Archived copy — This is page is part of a snapshot of https://news.mst.edu captured on December 31, 2025. Its contents may be out of date.
Archived copy — This is page is part of a snapshot of https://news.mst.edu captured on December 31, 2025. Its contents may be out of date.
Comments on: Time-traveling concrete: S&T researcher looks to ancient Rome to transform modern industry https://news.mst.edu/2023/04/time-traveling-concrete-st-researcher-looks-to-ancient-rome-to-transform-modern-industry/ Your source for the latest from Rolla Fri, 26 May 2023 19:20:26 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.7 By: Steve Masters https://news.mst.edu/2023/04/time-traveling-concrete-st-researcher-looks-to-ancient-rome-to-transform-modern-industry/#comment-356862 Fri, 26 May 2023 19:20:26 +0000 https://news.mst.edu/?p=48000#comment-356862 Best wishes and I hope to learn more about this work!
The summary of Dr. Okoronkwo*s “time-traveling cement” NSF study, included in Dr. Dehghani’s MST Alumni letter (May 19, 2023) caught my interest. Two points occur to me that may be of value:
1. Dr. Ece Erdomas is now a Professor and School Chair at the School of Building Construction at Georgia Tech. While with the University of Nebraska, Dr Erdomas performed research and site visits to ancient locations in Turkey with emphasis upon mortars used in earlier times. I have heard fascinating presentations about her research while she was with the University Nebraska-Omaha. Her work may have relevance to the Time-Travel Project.
2. Working with NSF funding* at Iowa State University that was concluded in 1972, my MS project sought to characterize the role of calcium in a calcite-kaolinite lab generated fly ash. Percent glass and crystal comparisons, particle sizes and shapes were analyzed. Materials were examined, chemically, x-ray diffraction and by transmission and scanning electron microscopes. This project followed a Ph D Dissertation by Romish Joshi where lab generated ash, with varying chemical makeups, physical crystalline/glass percentages and properties were characterized and compressive strengths were examined.
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*
1. Elmer Rosauer, “Pozzolanic Reactions in Synthetic Fly Ashes”, ISU-ERI-AMES-84600, Contract No. NSF GK 1405, 1970.
2. E. A Rosauer and R. S. Masters, Investigations on Synthetic Fly ashes: I. Pozzolanic Characteristics; II. Role of Calcium November 1972 Preprint Project c000 ERI-72296
3. R. S. Masters, The Role of Calcium in Calcite-Kaolinite Synthetic Fly Ash, M.S. Thesis, ISU, 1972.
Sincerely,

]]> By: Marvin Monk https://news.mst.edu/2023/04/time-traveling-concrete-st-researcher-looks-to-ancient-rome-to-transform-modern-industry/#comment-356496 Tue, 23 May 2023 15:26:13 +0000 https://news.mst.edu/?p=48000#comment-356496 That is incredible. To think that the ancient Romans had, whether by science, trial and error, or just plain luck, a very sound concrete product is fascinating. Congratulations to Uchenna for recognizing this and bringing this project to life. As an engineer working on the Texas Gulf Coast, I can tell you that there is definitely a need for this.

]]> By: Patrick B. Bennett https://news.mst.edu/2023/04/time-traveling-concrete-st-researcher-looks-to-ancient-rome-to-transform-modern-industry/#comment-355498 Thu, 04 May 2023 21:12:47 +0000 https://news.mst.edu/?p=48000#comment-355498 Congratulations to Dr. O for his excellent idea. There is an excellent chance he will learn something long forgotten about Roman concrete making that has long been forgotten, but which can reapplied today! Full speed ahead!!

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