this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2025
295 points (81.1% liked)

Technology

71939 readers
3102 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Previously, a yield strength of 5,000 pounds per square inch (psi) was enough for concrete to be rated as “high strength,” with the best going up to 10,000 psi. The new UHPC can withstand 40,000 psi or more.

The greater strength is achieved by turning concrete into a composite material with the addition of steel or other fibers. These fibers hold the concrete together and prevent cracks from spreading throughout it, negating the brittleness. “Instead of getting a few large cracks in a concrete panel, you get lots of smaller cracks,” says Barnett. “The fibers give it more fracture energy.”

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Hardly. Did you read the article?

[–] unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de 18 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The greater strength is achieved by turning concrete into a composite material with the addition of steel or other fibers.

Fiber reinforcment is thousands of years old.

[–] deranger@sh.itjust.works 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Calling that pyramid age I think is a little disingenuous, they didn’t have 40,000 psi concrete back in those days.

[–] Fondots@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

So I did not read the article because of a paywall I'm too lazy to circumvent right now

But from OP's summary, the main technology they're talking about is concrete reinforced with steel or other fibers.

And that's definitely more advanced than "pyramid age"

But it's also pretty much a direct descendant of mud brick reinforced with straw which humanity has been using since well before the pyramids. Same basic concept, different materials.

So yes and no.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Yes....no.....maybe? I don't know. Can you repeat the question?

[–] Bonus@slrpnk.net 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Egyptians stacked blocks of stone to build the pyramids.

Roman concrete was impressively strong.

Neither of them had steel-reinforced concrete.

Neither did Gothic cathedrals, which is why they needed flying buttresses.

Reinforced concrete as we know it today is a 19th century innovation, as I understand it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinforced_concrete?wprov=sfla1

Maybe the commenter was thinking of adobe.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

And this tech goes way beyond merely "reinforced".