Special Issue "Sustainable Concrete Materials and Technologies"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Hailong Ye
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Interests: durability of concrete; alkali-activated materials; geopolymers; ultra-high-performance concrete; cement chemistry; microstructure characterization; volumetric stability of concrete; corrosion of steel in concrete; corrosion control technology; smart concrete

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is an enormous demand for sustainable construction around the world, as a global society is increasingly focused on carbon emission reduction and climate change mitigation. In the domain of concrete materials, creating a sustainable built environment requires that practitioners utilize available resources in smart and efficient ways. A recent innovation in concrete materials and technologies has enabled the design and construction of sustainable and durable infrastructure. The main purpose of this Special Issue is to introduce the latest developments and advances in concrete materials and technologies that address the global sustainability challenges in construction. Original research papers, case studies, and review papers are all welcome.

Dr. Hailong Ye
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 papers will be 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. Sustainability 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 1900 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

  • concrete materials
  • cement-based materials
  • sustainable concrete
  • alternative cementitious materials
  • concrete technology
  • durability of concrete structures
  • sustainable construction
  • construction technology

Published Papers (5 papers)

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

Research

Article
The Use of Calcium Lactate to Enhance the Durability and Engineering Properties of Bioconcrete
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9269; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169269 - 18 Aug 2021
Viewed by 307
Abstract
This study investigated the optimization of the bioconcrete engineering properties and durability as a response of the calcium lactate (CL) content (0.22–2.18 g/L) and curing duration (7–28 days) using the response surface methodology (RSM). Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) was conducted to evaluate the [...] Read more.
This study investigated the optimization of the bioconcrete engineering properties and durability as a response of the calcium lactate (CL) content (0.22–2.18 g/L) and curing duration (7–28 days) using the response surface methodology (RSM). Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) was conducted to evaluate the microstructure of calcium precipitated inside the bioconcrete. The results indicated that the optimal conditions for the engineering properties of concrete and durability were determined at 2.18 g/L of CL content after 23.4 days. The actual and predicted values of the compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and water absorption were 43.51 vs. 43.43, 3.19 vs. 3.19, 6.93 vs. 5.50, and 7.55 vs. 7.55, respectively, with a level of confidence exceeding 95%. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) proved that the amount of calcium increased with the increase in CL content up to 2.81 g/L at 23.4 days, reducing the pores inside the concrete and making it a great potential option for healing of concrete structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Concrete Materials and Technologies)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
Basic Mechanical and Neutron Shielding Performance of Mortar Mixed with Boron Compounds with Various Alkalinity
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6252; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116252 - 01 Jun 2021
Viewed by 577
Abstract
This study conducted fundamental tests on mortars using the boron compounds recycled industrial wastes to replace uneconomic boron products. The boron compounds were three types according to the pH and the physical and neutron shielding performance of mortar mixed with boron compounds was [...] Read more.
This study conducted fundamental tests on mortars using the boron compounds recycled industrial wastes to replace uneconomic boron products. The boron compounds were three types according to the pH and the physical and neutron shielding performance of mortar mixed with boron compounds was examined. The adopted boron compounds classified as acid, slightly alkaline, and strongly alkaline with respect to the pH are acidic boric acid, alkali borax, and high alkali borax, respectively. The physical properties were evaluated by measuring the compressive strength and setting time as well as the thermal neutron shielding performance. The measured compressive strength revealed that the strengths of the specimens mixed with boron compounds were generally lower than that of the basic specimen made of control specimen. In addition, the initial and final setting times were longer than those of the control specimen. The thermal neutron shielding performances of the specimens mixed with boron compounds were higher than that of the control specimen. Consequently, the differences of the type and chemical composition of boron compounds influenced the physical properties and thermal neutron shielding performance of mortar, including its compressive strength, setting time, and neutron shielding performance. Therefore, it is important to determine the optimal amount of boron compounds in the fabrication of mortar. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Concrete Materials and Technologies)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
Preparation of Electric- and Magnetic-Activated Water and Its Influence on the Workability and Mechanical Properties of Cement Mortar
Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4546; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084546 - 19 Apr 2021
Viewed by 403
Abstract
Cement-based materials prepared with activated water induced by a magnetic field or electric field represent a possible solution to environmental issues caused by the worldwide utilization of chemical admixtures. In this contribution, electric- and magnetic-activated water have been produced. The workability and mechanical [...] Read more.
Cement-based materials prepared with activated water induced by a magnetic field or electric field represent a possible solution to environmental issues caused by the worldwide utilization of chemical admixtures. In this contribution, electric- and magnetic-activated water have been produced. The workability and mechanical properties of cement mortar prepared with this activated water have been investigated. The results indicate that the pH and absorbance (Abs) values of the water varied as the electric and magnetic field changed, and their values increased significantly, exhibiting improved activity compared with that of the untreated water. In addition, activated water still retains activity within 30 min of the resting time. The fluidity of the cement paste prepared with electric-activated water was significantly larger than that of the untreated paste. However, the level of improvement differed with the worst performance resulting from cement paste prepared with alternating voltage activated water. In terms of mechanical properties, both compressive strength and flexural strength obtained its maximum values at 280 mT with two processing cycles. The compressive strength increased 26% as the curing time increased from 7 days to 28 days and flexural strength increased by 31%. In addition, through the introduction of magnetic-activated water into cement mortar, the mechanical strength can be maintained without losing its workability when the amount of cement is reduced. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Concrete Materials and Technologies)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
On-Site Experimental and Numerical Investigations of Latticed Girder Composite Slabs
Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 3775; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073775 - 29 Mar 2021
Viewed by 568
Abstract
In this study, on-site bending experiments which represented realistic and pragmatic engineering applications were performed to investigate the resistance, deflection, and cracking process of latticed girder composite slabs. Then, utilizing ABAQUS software, nonlinear finite element (FE) models were established to investigate the behavior [...] Read more.
In this study, on-site bending experiments which represented realistic and pragmatic engineering applications were performed to investigate the resistance, deflection, and cracking process of latticed girder composite slabs. Then, utilizing ABAQUS software, nonlinear finite element (FE) models were established to investigate the behavior of the slabs. The modeling took into account the contact between the precast and cast-in-place concrete interfaces. Additionally, a damage-cracking methodology was introduced to evaluate the crack opening width of the slab. The results demonstrated that the proposed numerical model was capable of reproducing the typical behavior of the composite slabs’ performance analysis. The experimental and numerical results demonstrate that the lattice girder composite slabs conformed to the requirement of existing design codes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Concrete Materials and Technologies)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Fiber Cement Mortar under Different Loading Speeds
Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 3697; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073697 - 26 Mar 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 476
Abstract
In this work, the relationships between the mechanical properties (i.e., compressive strength and flexural strength) and loading speed of polypropylene fiber (PPF)-incorporated cement mortar at different ages (before 28 days) were studied. A total of 162 cubic samples for compressive strength tests and [...] Read more.
In this work, the relationships between the mechanical properties (i.e., compressive strength and flexural strength) and loading speed of polypropylene fiber (PPF)-incorporated cement mortar at different ages (before 28 days) were studied. A total of 162 cubic samples for compressive strength tests and 162 cuboid samples for flexural strength tests were casted and tested. Analytical relationships between the sample properties (i.e., sample age, PPF content, and loading speed) and compressive and flexural strength were proposed based on the experimental data, respectively. Of the predicted compressive and flexural strength results, 70.4% and 75.9% showed less than 15% relative error compared with the experimental results, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Concrete Materials and Technologies)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop