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Innovative and Sustainable Infrastructure Materials for Construction Resilience and Improved...
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Innovative and Sustainable Infrastructure Materials for Construction Resilience and Improved Productivity

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2024) | Viewed by 4747

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jaeheum Yeon

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Regional Infrastructure Engineering, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
Interests: smart construction; construction materials; 3D concrete printing
Dr. Yooseob Song

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA
Interests: computational solid mechanics; sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hyunhwan Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering Technology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
Interests: crumb rubber modifiers recycling in asphalt; microstructural image analysis of asphalt binders
Dr. Bongjun Ji

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Regional Infrastructure Engineering, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
Interests: prediction using machine learning; data quality management; knowledge modeling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is deeply soaked not only in the industrial fields but also in the construction fields for improving construction productivity. In other words, newly developed technologies that can achieve the purposes of construction projects without being labor-intensive and wasting construction materials are being actively introduced. In particular, sustainable construction materials are innovatively being developed to shift the existing paradigm of construction materials via, for example, residential construction using 3D-printable cementitious mixtures, self-healing cementitious composites, smart asphalt mix designs, the optimization of asphalt pavement selection, metals and alloys in extreme environments, data-driven construction materials design, machine-learning-based material assessment, and advanced construction materials characterization.

Many numerical and experimental test results have been published in academic journals and conferences. However, more detailed studies that employ emerging technologies are being carried out. The engineering properties of construction materials rely on their types and additives. However, measuring engineering properties is time-consuming and requires technical expertise, specialized equipment, and effort. The Fourth Industrial Revolution develops the deep regression model for predicting the performances of construction materials based on the base properties of materials, image analyses, and historical data to show the feasibility of replacing traditional measuring estimate techniques. Thus, this Special Issue welcomes your contributions to make these fields more elaborate. The topics associated with this Special Issue range from cementitious composites, asphalt, and alloys for infrastructure to data-driven infrastructure management.  However, this Special Issue is not limited to this scope. Therefore, please feel free to submit your manuscripts to this Special Issue.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Jaeheum Yeon
Dr. Yooseob Song
Dr. Hyunhwan Kim
Dr. Bongjun Ji
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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

  • three-dimensional-printable cementitious mixtures
  • self-healing cementitious composites
  • smart asphalt mix designs
  • optimization of asphalt pavement selection
  • metals and alloys in extreme environments
  • data-driven construction materials designs
  • advanced construction materials characterization
  • machine-learning-based material assessment
  • performance prediction

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 9661 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Size on the Mechanical Properties of 3D-Printed Polymers
by Hamed Sadaghian, Behrooz Dadmand, Majid Pourbaba, Soheil Jabbari and Jung Heum Yeon
Sustainability 2024, 16(1), 356; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010356 - 30 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1206
Abstract
Most of the experiments on additively manufactured polymers are on a small scale, and it remains uncertain whether findings at a small scale can be extrapolated to their larger-scale counterparts. This uncertainty mainly arises due to the limited studies on the effect of [...] Read more.
Most of the experiments on additively manufactured polymers are on a small scale, and it remains uncertain whether findings at a small scale can be extrapolated to their larger-scale counterparts. This uncertainty mainly arises due to the limited studies on the effect of size on three-dimensional (3D)-printed polymers, among many others. Given this background, this preliminary study aims to investigate the effect of geometric dimensions (i.e., the size effect) on the mechanical performance of four representative types of 3D-printable polymers, namely, (1) polycarbonate acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC/ABS), (2) acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate (ASA), (3) polylactic acid (PLA) as a bio biodegradable and sustainable material, and (4) polyamide (PA, nylon), based on compression, modulus of elasticity, tension, and flexural tests. Eight different sizes were investigated for compression, modulus of elasticity, and tension tests, while seven different sizes were tested under flexure as per relevant test standards. A material extrusion technique was used to 3D-print the polymers in a flat build orientation and at an infill orientation angle of 45°. The results have shown that the mechanical properties of the 3D-printed polymers were size-dependent, regardless of the material type, with the most significant being flexure, followed by tension, compression, and modulus of elasticity; however, no clear general trend could be identified in this regard. All the materials except for nylon showed a brittle failure pattern, characterized by interfacial failure rather than filament failure. PLA outperformed the other three polymer specimens in terms of strength, irrespective of the type of loading. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative and Sustainable Infrastructure Materials for Construction Resilience and Improved Productivity)
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15 pages, 6288 KiB  
Article
Impact of Low-Reactivity Calcined Clay on the Performance of Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer Mortar
by Kwabena Boakye and Morteza Khorami
Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13556; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813556 - 11 Sep 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 948
Abstract
Availability of aluminosiliceous materials is essential for the production and promotion of geopolymer concrete. Unlike fly ash, which can only be found in industrial regions, clays are available almost everywhere but have not received sufficient attention to their potential use as a precursor [...] Read more.
Availability of aluminosiliceous materials is essential for the production and promotion of geopolymer concrete. Unlike fly ash, which can only be found in industrial regions, clays are available almost everywhere but have not received sufficient attention to their potential use as a precursor for geopolymer synthesis. This study investigates the effectiveness of calcined clay as a sole and binary precursor (with fly ash) for the preparation of geopolymer mortar. Fly ash-based geopolymer containing between 0 and 100% low-grade calcined clay was prepared to investigate the effect of calcined clay replacement on the geopolymerization process and resultant mortar, using a constant liquid/solid ratio. Reagent-grade sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) were mixed and used for the alkali solution preparation. Six different mortar mixes were formulated using sand and the geopolymer binder, comprising varying fly ash-to-calcined clay ratios. The combined effect of the two source materials on compressive strength, setting time, autogenous shrinkage, and porosity was studied. The source materials were characterized using XRD, SEM, FTIR, and XRF techniques. Isothermal calorimetry was used to characterize the effect of low-grade calcined clay on the geopolymerization process. The addition of calcined clay reduced the surface interaction between the dissolved particles in the alkali solution, leading to slow initial reactivity. Geopolymer mortar containing 20% calcined clay outperformed the reference geopolymer mortar by 5.6%, 17%, and 18.5% at 7, 28, and 91 days, respectively. The MIP analysis revealed that refinement of the pore structure of geopolymer specimens containing calcined clay resulted in the release of tensional forces within the pore fluid. Optimum replacement was found to be 20%. From this study, the mutual reliance on the physical and inherent properties of the two precursors to produce geopolymer mortar with desirable properties has been shown. The findings strongly suggest that clay containing low content of kaolinite can be calcined and added to fly ash, together with appropriate alkali activators, to produce a suitable geopolymer binder for construction applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative and Sustainable Infrastructure Materials for Construction Resilience and Improved Productivity)
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16 pages, 2241 KiB  
Article
Laboratory Evaluation of High-Temperature Properties of Recycled PMA Binders
by Jihyeon Yun, Il-Ho Na, Pangil Choi, Bongjun Ji and Hyunhwan Kim
Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12744; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712744 - 23 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 624
Abstract
Various environmentally friendly additives have been used to mitigate significant damage, such as plastic deformation and cracking, in asphalt pavements over the long term. Despite the existence of research demonstrating the efficacy of the materials for asphalt mixture, there has been a lack [...] Read more.
Various environmentally friendly additives have been used to mitigate significant damage, such as plastic deformation and cracking, in asphalt pavements over the long term. Despite the existence of research demonstrating the efficacy of the materials for asphalt mixture, there has been a lack of studies focusing on the recycling of modified asphalt binders. Therefore, this study conveys the laboratory evaluation of the high-temperature properties of 12 recycled polymer-modified asphalt (PMA) binders as basic research. The data evaluation was carried out using crumb rubber modifier (CRM), styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), and styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) modified binders, depending on their recycled binders. To assess the properties of each binder, the viscosity and viscoelasticity were measured. Overall, the results of this study revealed that (1) an increasing trend for the viscosity of all asphalt binders was seen as the recycled binder was added and showed their characteristics depending on modifiers; (2) the tendency for using each modified binder in the original and rolling thin-film oven (RTFO) condition appeared for modifiers to have their properties when reusing them; (3) from the Jnr and %rec values, each property of modifiers kept its inherent characteristics, but a potential limit was seen in that a styrene block copolymer was mainly effective on this test method. To sum up, modifiers in asphalt mixture can have their unique properties even after reusing them in recycled asphalt mixture. Therefore, it is recommended that modifiers in asphalt mixture are considered as a potential factor in utilizing reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative and Sustainable Infrastructure Materials for Construction Resilience and Improved Productivity)
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15 pages, 6114 KiB  
Article
Effect of Embedded Depth of Copper-Nickel-Plated Sensor Probes on Compressive Strength Development of Mortar
by Chaehyeon Kim, Yooseob Song, Junhwi Cho, Julian Kang and Jaeheum Yeon
Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 10772; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151410772 - 09 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1124
Abstract
Embedded sensors are widely employed for the structural health monitoring of structures constructed with concrete or mortar. Despite embedded sensors being actively used, there has been no study on whether or not the sensor probe placement within structures made of concrete or mortar [...] Read more.
Embedded sensors are widely employed for the structural health monitoring of structures constructed with concrete or mortar. Despite embedded sensors being actively used, there has been no study on whether or not the sensor probe placement within structures made of concrete or mortar influences their structural stability. The strength of small structures in particular could be affected by sensor probes embedded within them. To address the lack of research in this area, this study analyzed the effect of embedding positions of sensor probes on the compressive strength development of mortar. After the production of mortar specimens with the depth of the embedded sensor being controlled by the developed mold, compressive strength tests were conducted, and then test results were verified through finite element analysis. For testing, copper–nickel-plated sensor probes were embedded within the mortar because these sensor probes are popular commercial probes. The test results show that the compressive strength was 7.1 MPa when the sensor probe was embedded at a depth of 5 mm. In contrast, the compressive strength was 28.2 MPa at a depth of 30 mm. Since the compressive strength without the embedded sensor probe was 29.8 MPa, considering the results of this study, it is highly recommended that copper–nickel-plated sensor probes be embedded at least 30 mm from the surface of mortar structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative and Sustainable Infrastructure Materials for Construction Resilience and Improved Productivity)
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