An experimental investigation on the properties of the light transmitting concrete

Concrete is the most widely used material in the construction industry in the world. It is a composite building material produced by mixing concrete aggregate (gravel), cement and water in certain proportions, which can be shaped within the first one or two hours and then hardens and gains strength, allowing the production of building elements in architecturally desired shapes. Light-transmitting concrete is used in the production of architectural objects owing to its light-transmitting feature. It can be produced by using light transmitting materials such as optical fiber and glass. In this experimental study, light-transmitting concretes were produced by using optical fibers and the effects of thickness, distance from the sample to the light source and optical fiber content on the light transmittance values were investigated. For this purpose, concretes containing different ratios of fiber were produced first, and then they were cut in different thicknesses and made ready for light transmittance measurements. Extech HD450 luxmeter with 0-40.000 lux measurement range was used for the measurement of light transmitting values. According to the test results, light transmitting value increased when the opical fiber content increased. When the distance of the sample from the light source increased, the light transmitting values decreased. The sample thickness affected the light transmitting values which increased up to 6-8 cm thickness, then decreased.