The brilliant engineers and builders of ancient Rome produced an amazing variety of magnificent structures, some of which have practically survived to the present day, like Rome’s dome-shaped Pantheon.
A type of concrete the Romans created, known for its remarkable durability and longevity, was an essential material, though its precise composition and properties are still unknown. A recent study makes significant progress in resolving this mystery and, according to the researchers, may open the door to the replication of this ancient marvel for use in contemporary applications.
The invention of Roman concrete in the third century BC proved revolutionary. Lime, volcanic ash, and water made up its three main components, which were also known as opus caementicium. It aided the Romans in building monumental buildings like temples, public baths, and other large buildings, as well as aqueducts and bridges that had never before been created. It was essential to build harbours and breakwaters because the concrete could harden underwater.
While their contemporary concrete counterparts occasionally fall apart in a matter of years or decades, many of these structures have lasted for two millennia.
South of Rome in Italy, the ancient city of Privernum underwent a sophisticated examination of the concrete from its walls by the researchers. They figured out unexpected manufacturing techniques that gave concrete the ability to heal itself by chemically filling in any pores or cracks.
Admir Masic, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, led the study that was published in the journal Science Advances. ‘The new results show that at the basis of ancient Roman concrete’s self-healing and longevity could be the way Romans mixed their raw ingredients, specifically how they used lime, the key component of the mix aside from volcanic ash,’ Masic said.
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