Graphene and helix shaped steel fiber dosed concrete for EMP and Blast Protection

OUSD (R&E) MODERNIZATION PRIORITY: 5G, General Warfighting Requirements (GWR); Nuclear TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Electronics; Materials; Nuclear OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate commercially viable building constructed with light-weight concrete stay-in-place forms and structural poured concrete both dosed with graphene and screw shaped steel microfibers to provide electrically conductive, thermally insulated, ultra-strong, blast, fire and EMP/GMD resistant buildings. DESCRIPTION: It has been demonstrated that graphene oxide, graphene nano-sheets or carbon-nanotube dosed concrete has improved thermal properties, reduced water absorption, greatly increased strength and electrical conductivity (see references (a) through (e)). The addition of screw shaped steel micro-fibers has also been demonstrated to increase concrete strength (see reference (f)), and steel fibers in conjunction with graphene has higher strength and electrical conductivity (see reference (g)). The electrical conductivity would allow graphene / screw shape steel microfiber dosed concrete to function as a Faraday Cage and provide protection from an EMP induced by an EMP weapon, high altitude nuclear explosion or a geomagnetic disturbance such as a solar flare. Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) and / or Foam-Crete can be used as stay-in-place forms for construction of concrete facilities; both of their strength increase from use of graphene and / or steel fibers (see references (h) through (l)). Use of AAC or Foam-Crete perform well regarding insulation and fire resistance which would further improve facility performance and survivability. The cost of manufacturing graphene has drastically reduced in the past several years, and it is expected due to recent breakthroughs that the cost will be further reduced (estimated to decrease to 1/200th of the current cost); see references (m) through (n), which makes the application of these materials for these potential applications even more attractive. PHASE I: Conduct extensive document research to determine state of the art and properties identified from previous experiments and testing regarding graphene oxide concrete, AAC, and Foam-Crete. Identify any knowledge gaps and conduct experiments and testing to fill these gaps (if any). Determine the optimum mix of graphene oxide and / or graphene sheets with screw shaped micro-steel fibers for AAC or Foam-Crete stay-in-place formed Concrete building construction to serve as an EMP/GMD resistant bomb shelter. Demonstrate the material's ability to be welded, or electrically fused with point of entry protections such as EM doors, waveguides, and filters. Provide a written report of the findings. PHASE II: Based on the knowledge and determination of feasibility obtained in phase I, construct a structure of adequate size using graphene and screw shaped fiber steel dosed AAC or Foam-Crete stay-in-place forms and concrete to test with respect to EMP, flame, and blast resistance using both Non-Destructive, and Destructive Testing. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Provision of affordable materials and methods for high strength, fire resistant Insulated Composite Concrete Forms (ICCF) for stay-in-place Concrete construction of High Performance Concrete for Highly survivable facilities to include EMP/GMD protection. REFERENCES: Reference (a)https://www.scientific.net/MSF.809-810.485 Reference (b)https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10871/32568/GRCmanuscript accepted version.pdf Reference (c)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1847980417742304 Reference (d)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0950061819325589 Reference (e)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352710217301079 Reference (f)https://www.helixsteel.com/ Reference (g)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352710217301079 Reference (h) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214785318314718 Reference (i)https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/files/146437328/FULL_TEXT.PDF Reference (j)https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236611170_Physical_and_Mechanical_Characterization_of_Fiber-Reinforced_Aerated_Concrete_FRAC Reference (k)https://res.mdpi.com/d_attachment/materials/materials-13-04323/article_deploy/materials-13-04323-v4.pdf Reference (l)https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.113.9722&rep=rep1&type=pdf Reference (m)https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2019/jun/graphene-from-gum-trees Reference (n)https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottsnowden/2020/07/24/ground-breaking-method-to-make-graphene-from-garbage-is-modern-day-alchemy/ KEYWORDS: Insulated Composite Concrete Forms (ICCF), Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC), Graphene, electromagenetic pulse (EMP), Blast, Spalling , Helix steel fibers, geomagnetic distrubance (GMD)