Composite Systems for Structural Strengthening

Dear Colleagues,

Increasing experimental evidence is available for the use of composite materials such as fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs), textile-reinforced mortar (TRM) or fabric-reinforced cementitious mortar (FRCM) and composite-reinforced mortar (CRM). Composites are suitable for retrofitting the structural and the non-structural elements in constructions fields. The advantages are largely recognised in terms of fast installation, efficiency, compatibility and reversibility. Their applications include arch, vault, dome, wall, column, beam, infill, etc.

The research in the field of new materials is of crucial interest for these reasons. The proper design of such composites depends on the knowledge in the characterization and applications, since the symbiotic behaviour of the constituents (fabric and matrices) and their interaction with the substrate are both very variable. In fact, the combinations of the type of fibre, the fabric mesh, the type of matrix (organic or inorganic), the type of substrate (masonry or concrete) and the acting force (shear, compression, bending, etc.) are huge in number, as evident from the available experimental outcomes. In this scenario, the present Special Issue on “Composite Systems for Structural Strengthening: Design, Testing and Application” may become a status report summarizing the progress achieved in the recent years, with a focus on future advances and challenges.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Characterization of inorganic-based materials;
• Admixtures and additives;
• Alternative and sustainable binders and geopolymers;
• Materials design;
• Numerical simulation for evaluating the strengthening efficiency;
• Performance comparison of inorganic- versus organic-based composites;
• Bond behaviour;
• Laboratory testing.

Dr. Bahman Ghiassi
Dr. Alessio Cascardi
Dr. Marta Del Zoppo
Dr. Salvatore Verre
Guest Editors

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