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Mechanical Performance of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) and Its Composite Structures
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Mechanical Performance of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) and Its Composite Structures

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Materials, and Repair & Renovation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 7003

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Youyou Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Interests: steel-concrete composite bridges; replacement, repair, and rehabilitation of bridge decks; fatigue properties of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC); application of UHPC in bridge engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Qing Sun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Interests: steel structure principle and design; steel-reinforced concrete composite structures; structural seismic resistance; reduction and vibration control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Yang Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Interests: ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) bridge design; large-span new bridge structure design; new composite bridge; new bridge reinforcement and transformation technology
Dr. Lu Ke

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Interests: structural reinforcement and performance evaluation based on advanced composite materials (FRP); ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) material manufacture and new structure development; fatigue, fracture, and repair of metal materials and structures; prediction of material and structural properties based on machine learning; calculation theory and intelligent monitoring of long-span bridge structures

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is an advanced, durable construction material with excellent mechanical properties, which make it attractive not only for building new structures, but also for strengthening, repairing, and retrofitting damaged structures. An increasing interest in UHPC results in a broad range of applications for the structures, such as buildings, bridges, offshore structures, highway pavement, etc. Thus, investigation of the static, fracture, fatigue, and durability behavior of UHPC material and UHPC composite structural elements is essential for designing or retrofitting structures consisting of UHPC. Moreover, in the application of UHPC composite structures (such as UHPC–concrete composite bridge decks, UHPC–steel composite structures, FRP-reinforced UHPC structures, etc.), the interfacial behavior between UHPC and the corresponding material is one of the key factors determining the durability and service life and requires a detailed understanding.

The main aim of this Special Issue is to explore the recent challenges and developments of UHPC material and UHPC composite structures. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Fatigue and fracture performance of UHPC;
  • Time-dependent performance of UHPC;
  • Pull-out behavior of steel fiber from a UHPC matrix;
  • UHPC strengthening of concrete structures;
  • UHPC strengthening of existing infrastructure;
  • UHPC–normal concrete interfacial behavior;
  • UHPC–steel composite structures;
  • FRP reinforced UHPC structures.

Dr. Youyou Zhang
Prof. Dr. Qing Sun
Prof. Dr. Yang Zhang
Dr. Lu Ke
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. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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

  • fatigue and fracture performance
  • interfacial behavior
  • time-dependent behavior
  • UHPC composite structures
  • strengthening and rehabilitation

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 12506 KiB  
Article
Shear Bond Performance of UHPC-to-NC Interfaces with Varying Sizes: Experimental and Numerical Evaluations
by Shaohua He, Xu Huang, Jiale Huang, Youyou Zhang, Zhiyong Wan and Zhitao Yu
Buildings 2024, 14(11), 3684; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113684 - 19 Nov 2024
Viewed by 327
Abstract
This paper explores the effect of bonding size on the shear performance of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) and normal concrete (NC). The study includes two sets of direct shear tests on a total of 16 Z-shaped UHPC-NC bonded specimens. The first set consists of [...] Read more.
This paper explores the effect of bonding size on the shear performance of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) and normal concrete (NC). The study includes two sets of direct shear tests on a total of 16 Z-shaped UHPC-NC bonded specimens. The first set consists of eight direct shear tests on the chiseled UHPC-NC interface with an average roughness of 4 mm (referred to as series C), from the authors’ previous study. The second set involves eight direct shear tests on the chiseled UHPC-NC interface with additional short shear steel rebars (referred to as series CS) that possess identical roughness to the first set of tests. The study discusses the failure modes, shear stress–slip behavior, and strain histories of the UHPC-NC interfaces with varying bonding sizes and shear mechanisms. A finite element model incorporating the cohesive zone model for the UHPC-NC interface was developed to gain insights into the shear bond evolutions. Our experimental results show that the two sets of direct shear specimens exhibit similar size effects in the shear stiffness, bonding strength, and interfacial slippage of the UHPC-NC interface. The use of shear steel rebars mitigated the impact of interfacial size on the bond shear behavior, thereby enhancing shear stiffness and reducing susceptibility to brittle damage. Numerical simulations indicate that the shear stress inhomogeneity coefficients for the CS specimens with bonding heights of 100 mm, 200 mm, 330 mm, and 440 mm were 1.2%, 1.8%, 11.9%, and 17.4%, respectively. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for optimizing UHPC applications in the repair and strengthening of concrete structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) and Its Composite Structures)
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14 pages, 3122 KiB  
Article
Effects of Steel Fiber Content on Compressive Properties and Constitutive Relation of Ultra-High Performance Shotcrete (UHPSC)
by Shijie Xiao, Jianyu Yang, Zelin Liu, Weijun Yang and Jiangang He
Buildings 2024, 14(6), 1503; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14061503 - 23 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 756
Abstract
Shotcrete is widely used in civil engineering as a supporting structure. In this paper, the compressive behavior of ultra-high-performance shotcrete (UHPSC) with different steel fiber content by volume (0, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1%, 1.25%, 1.5%) was investigated. The results showed that the failure pattern [...] Read more.
Shotcrete is widely used in civil engineering as a supporting structure. In this paper, the compressive behavior of ultra-high-performance shotcrete (UHPSC) with different steel fiber content by volume (0, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1%, 1.25%, 1.5%) was investigated. The results showed that the failure pattern of UHPSC was changed from brittle failure to ductile failure with the increase in steel fiber content. The compressive strength, peak strain and compressive toughness of UHPSC increased with the increase in steel fiber content, but the elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio did not change significantly. With content of 1.5% steel fibers, its axial compressive strength, peak strain and compressive strain energy were 122.7 MPa, 3749 με and 0.269 MPa, respectively, increased by 14%, 23.5% and 55.5% compared with those without steel fiber. The peak strain and compressive toughness were higher than that of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), while the elastic modulus of UHPSC was lower than that of UHPC. Based on the experimental data, the relationship between compressive strength, peak strain, compressive toughness and the change in the characteristic value of steel fiber content (λf) were revealed. The uniaxial compressive constitutive model of UHPSC with different steel fiber content was established and reflected the change rule of the shape parameter of α (constitutive model ascending section) and β (constitutive model descending section) with λf. The experimental results were in good agreement with the model calculation results, which can provide theoretical support for the structural design of UHPSC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) and Its Composite Structures)
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35 pages, 16751 KiB  
Article
Experimental and Numerical Study on the Flexural Behaviors of Unbonded Prestressed I-Shaped Steel Encased in Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Beams
by Nianchun Deng, Yanfeng Deng, Jiqiang Duan and Wenhao Xue
Buildings 2023, 13(12), 2901; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13122901 - 21 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1289
Abstract
A novel type of traditional composite member-unbonded prestressed I-shaped steel encased in a UHPC (PSRUHPC) beam is proposed to reduce the brittleness of UHPC beams and improve their bearing capacity. A PSRUHPC beam, an unbonded prestressed UHPC (PRUHPC) beam, and an I-shape steel [...] Read more.
A novel type of traditional composite member-unbonded prestressed I-shaped steel encased in a UHPC (PSRUHPC) beam is proposed to reduce the brittleness of UHPC beams and improve their bearing capacity. A PSRUHPC beam, an unbonded prestressed UHPC (PRUHPC) beam, and an I-shape steel UHPC (SRUHPC) beam were manufactured, and their flexural static performances were assessed using a flexural comparison test. The test results reveal that the flexural process of the PSRUHPC beam is similar to that of ordinary reinforced concrete beams, and UHPC crushing in the compression zone is a sign of failure. Due to the bridge coupling effect of steel fiber, the crushed concrete still maintains good integrity without bursting, the UHPC in the tension zone remains functional after cracking, and the cracking inflection point of the load–deflection curve was not obvious. The PSRUHPC beam showed a significantly improved bearing capacity and flexural stiffness, its load–deflection curve exhibited significantly more energy consumption, and its bending ductility performance was improved, with better deformation properties. Compared with PRUHPC beams, PSRUHPC beams show a bearing capacity increase of 55.3%, a cracking load increase of 11.9%, and a displacement ductility coefficient increase of 76.2%. Compared with SRUHPC beams, PSRUHPC beams show a 15.4% increase in bearing capacity, a 50.2% increase in cracking load, and a 12.1% increase in displacement ductility coefficient. The application of prestress can significantly improve the stiffness of the beam prior to cracking. The cracking loads of prestressed ordinary concrete beams and steel-reinforced concrete beams account for 20–30% of their ultimate loads, which value was 40–50% for the tested beams. The change trend of strain in the section steel and UHPC is roughly the same at the same height, and the strains of the two deviated after most of the section steel yielded under tension, but they can generally work together. When the tested beams were cracked, multiple cracks appeared, which were fine and dense. The magnetic flux sensor cable force-monitoring system can better monitor the strand stress increment of unbonded prestressed steel UHPC beams, where the prestressed strand did not yield tension under the final state; the load–strand stress increment curve was basically the same as the load–deflection curve, and the stress increment of the unbonded steel strand positively correlated with the midspan deflection. Finite element simulation was used to verify the test results, and we determined the reinforcement ratios for non-prestressed and prestressed reinforcement, as well as the ratio of a steel-containing section, the effective prestress, the height of prestressed reinforcement, the position and strength of I-shaped steel, and whether or not the prestressed reinforcement was bonded. The effects of these parameters on the bearing capacity and displacement ductility coefficient of PSRUHPC beams were studied. The results can provide a reference for subsequent theoretical design calculations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) and Its Composite Structures)
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27 pages, 29957 KiB  
Article
OC, HPC, UHPC and UHPFRC Corrosion Performance in the Marine Environment
by Josep Ramon Lliso-Ferrando, José Manuel Gandía-Romero, Juan Soto and Manuel Valcuende
Buildings 2023, 13(10), 2439; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13102439 - 25 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1583
Abstract
This work aims to study the corrosion performance of six concretes in the marine environment: three ordinary concretes (C30, C40 and C50); one high-performance concrete (C90); two ultra high-performance concretes, one without fibres (C150-NF) and another one with steel fibres (C150-F). To this [...] Read more.
This work aims to study the corrosion performance of six concretes in the marine environment: three ordinary concretes (C30, C40 and C50); one high-performance concrete (C90); two ultra high-performance concretes, one without fibres (C150-NF) and another one with steel fibres (C150-F). To this end, porosity and chloride ingress resistance were analysed at different ages. Resistivity was also evaluated and the corrosion rate in the embedded rebars was monitored. The results showed that C30, C40 and C50 had porosity accessible to water percentages and capillary absorption values between six- and eight-fold higher than C90 and C150-NF and C150-F, respectively. Similar differences were obtained when oxygen permeability was analysed. Chloride ingress resistance in the ordinary concretes was estimated to be one-fold lower than in C90 and two-fold lower than in C150-NF and C150-F. Presence of fibres in C150-F increased the diffusion coefficient between 5% and 50% compared to C150-NF. Fibres also affected resistivity: C150-NF had values above 5500 Ωm, but the C150-F and C90 values were between 700 and 1000 Ωm and were one-fold higher than the ordinary concretes. After 3 years, the corrosion damage in the embedded rebars exposed to a marine environment was negligible in C90, C150-NF and C150-F (9.5, 6.2 and 3.5 mg mass loss), but with higher values (between 170.4 and 328.9 mg) for C3, C40 and C50. The results allow a framework to be established to make comparisons in future studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) and Its Composite Structures)
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19 pages, 6037 KiB  
Article
Friction and Cohesion Interface Shear Factors of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) Cast on Hardened Conventional Concrete
by Mostafa Abo El-Khier and George Morcous
Buildings 2023, 13(5), 1253; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13051253 - 10 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2245
Abstract
In composite structures, interface shear resistance is a critical design criterion for transferring forces between interconnected elements at the contact surface. Recently, Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) applications in construction have been growing rapidly due to superior mechanical and durability properties; however, there is no [...] Read more.
In composite structures, interface shear resistance is a critical design criterion for transferring forces between interconnected elements at the contact surface. Recently, Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) applications in construction have been growing rapidly due to superior mechanical and durability properties; however, there is no guidance on how to predict the interface shear resistance of UHPC cast on hardened conventional concrete (CC). This paper presents the experimental and analytical investigations conducted to develop friction and cohesion factors of the shear friction theory for UHPC cast on hardened CC in composite sections. Push-off shear tests and slant shear tests were conducted to evaluate and validate the effect of interface surface texture, interface reinforcement ratio, CC and UHPC compressive strength, and fiber presence. A friction factor of 1.0 was adopted—as in the current code provisions—while a cohesion factor of 3.45 MPa (0.5 ksi) between UHPC cast on intentionally roughened hardened CC was proposed, which is significantly higher than that in the current code provisions of CC. Also, increasing the interface shear reinforcement ratio increased the interface shear resistance significantly and resulted in a more ductile failure. Neither UHPC compressive strength nor the presence of steel fibers had a significant effect on the interface shear resistance of UHPC cast on hardened CC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) and Its Composite Structures)
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