Advances in Aluminium Alloy Structural Applications

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Structures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 1344

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Assistant Professor, Institute of Metal Structures, School of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: structural aluminium; steel structures; metallic materials applications; connections; standardisation; resilient design; high-rise buildings; wind energy structures; sustainability assessment; refurbishment
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Guest Editor
Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: metal structures; structural reliability; aluminium alloys; high-strength steels; structural joints; structural fire engineering; standardisation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Aversa (CE), 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: steel and aluminium structures; seismic design; structural rehabilitation; advanced techniques of seismic protection; shell structures; standardisation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aluminium represents one of the most popular metallic materials, with continuously increasing applications across various sectors of the economy and industry. Key features related to the material's physical and mechanical properties, such as lightness and corrosion resistance, together with extrusion flexibility and the wide range of available alloys, make aluminium an attractive choice for designers and engineers in construction.

This Special Issue is dedicated to advances in the use of aluminium alloys in structural applications, aiming to provide an up-to-date framework in this field. We invite original contributions on new research, case studies, projects, reviews and state-of-the-art discussions related to the analysis and design of aluminium alloy members for buildings and other structures. Submissions may cover a wide range of topics concerning aluminium alloy structural applications, from material-related subjects, such as new alloys and emerging manufacturing trends, to member- and system-level objectives, including novel approaches in strength and stability design, normative provisions, the treatment of heat-affected zones, horizontal lateral load–cyclic response, behaviour under elevated temperatures, and behavioural parameters of aluminium in constructional applications such as bridges, long-span structures, building envelopes, composite systems, and retrofit activities.

We welcome papers on the following topics, including (but not limited to) the following:

  • New aluminium alloys;
  • Manufacture (extrusion, welding, additive manufacturing, 3D printing);
  • Numerical–computational–experimental investigation;
  • Aluminium codified provisions and specifications;
  • Aluminium innovative connections and joints;
  • Welding issues and heat affected zones;
  • Strength–stability design;
  • Loading effects (wind/seismic/fire/fatigue);
  • Aluminium deployment in construction (such as buildings, façade, curtain walling, bridges, shell structures, long-span reticulated structures, marine applications, retrofit activities, etc.);
  • Innovative design and emerging application fields (composite, wind- infrastructure systems, earthquake protection);
  • Reliability assessment of aluminium structures;
  • Case studies.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Evangelos Efthymiou
Prof. Dr. Davor Skejic
Prof. Dr. Alberto Mandara
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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 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 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

  • aluminium alloys
  • aluminium manufacture
  • aluminium-related codification
  • analysis procedures
  • design methods
  • innovative aluminium joints and connections
  • aluminium constructional applications
  • reliability assessment
  • execution of aluminium structures
  • case studies

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

32 pages, 4952 KB  
Article
Comparative Structural Analysis and Applicability Evaluation of Wrought and 3D-Printed Aluminium Alloys for Load-Bearing Structural Applications
by Evangelos Efthymiou and Charalampos Gkountas
Buildings 2026, 16(10), 1876; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16101876 - 8 May 2026
Viewed by 327
Abstract
Indisputably, the evolution of innovative manufacturing methods such as additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing in the last decade has started gradually to influence the construction field, offering significant benefit potential, particularly in the field of metallic materials. In the case of aluminium [...] Read more.
Indisputably, the evolution of innovative manufacturing methods such as additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing in the last decade has started gradually to influence the construction field, offering significant benefit potential, particularly in the field of metallic materials. In the case of aluminium alloys, the implementation of the wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) method, an AM sub-type, has recently emerged as a promising alternative to conventional rolling and extrusion, enabling unprecedented geometric flexibility, lower energy demand, and reduced tooling costs. However, the selection of an appropriate feedstock alloy poses a major challenge, as inherent trade-offs between strength, ductility, and printing-induced anisotropy arise. In this context, this study presents a thorough multi-scale numerical investigation, spanning from the cross-sectional to the global structural scale. The structural performance of several two-story moment-resisting frames was evaluated, comparing frames featuring WAAM-fabricated columns against conventional extruded and rolled benchmarks. The assessment included three 3D-printed alloys (Al-Mg, Al-Cu, Al-Mg-Si), differing in ductility levels, featuring topology-optimized and internal lattice-reinforced cross-sectional geometries. Linear elastic analyses reveal that global lateral stiffness heavily governs the response of slender frames, where WAAM was able to efficiently decrease the corresponding inter-story drifts by maximizing cross-sectional inertia without necessitating the utilization of larger external member dimensions. Furthermore, nonlinear static (pushover) analyses provided valuable insight into critical design considerations, exposing a profound strength-ductility trade-off in printed aluminium alloy load-bearing members. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Aluminium Alloy Structural Applications)
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29 pages, 2075 KB  
Article
A Conceptual Framework for Pollution-Resilient Aluminium Façades: Introducing the Pollution Degradation Modifier (PDM)
by Muhammad Tayyab Naqash and Antonio Formisano
Buildings 2026, 16(4), 861; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16040861 - 21 Feb 2026
Viewed by 597
Abstract
Urban air pollution presents significant and escalating challenges to the long-term performance, safety, and durability of aluminium alloy façade systems. This perspective article proposes a conceptual framework to improve the durability of curtain walls in urban environments by exploring the interactions between airborne [...] Read more.
Urban air pollution presents significant and escalating challenges to the long-term performance, safety, and durability of aluminium alloy façade systems. This perspective article proposes a conceptual framework to improve the durability of curtain walls in urban environments by exploring the interactions between airborne pollutants and their effect on aluminium materials. This paper synthesizes cross-disciplinary evidence and introduces a design concept, the Pollution Degradation Modifier (PDM), to conceptually integrate environmental stressors into standard code criteria. While not yet empirically validated, the PDM model outlines input parameters to guide future research and potential applications. Additionally, the study explores emerging mitigation strategies, including self-cleaning coatings, IoT-enabled monitoring systems, and smart façade technologies. The findings offer practical guidance for architects and structural engineers seeking to enhance façade resilience in high-pollution regions. Central to this research is the introduction of the Pollution Degradation Modifier (PDM), a new environmental load coefficient designed to support performance-based façade design responsive to site-specific pollution exposure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Aluminium Alloy Structural Applications)
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