JYOONiii
Roman Concrete
Why is Rome's Pantheon, built 2,000 years ago, still standing strong? The secret lies in its 'self-healing concrete' technology. Recent scientific research suggests that ancient Romans mixed quicklime at high temperatures when making concrete, leaving small lime clasts within it. When cracks form in the building and rainwater seeps in, these lime clasts react with the water, forming calcium carbonate crystals that fill the cracks themselves. Unlike modern concrete, which corrodes in just a few decades, ancient Roman structures have repaired themselves using rainwater as a nutrient, enduring for two millennia.
2026.09.19 PM 6:30 · View Count 2
Join the Board and leave a comment.
Lv.1
몬몬
It's truly amazing how ancient people used rainwater as a healing ingredient. Thank you for sharing such valuable insights that modern architecture should learn from.
Lv.91
트라이건
So that's why old buildings last longer than modern ones these days.
Lv.105
sjspace
While modern concrete mixes sand and stone, Roman concrete mixed volcanic ash, which was abundant in the surrounding areas, instead of stone. I think this difference is the key. Self-healing wasn't an intended feature, but rather a capability it happened to have.
Lv.41
alpha2
Legendary concrete withstands even seawater
Lv.101
지니지니지니지니지훈
It's amazing that 2,000-year-old concrete had the property to self-heal cracks 😳 It's also really fascinating how rainwater actually helped with the repairs 😊