Advanced Studies in Structure Materials

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Materials, and Repair & Renovation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 May 2024 | Viewed by 10096

Special Issue Editors

State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Interests: structural engineering; hydraulic structures materials; mechanics and durability of hydraulic concrete
State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Interests: hydraulic structures materials; building materials properties and simulation
State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Interests: concrete materials; geotechnical engineering; transmission structure
College of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443005, China
Interests: hydraulic structures materials
College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: fiber reinforced concrete; geopolymer concrete
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Concrete, mortar and geo-materials are commonly used building materials for various hydraulic structures. As we all know, the operating conditions and working environment of hydraulic structures such as dams, spillways, weirs, culverts, and canals are very complex. During the operation period, they are not only affected by various loads in different ways but also subjected to natural factors such as abrasion, freeze-thaw, infiltration, carbonization, chemical erosion and so on in a relatively harsh environment. These environments are easy to cause the decay and aging of the physical and mechanical properties of the building materials, thereby shortening the service life of hydraulic structures, and even threatening the safe operation of hydraulic structures. Therefore, for some old and ill hydraulic structures, it is necessary to adopt high-performance repair materials and repair processes to ensure their safe operation. With the construction of high dams and reservoirs around the world, higher requirements will be placed on the material properties and restoration of hydraulic structures in the future, and there is a need for the development of hydraulic structures materials.

The main aim of this Special Issue "Advanced Studies in Structure Materials" in Buildings is to provide a platform for the discussion of the major research challenges and achievements in the development of novel hydraulic structures materials. We warmly invite authors to submit their papers for potential inclusion in this Special Issue on concrete, repair materials, mortar, sustainable materials and geo-materials in hydraulic structures such as dams, spillways, weirs, culverts, and canals.

Dr. Yang Li
Prof. Dr. Ruijun Wang
Dr. Yiping Luo
Dr. Xiaochun Lu
Dr. Li Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • structures concrete
  • durability
  • repair materials
  • sustainable materials
  • structures mortar
  • freeze-thaw
  • sulfate attack
  • mechanical property
  • geo-materials
  • environmental factor

Published Papers (9 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

20 pages, 4387 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on the Flexural Behavior of I-Shaped Laminated Bamboo Composite Beam as Sustainable Structural Element
by Jiannan Li, Amardeep Singh and Yiyi Zhou
Buildings 2024, 14(3), 671; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14030671 - 03 Mar 2024
Viewed by 520
Abstract
Laminated bamboo (LB) is considered a promising environmentally friendly material due to its notable strength and advantageous lightweight properties, making it suitable for use in construction applications. LB I-beams are a prevalent component in bamboo structures due to their ability to fully utilize [...] Read more.
Laminated bamboo (LB) is considered a promising environmentally friendly material due to its notable strength and advantageous lightweight properties, making it suitable for use in construction applications. LB I-beams are a prevalent component in bamboo structures due to their ability to fully utilize their material properties and enhance efficiency when compared to beams with rectangular solid sections, while the characteristics of connections should be further studied. This paper presents an experimental investigation of the flexural behavior of I-shaped LB beams that are connected using self-tapping screws and LB dowels. Compared with glued beams of the same size, the findings of the study reveal that the primary failure modes observed in those two types of components were characterized by the separation of the component and web tensile fracture. The screw beam and dowel beam exhibited a reduced ultimate capacity of 43.54% and 30.03%, respectively, compared to the glued beam. Additionally, the ultimate deflections of the screw beam and dowel beam were 34.38% and 50.36% larger than those of the glued beam, respectively. These variations in performance can be attributed to the early breakdown of connectors. Based on design codes, it can be observed that the serviceability limits were in close proximity, whereas the ultimate strains of the top and bottom flanges were significantly lower than the ultimate stresses experienced under uniaxial loading conditions. As a result of the slip and early failure of connectors, the effective bending stiffness estimated by the Gamma method achieved better agreements before elastic proportional limit. Therefore, in future investigations, it would be beneficial to enhance the connector and fortify the flange as a means of enhancing the bending characteristics of an I-shaped beam. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies in Structure Materials)
Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 7907 KiB  
Article
Transforming Zeolite Tuff and Cigarette Waste into Eco-Friendly Ceramic Bricks for Sustainable Construction
by Jamal Eldin F. M. Ibrahim, Mohamed A. Basyooni-M. Kabatas, Ferenc Móricz and István Kocserha
Buildings 2024, 14(1), 144; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14010144 - 06 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1107
Abstract
The use of waste materials has gained attention as a sustainable approach in various industries. Cigarette waste, which is typically discarded as a non-recyclable material, poses a significant environmental challenge due to its toxicity and slow decomposition rate. However, by incorporating this waste [...] Read more.
The use of waste materials has gained attention as a sustainable approach in various industries. Cigarette waste, which is typically discarded as a non-recyclable material, poses a significant environmental challenge due to its toxicity and slow decomposition rate. However, by incorporating this waste into ceramic bricks, new approaches for waste management and resource utilization are explored. This research work provides a detailed evaluation of the possibility of utilizing natural zeolite tuff incorporated with cigarette waste to produce sustainable ceramic bricks. Uniform powders are produced by milling various combinations of zeolitic tuff and cigarette waste using a planetary ball mill. The substitution ratios ranged from 0% to 12% by weight of the zeolitic tuff, with increments of 2%. Ceramic discs were formed by dry pressing and then subjected to sintering at different heat treatment temperatures (950–1250 °C). The impact of the inclusion of cigarette waste on the microstructural and technical features of zeolite tuff-based ceramic bricks has been thoroughly investigated. The results of the experiments demonstrate that incorporating cigarette waste into the development of ceramic bricks leads to improved thermal insulation properties, with thermal conductivity ranging from 0.33 to 0.93 W/m·K. Additionally, these bricks exhibit a lighter weight in a range of 1.45 to 1.96 g/cm3. Although the inclusion of cigarette waste slightly reduces the compressive strength, with values ranging from 6.96 to 58.6 MPa, it still falls within the acceptable range specified by standards. The inclusion of cigarette waste into zeolite tuff is an innovative approach and sustainable practice for reducing energy consumption in buildings while simultaneously addressing the issue of waste disposal and pollution mitigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies in Structure Materials)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2903 KiB  
Article
Shear Bearing Capacity of Steel-Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Shear Wall under Low-Cycle Repeated Loading Based on the Softened Strut-and-Tie Model
by Peibo You, Jie Zhang, Binyu Wang, Yi Wang, Qingjie Yang and Li Li
Buildings 2024, 14(1), 12; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14010012 - 20 Dec 2023
Viewed by 518
Abstract
In this paper, the loading mechanism of steel-fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) shear wall (SW) under low-cycle repeated loading is analyzed, and the softened strut-and-tie model (SSTM) of SFRC SW composed of horizontal and vertical resistant members and diagonal strut is proposed, in which the [...] Read more.
In this paper, the loading mechanism of steel-fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) shear wall (SW) under low-cycle repeated loading is analyzed, and the softened strut-and-tie model (SSTM) of SFRC SW composed of horizontal and vertical resistant members and diagonal strut is proposed, in which the contributions of distributed web reinforcement, concrete, and steel fiber (SF) to the shear bearing capacity (SBC) of SFRC SW is identified. Furthermore, a new algorithm to obtain the SBC of SFRC SW is established, and then it is validated by using the test results of steel-fiber-reinforced high-strength concrete (SFHSC) SW and SFRC SW under low-cycle repeated loading. The results show that the calculated values are in good agreement with the experimental values for the 11 SFRC SWs, and the average strength ratio between calculated and experimental values (Vjh,t/Vjh,c) is 0.958. Therefore, the proposed calculation method is scientific and accurate for analyzing and predicting the SBC of SFRC SW. In addition, the proposed calculation method can scientifically and accurately analyze and predict the SBC of SFRC SW. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies in Structure Materials)
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 874 KiB  
Article
Multi-Component Cements for Sealing Casing Columns in Boreholes
by Stanisław Stryczek and Marcin Kremieniewski
Buildings 2023, 13(7), 1633; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13071633 - 27 Jun 2023
Viewed by 554
Abstract
Ensuring proper and effective cementing of casing pipe columns in boreholes requires maintaining appropriate technological parameters for the developed slurry recipes. It is also necessary to use technology which guarantees effective displacement of the drilling mud for cement slurry injection into the annular [...] Read more.
Ensuring proper and effective cementing of casing pipe columns in boreholes requires maintaining appropriate technological parameters for the developed slurry recipes. It is also necessary to use technology which guarantees effective displacement of the drilling mud for cement slurry injection into the annular space of the borehole. The most important factors that ensure high efficiency of drilling mud displacement by the cement slurry are, among others, the rheological properties of the liquids involved in the process of cementing the casing columns (drilling mud, cement slurry, buffer liquid). The introduced version of the European cement standard, PN-EN 197-1, includes new types of very economical multi-component cements CEM V/A and CEM V/B, which contain 20–40% Portland clinker with a relatively high content of hydraulic and pozzolanic constituents. They occur in the form of granulated blast furnace slag, natural as well as industrial pozzolans and silica fly ash from the combustion of hard coal. The article presents the results of laboratory tests on the technological parameters of both fresh and hardened cement slurries prepared on the basis of CEM V multi-component cement varieties A and B. These slurries meet the standard technological parameters to a demanding extent, which makes it possible to apply them to cementing columns of casing pipes in deep hole drilling. Their detailed properties can be modified by introducing other mineral additives and chemical admixtures to the cement slurry recipes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies in Structure Materials)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 5160 KiB  
Article
Impact of Nano-CaCO3 and PVA Fiber on Properties of Fresh and Hardened Geopolymer Mortar
by Zhe Zhang, Pan Zou, Yiguang Wang and Xun Zhang
Buildings 2023, 13(6), 1380; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13061380 - 26 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1138
Abstract
Geopolymer is a green substitute for Portland cement but has low tensile strength, high brittleness and easy cracking. Therefore, fibers and nanomaterials are used to strengthen and toughen geopolymer composites. The influence of nano-calcium carbonate and PVA fiber on the properties of fresh [...] Read more.
Geopolymer is a green substitute for Portland cement but has low tensile strength, high brittleness and easy cracking. Therefore, fibers and nanomaterials are used to strengthen and toughen geopolymer composites. The influence of nano-calcium carbonate and PVA fiber on the properties of fresh and hardened geopolymer mortar were studied herein. The hybrid of long and short fibers with small content (0.8 vol.%) is conducive to flowability, while the hybrid with large content (1.6 vol.%) and nano-calcium carbonate is conducive to flowability. The slump flow and flow rate of geopolymer mortars with low fiber factor (product of fiber volume fraction and length-diameter ratio) decrease with the growth in nano-calcium carbonate content. As the PVA fiber factor reaches 464.8%, the slump flow and flow rate values of mortars with 0, 1 wt.% and 2 wt.% nano-calcium carbonate are close to each other. About 450% is the density packing threshold of PVA fiber in geopolymer composites. The combination of 0.8 vol.% 12 mm + 0.4 vol.% 6 mm fiber + 1 wt.% nano-calcium carbonate presents the highest flexural strength and flexural to compressive strength ratio, with a compressive strength of about 36 MPa. The optimal fiber factor range of PVA fiber in cement and geopolymer mortar is about 400% and higher than 600%, respectively. PVA fibers show more effective enhancement of flexural strength and toughness in geopolymer than cement mortar. The ultrasonic wave velocity and apparent density of geopolymer mortar show a downward trend as a whole with the increase in fiber factor. The intensity rise of the hump between 17° and 38° (2 θ) in the XRD pattern is observed. The SEM indicates that the surface of PVA fiber in geopolymer mortar with nano-calcium carbonate is heavily scratched, and the fiber filaments are rolled up, demonstrating improved bonding between PVA fiber and geopolymer mortar. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies in Structure Materials)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2858 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on the Influence of Humidity on Double-K Fracture Toughness and Fracture Energy of Concrete under Water Environment
by Guohui Zhang, Xinlan Ni, Xiong Wei, Zhendong Yang and Yanshuang Gu
Buildings 2023, 13(3), 816; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13030816 - 20 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1031
Abstract
Saturated concrete is significantly different from dry concrete in fracture mechanical properties. Using the wedge-splitting tensile method to research the rule of change in moisture content, double-K fracture toughness and fracture energy of three strength grades (C20, C30, and C40) of concrete immersed [...] Read more.
Saturated concrete is significantly different from dry concrete in fracture mechanical properties. Using the wedge-splitting tensile method to research the rule of change in moisture content, double-K fracture toughness and fracture energy of three strength grades (C20, C30, and C40) of concrete immersed in a free water environment for 0 h, 2 h, 5 h, 24 h, and 120 h were studied in order to provide support for the safety evaluation of concrete structures in a water environment. The initial cracking fracture toughness of C20, C30, and C40 concrete in saturated state were, respectively, 29.6%, 23.2%, and 33.4% lower than that in dry state. The unstable fracture toughness of C20, C30, and C40 concrete in saturated state were, respectively, 22.7%, 23.9% and 33.8% lower than that in dry state. The fracture energy of C20, C30, and C40 concrete in saturated state are only 71.99%, 70.29%, and 66.11% of that in dry state, respectively. The initial cracking fracture toughness and unstable fracture toughness of concrete all show a linear, decreasing trend with an increase in moisture content. Before the crack initiation, the measured P–CMOD curve had an obvious linear elastic stage, stable expansion stage, and unstable expansion stage. The critical crack opening displacement gradually decreases with an increase in moisture content; the deformation capacity and toughness of concrete are shown to decrease. The humidity state should be fully considered when evaluating the fracture mechanical properties of concrete. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies in Structure Materials)
Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 9921 KiB  
Article
Experimental Investigation on the Dynamic Mechanical Properties and Microstructure Deterioration of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Subjected to Freeze–Thaw Cycles
by Yang Li, Qirui Zhang, Ruijun Wang, Xiaobin Xiong, Yan Li and Jiayu Wang
Buildings 2022, 12(12), 2170; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122170 - 08 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1361
Abstract
In this study, the dynamic mechanical properties of steel fiber reinforced concrete under the influence of freeze–thaw cycles were studied. The studied parameters include steel fiber content (0%, 1% and 2%), confining pressures (0, 5 and 10 MPa) and strain rates (10−5 [...] Read more.
In this study, the dynamic mechanical properties of steel fiber reinforced concrete under the influence of freeze–thaw cycles were studied. The studied parameters include steel fiber content (0%, 1% and 2%), confining pressures (0, 5 and 10 MPa) and strain rates (10−5/s, 10−4/s, 10−3/s and 10−2/s). Performance was also evaluated, including triaxial compressive strength, peak strain, the relationship between stress and strain, failure mode and microstructure. The results show that with the increase in F–T cycles, the compressive strength and energy absorption capacity of concrete gradually decrease. The mechanical properties of concrete increased with the addition of steel fibers during F–T cycles, and the optimum amount of steel fiber to enhance resistance to F–T cycles is 1% within the evaluation range. In this study, the effects of strain rate and confining pressure on the strength and failure mode of concrete after fiber addition are studied. Both the dynamic increase factor and the concrete strength increase linearly with the increase of strain rate, the dynamic increase factor is characterized by an increase in intensity caused by strain rate. When there is no confining, the crack direction of the concrete specimen is parallel to the stress loading direction, and when there is confining, it is manifested as oblique shear failure. The results of scanning electron microscopy analysis of the microstructure demonstrate the performance results at the macroscopic level (compressive strength and peak strain). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies in Structure Materials)
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 1778 KiB  
Article
Physics-Based Shear-Strength Degradation Model of Stud Connector with the Fatigue Cumulative Damage
by Xiao-Wei Zheng, Heng-Lin Lv, Hong Fan and Yan-Bing Zhou
Buildings 2022, 12(12), 2141; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122141 - 05 Dec 2022
Viewed by 980
Abstract
In the whole lifetime of structures, fatigue damage accumulation will exist in the shear connector of steel–concrete composite beams. It is essential to determine the residual mechanical properties of shear connectors under long-term fatigue loads, e.g., the vehicle load on bridges. In this [...] Read more.
In the whole lifetime of structures, fatigue damage accumulation will exist in the shear connector of steel–concrete composite beams. It is essential to determine the residual mechanical properties of shear connectors under long-term fatigue loads, e.g., the vehicle load on bridges. In this regard, a shear-strength degradation model is proposed for shear connectors. The Bayes theorem is used to develop posterior estimates of the unknown parameters in the degradation model based on the collected pushout test data of pre-damaged stud connectors caused by high-cycle fatigue loads. In addition, according to the proposed shear-strength degradation model, the service reliability assessment is performed with a composite bridge beam. The results indicate that (1) There is a large diversion in the traditional strength degradation model under the action of fatigue cumulative damage. More importantly, this proposed physics-based degradation model can effectively reduce uncertainty. (2) The effects of steel type and test specimen size can be well considered in the proposed shear-strength degradation model, which is beneficial for improving the reliability of risk assessment for fatigued bridges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies in Structure Materials)
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 6791 KiB  
Article
Effect of Fly Ash Content on the Microstructure and Strength of Concrete under Freeze–Thaw Condition
by Shuhua Zhang, Bofu Chen, Bin Tian, Xiaochun Lu and Bobo Xiong
Buildings 2022, 12(12), 2113; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122113 - 01 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1557
Abstract
To understand the influence of fly ash (FA) content on the microstructure and strength of concrete under freeze–thaw cycles (FTCs), four groups of concrete with different FA contents (0–30%) were tested under FTC condition. Mass loss rate, relative dynamic modulus of elasticity (RDME), [...] Read more.
To understand the influence of fly ash (FA) content on the microstructure and strength of concrete under freeze–thaw cycles (FTCs), four groups of concrete with different FA contents (0–30%) were tested under FTC condition. Mass loss rate, relative dynamic modulus of elasticity (RDME), splitting tensile strength and other damage indicators were selected to describe the impact of macro properties. The micro physical changes, porosity and pore size distribution parameters were obtained through scanning electron microscope (SEM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. The influence mechanism of FA content on the frost resistance durability of concrete under FTC was discussed from the macro and micro perspectives. The results show that under the action of FTC, the addition of FA fills the pores, reduces the pore spacing, improves the strength of concrete, and makes the RDEM and splitting tensile strength of concrete increase first and then decrease. Among them, 20% FA concrete has the best frost resistance. The pore structure parameters show that the content of pores smaller than 100 nm has a great impact on the frost resistance durability of FA concrete, and increasing the content of these pores can improve the frost resistance durability of concrete. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies in Structure Materials)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop