Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.4
3.2
Journals
Materials
Special Issues
From Materials to Applications: High-Performance Steel Structures
materials-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Materials Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

From Materials to Applications: High-Performance Steel Structures

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2026 | Viewed by 4757

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Alireza Farzampour

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement, Prince George County Permitting & Licensing, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774, USA
2. Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Virginia Tech College of Engineering, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
Interests: structural and material engineering focusing on material improvements; innovative lateral resisting systems; stability of structures; dynamical systems; optimization in steel applications; environmental effects on steel and concrete structures; seismic behavior prediction and system identification of structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Infrastructures can be designed, optimized, and constructed to withstand various lateral loads without experiencing a significant amount of concentrated damage. Having sufficient strength and stiffness to reduce the structural vulnerabilities against serious damages under various loading conditions requires structural elements to have adequate ductility, energy-dissipating capability, stiffness, and durability.

This Special Issue aims to investigate advancements in high-performance steel structures from materials to application, considering all the possible fields of study, which include the following: performance evaluations of steel structures, optimized steel systems, high-temperature reactions, innovative steel lateral resisting systems, high-strength steels, steel rebars, fatigue analysis methodologies, new generation of lateral resisting systems, natural hazard protective systems, additively manufactured steels, corrosion, application possibilities of new sustainable materials and methods, steel dampers, temporary structures, steel applications, steel–wood interactions, steel-concrete interactions, and advanced materials behavior compared with steel. These subjects can be studied from the following different points of view: mechanical, microstructural, material modeling, steel design, experimental and computational performance analysis, etc.

In summary, the present Special Issue is open to all research pieces involving steel as a structural material in any of its applications and from any of the possible technical or scientific perspectives.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Alireza Farzampour
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

  • steel structures
  • mechanical properties
  • performance based design
  • innovative steel structures
  • steel lateral resisting systems
  • steel joints, steel rebars, steel bridge, steel dampers
  • steel metallurgy
  • composite systems
  • optimization of steel system
  • fatigue, fracture, and seismic performance

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

20 pages, 28817 KiB  
Article
Grain Refinement and Microstructural Evolution in Cobalt-Saving 18Ni (300) Maraging Steel via Cold Deformation-Cyclic Solution Treatment
by Feng Huang, Zhe Cheng, Defa Li, Wei Zhang and Zhili Hu
Materials 2025, 18(13), 2947; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18132947 - 21 Jun 2025
Viewed by 512
Abstract
To solve the problem of inadequate plasticity of traditional processing routes in improving the plasticity of novel Co-saving 18Ni (300) maraging steel, a cold deformation-cycle solution treatment process was developed. Through systematic characterization and tensile property testing, the study focuses on elucidating the [...] Read more.
To solve the problem of inadequate plasticity of traditional processing routes in improving the plasticity of novel Co-saving 18Ni (300) maraging steel, a cold deformation-cycle solution treatment process was developed. Through systematic characterization and tensile property testing, the study focuses on elucidating the impact of the number of solution treatments on the microstructure and mechanical behavior. The results showed that with a 30% cold deformation, three times of solution treatment at 860 °C for 10 min refined the original austenite grains (equivalent circle radius: 3.3 μm) and martensite structure (length and width: 7 μm and 1.3 μm, respectively) to the utmost extent. The grains became uniformly equiaxed, and the texture was eliminated, and a moderate content (4.5%) of retained austenite was formed. At this time, the material achieves the best match between strength (tensile strength of 1240 MPa) and plasticity (elongation of 9.93%), which are increased by 15.3% and 94.3%, respectively, compared with the traditional process. Mechanistic analysis revealed that grain refinement and uniform equiaxialization were the primary drivers for enhancing strength and plasticity. This study has demonstrated that the cold deformation-cyclic solution treatment process is an effective methodology for tailoring the microstructure and mechanical properties of maraging steel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Materials to Applications: High-Performance Steel Structures)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

32 pages, 11290 KiB  
Article
Material Characterization and Stress-State-Dependent Failure Criteria of AASHTO M180 Guardrail Steel: Experimental and Numerical Investigation
by Qusai A. Alomari, Tewodros Y. Yosef, Robert W. Bielenberg, Ronald K. Faller, Mehrdad Negahban, Zesheng Zhang, Wenlong Li and Brandt M. Humphrey
Materials 2025, 18(11), 2523; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112523 - 27 May 2025
Viewed by 462
Abstract
As a key roadside safety feature, longitudinal guardrail steel barriers are purposefully designed to contain and redirect errant vehicles to prevent roadway departure, dissipate impact energy through plastic deformation, and reduce the severity of vehicle crashes. Nevertheless, these systems should be carefully designed [...] Read more.
As a key roadside safety feature, longitudinal guardrail steel barriers are purposefully designed to contain and redirect errant vehicles to prevent roadway departure, dissipate impact energy through plastic deformation, and reduce the severity of vehicle crashes. Nevertheless, these systems should be carefully designed and assessed, as localized rupturing, especially near splice or impact locations, can lead to catastrophic failures, compromising vehicle containment, violating crash safety standards, and ultimately jeopardizing the safety of occupants and other road users. Before conducting full-scale crash testing, finite element analysis (FEA) tools are widely employed to evaluate the design efficiency, optimize system configurations, and preemptively identify potential failure modes prior to expensive physical crash testing. To accurately assess system behavior, calibrated material models and precise failure criteria must be utilized in these simulations. Despite the existence of numerous failure criteria and material models, the material characteristics of AASHTO M-180 guardrail steel have not been fully investigated. This paper significantly advances the FE modeling of ductile fracture in guardrail steel, addressing a critical need within the roadside safety community. This study formulates stress-state-dependent failure criteria and proposes advanced material modeling techniques. Extensive experimental testing was conducted on steel specimens having various triaxiality and Lode parameter values to reproduce a wide spectrum of complex, three-dimensional stress-state loading conditions. The test results were then used to identify material properties and construct a failure surface. Subsequent FEA, which incorporated the Generalized Incremental Stress-State-Dependent Damage Model (GISSMO) in conjunction with two LS-DYNA material models, illustrates the capability of the developed surface and material input parameters to predict material behavior under various stress states accurately. A parametric study was completed to further validate the proposed models, highlighting their robustness and reliability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Materials to Applications: High-Performance Steel Structures)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 3775 KiB  
Article
Deformation Behavior of S32750 Duplex Stainless Steel Based on In Situ EBSD Technology
by Shun Bao, Han Feng, Zhigang Song, Jianguo He, Xiaohan Wu and Yang Gu
Materials 2025, 18(9), 2030; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18092030 - 29 Apr 2025
Viewed by 411
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the two-phase hardening behavior and microstructural evolution of S32750 duplex stainless steel during the tensile deformation process. The analysis was conducted using in situ electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and microhardness testing. It was observed [...] Read more.
In this study, we investigated the two-phase hardening behavior and microstructural evolution of S32750 duplex stainless steel during the tensile deformation process. The analysis was conducted using in situ electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and microhardness testing. It was observed that strain transfer occurred between the two phases in the position away from the fracture. The ferrite phase exhibited softening, while the austenite phase underwent hardening. In the region less than 1 mm from the fracture site, both phases experienced a rapid hardening, with the maximum hardness difference between the two phases near the fracture reaching approximately 45 HV. In situ EBSD results indicate that the kernel average misorientation (KAM) value for the ferrite phase consistently exceeds that of the austenite phase during the initial stages of deformation. Conversely, in the final stages of deformation, the KAM value for austenite surpasses that of ferrite. In the initial stage of deformation, the type of grain boundaries in both phases remains largely unaltered. However, in the later stages of deformation, there is a marked increase in the number of small-angle grain boundaries within ferrite, which become approximately three times that of the large-angle grain boundaries. As deformation progresses, the maximum orientation distribution density of the ferrite phase is reduced by approximately 50%, with the preferred orientation shifting from the {100} plane to the {111} plane. In contrast, the orientation distribution of the austenite remains relatively uniform, with no significant change in the maximum orientation distribution density observed. This indicates that after substantial deformation, the rotation of ferrite grains significantly increases the deformation resistance, whereas the austenite phase continues to harden. This differential behavior leads to the continuous accumulation of strain at the phase boundaries, ultimately causing cracks to form at these boundaries and resulting in the sample’s fracture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Materials to Applications: High-Performance Steel Structures)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 5937 KiB  
Article
Nonstationary Stochastic Responses of Transmission Tower-Line System with Viscoelastic Material Dampers Under Seismic Excitations
by Mingjing Chang, Bo Chen, Xiang Xiao and Yanzhou Chen
Materials 2025, 18(5), 1138; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18051138 - 3 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 728
Abstract
The excessive vibration or collapse of a transmission tower-line (TTL) system under seismic excitation can result in significant losses. Viscoelastic material dampers (VMDs) have been recognized as an effective method for structural vibration mitigation. Most existing studies have focused solely on the dynamic [...] Read more.
The excessive vibration or collapse of a transmission tower-line (TTL) system under seismic excitation can result in significant losses. Viscoelastic material dampers (VMDs) have been recognized as an effective method for structural vibration mitigation. Most existing studies have focused solely on the dynamic analysis of TTL systems with control devices under deterministic seismic excitations. Studies focusing on the nonstationary stochastic control of TTL systems with VMDs have not been reported. To this end, this study proposes a comprehensive analytical framework for the nonstationary stochastic responses of TTL systems with VMDs under stochastic seismic excitations. The analytical model of the TTL system is formulated using the Lagrange equation. The six-parameter model of VMDs and the vibration control method are established. Following this, the pseudo-excitation method (PEM) is applied to compute the stochastic response of the controlled TTL system under nonstationary seismic excitations, and a probabilistic framework for analyzing extreme value responses is developed. A real TTL system in China is selected to verify the validity of the proposed method. The accuracy of the proposed framework is validated based on the Monte Carlo method (MCM). A detailed parametric investigation is conducted to determine the optimal damper installation scheme and examine the effects of the service temperature and site type on stochastic seismic responses. VMDs can effectively suppress the structural dynamic responses, with particularly stable control over displacement. The temperature and site type have a notable influence on the stochastic seismic responses of the TTL system. The research findings provide important references for improving the seismic performance of VMDs in TTL systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Materials to Applications: High-Performance Steel Structures)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 16681 KiB  
Article
Achieving Strength–Ductility Balance in TWIP Steel by Tailoring Cementite
by Zhenyu Zhao, Jian Sheng, Dazhao Li, Shaobin Bai, Yongan Chen, Haitao Lu, Pengfei Cao and Xin Liu
Materials 2025, 18(4), 843; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18040843 - 14 Feb 2025
Viewed by 648
Abstract
High-Mn steels are widely used in various fields. However, the FCC structure is not conducive to improving strength, limiting their development and application. In this work, hot-rolled Fe-25Mn-1Al-3Si-1C (wt.%) steel was annealed at various temperatures to tailor the cementite particles and recrystallized grains, [...] Read more.
High-Mn steels are widely used in various fields. However, the FCC structure is not conducive to improving strength, limiting their development and application. In this work, hot-rolled Fe-25Mn-1Al-3Si-1C (wt.%) steel was annealed at various temperatures to tailor the cementite particles and recrystallized grains, thus achieving a balance between strength and ductility. As the annealing temperature increased from 550 to 650 °C, the volume fraction of recrystallized grains slightly increased and the volume fraction of cementite particles initially increased and then decreased, which was explained and verified by the quantitative calculation. Especially, the high-density pre-dislocation and finely dispersed cementite particles in sample AN550 resulted in a relatively low volume fraction of recrystallized grains. Interestingly, secondary deformation twinning was activated during the subsequent tensile deformation in addition to the dislocations, stacking faults, and previous deformation twinning. This complex interaction among various deformation mechanisms indued a good balance between strength and ductility, achieving an outstanding result (58.9 GPa%) regarding tensile strength and total elongation. This work offers an effective route for developing a high-Mn TWIP steel with outstanding strength–ductility balance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Materials to Applications: High-Performance Steel Structures)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 7789 KiB  
Article
Eccentric Compression Behavior of Truss-Reinforced Cross-Shaped Concrete-Filled Steel Tubular Columns
by Yu Tao, Sumei Zhang, Gaopeng Xiong, Chao Gong, Zhaoxin Hou and Xiaozhong Li
Materials 2024, 17(15), 3738; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17153738 - 28 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1258
Abstract
In the paper, the eccentric compression behavior of the truss-reinforced cross-shaped concrete-filled steel tubular (CCFST) column is investigated. A total of eighteen CCFST columns were tested under eccentric compression, and the key test variables included the reinforced truss node spacing (s = [...] Read more.
In the paper, the eccentric compression behavior of the truss-reinforced cross-shaped concrete-filled steel tubular (CCFST) column is investigated. A total of eighteen CCFST columns were tested under eccentric compression, and the key test variables included the reinforced truss node spacing (s = 140 mm and 200 mm), slenderness ratio (λ = 9.2, 16.6, and 23.1), and eccentricity ratio (η = 0, 0.08, and 0.15). The failure mode, deformation characteristic, stress distribution, strain distribution at the mid-span of the steel tube, and the eccentric compression bearing capacity were assessed. The results show that due to the addition of reinforced truss, the steel plates near the mid-span of eccentrically compressed CCFST columns experienced multi-wave buckling rather than single-wave buckling after the peak load was reduced to 85%, and the failure mode of concrete also changed from single-section to multi-section collapse failure. Comparisons were made with the unstiffened specimen. The ductility coefficient of the stiffened specimen with eccentricity ratios of 0.08–0.15 and node spacings of 140 mm~200 mm increased by 70~83%, approaching that of the multi-cell specimens with an increasing steel ratio of 1.8%. In addition, by comparing the test results with the calculation results of four domestic and international design codes, it was found that the Chinese codes CECS159-2018 and GB50936-2014, and the Eurocode 4 (2004) can be better employed to predict the compression bearing capacity of truss-reinforced CCFST columns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Materials to Applications: High-Performance Steel Structures)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-6
Back to TopTop