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Applied Sciences
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Construction Materials: Characterization, Structure and Durability, 2nd Edition
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Construction Materials: Characterization, Structure and Durability, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2025 | Viewed by 225

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Eduardo Garzon

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Almería, La Cañada de San Urbano s/n, 04120 Almería, Spain
Interests: phyllite clays; sericite clays; biomass; construction materials; concrete; resistance of materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Scientific and technological development has led to the formulation of new materials with new structural and industrial applications. This Special Issue aims to analyze the preparation, characterization, structure, durability, new applications, construction waste and recycling of construction materials. Through this Special Issue, we will offer an introduction to traditional and advanced construction materials, followed by an overview of material preparation techniques and various applications developed in recent years. Studies on traditional construction materials as ideal candidates for absorbing wastes, offering the possibility of obtaining new eco-efficient materials, such as concrete, while competitively approaching the concept of the circular economy, are encouraged, as are studies that focus on different advanced construction materials. During the last decade, smart materials have attracted significant attention as candidate materials due to their ability to demonstrate improved and unique properties compared to conventional construction materials. As such, papers that focus on obtaining construction materials through new synthesis processes are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Eduardo Garzon
Guest Editor

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.

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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

  • construction materials
  • preparation
  • characterization
  • structure
  • durability
  • new applications
  • construction waste
  • recycling materials

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 4543 KiB  
Article
A Comparison of Cement and Guar Gum Stabilisation of Oxford Clay Under Controlled Wetting and Drying Cycles
by Kanishka Sauis Turrakheil, Syed Samran Ali Shah and Muhammad Naveed
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(12), 6913; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15126913 - 19 Jun 2025
Abstract
Climate-induced wetting and drying (WD) cycles significantly affect the long-term performance of geotechnical structures. This study explores expansive Oxford clay’s mechanical and volumetric responses stabilised with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and guar gum (GG) under repeated WD cycles. We prepared 108 samples in [...] Read more.
Climate-induced wetting and drying (WD) cycles significantly affect the long-term performance of geotechnical structures. This study explores expansive Oxford clay’s mechanical and volumetric responses stabilised with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and guar gum (GG) under repeated WD cycles. We prepared 108 samples in total—36 untreated, 36 treated with OPC, and 36 treated with GG. These samples were compacted to 90% of their maximum dry density and subjected to 1, 5, 10, and 15 WD cycles, with nine samples for each treatment at each cycle. During the WD cycles, we monitored volumetric strain and moisture content. Mechanical performance was assessed through unconsolidated undrained triaxial tests conducted at matric suctions of −1500 kPa, −33 kPa, and under saturated conditions. We evaluated the undrained shear strength (Su), secant modulus of elasticity (E50), and modulus of toughness (Ut). The results showed that OPC-treated samples consistently exhibited the highest Su at −1500 kPa across all WD cycles, followed by untreated and GG-treated samples. At −33 kPa, OPC-treated samples again outperformed the others in Su, while GG-treated samples performed better than the untreated ones. Under saturated conditions, GG-treated samples displayed a similar Su to OPC-treated samples, significantly higher than untreated samples. Energy absorption capacity, measured through Ut, peaked for OPC-treated samples at −1500 kPa but favoured GG treatment at −33 kPa and under saturation. X-ray computed tomography (CT) revealed severe degradation in untreated samples, characterised by extensive cracking, minor cracking in OPC-treated samples, and minimal damage in GG-treated samples. This highlights the superior resilience of guar gum to wetting–drying cycles. These findings underscore the potential of guar gum as a sustainable alternative to cement for enhancing the WD resilience of expansive soils, particularly under low-suction or saturated conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Materials: Characterization, Structure and Durability, 2nd Edition)
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