materials-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) and Composites for Structural Engineering

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2025 | Viewed by 1294

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Coimbra, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: FRP structures; structural concrete; external prestressing; finite element method; composite structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have emerged as a revolutionary class of materials in the field of structural engineering, characterized by their unique combination of high strength, low weight, and excellent corrosion resistance. FRP comprises a polymer matrix reinforced with fibers, typically made from materials such as glass, carbon, or aramid. This innovative composition not only enhances the mechanical properties of the materials but also expands their applicability across various engineering domains, including bridges, buildings, and other critical infrastructure.

The utilization of FRP offers several advantages over traditional construction materials, such as steel and concrete. Notably, FRP materials exhibit a high strength-to-weight ratio, facilitating the design of lighter structures that can significantly reduce the overall load on foundations and supporting systems. The inherent resistance of FRP to chemical and environmental deterioration ensures longevity, reducing maintenance costs and enhancing structural reliability. Meanwhile, FRP composites also allow for design flexibility in terms of their mechanical benefits.

As global infrastructure demands continue to rise, the incorporation of fiber-reinforced polymers into engineering solutions offers promising paths toward innovative, efficient, and sustainable construction practices. Therefore, we decide to collect the latest research (article/review/communications) in this area and hope it will be helpful for future studies.

Dr. Tiejiong Lou
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

  • fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)
  • fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC)
  • fiber-reinforced polymer bar (FRPB)
  • geopolymers
  • structural concrete
  • structure
  • confinement
  • bond
  • flexure
  • shear
  • durability

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.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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

Research

24 pages, 5436 KiB  
Article
Static Behavior of Post-Installed High-Strength Large-Bolt Shear Connector with Fabricated Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Concrete/Ordinary Concrete Deck
by Yuliang He, Junjie Li, Wujian He, Qiangqiang Wu, Yiqiang Xiang and Ying Yang
Materials 2025, 18(5), 1091; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18051091 - 28 Feb 2025
Viewed by 347
Abstract
Recent research indicates that high-strength bolts could be more effectively and efficiently used to connect steel girders and fabricated decks or retrofit existing composite girders than headed studs. To reduce the number of bolt shear connectors and, thus, further accelerate the construction of [...] Read more.
Recent research indicates that high-strength bolts could be more effectively and efficiently used to connect steel girders and fabricated decks or retrofit existing composite girders than headed studs. To reduce the number of bolt shear connectors and, thus, further accelerate the construction of composite girders, high-strength large bolts could be an excellent alternative, resulting in greater concrete stress below the bolt. Also, hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete (HFRC) has better tensile ductility and strength than that of ordinary concrete (OC). Therefore, this study tried to design eighteen push-out test specimens, including different configurations of bolt shear connectors, to investigate the static properties of post-installed, high-strength, large-bolt shear connectors with fabricated HFRC/OC slabs. The experimental results indicated that the capacity and initial stiffness of a high-strength large through-bolt shear connector was the smallest. The fiber might enhance the capacity and initial stiffness of bolt shear connectors. Increasing the bolt diameter can significantly enhance the initial stiffness and load-bearing capacity, while the clearance of the bolt hole had a great influence on the capacity, initial stiffness, and slippage of the post-installed high-strength large-bolt shear connector. Finally, the capacity equation and slip behavior of post-installed, high-strength, large-bolt shear connector with fabricated HFRC deck were obtained using the regression method, which could provide the reference for their design. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

25 pages, 8099 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Externally Prestressed Beams with FRP Rebars Considering Bond–Slip Effects
by Zhangxiang Li, Bo Chen, Xueliang Wang and Tiejiong Lou
Materials 2025, 18(4), 787; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18040787 - 11 Feb 2025
Viewed by 679
Abstract
This paper presents detailed numerical modeling of externally prestressed concrete (EPC) beams with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) rebars. Particular attention is paid to the bond–slip interactions between FRP rebars and concrete. A refined 3D finite element model (FEM) incorporating a script describing the bond–slip [...] Read more.
This paper presents detailed numerical modeling of externally prestressed concrete (EPC) beams with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) rebars. Particular attention is paid to the bond–slip interactions between FRP rebars and concrete. A refined 3D finite element model (FEM) incorporating a script describing the bond–slip of FRP rebars and concrete is developed in ABAQUS. The model effectiveness, rooted in the interface behavior between FRP rebars and concrete, is comprehensively assessed using experimental data. A comprehensive investigation has been conducted using FEM on the mechanical behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) tendon–EPC beams with FRP rebars. Due to the bond–slip effect, FRP rebars in EPC beams exhibit a distinct phenomenon of stress degradation. This suggests that the traditional method based on plane cross-sectional assumptions is no longer suitable for the engineering design of EPC beams with FRP rebars. Moreover, the study assesses several models including typical design codes for their accuracy in predicting the elevation of ultimate stress in external tendons. It is demonstrated that some of the design codes are overly conservative when estimating the tendon stress in EPC beams with FRP rebars. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop