SAIT students may have found a way to combat Calgary's cracked sidewalks
SAIT students in the Civil Engineering Technology program believe they have created the right mix of concrete and graphene to combat the city's growing sidewalk problem, due to freeze-thaw cycles.
"Yesterday was, what? 20 C. It's going to probably snow tonight or tomorrow. That really affects our sidewalks, with the soil base underneath, to cause all these cracks and fractures," said student Derrick Leung, who started the project with three of his classmates.
"So with graphene, it's supposed to make it more durable, more flexible than conventional crushed concrete."
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon, which is strong, flexible and has high resistance.
Leung, along with Tony Ly, Pinyo Sirisettanan and Chi Kin Wong, began researching the benefits of graphene in concrete before doing a lab test.
The hope is to save money and reduce the city's carbon footprint.
As part of their capstone project, the students poured two concrete slabs in February, one with graphene and one without, to compare the differences.
It turns out the one with graphene made the concrete stronger.
"We applied our theory to potentially make it stronger. The increase in strength could also reduce the amount of cement used, so there was a sustainability components added on top of that."
Ly says the group worked with several industry partners, including the City of Calgary, on what is expected each time a sidewalk is poured.
"There's a lot of sidewalks in the City of Calgary, so even if you're saving, these are not the exact numbers, but even if you're saving five per cent on costs, and you multiply it by all the sidewalks that we do in Calgary, that adds up," he said.
"That's a lot of like public funds that could be used in other aspects."
SAIT students Derrick Leung, Tony Ly, Pinyo Sirisettanan and Chi Kin Wong believe they have created the right mix of concrete and graphene to combat Calgary's cracked sidewalks. Rick Duchscher is the Connector Lead in the Connector Lab at SAIT, where the students did much of the work on the project.
"It's very much like a library where we're not tied to any particular program or course," said Duchscher.
"If a student has an assignment or a project that they need some assistance with, they will come here and we will help them connect with all kinds of different resources."
The City of Calgary spends between $12 million and $15 million on repairs and replacement of concrete infrastructure as part of the city's annual sidewalk programs.
"The city continues to work with SAIT students on potential commercial usage of graphene in city sidewalks," read a statement from Chris McGeachy with the city's mobility department.
"The city continues to evaluate viability, performance and cost effectiveness of this project, which currently resides at SAIT. We look forward to continuing to provide industry expertise as we work with these students."
The city says it has not made a decision to introduce graphene into future concrete mixes just yet, but says there are benefits.
"The overall goal of the project is to reduce carbon through concrete mix design, and at the same time, make sidewalks more resilient to changes in climate," said McGeachy.
"In recent years, the city has also increased the use of green (low carbon) cement, aligning with construction industry's standards to adopt sustainable materials which provide equivalent or better performance while reducing environmental impacts."
The students will present their project on April 26.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.