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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 4201

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bing Xu

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Guest Editor

School of Civil Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224000, China
Interests: numerical simulation; experimental mechanics; digital twin; engineering structure; protective structure; prefabricated building

Dr. Skirmante Mozuriunaite

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Architecture, Department of Urban Design, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH), 10223 Vilnius, Lithuania
Interests: smart cities; urban functional transformations; urban functions; urban design; place making; urban renewal; sustainable urban development

Dr. Zhenyu Zhao

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Guest Editor

School of Aeronautics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, China
Interests: blast and impact; lattice material; sandwich structure; multi-functional materials and structures

Dr. Bo Xu

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Guest Editor

School of Urban Construction, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China
Interests: modular construction; recycled concrete; prefabricated building; experimental mechanics; engineering structure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the research of engineering issues, experiment or simulation is an essential technical approach. By employing these methods, a variety of mechanical problems and phenomena in civil engineering and related fields can be detected, the force mechanism can be analyzed, and the key problems in engineering can be resolved.

Currently, there are numerous new application scenarios in civil and related engineering fields, such as the application of new fibers, resilient cities, BIM (CIM), artificial intelligence, and so on. These applications have brought about new innovations in their respective experimental and simulation technologies. For instance, the introduction of new measurement methods, calculation approaches, and analysis techniques enables a more intuitive and accurate study of the formation and interaction mechanisms of engineering problems.

This Special Issue, entitled “Application of Experiment and Simulation Techniques in Engineering”, aims to demonstrate innovative understanding in the field of engineering using new research methods or simulation methods. Theoretical analysis, experimental research, case studies, and comprehensive review papers are invited for publication. Relevant topics to this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following subjects:

Advanced mechanical behavior of structures;
New methods in rock and soil mechanics;
Application of multi-scale problems in engineering;
Key technologies in resilient cities and smart cities;
Application of advanced experimental technology in civil engineering;
New method for solving multi-field coupling problems;
Application of digital twin technology in the engineering field.

Dr. Bing Xu
Dr. Skirmante Mozuriunaite
Dr. Zhenyu Zhao
Dr. Bo Xu
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

simulation
mechanical behavior
optimization
digital twins
structural analysis
engineering problem

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 16118 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Axial Tensile Experiment of the Lap-Type Asymmetric K-Shaped Square Tubular Joints with Built-In Stiffeners

by Zhihua Zhong, Peiyu Peng, Zheweng Zhu, Xiang Ao, Shiwei Xiong, Jinkun Huang, Lihong Zhou and Xiaochuan Bai

Buildings 2025, 15(10), 1634; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101634 - 13 May 2025

Viewed by 224

Abstract

To study the mechanical properties of asymmetric K-shaped square tubular joints with built-in stiffening rib lap joints, axial tensile tests were carried out on one K-shaped joint without built-in stiffening ribs and four K-shaped joints with built-in stiffening ribs using an electro-hydraulic servo structural testing system. The effects of the addition of stiffening ribs and the welding method of the stiffening ribs on the mechanical properties were studied comparatively. The failure mode of the K-shaped joint was obtained, and the strain distribution and peak displacement reaction force in the nodal region were analyzed. A finite element analysis of the K-shaped joint was carried out, and the finite element results were compared with the experimental results. The results showed that the addition of transverse reinforcement ribs and more complete welds shared the squeezing effect of the brace on the chord. Arranging more reinforcing ribs in the fittings makes the chord more uniformly stressed and absorbs more energy while increasing the flexural load capacity of the fittings’ side plates. The presence of a weld gives a short-lived temperature increase in the area around the crack, and the buckling of the structure causes the surface temperature in the buckling area to continue to increase for some time. The temperature change successfully localized where the structure was deforming and creating cracks. The addition of the reinforcing ribs resulted in a change in the deformation pattern of the model, and the difference occurred because the flexural capacity of the brace with the added reinforcing ribs was greater than that of the side plate buckling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Experiment and Simulation Techniques in Engineering)

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20 pages, 14258 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bearing Capacity Prediction of Cold-Formed Steel Columns with Gene Expression Programming

by Wei Kong and Shouhua Liu

Buildings 2025, 15(10), 1597; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101597 - 9 May 2025

Viewed by 299

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing use of cold-formed steel (CFS) structures in the field of civil engineering. The objective of this study is to utilize gene expression programming (GEP) in order to forecast the ultimate bearing capacity of cold-formed steel columns. The buckling resistance of built-up back-to-back cold-formed (BCF) thin-walled tube columns under axial compression, and of cold-formed thick-walled steel columns under combined axial compression and bending, is examined in this paper. The data were collected from various studies to develop and verify the proposed model, with training and testing sets of 160 and 14, and 2000 and 500, respectively. The performance of the genetically developed GEP models was evaluated and compared with that of the mechanical models specified in American and Chinese specifications. The GEP models demonstrated significantly better performance compared with that of the code-specified models. The results generated by the GEP models demonstrate stronger alignment with both experimental data and analytical predictions. This study also demonstrates the capability of the GEP models to calculate the ultimate bearing capacity, with the proposed mechanical models being used as a reference for calculations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Experiment and Simulation Techniques in Engineering)

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20 pages, 6767 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Control of Shield Tunnel Construction-Induced Ground Settlement Based on an Optimized Gap Parameter Theory and Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis

by Hanzhang Guo, Guangcheng Zhang, Zhihong Wu and Jiaqi Wang

Buildings 2025, 15(9), 1578; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15091578 - 7 May 2025

Viewed by 298

Abstract

The ground settlement induced by shield tunnel construction should be carefully monitored and controlled during construction as a compulsory measurement to ensure construction safety. In the existing literature, gap parameter theory is adopted to predict ground settlement; however, the influence of slurry grouting on ground settlement during the construction process has been ignored. Regarding this drawback, a novel optimized gap parameter theory is proposed and combined with 3D finite element analysis to investigate ground settlement caused by shield tunnel excavation. Considering that construction technology plays an important role in ground settlement, numerical studies are carried out to investigate the sensitivities of the grouting filling ratio, pressure of the tunnel face, and the strata conditions in ground settlement. The practical engineering of Wuhan Metro Line 7 is introduced to verify the superiority of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method can reflect ground settlement well, compared to the existing methods and the measured data. Then, 3D finite element analysis and orthogonal test are adopted to conduct sensitivity analyses of the grouting fill rate, support pressure ratio, and strata conditions. The results illustrate that the grouting filling rate has the most obvious impact on ground settlement, while the support pressure ratio and strata conditions also have a certain impact on ground settlement. Taking the binary structure stratum of the terrace geological environment of the Yangtze River in Wuhan as the research object, this study employs a three-dimensional numerical simulation approach to analyze six distinct binary structure stratum models. The parameter value ranges, considering formation conditions, are determined through integrated theoretical analysis. Finally, based on the deviation analysis results between the optimized gap parameter theory and numerical simulation, it is concluded that there is no significant difference in the surface settlement values obtained from the two methods. To summarize, the proposed optimized gap parameter theory, combined with the corresponding numerical simulation technology, provides a good tool for the control of ground settlement caused by shield tunnel excavation in complex strata, such as binary structure strata. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Experiment and Simulation Techniques in Engineering)

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16 pages, 4627 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Vertical Bearing Capacity of Pile Foundations in Backfill Soil Areas Based on Non-Stationary Random Field

by Hui Liu, Danli Zhu, Xiaoya Bian, Zhaona Wang and Jianfeng Gu

Buildings 2025, 15(8), 1314; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15081314 - 16 Apr 2025

Viewed by 318

Abstract

The soil parameters of artificial soil foundations exhibit significant spatial variability due to particle sorting during the filling process, which follows a trend that is distinct from that of natural soft foundations. Based on this observation, a non-stationary random field model is proposed, in which the undrained shear strength decreases along the horizontal filling direction and increases along the vertical deposition direction. The impact of the non-stationary random field model on the vertical bearing capacity of pile foundations is analyzed and discussed with Monte Carlo simulations. The results indicate that the mean and coefficient of variation of the undrained shear strength significantly affect the vertical ultimate bearing capacity of pile foundations, whereas the effects of the random field correlation distance and vertical non-stationary trend coefficient are relatively minor. Under the influence of the horizontal non-stationary trend coefficient, the mean vertical ultimate bearing capacity of pile foundations decreases with the horizontal distance between the pile and the backfill entrance. Moreover, the rate of decrease diminishes linearly with the horizontal non-stationary trend coefficient. A predictive formula for the vertical ultimate bearing capacity of pile foundations is proposed, and its applicability is verified. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Experiment and Simulation Techniques in Engineering)

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15 pages, 9875 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanism of Strength Degradation of Fiber-Reinforced Soil Under Freeze–Thaw Conditions

by Xiaojuan Yu, Xingyu Wu, Peng Zhu, Chao Liu, Chengchun Qiu and Zhongbing Cai

Buildings 2025, 15(6), 842; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15060842 - 7 Mar 2025

Viewed by 658

Abstract

Understanding the mechanism of strength degradation in fiber-reinforced soils under freeze–thaw conditions is critical for expanding their engineering applications. In this study, shear tests were conducted on fiber-reinforced soil subjected to 0, 1, 5, 10, 20, and 30 freeze–thaw cycles to investigate variations in shear strength. The mechanisms driving these variations were analyzed through soil shear tests, fiber tensile tests, and fiber pull-out tests, all conducted under identical freeze–thaw conditions. The results indicated that fiber inclusion significantly enhances the shear strength of soils exposed to freeze–thaw cycles. However, the shear strength decreases exponentially as the number of cycles increases. The strength of fiber-reinforced soil is primarily due to the soil strength, fiber strength, and strength of the fiber–soil interface. All three components exhibit an exponential reduction under freeze–thaw conditions, contributing to the overall exponential decrease in the strength of fiber-reinforced soil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Experiment and Simulation Techniques in Engineering)

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15 pages, 13136 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Simplified Physical Model Testing Method for Ground Settlement Induced by Shield Tunnel Excavation

by Hanzhang Guo, Guangcheng Zhang, Xiongyao Mao and Jianhang Zan

Buildings 2025, 15(5), 710; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15050710 - 23 Feb 2025

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 600

Abstract

In order to investigate the mechanism of ground settlement induced by shield tunnels better, this study proposes a novel simplified physical model testing method. In this physical model, double layer tubes with different materials are used to model the tunnel boring machine (TBM) and tunnel, respectively. When the outer tube in the experimental box is removed, the gap between the two different tubes can be utilized to reflect the ground settlement caused by TMB construction. Meanwhile, 3D image monitoring technology is introduced to collect ground settlement data for research on the mechanism of ground settlement induced by TBM construction. In order to validate the proposed testing method, firstly, the pilot experiment is performed; then, the obtained settlement curve obeys the Gaussian distribution, and the obtained settlement process is similar to that of the practical situation. Furthermore, based on the proposed testing method, an orthogonal experiment is designed to investigate the influences of the ground loss ratio, burial depth, and stratum condition on the ground settlement during the construction process. The results indicate that the ground loss ratio caused by the gap during construction excavation has a more significant impact than the tunnel burial depth and ground conditions. The findings in this study provide a quantitative guide for settlement monitoring during TBM construction, demonstrating that the ground loss ratio has the most significant impact on settlement (up to 28.7% deviation), while the effects of burial depth and stratum conditions are relatively minor (4.4% and 4.2% deviation, respectively). This method offers a practical and efficient approach for predicting and controlling ground settlement in TBM construction, which is of great importance in its practical application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Experiment and Simulation Techniques in Engineering)

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27 pages, 5081 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Parameter Inversion of HSS Model Based on BP Neural Network Optimized by Genetic Algorithm in Foundation Pit Engineering

by Xiaosheng Pu, Jin Huang, Tao Peng, Wenzhe Wang, Bin Li and Haitang Zhao

Buildings 2025, 15(4), 531; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15040531 - 9 Feb 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 603

Abstract

The hardening soil model with small-strain stiffness (HSS model) is widely applied in deep foundation pit engineering in coastal soft-soil areas, yet it is characterized by a multitude of parameters that are relatively cumbersome to acquire. In this study, we incorporate a genetic algorithm and a back-propagation neural network (BPNN) model into an inversion analysis for HSS model parameters, with the objective of facilitating a more streamlined and accurate determination of these parameters in practical engineering. Utilizing horizontal displacement monitoring data from retaining structures, combined with local engineering, both a BPNN model and a BPNN optimized by a genetic algorithm (GA-BPNN) model were established to invert the stiffness modulus parameters of the HSS model for typical strata. Subsequently, numerical simulations were conducted based on the inverted parameters to analyze the deformation characteristics of the retaining structures. The performances of the BPNN and GA-BPNN models were evaluated using statistical metrics, including R², MAE, MSE, WI, VAF, RAE, RRSE, and MAPE. The results demonstrate that the GA-BPNN model achieves significantly lower prediction errors, higher fitting accuracy, and predictive performance compared to the BPNN model. Based on the parameters inverted by the GA-BPNN model, the average compression modulus

E_{s 1 - 2}

, the reference tangent stiffness modulus

E_{o e d}^{r e f}

, the reference secant stiffness modulus

E_{50}^{r e f}

, and the reference unloading–reloading stiffness modulus

E_{u r}^{r e f}

for gravelly cohesive soil were determined as

E_{o e d}^{r e f} = 0.83 E_{s 1 - 2}

and

E_{u r}^{r e f} = {8.14 E}_{50}^{r e f}

; for fully weathered granite,

E_{o e d}^{r e f} = 1.54 E_{s 1 - 2}

and

E_{u r}^{r e f} = {5.51 E}_{50}^{r e f}

. Numerical simulations conducted with these stiffness modulus parameters show excellent agreement with monitoring data, effectively describing the deformation characteristics of the retaining structures. In situations where relevant mechanical tests are unavailable, the application of the GA-BPNN model for the inversion analysis of HSS model parameters is both rational and effective, offering a reference for similar engineering projects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Experiment and Simulation Techniques in Engineering)

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12 pages, 2974 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Shrinkage and Cracking Characteristics of Dredged Sludge Containing Straw Fiber Under Different Initial Water Contents

by Huiping Qiao, Miaomiao Song, Guizhong Xu and Chengchun Qiu

Buildings 2025, 15(1), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15010097 - 30 Dec 2024

Viewed by 595

Abstract

Dredged sludge usually has high water content and poor engineering properties, which would be unfavorable for its rapid resource utilization. Meanwhile, straw fiber is an environmentally friendly material for improving the mechanical behavior of soil. In this research, a series of shrinkage tests were conducted to investigate the straw fiber effects on the shrinkage behavior of dredged sludge with high water content. Four initial water contents and straw fiber amounts were designed. The water content and crack development were recorded throughout the test. According to the test results, a reduction in water content regarding drying time can be divided into three stages: the constant-rate stage, the falling-rate stage, and the residual stage. At the falling-rate stage, water evaporation is affected significantly by straw fiber. Compared with the sample without straw fiber, the influence of straw fiber on the water evaporation of dredged sludge depends upon the initial water content and the straw fiber content. The straw fiber shows an overall inhibitory effect on the initiation and development of cracks for the tested samples. Moreover, the influence of straw fiber on the shrinkage behavior of dredged sludge depends upon the initial water content and fiber content. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Experiment and Simulation Techniques in Engineering)

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