A Review of the Structural Properties of Translucent Concrete as Sustainable Material

This paper studies the production of sustainable and energy-saving concrete that can overcome the opaque nature of concrete with good strength properties. Consequently, this birthed translucent concrete. This study aimed to develop a detailed review of the properties and characteristics of translucent concrete, conduct some qualitative analysis on the concrete's potential light-transmitting abilities as well as its drawbacks and benefits translucent concrete, and make it accessible to scholars and researchers on this concrete type. The objective of this study was to review the properties of translucent concrete that have been studied by several researchers. To this study, it is believed that construction works with translucent concrete will be efficient and serve as a construction and economic breakthrough, specifically in low-income and low-middle-income nations where the cost of purchasing energy is high. A review assessment approach was used to examine past studies of translucent concrete with a focus on optic fiber since more than 80% of the available works documented employed optic fiber as the light-transmitting material. To achieve the objectives of this study, a review methodology was used. It was discovered that one of the limitations of translucent concrete is the production cost associated with the purchase cost of the optic fiber. A variety of restrictions and research gaps were found in the review study conducted on translucent concrete. One of the gaps identified was the strengthening of translucent concrete and the optical fiber percentage that could give a durable concrete mix. Another gap identified in the reviewed research study relates to tests aiming to identify the influence of dissimilar ratios of optical fibers on the material’s strength and energy-saving properties. Some studies indicated the incorporation of optic fiber in concrete at a certain percentage improved the compressive strength of the concrete, while some researchers concluded that including optic fiber in the concrete decreased the compressive and flexural strength of the concrete. Low material strength and the determination of the ideal optic fiber ratio are the key constraints. This type of concrete can be implemented in building construction and walkways but is not limited to them. This present review study additionally identifies and suggests potential future research fields as well as offers ideas for filling up the known research gaps. © 2023 The Author(s).