Investors have put US$1 million behind a system developed by researchers at Florida International University (FIU) for delivering UHPC that could make it more affordable and easier to use.

Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) has better strength and water resistance than standard concrete. It has been available for around three decades, and is used around the world for patching and repairing structures. But the technology has seen limited uptake in the USA because of its high cost.

Professor Atorod Azizinamini, professor of civil engineering at FIU has developed an affordable version of UHPC, and a spray system for administering it. The system has been tested on a bridge wall by Virginia Department of Transportation.

The Risk and Resilience Tech Hub, a South Florida infrastructure body, is investing $1 million into the FIU researchers’ system to commercialise the technology and help the university train more engineers and builders to use it.