Materials for Life (M4L)

Developing a new generation of unique, versatile and robust self-healing construction materials.

The aim of this research group is to create a built environment and infrastructure which is a sustainable and resilient system comprising materials and structures that continually monitor, regulate, adapt and repair themselves without the need for external intervention.

In this way, these self-healing materials and intelligent structures will significantly enhance durability and serviceability, improve safety and reduce maintenance costs. The research of the group also covers the numerical modelling of quasi-brittle materials, application of micro-mechanical solutions to the numerical analysis of cementitious materials and coupled thermo-hygro-mechanical solutions for concrete.

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This project involves the development of a new generation of unique, versatile and robust self-healing construction materials, which are self-healing over multiple spatial and temporal scales.

The project is being conducted by a consortium from the Universities of Cardiff, Bath and Cambridge, three of the top UK academic institutions, which have the required interdisciplinary mix of civil engineering and science skills and expertise, and are uniquely placed to lead this novel and challenging research endeavour both nationally and internationally. The proposal was developed through the EPSRC-funded networks LimesNet and Future Infrastructure Forum.

Conglomerate materials, which comprise the majority of our infrastructure and built environment, form the focus of the Materials for Life (M4L) project. It is also recognised that the fundamental scientific understanding of how materials can be manipulated, by taking advantage of new ground breaking innovations in allied scientific disciplines, will pave the way for the development of a new generation of unique, versatile and robust construction materials systems which would go far beyond any system currently available.