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Advances in Ultra-High Performance Concretes and Cementitious Composites
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Advances in Ultra-High Performance Concretes and Cementitious Composites

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2025) | Viewed by 3884

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Baoguo Han

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Interests: cement and concrete composites; self-sensing concrete for smart structures; nano-engineered cementitious composites; (ultra)high performance and smart/multifunctional concrete materials and structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jialiang Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, Aarhus University, 8000C Aarhus, Denmark
Interests: oil and gas well cement; ultra-high performance cementitious composites; nano-engineered cement and concrete; smart concrete materials and structures

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ultra-high performance concretes (UHPC) and cementitious composites have emerged as revolutionary materials in the field of construction and engineering. These advanced materials offer exceptional mechanical properties, durability, and sustainability, opening up new frontiers in structural design and construction practices.

This special issue aims to bring together the latest research and developments in the field of ultra-high performance concretes and cementitious composites. We invite contributions from researchers, engineers, and industry professionals to share their insights and findings on various aspects of these materials.

We welcome original research articles, review papers, and case studies that address the following topics:

  1. Development and characterization of ultra-high performance concretes;
  2. Innovative cementitious composites for enhanced performance;
  3. Durability and long-term performance of UHPC and cementitious composites;
  4. Sustainable manufacturing and use of these materials;
  5. Applications of UHPC and cementitious composites in infrastructure projects;
  6. Numerical modeling and simulation of UHPC and cementitious composites;
  7. Experimental investigations and testing methods for these materials;
  8. New technologies and techniques for the production and processing of UHPC and cementitious composites.

Prof. Dr. Baoguo Han
Dr. Jialiang Wang
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

  • ultra-high performance concretes (UHPC)
  • cementitious composites
  • durability
  • sustainability
  • numerical modeling
  • mechanical properties
  • long-term performance

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2334 KiB  
Article
Application of Phosphogypsum in Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) Matrix for Strength Enhancement and Shrinkage Reduction
by Zhijie Liu, Xibo Qi, Yuanhang Lv and Zhonghe Shui
Materials 2025, 18(5), 1135; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18051135 - 3 Mar 2025
Viewed by 680
Abstract
Ultra-high-performance concrete is a high-strength and durable material widely used in infrastructure, but its high cement content raises environmental concerns, particularly in terms of CO₂ emissions and resource consumption. Phosphogypsum, an industrial by-product of phosphoric acid production, presents a sustainable alternative by partially [...] Read more.
Ultra-high-performance concrete is a high-strength and durable material widely used in infrastructure, but its high cement content raises environmental concerns, particularly in terms of CO₂ emissions and resource consumption. Phosphogypsum, an industrial by-product of phosphoric acid production, presents a sustainable alternative by partially replacing cement, thereby reducing cement demand and addressing solid waste disposal issues. This study investigates the effects of PG incorporation (0–40%) on hydration kinetics, mechanical properties, and volume stability in UHPC. The results indicate that increasing PG content delays hydration, affecting the induction period and peak hydration time. XRD and TG analysis confirm that PG modifies hydration product formation, influencing the development of key hydration phases. Strength tests reveal that moderate PG replacement (10–20%) maintains or improves long-term mechanical performance, while excessive PG replacement negatively impacts strength development. Additionally, PG effectively reduces autogenous shrinkage, improving the volume stability of UHPC. These findings highlight that PG can serve as a viable supplementary cementitious material in UHPC, contributing to both environmental sustainability and enhanced material performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Ultra-High Performance Concretes and Cementitious Composites)
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16 pages, 8378 KiB  
Article
Study on Salt-Frost Damage Durability of High-Performance Concrete with Polypropylene Fiber
by Zongao Qi, Yan Liu and Wei Zhang
Materials 2025, 18(5), 1007; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18051007 - 25 Feb 2025
Viewed by 332
Abstract
The durability of marine structures in the northern coastal areas is significantly damaged due to the double deterioration of chloride salt and freeze–thaw, and adding fiber can effectively improve the durability of marine structures. This work investigated the influence of polypropylene fiber content [...] Read more.
The durability of marine structures in the northern coastal areas is significantly damaged due to the double deterioration of chloride salt and freeze–thaw, and adding fiber can effectively improve the durability of marine structures. This work investigated the influence of polypropylene fiber content and salt freezing cycles on the flexural strength and durability of high-performance concrete through salt freezing cycle tests. The main experimental methods used included four-point load bending tests, relative dynamic elastic modulus tests, mass loss rate tests, and chloride ion permeability tests, with the mechanisms analyzed using SEM. The results indicated that an appropriate amount of polypropylene fibers significantly enhanced the flexural strength and durability of high-performance concrete. At a fiber content of 0.9 kg/m3, the concrete achieved the highest flexural strength. However, when the fiber content exceeded 0.9 kg/m3, excessive fibers caused uneven distribution and formed clusters, which reduced the flexural strength. At a fiber content of 1.2 kg/m3, the high-performance concrete showed optimal resistance to salt freezing and chloride ion permeability. However, exceeding this fiber content increased the concrete’s porosity, allowing harmful substances like chloride ions to penetrate more easily, thereby accelerating degradation under freeze–thaw conditions. This study contributes to a broader understanding of the durability of marine structures in coastal northern regions and provides theoretical data support for such environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Ultra-High Performance Concretes and Cementitious Composites)
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26 pages, 10867 KiB  
Article
An Experimental and Numerical Study on the Mechanical Properties and Damage Evolution of Cemented Tailings Backfill Under Uniaxial Compression
by Congxiang Yuan, Houqiang Wang, Zhixiang Liu, Shuangxia Zhang, Mengyang Yan, Xiaodie Liang, Zhiwei Liu and Weijun Liu
Materials 2025, 18(4), 856; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18040856 - 15 Feb 2025
Viewed by 526
Abstract
A comprehensive understanding of the mechanical behavior of backfill under compression is crucial for optimizing its design, improving stope stability and enhancing resource recovery. Laboratory testing and numerical simulation were conducted to study the mechanical properties and damage mechanism of cemented tailings backfill [...] Read more.
A comprehensive understanding of the mechanical behavior of backfill under compression is crucial for optimizing its design, improving stope stability and enhancing resource recovery. Laboratory testing and numerical simulation were conducted to study the mechanical properties and damage mechanism of cemented tailings backfill (CTB) with different cement-to-tailings (c/t) ratios under uniaxial compression. Laboratory testing was used to investigate the strength and deformation characteristics, macroscopic failure modes, and energy evolution patterns of CTB, while simulation with Particle Flow Code (PFC) was employed to explore the distribution of microcracks and mesoscopic damage mechanisms. A constitutive model accounting for the initial compaction stage was proposed, validated, and applied to practical engineering. The results show that as the c/t ratio decreases, the failure mode of CTB transforms from shear failure to combined tensile–shear failure, and tensile failure. Mesoscopically, a higher c/t ratio leads to more bond contacts, which increases the bearing capacity and consequently causes more cracks to damage CTB. From an energy standpoint, the damage mechanism of CTB is further analyzed and the development of energy is characterized by four stages. Moreover, to explore the failure mechanism of CTB, an innovative constitutive model was proposed and verified through experiments. The matching coefficients, based on the novel constitutive model, indicate that CTB with a c/t ratio of 1:6 is qualified for all current mining depths, and a c/t ratio of 1:10 is sufficient to depths below 300 m. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Ultra-High Performance Concretes and Cementitious Composites)
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17 pages, 4971 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Relative Humidity on Creep Behavior of Cement Paste Microprism
by Zhao Chen, Mahdiar Dargahi and Luca Sorelli
Materials 2025, 18(2), 406; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18020406 - 16 Jan 2025
Viewed by 782
Abstract
Despite decades of extensive studies, the mechanism of concrete creep remains a subject of debate, mainly due to the complex nature of cement microstructure. This complexity is further amplified by the interplay between water and the cement microstructure. The present study aimed to [...] Read more.
Despite decades of extensive studies, the mechanism of concrete creep remains a subject of debate, mainly due to the complex nature of cement microstructure. This complexity is further amplified by the interplay between water and the cement microstructure. The present study aimed to better understand the creep mechanism through creep tests on microprisms of cement paste at hygral equilibrium. First, microprisms with dimensions of 150 mm × 150 mm × 300 mm were prepared by precision cutting from a cement paste specimen with a water-to-cement ratio of 0.4. Subsequently, uniaxial compression and creep tests were carried out on these microprisms in a chamber with controlled relative humidity (RH). To mitigate the impact of plasticity and damage, the applied peak load was set to generate a stress level that was approximately 40% of the compressive strength. Moreover, an analytical coefficient φ was formulated to account for the foundation effect on microprism creep, agreeing with the numerical analysis employing the finite element method. Our findings showed that the microscale creep compliance varied when the RH level was changed from 90% to 11%. Furthermore, logarithmic and power-law models were both applied to simulate creep curves. Lastly, the modeled creep behaviors were compared with those obtained by microindentation experiments in previous studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Ultra-High Performance Concretes and Cementitious Composites)
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Review

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29 pages, 8122 KiB  
Review
UHPC Viability for Nuclear Storage Facilities: Synthesis and Critical Review of Durability, Thermal, and Nuclear Properties for Informed Mix Modifications
by Nataliia Igrashkina and Mohamed A. Moustafa
Materials 2025, 18(2), 430; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18020430 - 17 Jan 2025
Viewed by 767
Abstract
Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the United States’ nuclear power plants has been placed in dry cask storage systems since the 1980s. Due to the lack of a clear path for permanent geological repository for SNF, consolidated and long-term storage solutions that use [...] Read more.
Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the United States’ nuclear power plants has been placed in dry cask storage systems since the 1980s. Due to the lack of a clear path for permanent geological repository for SNF, consolidated and long-term storage solutions that use durable concrete and avoid current aging and licensing challenges are becoming indispensable. Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is a rapidly growing advanced concrete solution with superior mechanical and durability properties that can help realize future resilient nuclear storage facilities. Thus, the overall goal of this review study is to demonstrate the viability of UHPC as a long-term solution for future nuclear storage facilities. The paper first identifies all possible non-nuclear (environmental) and nuclear (thermal and radiation-induced) degradation mechanisms in concrete overpacks and storage modules with critical assessment and projections on UHPC performance in comparison to current conventional concrete solutions. Next, since concrete serves as a shielding material in nuclear settings, the preliminary attenuation properties of UHPC from emerging studies are synthesized along with the possible mix modifications to improve its attenuation performance. The paper identifies the major knowledge gaps to inform future research and development, aimed at rethinking the design of SNF dry storage facilities by incorporating UHPC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Ultra-High Performance Concretes and Cementitious Composites)
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