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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2026 | Viewed by 4838

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Dr. Peng Wu

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Guest Editor

College of Civil Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
Interests: composite structures; thermal insulation; fiber reinforced composite; viscoelastic materials; long-term behavior; thermo-mechanical coupling
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Prof. Dr. Aiguo Zhao

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Guest Editor

College of Civil Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
Interests: acoustic metamaterials; mechanical metamaterials; fatigue and fracture
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mechanical modeling and analysis is a core technology in civil engineering, used for achieving material innovation and structural safety. By establishing precise mathematical models, engineers can simulate the mechanical responses of construction materials such as steel, concrete, and composite materials under the coupling effects of load, temperature, corrosion, and other factors in a virtual environment, providing a quantitative basis for optimizing strength and enhancing the durability of new materials. In addition, this in-depth analysis lays the theoretical foundation for the development of novel materials like metamaterials. Through accurate simulations of their mechanical properties under various conditions, researchers can gain a deeper understanding of these materials' unique characteristics and optimize their design for specific applications, paving the way for breakthroughs in material science. This Special Issue brings together mechanical modeling and the analysis of materials and structures in the field of civil engineering. The papers collected in this Special Issue can help researchers, engineers, and scientists to find advanced mechanical analysis methods and provide ideas for the search for new materials.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Buildings.

Dr. Peng Wu
Prof. Dr. Aiguo Zhao
Guest Editors

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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. Materials 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

engineering structures
composite structures
metamaterials
functionally graded materials
multi-field coupling
fatigue and fracture
analytical solutions
optimization design

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 6257 KB

Open AccessArticle

Load Transfer Theoretical Analysis of a Rigid Aircraft Pavement Contraction Joint Using a Novel Approach for Crack Characterization

by Sean Jamieson and Greg White

Materials 2026, 19(2), 376; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19020376 - 17 Jan 2026

Viewed by 136

Abstract

The contraction joints within paver runs are important for the design and construction of rigid aircraft pavements. These joints are typically un-doweled and sawn into the pavement to induce a crack. The joints control shrinkage cracking during curing, allow for thermal expansion and contraction, and provide load transfer through aggregate interlock joint stiffness between adjacent slabs. Aggregate interlock joint stiffness is typically modeled by assigning a spring element between two slabs that is indicative of the stiffness of the joint. However, that simplification may not accurately represent the complex interaction of irregularly shaped concrete faces and joint openings. Consequently, previous researchers have recommended modelling aggregate interlock stiffness based on physical crack shape. This research uses a novel approach to characterize crack shape through an idealized two-dimensional sinusoidal shape. Once the crack shape was defined, finite element methods were used to determine the significance of load, sublayer, and crack shape factors on load transfer values. It was determined that joint opening was the most significant factor for aggregate interlock load transfer. Future research is recommended to further validate the model against a larger data set, to confirm if the two-dimensional idealization of crack shape is an appropriate estimation of field conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Mechanical Analysis of Materials and Structures in Civil Engineering)

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27 pages, 3832 KB

Open AccessArticle

A Micromechanics-Based Anisotropic Constitutive Model for Sand Incorporating the True Stress Tensor

by Pengqiang Yu, Hexige Baoyin, Kejia Wu and Haibin Yang

Materials 2026, 19(2), 323; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19020323 - 13 Jan 2026

Viewed by 150

Abstract

To elucidate the micromechanical origins of the macroscopic anisotropic behavior of granular materials, this study develops a micromechanically based elastoplastic constitutive model for sand. First, anchored in the static equilibrium hypothesis and granular micromechanics theory, a true stress tensor is introduced to characterize the authentic inter-particle contact forces. Serving as a coupled variable of the macroscopic stress and the microscopic fabric tensor, this formulation not only quantifies the directional distribution of the contact network but also enables the mapping of anisotropic yielding and deformation analyses into an equivalent isotropic true stress space. Subsequently, a comprehensive constitutive framework is established by integrating critical state theory, an anisotropic fabric evolution law, and an energy-based stress–dilatancy relationship that explicitly accounts for the evolution mechanism of the microscopic coordination number. The physical interpretation, calibration procedure, and sensitivity analysis of the model parameters are also presented. The predictive capability of the model is rigorously validated against conventional triaxial tests on Ottawa sand, true triaxial numerical simulations, and experimental data for Toyoura sand with inherent anisotropy. The comparisons demonstrate that the model accurately captures not only the stress–strain response and volumetric deformation under conventional loading but also the strength dependency on loading direction and mechanical characteristics under complex stress paths, substantiating the validity and universality of the proposed micromechanical approach. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Mechanical Analysis of Materials and Structures in Civil Engineering)

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25 pages, 4900 KB

Open AccessArticle

Strength and Ductility Enhancement in Coarse-Aggregate UHPC via Fiber Hybridization: Micro-Mechanistic Insights and Artificial Neural Network Prediction

by Jiyang Wang, Yalong Wang, Shubin Wang, Yijian Zhan, Yu Peng, Zhihua Hu and Bo Zhang

Materials 2026, 19(1), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19010157 - 2 Jan 2026

Viewed by 270

Abstract

Incorporating coarse aggregates into ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC-CA) can reduce material costs, yet reliably predicting its strength-related behavior and overall performance remains challenging. This study examines UHPC-CA through a two-stage orthogonal experimental program comprising 18 mixtures with coarse aggregate, fly ash, and hybrid fiber reinforcements (steel, polypropylene, and composite fibers). Microstructural characterization using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray computed tomography (X-CT) was conducted to assess interfacial features and crack evolution and to link these observations to the measured mechanical response. Experimentally, fiber reinforcement markedly enhanced post-cracking performance. Compared with the fiber-free control mixture, the optimal hybrid configuration increased flexural strength from 6.9 to 23.5 MPa and compressive strength from 60.1 to 90.5 MPa. The steel–composite fiber system outperformed the steel–polypropylene system, which is consistent with the tighter composite-fiber interfacial bonding observed by SEM/X-CT and supports the feasibility of partially substituting steel fibers. An artificial neural network (ANN) model trained on 50 mixtures and evaluated on 10 unseen mixtures achieved an R² of 0.9703, an MAE of 1.22 MPa, and an RMSE of 2.11 MPa for compressive strength prediction, enabling sensitivity assessment under multi-factor coupling. Overall, the proposed experiment–characterization–modeling framework provides a data-driven basis for performance-oriented mix design and rapid screening of UHPC-CA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Mechanical Analysis of Materials and Structures in Civil Engineering)

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18 pages, 2342 KB

Open AccessArticle

Elastic–Plastic Deformation Analysis of Cantilever Beams with Tension–Compression Asymmetry of Materials

by Xiao-Ting He, Jing-Miao Yin, Zhi-Peng Chen and Jun-Yi Sun

Materials 2025, 18(24), 5611; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18245611 - 14 Dec 2025

Viewed by 432

Abstract

In the elastic–plastic analysis of structures, the deformation problem of cantilever beams is a classical problem, in which it is usually assumed that the material constituting the beam has an identical elastic modulus and identical yield strength when it is tensioned and compressed. These characteristics are manifested graphically as the symmetry of tension and compression. In this work, we will give up the general assumption and consider that the material has the property of tension–compression asymmetry, that is, the material presents different moduli in tension and compression and different yield strengths in tension and compression. First, the elastic–plastic response of the cantilever beam with a concentrated force acting at the fixed end in the loading stage is theoretically analyzed. When the plastic hinge appears at the fixed end, the maximum deflection at the free end is derived, and in the unloading stage the residual deflection at the free end is also given. At the same time, the theoretical solution obtained is validated by the numerical simulation. The results indicate that when considering the tension–compression asymmetry of materials, the plastic zone length from the fixed end no longer keeps the classical value of 1/3 and will become bigger; the tension–compression asymmetry will enlarge the displacement during the elastic–plastic response; and the ultimate deflection in loading and the residual deflection in unloading are both greater than the counterparts in the classical problem. The research results provide a theoretical reference for the fine analysis and optimal design of cantilever beams. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Mechanical Analysis of Materials and Structures in Civil Engineering)

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18 pages, 2806 KB

Open AccessArticle

Flexural Performance of CLT Plates Under Coupling Effect of Load and Moisture Content

by Jinpeng Xu, Tianyi Zhang, Huanyu Wang, Aiguo Zhao and Peng Wu

Materials 2025, 18(24), 5597; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18245597 - 12 Dec 2025

Viewed by 323

Abstract

As a green-material structure, cross-laminated timber (CLT) has attracted increasing attention and applications in construction. This study presents an analytical model for a CLT plate under the coupling effect of load and moisture content, where the moisture-induced deformation and moisture-dependent properties are both considered. In the analytical model, state-space equations for moisture variables and for stresses and displacements in the CLT plate are established based on moisture diffusion theory and three-dimensional elasticity theory, respectively. Using the transfer matrix method, the relationships of moisture variables, stresses, and displacements between any two layers of the CLT plates are formulated. The analytical solutions are then determined by the load and moisture conditions applied to the top and bottom surfaces. Comparative analysis indicates that the proposed solution surpasses finite element methods in both computational accuracy and efficiency. In addition, the stress and displacement patterns of CLT plates under pure load and pure moisture conditions, as well as their interrelations, are investigated through a decoupled analysis. An applicable modified superposition principle is then proposed. Finally, a detailed parametric study is conducted to examine the effects of moisture distribution and wood species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Mechanical Analysis of Materials and Structures in Civil Engineering)

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23 pages, 7346 KB

Open AccessArticle

Lateral Resistance of Modular CFS Shear Wall Connected with Rectangular Steel Tubes and Its Contribution to Frame Structures

by Yanbo Kang, Jiyuan Mei, Xinyu Wu and Liping Wang

Materials 2025, 18(23), 5257; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18235257 - 21 Nov 2025

Viewed by 453

Abstract

Modular lightweight shear walls can not only facilitate easy installation, thereby improving construction efficiency, but also demonstrate potential to enhance the lateral stiffness when applied in frame structures. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of a novel modular cold-formed steel (CFS) shear wall connected with rectangular steel tubes on improving the lateral performance of existing frame structures. Based on the test results of the lateral resistance of four full-scale specimens of modular CFS shear walls connected with rectangular steel tubes, the fine model and simplified model of test specimens were respectively established by the SAP2000v26.0.0 software. The performance indices of the yield load, yield displacement, peak load, peak displacement, and ductility factor were compared, and the maximum error of performance indices was satisfactory. The numerical results show that both the fine and simplified models can well simulate the deformation of walls under lateral cyclic loading, while the simplified models substantially simplify the calculation, which is more adaptable to the subsequent analysis of the multi-story building structure. Then, seismic response analyses of a frame with infilled modular walls and another frame without infilled modular walls were performed. The results indicate that, under the same seismic condition, the lateral displacements of the top floor of the six-story frame with infilled modular walls were reduced by 11–71%, and the maximum inter-story displacement angles were reduced by 15–67% compared to the frame without infilled walls. Therefore, it is demonstrated that the infilled modular CFS shear walls can significantly improve the lateral stiffness and the seismic performance of the steel frame structures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Mechanical Analysis of Materials and Structures in Civil Engineering)

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32 pages, 18645 KB

Open AccessArticle

More Trustworthy Prediction of Elastic Modulus of Recycled Aggregate Concrete Using MCBE and TabPFN

by Wei-Tian Lu, Ze-Zhao Wang and Xin-Yu Zhao

Materials 2025, 18(22), 5221; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18225221 - 18 Nov 2025

Viewed by 485

Abstract

The sustainable use of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is a critical pathway toward resource-efficient and environmentally responsible construction. However, the mechanical performance of RAC—particularly its elastic modulus—exhibits pronounced variability due to the heterogeneous quality and microstructural defects of recycled aggregates. This variability complicates the establishment of reliable predictive models and equations for elastic modulus estimation and restricts RAC’s broader structural implementation. Conventional empirical and machine-learning-based models (e.g., support vector machine, random forest, and artificial neural networks) are typically dataset-specific, prone to overfitting, and incapable of quantifying bias and uncertainty, making them unsuitable for heterogeneous materials data. This study introduces a bias-aware and more accurate predictive framework that integrates the Tabular Prior-data Fitted Network (TabPFN) with Monte Carlo Bias Estimation (MCBE)—for the first time applied in RAC materials research. A database containing 1161 RAC samples from diverse literature sources was established. This database includes key parameters such as apparent density ranging from 2270 kg/m³ to 3150 kg/m³, water absorption from 0.75% to 7.81%, replacement ratio from 0% to 100%, and compressive strength values ranging from 10.00 MPa to 108.51 MPa. MCBE quantified representational bias and guided targeted data augmentation, while TabPFN—pretrained on millions of Bayesian inference tasks—achieved R² = 0.912 and RMSE = 1.65 GPa without any hyperparameter tuning. Feature attribution analysis confirmed compressive strength as the most influential factor governing the elastic modulus, consistent with established composite mechanics principles. The proposed TabPFN–MCBE framework provides a reliable, bias-corrected, and transferable approach for modeling recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). It enables accurate predictions that are both trustworthy and interpretable, advancing the use of data-driven methods in sustainable materials design. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Mechanical Analysis of Materials and Structures in Civil Engineering)

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19 pages, 32582 KB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Characteristics of Cement-Based Magnetoelectric Composites Using COMSOL

by Weixuan Huang, Cuijuan Pang, Jianyu Xu, Kangyang Liang, Cunying Fan, Zeyu Lu and Chuncheng Lu

Materials 2025, 18(21), 5027; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18215027 - 4 Nov 2025

Viewed by 514

Abstract

A multiphysics-coupled 2–2 cement-based magnetoelectric composite model is established in COMSOL 6.2. This model is used to not only systematically investigate the magnetoelectric-coupling behavior, but also quantify the effects of the magnetic field, frequency, and layer-thickness ratio on the material’s magnetoelectric properties. The results demonstrate that the model effectively reproduces the internal stress–strain distribution and voltage evolution. Specifically, the magnetostrictive and piezoelectric layers exhibit mechanical responses with pronounced non-uniformity, which is attributed to boundary effects. The bias magnetic field plays a crucial regulatory role: the output voltage increases linearly from 0 to 2000 Oe and then saturates at higher fields. Under an alternating magnetic field, the composite exhibits pronounced resonance characteristics, whose frequency is jointly governed by structural dimensions and the bias field. The dynamic response was further analyzed using the magnetic flux density modulus, displacement profiles at selected locations, and voltage evolution across the piezoelectric layer. Notably, the thickness of each functional phase exerts a pronounced and distinct influence on the composite’s magnetoelectric coupling, with markedly different trends between phases. Optimization results show that a thin piezoelectric layer combined with a thick magnetostrictive layer yields the highest magnetoelectric performance. Additionally, the longitudinal and transverse magnetoelectric coefficients exhibit markedly different coupling mechanisms—this is owing to the misalignment between the magnetic-field and electric-polarization directions, and this difference further reveals the intrinsic anisotropy of the magnetoelectric response. Overall, this study provides a crucial theoretical foundation for the design and optimization of high-performance cement-based magnetoelectric composites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Mechanical Analysis of Materials and Structures in Civil Engineering)

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24 pages, 4912 KB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Simulation and Prediction of Flexure Performance of PSC Girders with Long-Term Prestress Loss

by Jun-Hee Won, Woo-Ri Kwon and Jang-Ho Jay Kim

Materials 2025, 18(20), 4654; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18204654 - 10 Oct 2025

Viewed by 676

Abstract

The purpose of this parametric study was to develop a numerical simulation model calibrated with experimental data to predict the flexural behavior of prestressed concrete (PSC) girders subjected to long-term prestress losses. The model is capable of accurately simulating the flexural behavior of PSC girders using commercial finite-element (FE) software in the ABAQUS/Explicit program. The accuracy of the model was validated by comparing its results with flexural response test data from three post-tensioned girders, with the tendons ultimately having tensile strength capacities of 1860 MPa, 2160 MPa, and 2400 MPa. The comparison demonstrated generally excellent agreement between numerical and experimental results in terms of the load–deflection response and crack propagation behavior, from the onset of first cracking through the maximum load and into the ductile response range. Subsequently, a parametric study was conducted to evaluate the effects of tendon ultimate strength, amount of long-term prestress loss, grouting defects, degradation-induced reductions in concrete strength, and reductions in tendon cross-sectional area on girder flexural behavior. Through this parametric investigation, the study identified key factors with respect to long-term prestress loss that may influence the flexural behavior of aging PSC structures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Mechanical Analysis of Materials and Structures in Civil Engineering)

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17 pages, 2708 KB

Open AccessArticle

Bending Behavior of Fiber Metal Laminate Plates Under Thermo-Mechanical Loads

by Like Pan, Tong Xing, Yingxin Zhao, Yuan Yuan and Caizhi Yang

Materials 2025, 18(19), 4640; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18194640 - 9 Oct 2025

Viewed by 648

Abstract

An exact analytical model based on three-dimensional (3D) thermo-elasticity theory is developed to investigate the bending behavior of fiber metal laminate (FML) plates under thermo-mechanical load. The temperature-dependent properties and the orthotropy of the component materials are considered in this model. The analytical model is based on the heat conduction theory and thermoelasticity theory, and the solutions are determined by employing the Fourier series expansion, the state space approach and the transfer matrix method. Comparison study shows that the FE results are generally in good agreement with the present analytical solutions, exhibiting relative errors of less than 2%, except in the regions near the upper and lower surfaces. The present solution is close to the experimental values for the laminated plate within the linear range, with errors less than 10%. The decoupling analysis indicates that the thermo-mechanical performance of FML plates no longer strictly adheres to the traditional superposition principle, with errors reaching 30.39%. A modified principle accounting for modulus degradation is introduced to address this discrepancy. Furthermore, parametric studies reveal that the temperature and the lamina number have significant effect on the stresses and displacements of the FML plate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Mechanical Analysis of Materials and Structures in Civil Engineering)

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