Fibers in Concrete Construction: Material Behavior, Design and Strengthening II

Dear Colleagues,

Metallic, synthetic or natural fibers are frequently used in concrete construction, either to improve material behavior under normal or extreme loads or for the strengthening of structures. The addition of steel fibers in concrete is known to improve its mechanical properties, such as its strength, fracture energy, toughness, etc. Addition of polypropylene fibers can prevent explosive spalling of high-strength concrete during exposure to fire. Similarly, fibers made of carbon, aramid, glass, lead, etc. have been investigated by researchers in order to alter the properties of concrete. Hybridizing the fibers may improve different properties of concrete. Significant research is currently being carried out to characterize the material behavior of concrete with added fibers under different loading conditions. To utilize the improved material behavior, new design rules are required that can utilize the enhanced potential of the fiber-reinforced concrete, while maintaining a high degree of safety. Due to their high strength-to-weight ratio, fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) are often used to strengthen concrete structures in various kinds of loading scenarios. Several studies have shown the potential of FRP in strengthening structural elements; however, several issues and applications are still open for research. Good numerical and analytical methods, as well as design rules, are required to understand and design a suitable FRP for the strengthening of structural elements.

This Special Issue focuses on the various applications of fibers in concrete construction, with respect to the material’s behavior, design issues and strengthening solutions. I would like to invite researchers to submit their latest research findings in high-quality journal papers in the field of fibers in concrete construction for the benefit of researchers, engineers, industry and students.

Dr. Akanshu Sharma
Guest Editor

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. Fibers is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2000 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.