Performance Evaluation and Durability Assessment of Concrete Materials in Civil Engineering

Dear Colleagues,

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials in civil engineering due to its versatility, strength, and durability. However, the performance and longevity of concrete structures are significantly influenced by various factors, including material composition, environmental conditions, and loading scenarios. This Special Issue aims to explore the latest advancements in the performance evaluation, durability assessment, and various structural applications of state-of-the-art concrete materials, and service performance as it relates to the material–component–structure under complex environmental conditions, focusing on innovative mixing proportion and design methods, multi-scale testing and analysis methods, material enhancements under complex loading and environmental conditions, and predictive modeling techniques.

We invite researchers, engineers, and practitioners to submit original research articles, review papers, and case studies on (but not limited to) the following topics:

1. Material composition and properties:
   • Influence of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), fibers, nanomaterials, and solid waste, on concrete performance and properties.
   • Role and mechanism of chemical admixtures in adjusting and enhancing concrete performance and properties.
   • Effects of aggregate type, grading, morphology parameters, and manufacturing processing, on the mechanical properties, durability, workability, micro-structure, and rheology of concrete.
2. Durability testing methods:
   • Innovative techniques for assessing the durability of concrete under various environmental conditions.
   • Long-term performance evaluation of concrete exposed to aggressive environments (e.g., chloride attack, sulfate attack, freeze–thaw cycles).
   • Non-destructive testing methods for evaluating concrete integrity and durability.
   • Multi-scale performance of concrete materials and structures under load–environment coupling effects.
3. Predictive modeling and simulation:
   • Development of models to predict the long-term performance of concrete materials.
   • Use of machine learning and artificial intelligence in durability assessment.
   • Simulation of concrete behavior under different loading and environmental scenarios.
   • Multi-scale modeling of concrete under various working conditions.
4. Field studies and case reports:
   • Case studies on the performance of concrete structures in real-world applications.
   • Lessons learned from the failure of concrete elements and structures.
   • Best practices for ensuring the durability of concrete in civil engineering projects.
5. Sustainable practices in concrete engineering:
   • Use of recycled materials and waste products in concrete production.
   • Life cycle assessment of concrete materials and structures.
   • Innovations in eco-friendly concrete formulations.

Dr. Zhao Chen
Dr. Shuaicheng Guo
Dr. Ruizhe Si
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.

• concrete durability
• performance evaluation
• multi-scale testing and analysis methods
• structural applications
• complex environmental conditions
• predictive modeling
• sustainable practices