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Advanced Steel Structures and Concrete for Sustainable Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 August 2024) | Viewed by 12418

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Construction, Campus de Gijón, University of Oviedo, 33203 Gijón, Spain
Interests: steel structures; steel joints; steel hollow sections; recycled concrete
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Construction, Campus de Gijón, University of Oviedo, 33203 Gijón, Spain
Interests: sustainable construction materials; recycled aggregates; concrete technologies; ultra-high-performance concrete; computational modeling of concrete
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is well known that structural steel is an inherently recyclable material. Disassembly and reuse of steel structures is made possible through proper joint design. In the case of the other main structural material, concrete, the use of waste or recycled materials acting as aggregates, cementitious substances or additives is currently an important field of research. In addition, the reuse of precast concrete pieces is also possible in some specific cases.

Any work that addresses these subjects or any other environmental or sustainability considerations in steel or concrete structures is welcomed for submission to this Special Issue.

Dr. Carlos López-Colina
Prof. Dr. Fernando Lopez Gayarre
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • steel structures
  • steel joints
  • recycled concrete
  • sustainability
  • reuse
  • recycled aggregates

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 12477 KiB  
Article
Experimental and Numerical Study of Steel–Concrete Composite Beams Strengthened under Load
by Piotr Szewczyk
Materials 2024, 17(18), 4510; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17184510 - 13 Sep 2024
Viewed by 997
Abstract
This study analysed the strengthening process of a classical steel–concrete composite beam. The beam consisted of a reinforced concrete slab connected by shear studs to an IPE steel profile. The key idea was that the composite beam was strengthened under load. This process [...] Read more.
This study analysed the strengthening process of a classical steel–concrete composite beam. The beam consisted of a reinforced concrete slab connected by shear studs to an IPE steel profile. The key idea was that the composite beam was strengthened under load. This process simulated an actual reinforced structure that is always subjected to dead loads, with possible service loads. This study assumed that strengthening was implemented to increase the load-carrying capacity and stiffness, not as a way for simulation a repair. The strengthening consisted of expanding the steel part of the beam by welding an additional plate to the bottom flange of the IPE profile. This study included the results of numerical analyses conducted in Abaqus software and lab results. A three-dimensional numerical model was created, taking into account the non-linear behaviour of concrete and steel, the susceptibility of the composite at the joint plane, and the residual stresses created during welding. A full-scale strengthening of the composite beams under load was carried out. Comparison of the results obtained in the experimental tests and numerical analyses showed a very high convergence of the results, as well as in terms of the non-linear operation of steel and concrete. This confirmed the validity of the created numerical model, which can be the basis for further research into the process of optimal strengthening of composite elements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Steel Structures and Concrete for Sustainable Applications)
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13 pages, 3865 KiB  
Article
Research on the Resistance Performance and Damage Deterioration Model of Fiber-Reinforced Gobi Aggregate Concrete
by Tuo Lei, Hai Bai and Lei Li
Materials 2024, 17(10), 2291; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17102291 - 12 May 2024
Viewed by 940
Abstract
Concrete prepared using Gobi sand and gravel instead of ordinary sand and gravel is referred to as Gobi concrete. In order to explore the effect of fibers on the frost resistance of Gobi concrete, as well as to enhance the service life of [...] Read more.
Concrete prepared using Gobi sand and gravel instead of ordinary sand and gravel is referred to as Gobi concrete. In order to explore the effect of fibers on the frost resistance of Gobi concrete, as well as to enhance the service life of Gobi aggregate concrete in Northwest China, experiments were conducted with fiber types (polypropylene fibers, basalt fibers, polypropylene–basalt fibers) and fiber volume fractions (0%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%) as variable parameters. This study investigated the surface morphology, mass loss rate, and relative dynamic elastic modulus of fiber-reinforced Gobi concrete after different freeze–thaw cycles (0, 25, 50, 75, 100). Corresponding frost damage deterioration models were proposed. The results indicate that fibers have a favorable effect on the anti-peeling performance, mass loss rate, and dynamic elastic modulus of Gobi aggregate concrete. The improvement levels of different fiber types are in the following order: 0.1% basalt-polypropylene fibers, 0.2% polypropylene fibers, and 0.3% basalt fibers. Compared to Gobi concrete exposed to natural environmental conditions, the freeze–thaw cycle numbers increased by 343, 79, and 69 times, respectively. A quadratic polynomial damage model for fiber-reinforced Gobi concrete, using relative dynamic elastic modulus as the damage variable, was established and demonstrated good predictive performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Steel Structures and Concrete for Sustainable Applications)
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13 pages, 2255 KiB  
Article
Embodied Energy Optimization of Prestressed Concrete Road Flyovers by a Two-Phase Kriging Surrogate Model
by Lorena Yepes-Bellver, Alejandro Brun-Izquierdo, Julián Alcalá and Víctor Yepes
Materials 2023, 16(20), 6767; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16206767 - 19 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1386
Abstract
This study aims to establish a methodology for optimizing embodied energy while constructing lightened road flyovers. A cross-sectional analysis is conducted to determine design parameters through an exhaustive literature review. Based on this analysis, key design variables that can enhance the energy efficiency [...] Read more.
This study aims to establish a methodology for optimizing embodied energy while constructing lightened road flyovers. A cross-sectional analysis is conducted to determine design parameters through an exhaustive literature review. Based on this analysis, key design variables that can enhance the energy efficiency of the slab are identified. The methodology is divided into two phases: a statistical technique known as Latin Hypercube Sampling is initially employed to sample deck variables and create a response surface; subsequently, the response surface is fine-tuned through a Kriging-based optimization model. Consequently, a methodology has been developed that reduces the energy cost of constructing lightened slab bridge decks. Recommendations to improve energy efficiency include employing high slenderness ratios (approximately 1/28), minimizing concrete and active reinforcement usage, and increasing the amount of passive reinforcement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Steel Structures and Concrete for Sustainable Applications)
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15 pages, 7714 KiB  
Article
Fatigue Crack Propagation of Corroded High-Strength Steel Wires Using the XFEM and the EIFS
by Jianchao Zhu, Zhiyu Jie, Chao Chen, Hao Zheng and Weiguo Wang
Materials 2023, 16(13), 4738; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16134738 - 30 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1380
Abstract
A fatigue test and numerical simulation on corroded high-strength steel wires with multiple corrosion pits were conducted. A new approach combining the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) and the Equivalent Initial Flaw Size (EIFS) was proposed to investigate three-dimensional fatigue crack growth and [...] Read more.
A fatigue test and numerical simulation on corroded high-strength steel wires with multiple corrosion pits were conducted. A new approach combining the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) and the Equivalent Initial Flaw Size (EIFS) was proposed to investigate three-dimensional fatigue crack growth and life prediction. The EIFS values for the steel wires were determined under various stress ranges and corrosion pit conditions. The fatigue crack propagation path, the fatigue life, and the stress variation under different pit types and depths were investigated. The results reveal a significant linear relationship between the maximum principal stress range and the fatigue life in logarithmic coordinates for steel wires with various pit types. Additionally, the EIFS is found to be dependent on the stress range and the pit depth. All the predicted outcomes fall within a range of twice the margin of error. The accuracy of this novel method is further verified by comparing predicted results with the test data. This research contributes to a better understanding of the fatigue performance of corroded high-strength steel wires and can assist in the design and maintenance of notched components. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Steel Structures and Concrete for Sustainable Applications)
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18 pages, 7505 KiB  
Article
Interpretable Predictive Modelling of Basalt Fiber Reinforced Concrete Splitting Tensile Strength Using Ensemble Machine Learning Methods and SHAP Approach
by Celal Cakiroglu, Yaren Aydın, Gebrail Bekdaş and Zong Woo Geem
Materials 2023, 16(13), 4578; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16134578 - 25 Jun 2023
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 1881
Abstract
Basalt fibers are a type of reinforcing fiber that can be added to concrete to improve its strength, durability, resistance to cracking, and overall performance. The addition of basalt fibers with high tensile strength has a particularly favorable impact on the splitting tensile [...] Read more.
Basalt fibers are a type of reinforcing fiber that can be added to concrete to improve its strength, durability, resistance to cracking, and overall performance. The addition of basalt fibers with high tensile strength has a particularly favorable impact on the splitting tensile strength of concrete. The current study presents a data set of experimental results of splitting tests curated from the literature. Some of the best-performing ensemble learning techniques such as Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM), Random Forest, and Categorical Boosting (CatBoost) have been applied to the prediction of the splitting tensile strength of concrete reinforced with basalt fibers. State-of-the-art performance metrics such as the root mean squared error, mean absolute error and the coefficient of determination have been used for measuring the accuracy of the prediction. The impact of each input feature on the model prediction has been visualized using the Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) algorithm and individual conditional expectation (ICE) plots. A coefficient of determination greater than 0.9 could be achieved by the XGBoost algorithm in the prediction of the splitting tensile strength. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Steel Structures and Concrete for Sustainable Applications)
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14 pages, 6185 KiB  
Article
Comparative Evaluation of Flexural Toughness of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Beams
by Hyun-Do Yun, Ki-Bong Choi and Won-Chang Choi
Materials 2023, 16(10), 3789; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16103789 - 17 May 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1934
Abstract
Specifications are available to quantify flexural performance of steel-fiber reinforced concrete beams with several parameters. Each specification provides different results. This study comparatively evaluates existing flexural beam test standards that are used to evaluate the flexural toughness of SFRC beam specimens. Two standards, [...] Read more.
Specifications are available to quantify flexural performance of steel-fiber reinforced concrete beams with several parameters. Each specification provides different results. This study comparatively evaluates existing flexural beam test standards that are used to evaluate the flexural toughness of SFRC beam specimens. Two standards, EN-14651 and ASTM C1609, were followed to test SFRC beams under the three-point bending test (3PBT) and the four-point bending test (4PBT), respectively. Both normal tensile strength steel fiber (1200 MPa) and high tensile strength steel fiber (1500 MPa) in high-strength concrete were considered in this study. The reference parameters recommended in the two standards, which include equivalent flexural strength, residual strength, energy absorption capacity, and flexural toughness, were compared based on the tensile strength (normal or high) of the steel fiber in high-strength concrete. The 3PBT and 4PBT results indicate that both standard test methods yield similar results to quantify the flexural performance of SFRC specimens. However, unintended failure modes were observed for both standard test methods. The adopted correlation model shows that the flexural performance of SFRC is similar for 3PBTs and 4PBTs, but the residual strength obtained from the 3PBTs tends to be greater than that obtained from 4PBTs with an increase in the tensile strength of steel fiber. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Steel Structures and Concrete for Sustainable Applications)
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17 pages, 5779 KiB  
Article
Experimental and Numerical Study of a Rebar-Prestressed Cylinder Concrete Pipe (RPCCP) under Internal Load
by Yueyang Sun, Yiqun Huang, Yangyang Yin, Yang Wang and Shaowei Hu
Materials 2022, 15(21), 7771; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15217771 - 4 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1263
Abstract
In order to study the load-bearing failure characteristics of a RPCCP under internal load, a field prototype test was designed, and a finite element model was established. An internal load was applied up to 2.0 MPa step by step and the force variation [...] Read more.
In order to study the load-bearing failure characteristics of a RPCCP under internal load, a field prototype test was designed, and a finite element model was established. An internal load was applied up to 2.0 MPa step by step and the force variation law of each part was obtained. During the production of the RPCCP, by wrapping prestressed steel bars around the concrete core with a cylinder, the core was subjected to an initial precompression stress. In the loading process, the protective cover cracked first, from where the concrete core gradually changed from the initial compression state to a tension state, finally cracking from the inner and outer diameter. The stresses of the cylinder and steel bars increased steadily with the internal load and did not yield. The finite element calculation results were in good agreement with the test results, and the influence characteristics of the tension control stress of the steel bar and the concrete strength on the failure of the RPCCP under internal load were discussed. The results showed that the internal load of the protective cover was independent of the tension control stress, but decreases with a decrease in concrete strength, while the load corresponding to the concrete core entering plasticity is related to the tension control stress and the concrete strength, and the relationships were basically linear. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Steel Structures and Concrete for Sustainable Applications)
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24 pages, 8551 KiB  
Article
Mechanical Property Analysis and Calculation Method Modification of Steel-Reinforced High-Strength Concrete Columns
by Wenze Sun and Shiping Li
Materials 2022, 15(19), 6863; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15196863 - 2 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1747
Abstract
The existing studies lack research on the ductility of steel-reinforced high-strength concrete (SRHC) columns and current specifications restricted the use of high-strength concrete in steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) columns. To compensate for the shortcomings of the existing research and promote the application of high-strength [...] Read more.
The existing studies lack research on the ductility of steel-reinforced high-strength concrete (SRHC) columns and current specifications restricted the use of high-strength concrete in steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) columns. To compensate for the shortcomings of the existing research and promote the application of high-strength concrete in SRC structures, we test six SRHC columns and one SRC column to examine the effects of the steel content, eccentric distance, and slenderness ratio on the ductility, bearing capacity, and failure mode of SRHC columns. Further, Abaqus finite element models are established to predict the influences of more parameters on post-peak ductility and analyze the relationship between strain development of the concrete and the decrease in bearing capacity of SRHC columns. The results show that the penetration of cracks into aggregate during failure is the primary reason for the poor ductility of the SRHC columns. Improving the confinement effect of the stirrups on concrete is the most effective measure to enhance the ductility of the SRHC columns. The decline in the stirrup spacing from 100 mm to 50 mm increased the ductility coefficient from 1.47 to 5.56. The effect of the steel content, stirrup strength, and slenderness ratio on the ductility coefficient of SRHC columns is less than 30%. After analyzing the reason for the error of current specifications, a modified formula with an error of less than 5% is developed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Steel Structures and Concrete for Sustainable Applications)
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