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Advances in Composite Construction in Civil Engineering—2nd Edition
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Advances in Composite Construction in Civil Engineering—2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2025) | Viewed by 1855

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hang Lu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Louisiana Transportation Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Interests: asphalt/concrete materials; pavement structural analysis; pavement M–E design and calibration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wei Yin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
A P S Engineering and Testing, LLC, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, USA
Interests: pavement asphalt/concrete materials; geotechnical engineering; polymer additives; nano-materials; microscopic research

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on recent advancements in composite construction in civil engineering.

Composite construction in civil engineering involves choosing the right materials for certain structures. The materials and structures used in civil engineering are constantly being renewed to adapt to new requirements, and composite construction involves the use of complex materials and structures to replace traditional ones. Innovations make it possible to improve a structure’s load capacity, increase a structure’s longevity, save energy, become more environmentally friendly, etc.

Composite construction involves the interaction of two or more separate elements acting together and having a combined rather than separate effect. Relevent materials include materials that have been reinforced with fiber, polymers, or chemical additives. Composite structures include sandwiched layers, framed structures, attachments, etc. Innovations in structures and materials are commonly related and coordinated to achieve the target performance level.

With the introduction of a novel composite material or structure, the following questions must be addressed: What is the performance improvement of the new composite construction? What is the mechanism of composite construction? What is the environmental or economic impact of this composite construction? 

Scholars working in the area of composite construction are invited to submit papers to answer these questions. This Special Issue offers a platform to showcase your findings and will encourage the advancement of composite construction research among scholars worldwide.

Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Performance measurements or mechanical simulations;
  • Interactions between materials or structural components;
  • Formation analysis of composite materials;
  • Longevity estimations;
  • Environmental impacts;
  • Life cycle cost analyses (LCCA).

Dr. Hang Lu
Dr. Wei Yin
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

  • polymer composites
  • structural capacity
  • property measurement
  • longevity estimation
  • life cycle cost analysis (LCCA)
  • mechanical analysis
  • numerical simulation
  • interface mechanics
  • construction technology
  • environmental impact

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.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 4117 KB  
Article
Time-Based Fire Resistance Performance of Axially Loaded, Circular, Long CFST Columns: Developing Analytical Design Models Using ANN and GEP Techniques
by Ç. Özge Özelmacı Durmaz, Süleyman İpek, Dia Eddin Nassani and Esra Mete Güneyisi
Buildings 2025, 15(24), 4415; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15244415 (registering DOI) - 6 Dec 2025
Abstract
Concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns are composite structural elements preferred in various engineering structures due to their superior properties compared to those of traditional structural elements. However, fire resistance analyses are complex due to CFST columns consisting of two components with different thermal [...] Read more.
Concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns are composite structural elements preferred in various engineering structures due to their superior properties compared to those of traditional structural elements. However, fire resistance analyses are complex due to CFST columns consisting of two components with different thermal and mechanical properties. Significant challenges arise because current design codes and guidelines do not provide clear guidance for determining the time-dependent fire performance of these composite elements. This study aimed to address the existing design gap by investigating the fire behavior of circular long CFST columns under axial compressive load and developing robust, accurate, and reliable design models to predict their fire performance. To this end, an up-to-date database consisting of 62 data-points obtained from experimental studies involving variable material properties, dimensions, and load ratios was created. Analytical design models were meticulously developed using two advanced soft computing techniques: artificial neural networks (ANNs) and genetic expression programming (GEP). The model inputs were determined as six main independent parameters: steel tube diameter (D), wall thickness (ts), concrete compressive strength (fc), steel yield strength (fsy), the slenderness ratio (L/D), and the load ratio (μ). The performance of the developed models was comprehensively compared with experimental data and existing design models. While existing design formulas could not predict time-based fire performance, the developed models demonstrated superior prediction accuracy. The GEP-based model performed well with an R-squared value of 0.937, while the ANN-based model achieved the highest prediction performance with an R-squared value of 0.972. Furthermore, the ANN model demonstrated its excellent prediction capability with a minimal mean absolute percentage error (MAPE = 4.41). Based on the nRMSE classification, the GEP-based model proved to be in the good performance category with an nRMSE value of 0.15, whereas the ANN model was in the excellent performance category with a value of 0.10. Fitness function (f) and performance index (PI) values were used to assess the models’ accuracy; the ANN (f = 1.13; PI = 0.05) and GEP (f = 1.19; PI = 0.08) models demonstrated statistical reliability by offering values appropriate for the expected targets (f ≈ 1; PI ≈ 0). Consequently, it was concluded that these statistically convincing and reliable design models can be used to consistently and accurately predict the time-dependent fire resistance of axially loaded, circular, long CFST columns when adequate design formulas are not available in existing codes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Composite Construction in Civil Engineering—2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 3941 KB  
Article
Research on Mechanical Properties of Cement Emulsified Asphalt Mortar Under the Influence of Water-to-Cement Ratios and Water-Reducing Agent
by Ce Zhao, Huacheng Jiao, Bing Zhou, Fei Liu, Feilin Zhang, Yong Luo and Jie Yuan
Buildings 2025, 15(1), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15010022 - 25 Dec 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1313
Abstract
To understand the mechanical behavior of CRTS (China Railway Track System) II cement emulsified asphalt mortar (CA mortar), this study tested the compressive strength and flexural strength of CA mortar at different ages under varying water-to-cement ratios and dosages of water-reducing agent. Based [...] Read more.
To understand the mechanical behavior of CRTS (China Railway Track System) II cement emulsified asphalt mortar (CA mortar), this study tested the compressive strength and flexural strength of CA mortar at different ages under varying water-to-cement ratios and dosages of water-reducing agent. Based on X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results, the hydration products and microstructure of CA mortar at different ages were analyzed. The main conclusions are as follows. As the water-to-cement ratio increases, the compressive strength and flexural strength of CA mortar generally exhibit a decreasing trend. The strength increases rapidly in the early stages, with the 7-day compressive strength reaching over 80% of the 28-day compressive strength, and the 7-day flexural strength reaching over 93% of the 28-day flexural strength. As the dosage of water-reducing agent increases, both the compressive strength and flexural strength of CA mortar first increase and then decrease, with a reasonable range of water-reducing agent dosage being between 0.2% and 1.0%, and 0.5% is most appropriate. The hydration reaction of CA mortar is nearly complete at 3 days, with the increase in ages, the cement hydration slows down due to the coating action of asphalt, and the strength no longer changes greatly. Hydration products are mainly Ettringite, which is the main source of strength of CA mortar. After the emulsified asphalt breaks, it adsorbs onto the hydration products and sand surfaces, gradually forming a continuous phase, which enhances the structural toughness of the CA mortar. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Composite Construction in Civil Engineering—2nd Edition)
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