Repair/Retrofitting of Structures with Fiber Composites and Health Monitoring

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, there is no doubt about the enormous irruption of fiber reinforced plastic composites (FRP) in the construction and civil engineering sectors. Events such as the recent meeting held in Chicago (Future of Composites in Construction, June 2017) highlighted this. FRP has proven to offer a complementary or even alternative approach to the repair and retrofitting of existent structures. Although more attention has been paid in the case of CFRP (carbon FRP), other kinds of fibers like basalt or glass have also been considered. Consideration should also be given to the use of composites reinforced with natural fibers. However, at present, the use of codes and standards for the calculation and design of repairing and retrofitting systems (type, quantity, and placement of composite and adhesives) are still incomplete, scarce, or nonexistent. This gap generates a certain reluctance in the professionals of architecture and civil engineering and in their clients. In general, the use of steel as a traditional system for the reinforcement of structures continues to be opted for. In order to generate confidence in its operation in situ, as well as to carry out a continuous follow-up that establishes the pertinent structural alerts, the in situ and real-time monitoring of structures is an efficient strategy, which can be of great usefulness in the case of FRP-retrofitted or repaired structures.

It is an enormous pleasure to invite you to contribute your research article, communication, or review for this Special Issue. Papers considering theoretical, lab experiences, and in situ studied cases are welcome. All types of FRP materials and structural materials (concrete, wood, etc.) are accepted. Especially interesting will be the papers proposing methodologies for using NDT (non-destructive testing) and SHM (structural health monitoring) for retrofitted or repaired structures.

Prof. Antolino Gallego
Dr. Francisco J. Rescalvo
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized 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.