Advances in Reinforced Concrete Infrastructure: Enhancing Structural Resilience and Promoting Sustainability, 2nd Edition

A Special Issue of Infrastructures (ISSN 2412-3811).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2027 | Viewed by 3245

Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Interests: structural health monitoring; disaster management; artificial intelligence; smart materials and structures; tropical island engineering; local damage monitoring method for reinforced concrete structures; health monitoring and multi-hazard protection of tropical island projects
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Guest Editor
Natural and Built Environment Division (NBE), School of Science and Engineering (SSE), University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
Interests: applications related to reliability, resilience, and life-cycle performance of structural and infrastructure systems; physics-based; data-informed computational modeling of the built environment

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Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
Interests: structural engineering - bridge engineering; prestressed concrete; fiber reinforced polymer applications in structures; blast and impact behavior of structures; fracture mechanics and modelling; experimental and numerical analysis in orthopedics (knee, ankle, elbow and other soft tissues testing); bone mechanotransduction - experimental and numerical simulation using mouse bone models

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Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, South Dakota State University, Crothers Engineering Hall 301, Box 2219, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
Interests: sustainable, smart materials and systems (e.g. fiber reinforced polymers, ultra-high performance concrete, engineered cementitious composite, shape memory alloys); infrastructure assessment and rehabilitation; bridge engineering; structural health monitoring; computational modeling
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Guest Editor
Department of Applied Sciences, University of Quebec at Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, QC G7H 2B1, Canada
Interests: soil–structure interaction under multi-hazard loading; structural health monitoring and field assessment; vibration control and dynamic response of structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is dedicated to exploring the transformative advances in reinforced concrete that are redefining the future of global infrastructure. We aim to highlight the critical convergence of enhanced structural resilience and profound sustainability, moving beyond conventional design paradigms. The discussion will encompass breakthrough materials, including self-healing concretes, ultra-high-performance composites (UHPCs), non-corrosive reinforcements such as fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) and shape memory alloys (SMAs), and composite materials that extend service life to a large degree and reduce maintenance. The rise of smart infrastructure, enabled by structural health monitoring (SHM) systems, has been fundamental to these advancements. These networks of sensors provide real-time data on structural integrity, facilitating predictive maintenance, informing lifecycle management, and creating structures that can diagnose their own health. This data-driven approach is synergized with advanced modelling and digital twin technologies, allowing for designs that are not only stronger but also materially and energy efficient. By championing the use of low-carbon cements, recycled aggregates, and optimized construction techniques, this field is addressing its environmental footprint. This Special Issue aims to bridge pioneering research with practical application, charting a course for infrastructure that is inherently durable, intelligent, and sustainable.

Dr. Haibin Zhang
Dr. Mohanad M. Abdulazeez
Prof. Dr. Ganesh Thiagarajan
Dr. Akram Jawdhari
Dr. Zeinab Bayati
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Infrastructures 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 1800 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

  • reinforced concrete
  • structural resilience
  • sustainability
  • advanced materials (e.g., UHPC, FRP, SMA)
  • structural health monitoring (SHM)
  • digital twin
  • lifecycle assessment
  • low-carbon concrete

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 6258 KB  
Article
Calibrating an Improved I-Effective Method for Prestressed Concrete Beams Strengthened with FRP
by Kimberly Waggle Kramer and Hayder A. Rasheed
Infrastructures 2026, 11(7), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures11070229 - 4 Jul 2026
Viewed by 343
Abstract
The deflection of prestressed (pretensioned) concrete members strengthened with FRP requires a comprehensive evaluation. An extensive parametric study is performed using a rigorous analysis procedure based on a trilinear moment-curvature approach. There are 8100 pretensioned concrete beams analyzed by varying the cross-section dimensions, [...] Read more.
The deflection of prestressed (pretensioned) concrete members strengthened with FRP requires a comprehensive evaluation. An extensive parametric study is performed using a rigorous analysis procedure based on a trilinear moment-curvature approach. There are 8100 pretensioned concrete beams analyzed by varying the cross-section dimensions, span length-to-depth ratio, shear span-to-span ratio, concrete compressive strength, prestressing reinforcement ratio, FRP strengthening ratio and FRP material properties. It was determined that the normalized effective moment of inertia at first yielding is statistically correlated with the normalized cracked moment of inertia, with an almost-perfect regression (R2 = 0.9886). It was further found that when postulating the inverse of the effective moment of inertia in terms of a parabolic function of the beam maximum moment, the deflections of the cracked beam agree closely with experimental deflections. Boundary conditions for that equation are applied at the cracking and prestress-yielding points. Ultimately, it was realized that the immediate deflection predictions based on the modified beam effective moment of inertia expression proposed yield reliable deflection estimates for cracked prestressed members externally strengthened with FRP, compared with experimental results and other analytical predictions. Full article
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21 pages, 4930 KB  
Article
Shear Performance of Sustainable Self-Compacting Geopolymer RC Beams: Experimental and Numerical Study
by Mohamed E. Fathi, Mohamed E. El-Zoughiby, Mohamed Mortagi, Osama Youssf, Mohanad Abdulazeez and Ahmed M. Tahwia
Infrastructures 2026, 11(3), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures11030084 - 6 Mar 2026
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 897
Abstract
This research investigates the shear performance of sustainable self-compacting reinforced geopolymer concrete (GPC) beams incorporating granite waste powder (GWP) and ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) as eco-friendly binding agents through experimental and numerical analyses. Five geopolymer reinforced concrete beam specimens (100 mm × [...] Read more.
This research investigates the shear performance of sustainable self-compacting reinforced geopolymer concrete (GPC) beams incorporating granite waste powder (GWP) and ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) as eco-friendly binding agents through experimental and numerical analyses. Five geopolymer reinforced concrete beam specimens (100 mm × 150 mm × 1500 mm) were tested under two-point loading conditions to evaluate the influence of longitudinal reinforcement ratio (0.85% to 2.0%) and shear span-to-effective depth ratio on the structural shear performance. The experimental investigation revealed that geopolymer reinforced concrete beams exhibit shear behavior characteristics similar to conventional Portland cement concrete beams, with the 2.0% reinforcement ratio achieving 18.3% higher shear strength compared to the 0.85% reinforcement ratio, while shear capacity increased proportionally with increasing shear span-to-depth ratio. Experimental data, including load–displacement response, shear strength measurements, strain distributions, failure modes, and crack patterns, were studied. Finite element nonlinear analysis was conducted by modifying the concrete modulus and stress–strain relationships to reflect the properties of geopolymer concrete using ABAQUS software integrated with the concrete damaged plasticity model. The results demonstrated that for the tested geopolymer reinforced concrete beams, first cracking load, steel yielding load, and ultimate load capacity increased systematically with increasing tension steel reinforcement ratio and proportionally with higher shear span-to-depth ratios. Full article
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28 pages, 2834 KB  
Article
Shear Performance of High-Strength Concrete (HSC) Beams Reinforced with Steel and Fiber Composite Grids
by Mohammad Azhar Mudaqiq, Mohd Tahseen Islam Talukder, Hojat Hematabadi and Ahmed Ibrahim
Infrastructures 2026, 11(2), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures11020047 - 30 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1246
Abstract
This study investigates the shear performance of high-strength concrete (HSC) beams reinforced with steel, fiber composite grids (CFRP and GFRP), and their hybrid configurations in the absence of transverse reinforcement. A total of six full-scale beams with varying reinforcement configuration and shear span-to-depth [...] Read more.
This study investigates the shear performance of high-strength concrete (HSC) beams reinforced with steel, fiber composite grids (CFRP and GFRP), and their hybrid configurations in the absence of transverse reinforcement. A total of six full-scale beams with varying reinforcement configuration and shear span-to-depth (a/d) ratios were experimentally tested under monotonic loading to evaluate their load capacity, cracking characteristics, failure modes, and serviceability behavior. The results revealed that beams reinforced solely with fiber grids exhibited significantly reduced strength and brittle shear failure. Hybrid systems incorporating both steel and fiber grids demonstrated improved strength and ductility, closely matching or surpassing control specimens with conventional steel reinforcement. Key structural parameters such as effective moment of inertia, cracking moment, shear strength, and midspan deflection were compared against analytical predictions based on ACI 318-16 and the Canadian Education Module code. While predictions generally aligned for hybrid beams, notable discrepancies were found for FRP-only systems, particularly in serviceability performance. The findings highlight the potential of hybrid reinforcement as a viable design strategy for HSC beams, offering a balance between strength, ductility, and service performance. Full article
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