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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2024) | Viewed by 14965

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Enfeng Deng

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School of Civil Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Interests: integrated modular construction; seismic design of steel structure; prefabricated steel structure; seismic resilience of engineering structures
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Prof. Dr. Xuechun Liu

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College of Architectural and Civil Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
Interests: steel structure; prestressed steel structure; prefabricated steel structure; bolted connection

Prof. Dr. Hongfei Chang

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Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmental Impact and Structural Safety in Engineering, School of Mechanics and Civil Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: sustainable steel structure
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Dr. Liang Zong

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School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Interests: integrated modular construction; fatigue and fracture; seismic design of steel structure
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Dr. Jiadi Liu

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School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Interests: prefabricated modular steel construction; steel-timber combined structure

Dr. Ke Cao

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School of Management Science and Real Estate, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China
Interests: modular steel buildings; prefabricated structures; behaviour of steel joints; building industrialization; smart construction; big data in construction
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Dr. Qi An

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School of Civil Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China
Interests: integrated modular construction; prefabricated steel structure; large span steel structures

Dr. Xun Zhang

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Guest Editor

School of Civil Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Interests: prefabricated steel structure; seismic design of steel structure and composite structure; seismic resilience of engineering structures

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Prefabricated steel structures permit a large portion of the building to be manufactured in a factory, making it environmentally friendly and highly efficient. The modularized production of buildings has attracted extensive interest from engineers in recent years with growing environmental impact and increasing labor costs for traditional on-site construction. A steel-based module is the ideal structural form for modular construction, owing to its flexibility in architectural design, long span, lightweight, and convenience in connection.

This Special Issue focuses on the cutting-edge research progress in prefabricated and modular steel structures. The topics of this Special Issue include development and application of different types of prefabricated steel structures, mechanical behavior and design of prefabricated modularized steel structures, and so on. Original contributions concerning the following research aspects (among others) are welcome:

Case study and review on different types of prefabricated and modular steel structures.
Recent innovations of critical joints for prefabricated and modular steel structures.
Mechanical behavior and design method of prefabricated and modular steel structures.
Failure mechanism of prefabricated and modular steel structures under extreme conditions, such as earthquakes, wind, fire, and so on.
Static and seismic performance of bolted connections for steel structures, concrete structures, and steel–concrete composite structures.
Intelligent construction of prefabricated and modular steel structures.

Dr. Enfeng Deng
Prof. Dr. Xuechun Liu
Prof. Dr. Hongfei Chang
Dr. Liang Zong
Dr. Jiadi Liu
Dr. Ke Cao
Dr. Qi An
Dr. Xun Zhang
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

prefabricated steel structures
modular steel construction
seismic performance
smart construction
behavior and design
failure mechanism

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 6570 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Digital Twin Model and Its Establishment Method for Steel Structure Construction Processes

by Zhansheng Liu and Sen Lin

Buildings 2024, 14(4), 1043; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14041043 - 08 Apr 2024

Viewed by 472

Abstract

At present, the informatization level in the construction process of steel structures is relatively low. Meanwhile, digital twin technology, with better interactive features, provides a new development direction for the intelligent construction of steel structures. Therefore, this paper introduces the concept of a digital twin into the steel structure construction process, analyzes the connotation and characteristics of the digital twin model, and proposes the digital twin model architecture for steel structure construction processes. Furthermore, a method for establishing a digital twin model for steel structure construction processes is presented, which includes three stages: the acquisition and transmission of physical space data, the construction of a digital twin virtual model, and information exchange in the digital twin model. Based on these concepts, this paper describes a digital twin system architecture for the steel structure construction process from the perspective of data flow in the digital twin model. Finally, with the application of information technology in the steel structure construction process of the university park library project in Xiongan New Area and the reconstruction and expansion project of the Nanchong Gaoping airport, the digital twin model and its establishment method methods are analyzed practically and demonstrated effectively in this study. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prefabricated and Modular Steel Structures)

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23 pages, 56451 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Seismic Performance and Applicable Height of a Cooperative Modular Steel Building

by Yan Wang, Zhuyu Huang and Qi An

Buildings 2024, 14(3), 678; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14030678 - 04 Mar 2024

Viewed by 610

Abstract

As an innovative building system, the modular steel structure demonstrates a high degree of industrialization and assembly efficiency. However, no linkage exists between the components of modular units, leading to issues such as diminished load capacity and excessive steel usage in modular construction. In order to tackle these challenges, finite element numerical simulations are employed to examine the inter-column connectors and the cooperative modular steel buildings. This simulation calculates the initial stiffness across various degrees of freedom in these connectors. In addition, it analyzes the displacement response, changes in internal forces, and height of cooperative modular steel structures under varying seismic precautionary intensities. The results revealed that cooperative modular steel buildings substantially improve overall stiffness and lateral performance compared to their non-cooperative counterparts. There is a maximum reduction in the inter-story displacement angle of up to 36.1%, and the maximum reduction of the top displacement can reach 16.2%. This enhancement also increases structural stiffness, a shortened natural vibration period, and an augmented bottom shear force. Based on these findings, it is advised that the height of cooperative modular steel buildings should not exceed 21 m at 7 degrees (0.10 g), 21 m at 7 degrees (0.15 g), and 12 m at 8 degrees (0.20 g). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prefabricated and Modular Steel Structures)

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23 pages, 9312 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Seismic Behavior of Demountable Self-Lock Joint for Middle Column Connection in Modular Steel Construction

by Xiao-Meng Dai, Liang Zong, Yang Ding, Hao-Wen Zhang and Feng-Wei Shi

Buildings 2024, 14(1), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14010275 - 19 Jan 2024

Viewed by 599

Abstract

The use of modular steel construction (MSC) achieves a minimum of on-site work and the potential for removability and reuse. In order to realize the overall disassembly of module buildings and the rapid off-site reconstruction after disassembly, special requirements are put forward for the joints of MSCs. The existing joints of MSCs have some problems, such as the difficulty in the erection of the joints for middle column connection and their inability to be reused. In order to solve these key technical problems, an improved version of the demountable self-locking joint is proposed based on the previous plug-in self-locking joint. For this new type of joint, a full-scale test consisting of four specimens was carried out. The results of functional tests verify that the joint has good demountability. The seismic behavior of the joint under seismic load was investigated by cyclic loading tests. Then, finite element (FE) models were developed and validated through the test results. The results of finite element parameter analysis show that joint boxes are very important to the initial stiffness of this kind of joint, but the thickness of the joint box and the diameter of the stud have little influence on the seismic behavior of the joint. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prefabricated and Modular Steel Structures)

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15 pages, 4340 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study on Flexural Performance of Precast Prestressed Concrete Beams with Fiber Reinforcement

by Jingjing Zhang, Chao Liu, Jianning Wang, Xuguang Feng and Huanqin Liu

Buildings 2023, 13(8), 1982; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13081982 - 03 Aug 2023

Viewed by 667

Abstract

Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) has good toughness and a gentle stress–strain softening section, which can improve the inherent defects of concrete material such as high brittleness, easy cracking, and poor fracture toughness. In this paper, carbon fiber, aramid fiber and mixed fiber are introduced to enhance the performance of precast prestressed concrete beams (PPCB). The effects of different fiber types and adding rate on mechanical properties of FRC were studied via axial compression test and four-point bending test. Based on the flexural performance test of precast FRC beams, the failure form and the improvement degree of flexural ability of the beams were analyzed. Moreover, the load–deflection curve and the quantified ductility index obtained by the test were discussed, and the law of the improvement effect of fiber type on flexural property was revealed. The results show that the optimal addition rate of fiber is 0.6%. In addition, the addition of fiber significantly increased the cracking load and ultimate bearing capacity of the test beam, whereby the average increase in cracking load and ultimate bearing capacity was 40% and 20%, respectively. At the same time, the ductility of the beam is obviously enhanced by the action of fibers, among which the hybrid fiber has the best effect. Specifically, the ductility coefficient analysis verifies that aramid fiber plays an important role in improving the ductility of the components. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prefabricated and Modular Steel Structures)

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23 pages, 8727 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Flexural Behavior of Cold-Formed Steel Composite Floor Infilled with Desert Sand Foamed Concrete

by Bin Yao, Yu Shi, Weiyong Wang, Qiang Wang and Zhiyou Hu

Buildings 2023, 13(5), 1217; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13051217 - 05 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1197

Abstract

Desert sand foamed concrete (DSFC), which offers advantages, such as fire resistance, sound insulation, construction convenience, and environmental benefits, has not been used in cold-formed steel (CFS) composite floors. In this study, four full-scale specimens were designed and tested under four-point bending to investigate the effect of foamed concrete filling and holes. The load–deflection curves and strain distribution at mid-span were measured and analyzed. The experimental results indicated that the failure modes of the CFS composite floors were local buckling at the top flange for specimens without holes and tensile failure at the bottom flange for specimens with holes, respectively, which differed from the web crippling observed in non-composite floors. Moreover, due to the presence of foamed concrete, the flexural stiffness was significantly improved by 117.6% and 73.6% for the specimens without holes and with holes, respectively, while ultimate capacity increased by 224.9% and 121.8%, respectively. Through the nonlinear finite element models validated against experimental results, it was found that the flexural behavior was improved with the increase in CFS thickness and foamed concrete strength. The impact of the holes was not obvious for specimens infilled with holes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prefabricated and Modular Steel Structures)

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19 pages, 6789 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Seismic Behavior of UHPC-Filled Rectangular Steel Tube Columns Incorporating Local Buckling

by Yanxiang Yan, Yu Yan, Yansong Wang, Heng Cai and Yaorui Zhu

Buildings 2023, 13(4), 1028; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13041028 - 13 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1231

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical study on the static behavior and cyclic behavior of UHPC-filled steel tube (UHPCFST) columns. A novel fiber element model is developed based on the effective distribution width method to consider the influence of local buckling. The parameters of the descending branch of the stress–strain curve of constrained concrete have been modified and proposed according to the existing experimental results. Thereafter, the impact parameter analysis of the seismic performance of UHPCFST columns under the pseudo static load is conducted, and the strength of steel and UHPC, width–thickness ratio, length–diameter ratio and axial compression ratio are considered. The results indicate that the proposed fiber element model can accurately predict the static and cyclic nonlinear behaviors of the UHPCFST columns. The bearing capacity and the post-peak ductility of UHPCFST columns can be overestimated, such as neglecting the local buckling of the steel tube, which will lead to the insecurity of structures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prefabricated and Modular Steel Structures)

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22 pages, 7013 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Behavior of Concrete-Filled U-Shaped Steel Beam to CFSST Column Connections

by Yan Lin, Zhijie Zhao, Xuhui Gao, Zhen Wang and Shuang Qu

Buildings 2023, 13(2), 517; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13020517 - 14 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2135

Abstract

Two new types of connection between concrete-filled U-shaped steel (CFUS) beams and concrete-filled square steel tube (CFSST) columns were presented in this study, including rebar-sleeve with internal diaphragm connection and rebar-through with internal diaphragm connection. Based on the experiments of the rebar-plate with internal diaphragm connections between CFUS beams and CFSST columns under cyclic loading, the nonlinear finite element models of the tested specimens were developed and validated by comparing them with the experimental results. The numerical results were in agreement with the experimental results in terms of failure modes, stress distribution, and load-displacement skeleton curves. Based on the FEA results, the mechanical behavior of the two new types of connection were comprehensively discussed and compared. Furthermore, this parametric study was conducted for the rebar-sleeve with internal diaphragm connection to investigate the effect of specific parameters on the capacity of the connection. The parameters included: The thickness of U-shaped steel, the ratio of longitudinal reinforcement in the concrete slab, the strength of concrete in the beam, the strength of the U-shaped steel, and the thickness of the internal diaphragm. The results indicate that the thickness of the U-shaped steel (t_b), the ratio of the longitudinal reinforcement in concrete slab (ρ), and the strength of the U-shaped steel have significant effects on the loading capacity of the connection—the loading capacity increases by about 20% when t_b increases from 6 mm to 8 mm, increases by about 45% when ρ increases from 1.5% to 4.8% under negative P, and increases by about 20% when the steel yield strength (f_y) increases from 235 Mpa to 420 Mpa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prefabricated and Modular Steel Structures)

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20 pages, 11866 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Seismic Performance of H-Shaped Steel Column with Replaceable Slip Friction Joints

by Cheng-Yu Li, Fan Wang and Ai-Zhu Zhu

Buildings 2022, 12(12), 2240; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122240 - 16 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1938

Abstract

Based on the concept of structural damage control, a beam-through steel frame system with continuous columns was constructed. Replaceable connectors were set at both ends of an H-shaped steel column to connect the beam with high-strength bolts. In this study, three specimens were designed and fabricated, that is, a standard H-shaped column, an H-shaped column with replaceable connectors at the bottom of the column, and an H-shaped column with replaceable connectors at both ends. Low-circumferential reciprocal loading tests were carried out to analyse the influence of the location of replaceable slip friction joints on the seismic performance of steel columns. Results showed that the H-shaped steel column with replaceable slip friction joints at both ends slipped during the loading process, as expected. The test hysteresis curve was full, and the skeleton curve did not drop significantly; thus, the column demonstrated satisfactory seismic performance. The steel column was not significantly damaged or deformed, and connectors could be reset and replaced after an earthquake to achieve post-earthquake repair. The effect of the thickness of the horizontal limbs of the connectors on the seismic performance of the H-shaped column with replaceable connectors at both ends was analysed using finite element simulation. The results revealed that the reasonable setting of the thickness of the horizontal limbs of the connectors can ensure the frictional energy dissipation capacity of the connectors and achieve the expected damage control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prefabricated and Modular Steel Structures)

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17 pages, 8690 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Hidden Column Type on Seismic Performance of the Insulated Sandwich Wall Panel Joints with Ceramsite Concrete Layer

by Lianghui Li, Shaochun Ma, Peng Bao and Hao Wang

Buildings 2022, 12(12), 2214; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122214 - 13 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1574

Abstract

Ceramsite concrete, with its advantages such as excellent long-term durability and thermal insulation properties, is suitable to be utilized as precast sandwich wall panels. While the lack of assessment of the seismic performance of such wall panel joints has been studied. Therefore, an experimental program was carried out to investigate and improve the seismic performance of the new type of wall panel joints. The seismic performances of the specimens were experimentally evaluated, including failure mode, loading and deformation capacity, ductility, the strain of vertically distributed steels, stiffness, and energy dissipation. The insulated sandwich wall panel joints have good seismic performance shown by the quasi-static test. The ductility coefficient of all specimens was greater than 3. The structure of the control group specimen presented a better match in stiffness, bearing capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation. The sleeve connection confirmed that the integrity of the joint, and the L-shaped hidden column could improve the ductility coefficient and equivalent viscous damping coefficient by about 4.2%. The results can promote the research of such wallboard system. This design approach of sandwich wall panel joints with lightweight concrete is broadly applicable to the exploration of more types of energy-saving wallboard systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prefabricated and Modular Steel Structures)

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15 pages, 6210 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study on Seismic Behavior of Steel Column Base Connections with Arc End-Plates Slip-Friction

by Chengyu Li, Cong Luo and Aizhu Zhu

Buildings 2022, 12(11), 2012; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12112012 - 17 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1349

Abstract

This paper proposes a new type of steel slip-friction column base connections with arc end-plates. Two arc end-plates of the steel column base, which can slide between each other to some extent, were set at the position where the column base is subject to plastic deformation. Thus, the sliding-friction energy dissipation between the arc end-plates can effectively minimize or eliminate the energy dissipation of the traditional column base connections. Cyclic loading tests were conducted to study the hysteretic performance and energy consumption performance of the proposed connections. Considerations have been given to different axial compression ratios, Belleville springs (Bes), brass plates, and horizontal loading protocols. The test results show no obvious deformation or damage during the radial cyclic loading test. The curve shape of the test measurement approximates a parallelogram, showing good force performance. The proposed connections with the increasing axial compression force can increase the energy dissipation ability and load-carrying capacity. Therefore, the proposed connection has perfect seismic behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prefabricated and Modular Steel Structures)

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28 pages, 22593 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study and Finite Element Calculation of the Behavior of Special T-Shaped Composite Columns with Concrete-Filled Square Steel Tubulars under Eccentric Loads

by Quan Li, Zhe Liu, Xuejun Zhou and Zhen Wang

Buildings 2022, 12(10), 1756; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12101756 - 20 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1575

Abstract

Special T-shaped composite columns with concrete-filled square steel tubulars have good restraint on internal concrete, are convenient to process, have a high bearing capacity and good mechanical properties, and can increase the aesthetics of the building and the utilization rate of indoor space. Theoretical analysis, experimental study, and numerical simulation of the eccentric compression performance of the special-shaped column are carried out. Taking the specimen length, eccentric distance, and eccentric direction as test parameters, nine specimens with different slenderness ratios were designed to carry out eccentric compression tests. The eccentric compression performance was numerically simulated and analyzed by the general finite element software ABAQUS. The results show that the short column mainly suffers section strength failure, while the middle and long columns mainly suffer bending instability failure without torsional deformation. The degree of influence of the test parameters decreases in turn according to the eccentric distance, eccentric direction, and length of the specimen; there is no weld cracking phenomenon, and the square steel pipes can work together. The finite element calculation results are in good agreement with the experimental and theoretical values. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prefabricated and Modular Steel Structures)

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