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Study on Mechanical Properties of Concrete Structures and RC Beams
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Study on Mechanical Properties of Concrete Structures and RC Beams

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2025 | Viewed by 2398

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Pengru Deng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, China
Interests: durability of RC; fracture mechanics; computer vision; condition assessment; digital twin; composite materials; structural rehabilitation
Prof. Dr. Takashi Matsumoto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Bridge and Structural Design Engineering, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
Interests: RC structures; fracture mechanics; micromechanics; composite material; composite structure; maintenance engineering and AI-based structural damage detection

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Concrete structures and RC beams play pivotal roles in infrastructure development. The combination of strength, durability, cost effectiveness, and sustainability make them preferred choices for a wide range of construction projects. However, due to the cumulative impact of both load and environmental factors, the aging and durability challenges have become increasingly pronounced.

To ensure the long-term safe operation, it is essential to detect and assess the mechanical properties of existing concrete structures and RC beams. This typically involves structural health detection techniques, such as visual inspection, non-destructive testing, load testing, and monitoring. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques has also significantly advanced structural condition detection by harnessing sophisticated data analytics, predictive modeling, and real-time monitoring. The recent adoption of the digital twin concept offers a promising solution for structural assessment. By mapping measured data from physical infrastructures into numerical models and conducting analyses based on computation methods, it becomes possible to quantitatively evaluate mechanical properties and structural performance of concrete and RC beams with greater precision and insight for wiser maintenance planning and decision-making.

To further the investigation into the long-term mechanical properties of concrete structures and RC beams, this Special Issue delves into various topics, including but not limited to durability experiments, multi-scale modeling, advanced non-destructive testing, integration of AI, and the implementation of the digital twin concept. We welcome experimental, numerical, and theoretical work exploring any aspect within the scope of this research area. Your valuable contributions are eagerly anticipated.

Prof. Pengru Deng
Prof. Dr. Takashi Matsumoto
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 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

  • mechanical properties
  • durability
  • condition assessment
  • non-destructive test
  • computational modeling
  • artificial intelligence
  • digital twin

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2833 KiB  
Article
Solid and Hollow Pre-Tensioned, Pre-Stressed Concrete Orchard Posts—Computational and Experimental Comparative Analysis
by Jarosław Michałek and Jacek Dudkiewicz
Materials 2025, 18(11), 2525; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112525 - 27 May 2025
Viewed by 306
Abstract
For several years now, fruit-growers have increasingly often used pre-tensioned, pre-stressed concrete posts for supporting branches of fruit trees and suspending protective nets in order to limit damage to fruits caused by hail, wind, snow, heavy rainfall, insects and birds. Pre-tensioned, pre-stressed concrete [...] Read more.
For several years now, fruit-growers have increasingly often used pre-tensioned, pre-stressed concrete posts for supporting branches of fruit trees and suspending protective nets in order to limit damage to fruits caused by hail, wind, snow, heavy rainfall, insects and birds. Pre-tensioned, pre-stressed concrete posts most often have a trapezoidal cross-section, which is ideally suitable for mass production in a self-supporting non-dismantlable steel mould on a pre-stressing bed. Posts with 70 mm × 75 mm, 80 mm × 85 mm and 90 mm × 95 mm cross-sections are typically produced, whereas 100 mm × 120 mm and 130 mm × 140 mm posts are manufactured to order. Furthermore, it is proposed to produce hollow posts. Such posts are lighter than solid posts, but they require a more complicated production technology. This paper presents selected parts of a comparative computational–experimental analysis of solid and hollow posts. In the Building Structures Laboratory in the Building Structures Department at the Civil Engineering Faculty of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology, experimental tests of pre-stressed concrete orchard posts of 70 mm × 75 mm and 90 mm × 95 mm with solid and hollow cross-sections were carried out on a full scale. The theoretical analysis and research has shown that the resistance to bending, cracking resistance and rigidity of hollow posts (with their cross-sectional outline unchanged) will not significantly differ from those of the currently produced solid posts. At same time, material savings will be achieved. Therefore, the main task is to master the continuous moulding of hollow posts from dense plastic concrete with the simultaneous pulling out of the cores, producing longitudinal hollows in the posts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Study on Mechanical Properties of Concrete Structures and RC Beams)
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37 pages, 15544 KiB  
Article
Tensile Strength Estimation of UHPFRC Based on Predicted Cracking Location Using Deep Learning
by Xin Luo and Takashi Matsumoto
Materials 2025, 18(10), 2237; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18102237 - 12 May 2025
Viewed by 369
Abstract
Ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) exhibits exceptional tensile properties, but its tensile strength is highly dependent on fiber distribution, orientation, and count, making accurate strength estimation challenging. This study introduces a novel approach in which tensile strength estimation is achieved by analyzing fiber characteristics [...] Read more.
Ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) exhibits exceptional tensile properties, but its tensile strength is highly dependent on fiber distribution, orientation, and count, making accurate strength estimation challenging. This study introduces a novel approach in which tensile strength estimation is achieved by analyzing fiber characteristics at predicted cracking locations using deep learning. Using X-ray computed tomography (CT) and image analysis techniques, the fiber orientation factor (μ0) and average efficiency factor ((μ1)−) were determined at predicted cracking locations. A deep learning model (YOLOv11) was trained to identify regions with a defective distribution, achieving a mean Average Precision (mAP@0.5) of 0.87, demonstrating its high reliability in predicting cracking locations. The overall cracking location prediction success rate was 73% for strain-hardening specimens. The estimated tensile strength was then compared with uniaxial tensile test (UTT) results, revealing an average experiment-estimation error of 5.72% and an average theory-estimation error of 3.34% for strain-hardening specimens, whereas strain-softening specimens exhibited significantly higher errors, with an average experiment-estimation error of 43.09% and an average theory-estimation error of 15.73%. These findings highlight the strong correlation between fiber count, cracking behavior, and tensile strength in UHPFRC, offering a trustworthy, non-destructive framework for estimating tensile performance in UHPFRC elements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Study on Mechanical Properties of Concrete Structures and RC Beams)
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26 pages, 14840 KiB  
Article
Experimental Investigation of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fibers and Fabric for Flexural Reinforcement in Ultra-High-Performance Concrete
by Zengrui Pan, Faning Dang, Rabin Tuladhar, Shi Yin, Feng Shi, Peter To and Zisheng Tang
Materials 2025, 18(9), 2002; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18092002 - 28 Apr 2025
Viewed by 353
Abstract
This study investigates the use of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers and fabric to enhance the flexural performance of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC). A total of 45 specimens were tested to examine the effects of fiber type, fabric material, adhesive, and various combined [...] Read more.
This study investigates the use of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers and fabric to enhance the flexural performance of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC). A total of 45 specimens were tested to examine the effects of fiber type, fabric material, adhesive, and various combined strengthening techniques. The main findings are that incorporating UHMWPE fiber into the ultra-high-strength mortar (HSM) matrix provides superior performance compared to steel fiber, particularly in enhancing crack resistance and energy absorption. UHMWPE fiber-reinforced UHPC achieved a flexural toughness of 307 KJ/m3, over three times higher than that of steel fiber-reinforced UHPC (98 KJ/m3). The use of UHMWPE fabrics was more effective in improving the ductility and toughness of the composites than the use of glass fabrics. The bonding effect of using epoxy resin with UHMWPE fabric is better than using magnesium phosphate cement (MPC). Increasing the number of fabric layers improved the flexural properties of externally bonded fabric but had no impact on internal reinforcement techniques. The best strengthening method in this study was a combination of incorporating UHMWPE fiber internally and externally bonded fabric on a concrete surface, yielding the highest toughness of 580 KJ/m3. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Study on Mechanical Properties of Concrete Structures and RC Beams)
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15 pages, 3693 KiB  
Article
Analytical Solution for Dynamic Response of a Reinforced Concrete Beam with Viscoelastic Bearings Subjected to Moving Loads
by Liangming Sun, Shuguang Liu, Fan Kong and Hanbing Zhao
Materials 2024, 17(18), 4491; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17184491 - 13 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 941
Abstract
To provide a theoretical basis for eliminating resonance and optimizing the design of viscoelastically supported bridges, this paper investigates the analytical solutions of train-induced vibrations in railway bridges with low-stiffness and high-damping rubber bearings. First, the shape function of the viscoelastic bearing reinforced [...] Read more.
To provide a theoretical basis for eliminating resonance and optimizing the design of viscoelastically supported bridges, this paper investigates the analytical solutions of train-induced vibrations in railway bridges with low-stiffness and high-damping rubber bearings. First, the shape function of the viscoelastic bearing reinforced concrete (RC) beam is derived for the dynamic response of the viscoelastic bearing RC beam subjected to a single moving load. Furthermore, based on the simplified shape function, the dynamic response of the viscoelastic bearing RC beam under equidistant moving loads is studied. The results show that the stiffness and damping effect on the dynamic response of the supports cannot be neglected. The support stiffness might adversely increase the dynamic response. Further, due to the effect of support damping, the free vibration response of RC beams in resonance may be significantly suppressed. Finally, when the moving loads leave the bridge, the displacement amplitude of the viscoelastic support beam in free vibration is significantly larger than that of the rigid support beam. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Study on Mechanical Properties of Concrete Structures and RC Beams)
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