Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Design, Performance, and Applications

Dear Colleagues, 

Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) has evolved into a cornerstone of modern cement-based composites, owing to its superior mechanical performance, crack control capability, toughness, durability, and long-term serviceability. These characteristics have led to its widespread application in buildings, bridges, tunnels, pavements, and other civil infrastructure, where enhanced structural performance and durability are of increasing importance. 

Recent developments in fiber technology, sustainable construction materials, advanced experimental techniques, numerical modeling, and data-driven methods have further expanded the capabilities and applications of FRC. Nevertheless, critical challenges persist in understanding its mechanical behavior, optimizing material design, evaluating long-term performance, and facilitating its broader implementation in engineering practice. 

To address these challenges, we invite researchers, engineers, and practitioners from academia and industry to submit their latest research to this Special Issue entitled "Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Design, Performance, and Applications." 

This Special Issue will present recent advances in the design, characterization, performance evaluation, and practical applications of fiber-reinforced concrete and related cementitious composites. It welcomes high-quality original contributions that enhance understanding of material behavior, structural performance, durability, and innovative engineering solutions through experimental, analytical, numerical, and data-driven approaches. 

The Special Issue closely aligns with the scope of the Journal of Composites Science, as it emphasizes the development, characterization, modeling, and engineering applications of composite materials. By bridging materials science, structural engineering, and computational technologies, this Special Issue will foster interdisciplinary collaboration and highlight emerging research opportunities related to fiber-reinforced concrete. 

In this Special Issue, original research articles and review papers are welcome. Research areas include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Fiber-reinforced concrete and cementitious composites;
• Mechanical behavior and structural performance;
• Fracture mechanics, crack propagation, and toughness;
• Durability and long-term performance;
• Structural design, rehabilitation, and strengthening;
• Sustainable and eco-friendly fiber-reinforced concrete;
• Experimental characterization and advanced testing techniques;
• Numerical modeling and computational simulation;
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence in concrete engineering;
• Structural reliability and performance assessment;
• Novel fibers and hybrid reinforcement systems;
• Circular economy and life cycle assessment;
• Applications of fiber-reinforced concrete in buildings, bridges, transportation, and resilient infrastructure. 

We look forward to receiving your high-quality contributions.

Dr. Pouyan Fakharian
Dr. Bahar Mehdizadeh
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. Journal of Composites Science 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.

• fiber-reinforced concrete
• concrete composites
• fiber-reinforced cementitious composites
• structural rehabilitation
• machine learning in civil engineering
• structural reliability
• durability
• sustainable construction materials
• numerical modeling
• data-driven modeling