Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.4
3.1
Journals
Buildings
Special Issues
Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Steel and Concrete Structures
share announcement

Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Steel and Concrete Structures

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 2381

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yongjian Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Highway, Chang'an University, Xi’an 710064, China
Interests: steel and concrete structures; atmospheric corrosion; environmental effects; steel–concrete composite structure
Dr. Jian Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering,Central South University of Forestry & Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Interests: bridge engineer; steel and concrete structures; timber structures; structures seismic; seismic isolation
Dr. Shiming Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering and Communications, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450045, China
Interests: concrete-filled steel tubular structure; rectangular section; high-strength; steel-fiber-reinforced concrete; perfobond stiffener; mechanical behavior

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Steel and concrete are the two most commonly used materials in structural engineering. Steel has the characteristics of high strength, light weight, and aesthetic appeal and is widely used in large-span engineering applications like cable-stayed bridges. On the other hand, concrete plays an indispensable role in column and arch structures due to its economic feasibility, durability, and strong compressive properties. Steel–concrete composite structures can fully leverage the advantages of steel and concrete materials. Through thoughtful integration and design, safer and more stable buildings and infrastructures can be created. In summary, steel and concrete are indispensable materials in structural engineering.

In the face of increasingly complex, new structural forms and harsh service environments, evaluating the mechanical performance of new structures, ensuring durability during service life, and enhancing resilience against extreme loads are key to maintaining excellent structural performance.

This Special Issue, entitled “Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Steel and Concrete Structures”, aims to showcase state-of-the-art investigations of steel and concrete structures worldwide. Theoretical analysis, experimental research, case studies, and comprehensive review papers are invited for publication. Topics relevant to this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following subjects:

  • Mechanical performance of new steel and concrete structures;
  • Composite structures with UHPC and other high performance materials;
  • Temperature action, wind and rain load, and other environmental impacts;
  • Long-term performance of steel and concrete structures;
  • The toughness of steel and concrete structures under extreme loads;
  • Refined numerical simulation methods. 

We look forward to hearing from you.

Prof. Dr. Yongjian Liu
Dr. Jian Liu
Dr. Shiming Liu
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 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

  • steel and concrete structures
  • steel–concrete composite structure
  • high-performance structure
  • high-performance material
  • long-term performance
  • environmental effect
  • numerical simulation
  • test method
  • theoretical studies

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

20 pages, 8552 KiB  
Article
Experimental Investigation of the Confinement of Concrete Columns with Welded Wire Reinforcement
by Abdelaziz Younes and Sami W. Tabsh
Buildings 2025, 15(9), 1494; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15091494 - 28 Apr 2025
Viewed by 28
Abstract
Traditional methods of construction for reinforced concrete columns utilize longitudinal steel bars and transverse ties. Field experience has shown that such a transverse reinforcement method is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and prone to inconsistencies in quality. Welded wire reinforcement (WWR) offers a prefabricated alternative, forming [...] Read more.
Traditional methods of construction for reinforced concrete columns utilize longitudinal steel bars and transverse ties. Field experience has shown that such a transverse reinforcement method is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and prone to inconsistencies in quality. Welded wire reinforcement (WWR) offers a prefabricated alternative, forming a closed cage that simplifies installation and speeds up the fabrication process. This study investigates the potential of using WWR as a replacement for conventional ties in reinforced concrete columns in pure compression. To achieve this objective, eight one-third-scale columns (1000 mm height, 200 × 200 mm cross-section) were tested under concentric axial loading inside a Universal Testing Machine. Four of the specimens contained WWR, while the other four had conventional ties. The variables that were considered in this study include the concrete compressive strength (34.3 and 43.5 MPa) and the grid size of the WWR (25 and 50 mm). This study investigated the influence of the type of transverse reinforcement on the strength, modulus of elasticity, and ductility of the confined concrete within the core. The findings of the study showed that lateral reinforcement in the form of WWR can increase the concrete core strength by 2.7% relative to corresponding columns employing ties when f′c = 34.3 MPa was used. Conversely, the utilization of ties proved to be more effective than WWR in improving concrete core strength by an average of 28.8% when f′c = 43.5 MPa was used. Additionally, WWR reinforced columns demonstrated a marginal 2.0% rise in the modulus of elasticity and a remarkable 21.0% increase in the ductility of the confined concrete core compared with corresponding tied columns. Theoretical predictions of the axial compressive capacity of WWR reinforced columns subjected to concentric loading based on the ACI-318 code provisions underestimated the experimental results by 20%. These findings demonstrate that WWR can serve as an effective substitute for conventional ties, particularly in cases where rapid installation and reduced labor costs are prioritized. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Steel and Concrete Structures)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 9154 KiB  
Article
Residual Stress Distribution and Fatigue Behavior of Combined Bolted–Welded Joints
by Xiaoguang Liu, Lei Jiang, Gao Cheng, Jun Liu, Banghao Xu and Ruibao Jin
Buildings 2025, 15(6), 910; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15060910 - 13 Mar 2025
Viewed by 460
Abstract
Combined bolted–welded joints use both bolting and welding methods to connect several members, resulting in a versatile and robust solution for structural connections. However, very limited studies have focused on the residual stress distribution and fatigue behavior of these joints. In this paper, [...] Read more.
Combined bolted–welded joints use both bolting and welding methods to connect several members, resulting in a versatile and robust solution for structural connections. However, very limited studies have focused on the residual stress distribution and fatigue behavior of these joints. In this paper, a total of eight specimens of double lap joints using bolts and fillet welds were fabricated and tested to measure the residual stress distribution. A finite element model was also developed for predicting the residual stress and residual deformation, and then it was validated against the test results. The effects of different welding parameters on the residual stress and residual deformation were evaluated, including the welding sequence (four different welding sequences) and welding process (welding speeds of 4 mm/s, 6 mm/s and 10 mm/s; welding powers of 5000 W, 6000 W and 7000 W; and post-weld heat treatments of no insulation, insulation at 200 °C and insulation at 300 °C). The fatigue behaviors of combined bolted–welded joints with and without residual stresses were compared in terms of the fatigue life of crack propagation. It was shown that the maximum residual stress was approximately 450 MPa, far exceeding the yield strength of steel plate of 335 MPa, while welding sequence 1 produced the smallest residual stresses. Due to the presence of welding residual stresses, the fatigue life of combined bolted–welded joints was reduced by nearly 40%, which indicated that the fatigue life of the joint would be overestimated without considering the residual stresses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Steel and Concrete Structures)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 4060 KiB  
Article
Random Seismic Response Analysis of Long-Span Cable-Stayed Bridges Under High-Intensity Earthquakes Based on the Improved Power Spectral Model
by Jian Liu, Lei Wang and Jiayang Zhang
Buildings 2025, 15(3), 348; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15030348 - 23 Jan 2025
Viewed by 561
Abstract
To study the influence of random seismic responses on the structure of a large-span double-deck steel truss cable-stayed bridges under the effects of high-intensity rare earthquakes, a new power spectral model was proposed based on improvements to existing power spectra for fitting the [...] Read more.
To study the influence of random seismic responses on the structure of a large-span double-deck steel truss cable-stayed bridges under the effects of high-intensity rare earthquakes, a new power spectral model was proposed based on improvements to existing power spectra for fitting the improved power spectra of random seismic responses. The bridge finite element model established using ANSYS was employed as an engineering example for computational analysis to investigate whether the improved spectrum exhibited better adaptability and feasibility under high-intensity rare earthquake compared with other power spectra. The results indicated that the power spectral model, based on improvements to the original power spectra, had a more pronounced filtering effect on the low-frequency and high-frequency portions. Moreover, under the consistent three-dimensional excitation, the vertical displacement of the main beam was the greatest, indicating that the improved spectrum had better adaptability than other power spectra in studying the high-intensity rare earthquakes affecting bridges. It also reflected the feasibility of using the improved spectrum for studying the random responses to high-intensity rare earthquakes, providing a reference for bridge design concerning rare earthquakes in large-span bridges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Steel and Concrete Structures)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 5884 KiB  
Article
Bending Test of Rectangular High-Strength Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete-Filled Steel Tubular Beams with Stiffeners
by Shiming Liu, Zhaoyang Ji, Shangyu Li, Xiaoke Li, Yongjian Liu and Shunbo Zhao
Buildings 2024, 14(11), 3678; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113678 - 19 Nov 2024
Viewed by 858
Abstract
To better understand the bending performance of rectangular high-strength steel fiber-reinforced concrete (HSFRC)-filled steel tubular (HSFRCFST) beams with internal stiffeners, ten beams were subjected to a four-point bending test. The primary considerations were the strength grade of the HSFRC, the steel fiber content, [...] Read more.
To better understand the bending performance of rectangular high-strength steel fiber-reinforced concrete (HSFRC)-filled steel tubular (HSFRCFST) beams with internal stiffeners, ten beams were subjected to a four-point bending test. The primary considerations were the strength grade of the HSFRC, the steel fiber content, the internal stiffener type, and the circular hole spacing of the perfobond stiffener. The moment–curvature and flexural load–deflection curves were calculated. The mode of failure and the distribution of cracks of the infill HSFRC were observed. The presence of steel fibers greatly improved the bending stiffness and moment capacity of HSFRCFST beams, with the optimal effect happening at a steel fiber content of 1.2% by volume, according to the experimental findings. The type of stiffener influenced the failure modes of the exterior rectangular steel tube, which were unaffected by the compressive strength of the infill HSFRC. On the tension surface of HSFRCFST beams, the crack spacing of the infill HSFRC was virtually identical to the circular hole spacing of perfobond stiffeners. When the circular hole spacing was between two and three times the diameter, the perfobond stiffener worked best with the infill HSFRC. The test beams’ ductility index was greater than 1.16, indicating good ductility. The test beams’ rotational capacities ranged from 6.26 to 13.20, which were greater than 3.0 and met the requirements of the specification. The experimental results demonstrate that a reasonable design of the steel fiber content and the spacing between circular holes of perfobond stiffeners can significantly improve the bending resistance of rectangular HSFRCFST beams. This provides relevant parameter design suggestions for improving the ductility and bearing capacity of steel fiber-reinforced concrete beams in practical construction. Finally, a design formula for the moment capacity of rectangular HSFRCFST beams with stiffeners is presented, which corresponds well with the experimental findings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Steel and Concrete Structures)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop