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New Concrete Developed in Kentucky Could Save Lives

Researchers at the University of Kentucky and a Georgetown company have developed a quick-setting concrete that could help engineers and first responders stabilize structures in emergency situations. The product is called Tekcrete Fast.“This is a material that’s sprayed on. It’s a dry mix, single bag. And it basically develops structural strength in a matter of minutes. In 15 minutes it will develop the same strength that Portland cement would take two weeks to develop,” says Tom Robl , associate director at UK’s Center for Applied Energy Research. UK holds a joint patent on Tekcrete with Minova North America.  Tekcrete is meant as a quick response to infrastructure damaged by a natural disaster or act of terrorism. It could also work for coal mining accidents. “It’s currently undergoing evaluations in a number of locations in underground mining applications, and we just got word last week that a civil engineering firm would like to begin trialing this material,” says Minova VP Waverly McFarland. The research took around three years through a project for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.