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UHPC Materials: Structural and Mechanical Analysis in Buildings
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UHPC Materials: Structural and Mechanical Analysis in Buildings

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 August 2025 | Viewed by 2846

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Shu Fang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Interests: concrete structures; seismic behavior; UHPC material; steel/FRP-concrete composite structures; civil engineering technology based on high performance construction materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yang Zou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Mountain Bridge and Tunnel Engineering, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing 400074, China
Interests: ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC); composite structure; structure strengthening
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Xiaoqing Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Interests: steel and concrete composite structures; concrete; fiber-reinforced concrete; steel; corrosion; fatigue; bridge engineering; numerical modeling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zhuangcheng Fang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Earthquake Engineering Research & Test Center, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Interests: steel-concrete composite structures; ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC); accelerated bridge construction (ABC); interfacial shear behavior; nonlinear behavior of composite structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has evolved as a popular material in the construction of new structures and strengthening of existing infrastructures, due to its outstanding workability, mechanical properties (e.g., compressive, tensile, and bond strengths), and chemical resistance compared to the conventional concrete. However, higher demands have been required for UHPC materials and their corresponding structures in recent complex structures, such as high-rise buildings, long-span bridges, and long tunnels. To this end, a number of innovative new UHPC materials and their corresponding application technologies have emerged. In order to promote the wider application of UHPC, we are calling for paper submissions to this Special Issue on UHPC Materials: Structural and Mechanical Analysis in Buildings. The aim of this Special Issue is to provide an overview of the recent innovations and advances in the fundamental and practical fields of UHPC materials and their composite structures, with a special focus on their corresponding structural and mechanical analyses in buildings. High-quality original research papers (e.g., theoretical research, experimental work, and case studies) and state-of-the-art reviews are encouraged that include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Design, performance, and construction techniques of innovative UHPC materials (e.g., steel-free UHPC, and fast-hardening and low-shrinkage UHPC);
  • Design, performance, and construction techniques of innovative modular structures (e.g., beams, columns, slabs, and nodes) made from UHPC and other building materials;
  • Prefabricated modular construction and life-cycle assessment of UHPC modular structures;
  • Rehabilitation, repair, and retrofitting of existing buildings with UHPC;
  • Mechanical behavior of UHPC and its corresponding composite structures against the static (e.g., compression, tension, and bending) and dynamic (e.g., impact, fatigue, and seismic) actions;
  • Various research techniques (e.g., experimental studies, nonlinear finite-element analysis, and deep learning-based structural analysis and evaluation).

Dr. Shu Fang
Dr. Yang Zou
Dr. Xiaoqing Xu
Dr. Zhuangcheng Fang
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

  • ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC)
  • structural and mechanical analysis
  • innovative UHPC materials
  • UHPC modular structures
  • novel modular structures
  • strengthening of existing infrastructures
  • static and dynamic performance
  • design, performance, and construction techniques

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

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3596 KiB  
Article
Detection of Internal Defects in Concrete Using Delay Multiply and Sum-Enhanced Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique
by Feng Li, Sheng-Kui Di, Jing Zhang, Dong Yang, Yao Pei and Xiao-Ying Wang
Buildings 2025, 15(11), 1887; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15111887 - 29 May 2025
Viewed by 218
Abstract
Traditional techniques for detecting internal defects in concrete are limited by the weak directivity of ultrasonic waves, significant signal attenuation, and low imaging contrast. This paper presents an improved synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) enhanced by the Delay Multiply and Sum (DMAS) algorithm [...] Read more.
Traditional techniques for detecting internal defects in concrete are limited by the weak directivity of ultrasonic waves, significant signal attenuation, and low imaging contrast. This paper presents an improved synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) enhanced by the Delay Multiply and Sum (DMAS) algorithm to address these limitations and improve both the resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. The proposed method sequentially transmits and receives ultrasonic waves through an array of transducers, and applies DMAS-based nonlinear beam-forming to enhance image sharpness and contrast. Its effectiveness was validated through finite element simulations and experimental tests using three precast concrete specimens with artificial defects (specimen size: 240 mm × 300 mm × 100 mm). Compared with the conventional SAFT, the proposed method improves image contrast by approximately 40%, with clearer defect boundaries and a vertical positioning error of less than ±5 mm. This demonstrates the method’s promising potential for practical applications in internal defect visualization of concrete structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue UHPC Materials: Structural and Mechanical Analysis in Buildings)
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22 pages, 4099 KiB  
Article
Experimental and Analytical Study on the Flexural Performance of Layered ECC–Concrete Composite Beams
by Chong Gui, Jinlong Ji, Chongfa Xu, Zhihua Li and Xuan Guo
Buildings 2025, 15(10), 1592; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101592 - 8 May 2025
Viewed by 346
Abstract
Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) has emerged as a promising solution with which to address the longstanding challenge of cracking in the tensile zone of reinforced concrete beams. This study conducts an experimental and analytical exploration of the flexural performance of ECC-concrete composite beams [...] Read more.
Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) has emerged as a promising solution with which to address the longstanding challenge of cracking in the tensile zone of reinforced concrete beams. This study conducts an experimental and analytical exploration of the flexural performance of ECC-concrete composite beams reinforced with hot-rolled ribbed steel bars. Sixteen beams, featuring diverse reinforcement ratios and ECC layer thicknesses, underwent rigorous testing through a four-point bending setup. The experimental findings underscore a substantial improvement in crack resistance and flexural bearing capacity of ECC-concrete composite beams reinforced with steel bars. Building on these results, a theoretical model was formulated to predict the moment-deflection responses of ECC-concrete composite beams incorporating steel bars. Furthermore, practical and simplified methods were introduced to predict flexural bearing capacity and effective moment of inertia, as well as anticipate failure modes, offering a user-friendly approach for engineering applications. Validation of the proposed approaches was achieved through simulation results, demonstrating a high degree of accuracy when compared with the experimental outcomes. Moreover, the average crack width at serviceability limit states of composite beams was sensitive to specimen size and the yield strength of steel bars, and a size effect was also observed for ductility expressed as deflection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue UHPC Materials: Structural and Mechanical Analysis in Buildings)
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21 pages, 15356 KiB  
Article
Bonding Performance of Concrete Structure Strengthened with Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Under Bending Experiment
by Chao Zhu, Yayi Feng, Jie Tang, Zhimei Jiang, Yinbin Li and Jun Yang
Buildings 2024, 14(12), 4040; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14124040 - 19 Dec 2024
Viewed by 840
Abstract
Ultra-high-performance concrete is widely used in bridge strengthening to improve mechanical performance and bridge durability. Interfacial bonding performance is a key factor in ensuring the effectiveness of ultra-high-performance concrete strengthening. The bending test of the UHPC–NC composite structure was carried out in this [...] Read more.
Ultra-high-performance concrete is widely used in bridge strengthening to improve mechanical performance and bridge durability. Interfacial bonding performance is a key factor in ensuring the effectiveness of ultra-high-performance concrete strengthening. The bending test of the UHPC–NC composite structure was carried out in this article. The effects of groove treatment type and epoxy resin bonding were considered to discuss the damage modes, load–deflection relationships, and strengths. The interfacial tensile strength of the UHPC–NC composite structure and the distribution pattern of cracks were clarified. The results of the test showed that (a) only 22.2% of the groove-treated specimens failed due to bonding surface failure, indicating that the UHPC–NC bonding surface has a high degree of reliability; (b) the strength of specimens with an epoxy adhesive interface was the lowest. It was only 21% higher than the pure normal concrete specimen, and the effective synergistic force of UHPC–NC cannot be achieved; (c) the specimens treated with a positive trapezoidal keyway exhibited the highest strength, with an increase of approximately 200% compared to the pure normal concrete specimens. The strength of bending specimens with right-angled and inverted trapezoidal grooves increased by approximately 100% compared with pure normal concrete specimens. Based on the established three-dimensional numerical model and the analysis of test results under economic and safe conditions, the positive trapezoidal keyway specimen exhibits superior interfacial bonding–tensile performances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue UHPC Materials: Structural and Mechanical Analysis in Buildings)
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17 pages, 4716 KiB  
Article
Research on the Simplified Calculation Model and Parameter Analysis of Large-Size PBL-Stiffened Steel–Concrete Joints
by Haolin Liu, Baisong Du and Heying Zhou
Buildings 2024, 14(12), 3926; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14123926 - 9 Dec 2024
Viewed by 725
Abstract
To investigate the design principles and simplified calculation model of large-size PBL-stiffened steel–concrete joints, this study uses a Y-shaped rigid frame-tied arch composite bridge as an engineering background. Based on deformation coordination theory, a combination of theoretical analysis and numerical simulation was employed [...] Read more.
To investigate the design principles and simplified calculation model of large-size PBL-stiffened steel–concrete joints, this study uses a Y-shaped rigid frame-tied arch composite bridge as an engineering background. Based on deformation coordination theory, a combination of theoretical analysis and numerical simulation was employed to derive a simplified calculation model that accounts for boundary conditions such as the stiffness of steel beam end restraints and the local bearing effect of the bearing plate. Parametric analysis of the steel–concrete joint was conducted. The results indicate that the derived simplified calculation model exhibits good accuracy and is suitable for calculating force transfer in various components of the steel–concrete joint under different boundary conditions. Using the simplified model, the effects of parameters such as steel–concrete joint length, connector stiffness, and structural axial stiffness on the axial force transfer in primary force-bearing components (connectors and bearing plates) were studied. The findings reveal that an excessively long steel–concrete joint does not effectively reduce maximum shear force; variations in connector stiffness primarily affect connectors farther from the bearing plate without changing the shear force distribution. Increasing the axial stiffness of the steel structure within a certain range can improve the maximum shear force in connectors, whereas increasing the axial stiffness of the concrete structure has the opposite effect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue UHPC Materials: Structural and Mechanical Analysis in Buildings)
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