materials-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Driven Full Lifecycle Management of Infrastructures: From Advanced Cementitious Materials to Durable 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 January 2026 | Viewed by 1115

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
Interests: high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC); sustained and green concrete; durability of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) and seawater sea-sand concrete (SSC); static and seismic performance of high-speed railway bridges (HRBs)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Heifei, China
Interests: earthquake engineering; technology of isolation for bridges; seismic vulnerability and risk assessment of bridges

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
Interests: bridge engineering; earthquake engineering; seismic design and retrofit of bridges; seismic resilience; smart materials and their engineering application
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
College of Civil Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, China
Interests: analysis of spatial effects and finite element simulation of thin-walled box girders; high-toughness cementitious materials

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, China
Interests: seismic isolation and reduction; impact dynamics

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
Interests: MgO-based binder; cement carbonation; self-healing; FRCC; fiber–matrix interface

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
Interests: engineered cementitious composites; tunnel lining; infrastructures; pipeline engineering; carbonation curing materials; modular integrated construction

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Earthquake Engineering Research and Test Center, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
Interests: seismic isolation and reduction; vibration control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In order to alleviate the resource crisis and accelerate the realization of carbon neutrality, advanced cementitious materials for durable structures have been applied in infrastructure. Driven by the tremendous progress of artificial intelligence (AI), construction is gradually transitioning from traditional manufacturing to intelligent manufacturing. However, how to organically integrate AI with the entire chain of "design–construction–operation–maintenance" to achieve intelligent construction of the entire lifecycle of infrastructure needs further exploration.

This Special Issue aims to explore how to achieve intelligent infrastructure construction based on AI through advanced cementitious materials for long-lifespan structures. Research that investigates advanced cementitious materials, structures, AI algorithms, machine learning, and corresponding digital twin technologies is welcome. Literature reviews and state-of-the-art articles are highly appreciated.

The subtopics for submissions include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Intelligent construction and operation of infrastructure.
  2. Structural intelligence health inspection/monitoring and evaluation.
  3. Dual carbon and intelligent, healthy infrastructures.
  4. High-performance new cementitious materials.
  5. Key technologies and applications, such as BIM and digital twins.
  6. Structural intelligence for disaster prevention and mitigation.

Dr. Peng Wang
Dr. Zhangliang Hu
Dr. Nailiang Xiang
Guest Editors

Dr. Chenguang Wang
Dr. Dongliang Meng
Dr. Bo Wu
Dr. Tianyu Wang
Dr. Shangtao Hu
Guest Editor Assistants

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

  • AI-driven management
  • intelligent analysis
  • machine learning
  • digital twin
  • low-carbon cement materials
  • low-carbon, sustainable, and durable concrete structures

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 (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 5609 KiB  
Article
Carbonation and Corrosion Durability Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Beam in Heavy-Haul Railways by Multi-Physics Coupling-Based Analytical Method
by Wu-Tong Yan, Lei Yuan, Yong-Hua Su, Long-Biao Yan and Zi-Wei Song
Materials 2025, 18(15), 3622; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18153622 - 1 Aug 2025
Viewed by 329
Abstract
The operation of heavy-haul railway trains with large loads results in significant cracking issues in reinforced concrete beams. Atmospheric carbon dioxide, oxygen, and moisture from the atmosphere penetrate into the beam interior through these cracks, accelerating the carbonation of the concrete and the [...] Read more.
The operation of heavy-haul railway trains with large loads results in significant cracking issues in reinforced concrete beams. Atmospheric carbon dioxide, oxygen, and moisture from the atmosphere penetrate into the beam interior through these cracks, accelerating the carbonation of the concrete and the corrosion of the steel bars. The rust-induced expansion of steel bars further exacerbates the cracking of the beam. The interaction between environmental factors and beam cracks leads to a rapid decline in the durability of the beam. To address this issue, a multi-physics field coupling durability assessment method was proposed, considering concrete beam cracking, concrete carbonation, and steel bar corrosion. The interaction among these three factors is achieved through sequential coupling, using crack width, carbonation passivation time, and steel bar corrosion rate as interaction parameters. Using this method, the deterioration morphology and stiffness degradation laws of 8 m reinforced concrete beams under different load conditions, including those of heavy and light trains in heavy-haul railways, are compared and assessed. The analysis reveals that within a 100-year service cycle, the maximum relative stiffness reduction for beams on the heavy train line is 20.0%, whereas for the light train line, it is only 7.4%. The degree of structural stiffness degradation is closely related to operational load levels, and beam cracking plays a critical role in this difference. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 1666 KiB  
Article
Optimized Design of Low-Carbon Fly Ash–Slag Composite Concrete Considering Carbonation Durability and CO2 Concentration Rising Impacts
by Kang-Jia Wang, Seung-Jun Kwon and Xiao-Yong Wang
Materials 2025, 18(14), 3418; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18143418 - 21 Jul 2025
Viewed by 344
Abstract
Fly ash and slag are widely used as mineral admixtures to partially replace cement in low-carbon concrete. However, such composite concretes often exhibit a greater carbonation depth than plain Portland concrete with the same 28-day strength, increasing the risk of steel reinforcement corrosion. [...] Read more.
Fly ash and slag are widely used as mineral admixtures to partially replace cement in low-carbon concrete. However, such composite concretes often exhibit a greater carbonation depth than plain Portland concrete with the same 28-day strength, increasing the risk of steel reinforcement corrosion. Previous mix design methods have overlooked this issue. This study proposes an optimized design method for fly ash–slag composite concrete, considering carbonation exposure classes and CO2 concentrations. Four exposure classes are addressed—XC1 (completely dry or permanently wet environments such as indoor floors or submerged concrete), XC2 (wet but rarely dry, e.g., inside water tanks), XC3 (moderate humidity, e.g., sheltered outdoor environments), and XC4 (cyclic wet and dry, e.g., bridge decks and exterior walls exposed to rain). Two CO2 levels—0.04% (ambient) and 0.05% (elevated)—were also considered. In Scenario 1 (no durability constraint), the optimized designs for all exposure classes were identical, with 60% slag and 75% total fly ash–slag replacement. In Scenario 2 (0.04% CO2 with durability), the designs for XC1 and XC2 remained the same, but for XC3 and XC4, the carbonation depth became the controlling factor, requiring a higher binder content and leading to compressive strengths exceeding the target. In Scenario 3 (0.05% CO2), despite the increased carbonation depth, the XC1 and XC2 designs were unchanged. However, XC3 and XC4 required further increases in binder content and actual strength to meet durability limits. Overall, compressive strength governs the design for XC1 and XC2, while carbonation durability is critical for XC3 and XC4. Increasing the water-to-binder ratio reduces strength, while higher-strength mixes emit more CO2 per cubic meter, confirming the proposed method’s engineering validity. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop