Proceedings of the Conference on Technologies for Future Cities (CTFC 2025)

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Optical Fiber Concrete: The Future of Sustainable Urban Infrastructure

Authors
Mukesh Patil1, *, Karthik Nagarajan2, Raju Narwade3
1Post Graduate Research Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, Pillai HOC College of Engineering and Technology, University of Mumbai, Rasayani, Maharashtra, India
2Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Pillai HOC College of Engineering and Technology, University of Mumbai, Rasayani, Maharashtra, India
3Head of Department, Department of Civil Engineering, Pillai HOC College of Engineering and Technology, University of Mumbai, Rasayani, Maharashtra, India
*Corresponding author. Email: mukeshpatil882@gmail.com
Corresponding Author
Mukesh Patil
Available Online 20 April 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6239-650-0_31How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Optical Fiber Decorative Concrete; Light-Transmitting Concrete; Energy Efficiency; Sustainable Materials; Urban Infrastructure
Abstract

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials; however, its opaque nature limits the utilization of natural daylight and increases dependency on artificial lighting. To address this limitation, Optical Fiber Decorative Concrete (OFDC) has been developed by embedding polymer optical fibers within the concrete matrix to enable controlled light transmission without significant loss of strength.

This study presents the experimental development and evaluation of OFDC panels intended for architectural, decorative, and sustainable urban applications. Concrete panels incorporating 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% optical fiber volume fractions were fabricated using OPC 53-grade cement and polymer optical fibers of 2 mm diameter. Mechanical performance, workability, water absorption, and light transmission characteristics were experimentally assessed after 28 days of curing.

The results indicate that OFDC panels with 4–6% fiber content provide an optimum balance between compressive strength and daylight transmission, achieving up to 18% light transmission while maintaining acceptable compressive strength levels. An economic and energy analysis suggests that the use of OFDC can reduce artificial lighting demand by approximately 15–20%, resulting in a payback period of 2–3 years for façade applications.

The findings demonstrate that OFDC is a viable material for energy-efficient, aesthetically enhanced, and sustainable construction, particularly for non-structural and architectural components in urban infrastructure.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the Conference on Technologies for Future Cities (CTFC 2025)
Series
Atlantis Highlights in Sustainable Development
Publication Date
20 April 2026
ISBN
978-94-6239-650-0
ISSN
3005-155X
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6239-650-0_31How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Mukesh Patil
AU  - Karthik Nagarajan
AU  - Raju Narwade
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/04/20
TI  - Optical Fiber Concrete: The Future of Sustainable Urban Infrastructure
BT  - Proceedings of the Conference on Technologies for Future Cities (CTFC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 455
EP  - 471
SN  - 3005-155X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-650-0_31
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-650-0_31
ID  - Patil2026
ER  -