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Advances in Modern Cement-Based Materials for Composite Structures
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Advances in Modern Cement-Based Materials for Composite 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 November 2025 | Viewed by 706

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Faxing Ding

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
2. Engineering Technology Research Center for Prefabricated Construction Industrialization of Hunan Province, Changsha 410075, China
Interests: prefabricated steel-concrete composite beam; high-strength bolt connector; push-off test; finite element model; shear bearing capacity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Fei Lyu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
Interests: concrete-filled steel tube columns; intelligent construction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

(1) The marriage of modern cement-based materials—ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), fiber-reinforced concrete, lightweight aggregate concrete, recycled aggregate concrete, desert sand concrete, and seawater sea-sand concrete—with structural steel components has ushered in a new era for composite construction. These advanced materials are redefining performance benchmarks in concrete-filled steel tubes (CFST), composite beams, and hybrid joints, offering solutions for seismic resilience, lightweight design, and sustainable infrastructure.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, documenting breakthroughs at the intersection of material innovation and composite structural systems.

(2) This Special Issue aims to establish best practices for deploying these advanced materials in steel–concrete composite applications, with emphasis on the following: CFST members utilizing UHPC or recycled aggregates and other modern cement-based materials; shear connection systems in fiber-reinforced concrete composite beams; durability solutions for marine environments using seawater sea-sand concrete; modular construction with lightweight concrete-steel hybrids

(3) In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Material-Specific Applications

  • UHPC-infilled steel columns under cyclic loading;
  • Shear stud behavior in fiber-reinforced concrete slabs;
  • Bond-slip mechanisms in recycled aggregate CFST.

Structural Performance

  • Desert sand concrete in composite deck systems;
  • Corrosion protection strategies for SSC hybrid joints;
  • Fire resistance in LWAC composite walls.

Design Innovation

  • Standardization gaps for novel material combinations;
  • Digital tools for hybrid structure optimization;
  • Circular economy approaches for composite demolition.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Faxing Ding
Dr. Fei Lyu
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 concrete (UHPC)
  • composite structures
  • fiber-reinforced concrete
  • lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC)
  • concrete-filled steel tubes (CFST)

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1443 KiB  
Article
Identification of Selected Physical and Mechanical Properties of Cement Composites Modified with Granite Powder Using Neural Networks
by Slawomir Czarnecki
Materials 2025, 18(16), 3838; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18163838 - 15 Aug 2025
Abstract
This study presents the development of a reliable predictive model for evaluating key physical and mechanical properties of cement-based composites modified with granite powder, a waste byproduct from granite rock cutting. The research addresses the need for more sustainable materials in the concrete [...] Read more.
This study presents the development of a reliable predictive model for evaluating key physical and mechanical properties of cement-based composites modified with granite powder, a waste byproduct from granite rock cutting. The research addresses the need for more sustainable materials in the concrete industry by exploring the potential of granite powder as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) to partially replace cement and reduce CO2 emissions. The experimental program included standardized testing of samples containing up to 30% granite powder, focusing on compressive strength at 7, 28, and 90 days, bonding strength at 28 days, and packing density of the fresh mixture. A multilayer perceptron (MLP) artificial neural network was employed to predict these properties using four input variables: granite powder content, cement content, sand content, and water content. The network architecture, consisting of two hidden layers with 10 and 15 neurons, respectively, was selected as the most suitable for this purpose. The model achieved high predictive performance, with coefficients of determination (R) exceeding 0.9 and mean absolute percentage errors (MAPE) below 6% for all output variables, demonstrating its robustness and accuracy. The findings confirm that granite powder not only contributes positively to concrete performance over time, but also supports environmental sustainability goals by reducing the carbon footprint associated with cement production. However, the model’s applicability is currently limited to mixtures using granite powder at up to 30% cement replacement. This research highlights the effectiveness of machine learning, specifically neural networks, for solving multi-output problems in concrete technology. The successful implementation of the MLP network in this context may encourage broader adoption of data-driven approaches in the design and optimization of sustainable cementitious composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Modern Cement-Based Materials for Composite Structures)
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19 pages, 1142 KiB  
Article
Comparative Study on Mechanical Performance and Toughness of High-Performance Self-Compacting Concrete with Polypropylene and Basalt Fibres
by Piotr Smarzewski and Anna Jancy
Materials 2025, 18(16), 3833; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18163833 - 15 Aug 2025
Abstract
This study investigates the flexural performance, tensile splitting strength, and fracture behaviour of self-compacting concrete (SCC) reinforced with polypropylene (PP) and basalt (BF) fibres. A total of eleven SCC mixtures with varying fibre types and volume fractions (0.025–0.25%) were tested at 7 and [...] Read more.
This study investigates the flexural performance, tensile splitting strength, and fracture behaviour of self-compacting concrete (SCC) reinforced with polypropylene (PP) and basalt (BF) fibres. A total of eleven SCC mixtures with varying fibre types and volume fractions (0.025–0.25%) were tested at 7 and 28 days. In this study, the term high-performance concrete (HPC) refers to SCC mixtures with a 28-day compressive strength exceeding 60 MPa, as commonly accepted in European standards and literature. The control SCC achieved 68.2 MPa at 28 days. While fibre addition enhanced the tensile and flexural properties, it reduced workability, demonstrating the trade-off between mechanical performance and flowability in high-performance SCC. The experimental results demonstrate that both fibre types improve the tensile behaviour of SCC, with distinct performance patterns. PP fibres, owing to their flexibility and crack-bridging capability, were particularly effective at early ages, enhancing the splitting tensile strength by up to 45% and flexural toughness by over 300% at an optimal dosage of 0.125%. In contrast, BF fibres significantly increased the 28-day toughness (up to 15.7 J) and post-cracking resistance due to their superior stiffness and bonding with the matrix. However, high fibre contents adversely affected workability, particularly in BF-reinforced mixes. The findings highlight a dosage-sensitive behaviour, with optimum performance observed at 0.05–0.125% for PP and 0.125–0.25% for BF. While PP fibres improve crack distribution and early-age ductility, BF fibres offer higher stiffness and energy absorption in post-peak regimes. Statistical analysis (ANOVA and Tukey’s test) confirmed significant differences in the mechanical performance among fibre-reinforced mixes. The study provides insights into selecting appropriate fibre types and dosages for SCC structural applications. Further research on hybrid fibre systems and long-term durability is recommended. The results contribute to sustainable concrete design by promoting enhanced performance with low-volume, non-metallic fibres. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Modern Cement-Based Materials for Composite Structures)
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22 pages, 3703 KiB  
Article
Seismic Performance of Recycled Aggregate Concrete-Filled Steel Tube Column–Composite Beam Frames with Column-End Stirrup Confinement
by Zhi Yang, Xingnian Chen, Hongchang Xu, Baoye Hui, Jia Huang, Liping Wang, Said Ikram Sadat and Faxing Ding
Materials 2025, 18(11), 2458; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112458 - 23 May 2025
Viewed by 511
Abstract
The application of recycled concrete in building structures can not only effectively reduce the generation of construction waste and reduce the excessive dependence on natural aggregates but can also promote the sustainable use of resources and meet the national “double carbon” strategic requirements. [...] Read more.
The application of recycled concrete in building structures can not only effectively reduce the generation of construction waste and reduce the excessive dependence on natural aggregates but can also promote the sustainable use of resources and meet the national “double carbon” strategic requirements. This study investigates the effect of the recycled aggregate replacement ratio on the seismic performance of concrete-filled steel tube column–composite beam frames. Five finite element models were developed, considering varying recycled aggregate replacement ratios and the presence or absence of column-end stirrup-confined reinforcement. Dynamic response analyses were conducted. The results reveal that replacing natural aggregates with recycled aggregates reduces the stiffness of concrete-filled steel tube columns by weakening the core concrete, negatively impacting seismic performance and increasing structural stiffness damage. Column-end stirrup-confined reinforcement reduces interface slip between the core concrete and the steel tube by directly restraining the core concrete, thereby enhancing the bending stiffness of the concrete-filled steel tube column and improving the seismic performance of the structure. The seismic performance of recycled concrete frames with column-end stirrup-confined reinforcement is superior to that of conventional concrete frames, demonstrating that column-end reinforcement can effectively mitigate the adverse effects of recycled aggregate replacement on the structure’s seismic performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Modern Cement-Based Materials for Composite Structures)
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