab facility is crucial, he said.

Because with machines to mimic the wear and tear of tires, and a machine to mimic a year's worth of freezing and drying, Rollins can make sure that this new concoction is safe for the real world.

"Very few universities have concrete durability labs like this," he said.

He thanked Holmes repeatedly for his gift.

"Very few universities would have one or two pieces [of this equipment], but most don't have the whole gambit," Rollins said.

Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.

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