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Innovative Material Design and Nondestructive Testing Applications for Infrastructure Materials

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 June 2024) | Viewed by 10435

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Honglei Chang

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Guest Editor

School of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan 250002, China
Interests: durability and degradation mechanism of concrete; self-healing cementitious-based materials; high performance cementitious-based materials design

Dr. Li Ai

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29201, USA
Interests: structural health monitoring; nondestructive testing; acoustic emission
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Feng Guo

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Guest Editor

School of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan 250002, China
Interests: semantic segmentation; non-destructive testing; intelligent transportation infrastructure

Dr. Xinxiang Zhang

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Guest Editor

Department of Earth Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA.
Interests: computer vision; machine learning; sensor fusion; intelligent transportation systems; transportation infrastructures damage sensing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research in construction materials plays a pivotal role in the development and maintenance of transportation infrastructure, which is critical to the global economy by connecting people and goods while facilitating trade and development. With the rapid growth of urbanization, aging materials, and increasing environmental concerns, there is an urgent need for innovative solutions in material design and nondestructive testing methods to ensure the safety, resilience, and sustainability of these vital systems. We invite high-quality research articles, reviews, and communications that focus on topics such as advanced materials for sustainable infrastructure, nondestructive evaluation techniques, structural health monitoring and intelligent systems, nanotechnology applications, 3D printing and additive manufacturing, renewable energy integration in transportation infrastructure, and case studies showcasing successful implementations and lessons learned. The scope of this Special Issue includes but is not restricted to:

Novel and sustainable materials for transportation infrastructure;
Development and characterization of nanocomposites and their applications in infrastructure materials;
Advancements in 3D printing and additive manufacturing for material design and fabrication in infrastructure;
Innovations in nondestructive evaluation techniques for assessing and monitoring infrastructure materials;
Structural health monitoring and damage diagnosis with a focus on material properties and performance;
Innovative material-based maintenance and rehabilitation methods for transportation infrastructure;
Material-centric resilience and life-cycle assessment of transportation infrastructure components.

Dr. Honglei Chang
Dr. Li Ai
Dr. Feng Guo
Dr. Xinxiang Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

advanced materials
transportation infrastructure
nondestructive testing
construction materials

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3368 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Influence of Walnut Shell Coarse Particles on the Slurry Permeation and the Air Tightness of Filter Cake

by Qi Dong, Tao Liu, Yuan Wang, Sijin Liu and Letian Wen

Materials 2024, 17(21), 5186; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17215186 - 24 Oct 2024

Viewed by 387

Abstract

Slurry shields rely on the formation of a compact filter cake to maintain excavation face stability and ensure construction safety. In strata with high permeability, significant slurry loss occurs, making filter cake formation and air tightness maintenance challenging. In this study, light organic walnut shell was selected as an additive coarse particle material for slurry. Slurries incorporating two types of coarse particles, sand and walnut shell, were prepared, and tests on slurry permeation and air tightness of the filter cake were conducted in three different strata. The results indicate that the addition of coarse particles effectively improves filter cake formation and air tightness in high-permeability strata. It is essential to use graded particles in highly permeable strata, with controlled maximum and minimum particle sizes. As the content of coarse particles increases, the air tightness of the filter cake initially increases and then decreases. Notably, the air tightness of filter cakes containing walnut shell is superior to those containing sand. Replacing sand with walnut shell as a slurry plugging material enhances filter cake quality in high-permeability strata. For highly permeable strata with a permeability coefficient greater than 1.0 × 10⁻³ m/s, an addition of 30 g/L to 40 g/L is recommended. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Material Design and Nondestructive Testing Applications for Infrastructure Materials)

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21 pages, 9899 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Alternative Method for Determination of Vibroacoustic Material Parameters for Building Applications

by Krzysztof Nering and Konrad Nering

Materials 2024, 17(12), 3042; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17123042 - 20 Jun 2024

Viewed by 865

Abstract

The development of urbanization and the resulting expansion of residential and transport infrastructures pose new challenges related to ensuring comfort for city dwellers. The emission of transport vibrations and household noise reduces the quality of life in the city. To counteract this unfavorable phenomenon, vibration isolation is widely used to reduce the propagation of vibrations and noise. A proper selection of vibration isolation is necessary to ensure comfort. This selection can be made based on a deep understanding of the material parameters of the vibration isolation used. This mainly includes dynamic stiffness and damping. This article presents a comparison of the method for testing dynamic stiffness and damping using a single degree of freedom (SDOF) system and the method using image processing, which involves tracking the movement of a free-falling steel ball onto a sample of the tested material. Rubber granules, rubber granules with rubber fibers, and rebound polyurethanes were selected for testing. Strong correlations were found between the relative indentation and dynamic stiffness (at 10–60 MN/m³) and the relative rebound and damping (for 6–12%). Additionally, a very strong relationship was determined between the density and fraction of the critical damping factor/dynamic stiffness. The relative indentation and relative rebound measurement methods can be used as an alternative method to measure the dynamic stiffness and critical damping factor, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Material Design and Nondestructive Testing Applications for Infrastructure Materials)

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22 pages, 6244 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bond Strength Assessment of Normal Strength Concrete–Ultra-High-Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete Using Repeated Drop-Weight Impact Test: Experimental and Machine Learning Technique

by Sadi I. Haruna, Yasser E. Ibrahim, Ibrahim Hayatu Hassan, Ali Al-shawafi and Han Zhu

Materials 2024, 17(12), 3032; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17123032 - 20 Jun 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1051

Abstract

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has been used in building joints due to its increased strength, crack resistance, and durability, serving as a repair material. However, efficient repair depends on whether the interfacial substrate can provide adequate bond strength under various loading scenarios. The objective of this study is to investigate the bonding behavior of composite U-shaped normal strength concrete–ultra-high-performance fiber reinforced concrete (NSC-UHPFRC) specimens using multiple drop-weight impact testing techniques. The composite interface was treated using grooving (Gst), natural fracture (Nst), and smoothing (Sst) techniques. Ensemble machine learning (ML) algorithms comprising XGBoost and CatBoost, support vector machine (SVM), and generalized linear machine (GLM) were employed to train and test the simulation dataset to forecast the impact failure strength (N2) composite U-shaped NSC-UHPFRC specimen. The results indicate that the reference NSC samples had the highest impact strength and surface treatment played a substantial role in ensuring the adequate bond strength of NSC-UHPFRC. NSC-UHPFRC-Nst can provide sufficient bond strength at the interface, resulting in a monolithic structure that can resist repeated drop-weight impact loads. NSC-UHPFRC-Sst and NSC-UHPFRC-Gst exhibit significant reductions in impact strength properties. The ensemble ML correctly predicts the failure strength of the NSC-UHPFRC composite. The XGBoost ensemble model gave coefficient of determination (R²) values of approximately 0.99 and 0.9643 at the training and testing stages. The highest predictions were obtained using the GLM model, with an R² value of 0.9805 at the testing stage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Material Design and Nondestructive Testing Applications for Infrastructure Materials)

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21 pages, 11447 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study on the Microfabrication and Mechanical Properties of Freeze–Thaw Fractured Sandstone under Cyclic Loading and Unloading Effects

by Taoying Liu, Wenbin Cai, Yeshan Sheng and Jun Huang

Materials 2024, 17(10), 2451; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17102451 - 19 May 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 809

Abstract

A series of freeze–thaw cycling tests, as well as cyclic loading and unloading tests, have been conducted on nodular sandstones to investigate the effect of fatigue loading and freeze–thaw cycling on the damage evolution of fractured sandstones based on damage mechanics theory, the microstructure and sandstone pore fractal theory. The results show that the number of freeze–thaw cycles, the cyclic loading level, the pore distribution and the complex program are important factors affecting the damage evolution of rocks. As the number of freeze–thaw cycles rises, the peak strength, modulus of elasticity, modulus of deformation and damping ratio of the sandstone all declined. Additionally, the modulus of elasticity and deformation increase nonlinearly as the cyclic load level rises. With the rate of increase decreasing, while the dissipation energy due to hysteresis increases gradually and at an increasing rate, and the damping ratio as a whole shows a gradual decrease, with a tendency to increase at a later stage. The NRM (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) demonstrated that the total porosity and micro-pores of the sandstone increased linearly with the number of freeze–thaw cycles and that the micro-porosity was more sensitive to freeze–thaw, gradually shifting towards meso-pores and macro-pores; simultaneously, the SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) indicated that the more freeze–thaw cycles there are, the more micro-fractures and holes grow and penetrate each other and the more loose the structure is, with an overall nest-like appearance. To explore the mechanical behavior and mechanism of cracked rock in high-altitude and alpine areas, a damage model under the coupling of freeze–thaw-fatigue loading was established based on the loading and unloading response ratio theory and strain equivalence principle. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Material Design and Nondestructive Testing Applications for Infrastructure Materials)

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16 pages, 11928 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Degradation Behavior and Lifetime Prediction of Polyurea Anti-Seepage Coating for Concrete Lining in Water Conveyance Tunnels

by Chengcheng Peng, Jie Ren and Yuan Wang

Materials 2024, 17(8), 1782; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17081782 - 12 Apr 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1227

Abstract

In the lining of water conveyance tunnels, the expansion joint is susceptible to leakage issues, significantly impacting the long-term safety of tunnel operations. Polyurea is a type of protective coating commonly used on concrete surfaces, offering multiple advantages such as resistance to seepage, erosion, and wear. Polyurea coatings are applied by spraying them onto the surfaces of concrete linings in water conveyance tunnels to seal the expansion joint. These coatings endure prolonged exposure to environmental elements such as water flow erosion, internal and external water pressure, and temperature variations. However, the mechanism of polyurea coating’s long-term leakage prevention failure in tunnel operations remains unclear. This study is a field investigation to assess the anti-seepage performance of polyurea coating in a water conveyance tunnel project located in Henan Province, China. The testing apparatus can replicate the anti-seepage conditions experienced in water conveyance tunnels. An indoor accelerated aging test plan was formulated to investigate the degradation regular pattern of the cohesive strength between polyurea coating and concrete substrates. This study specifically examines the combined impacts of temperature, water flow, and water pressure on the performance of cohesive strength. The cohesive strength serves as the metric for predicting the service lifetime based on laboratory aging test data. This analysis aims to evaluate the polyurea coating’s cohesive strength on the tunnel lining surface after five years of operation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Material Design and Nondestructive Testing Applications for Infrastructure Materials)

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17 pages, 6175 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Mechanism of Deformation Compatibility of TA2/Q345 Laminated Metal in Dynamic Testing with Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar

by Yanshu Fu, Shoubo Chen, Penglong Zhao and Xiaojun Ye

Materials 2023, 16(24), 7659; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16247659 - 15 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1041

Abstract

The laminated metal materials are widely used in military, automobile and aerospace industries, but their dynamic response mechanical behavior needs to be further clarified, especially for materials with joint interface paralleling to the loading direction. The mechanical properties of TA2/Q345 (Titanium/Steel) laminated metal of this structure were studied by using the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). To shed light on the stress-state of a laminated metal with parallel structure, the relative non-uniformity of internal stress R(t) was analyzed. The mechanism of deformation compatibility of welding interface was discussed in detail. The current experiments demonstrate that in the strain rate range of 931–2250 s⁻¹, the discrepancies of the internal stress in specimens are less than 5%, so the stress-state equilibrium hypothesis is satisfied during the effective loading time. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that all stress–strain responses of the material are valid and reliable. Furthermore, the four deformation stages, i.e., the elastic stage, the plastic modulus compatible deformation stage, uniform plastic deformation stage and non-uniform plastic deformation stage, of the laminated metal with parallel structure were firstly proposed under the modulating action of the welding interface. The deformation stages are helpful for better utilization of laminated materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Material Design and Nondestructive Testing Applications for Infrastructure Materials)

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16 pages, 7319 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Novel Approach in Fracture Characterization of Soft Adhesive Materials Using Spiral Cracking Patterns

by Behzad Behnia and Matthew Lukaszewski

Materials 2023, 16(23), 7412; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16237412 - 29 Nov 2023

Viewed by 971

Abstract

A novel approach for the fracture characterization of soft adhesive materials using spiral cracking patterns is presented in this study. This research particularly focuses on hydrocarbon polymeric materials, such as asphalt binders. Ten different asphalt materials with distinct fracture characteristics were investigated. An innovative integrated experimental–computational framework coupling acoustic emissions (AE) approach in conjunction with a machine learning-based Digital Image Analysis (DIA) method was employed to precisely determine the crack geometry and characterize the material fracture behavior. Cylindrical-shaped samples (25 mm in diameter and 20 mm in height) bonded to a rigid substrate were employed as the testing specimens. A cooling rate of −1 °C/min was applied to produce the spiral cracks. Various image processing techniques and machine learning algorithms such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and regression were utilized in the DIA to automatically analyze the spiral patterns. A new parameter, “Spiral Cracking Energy (E_Spiral)”, was introduced to assess the fracture performance of soft adhesives. The compact tension (CT) test was conducted at −20 °C with a loading rate of 0.2 mm/min to determine the material’s fracture energy (G_f). The embrittlement temperature (T_EMB) of the material was measured by performing an AE test. This study explored the relationship between the spiral tightness parameter (“b”), E_Spiral, G_f, and T_EMB of the material. The findings of this study showed a strong positive correlation between the E_Spiral and fracture energies of the asphalt materials. Furthermore, the results indicated that both the spiral tightness parameter (“b”) and the embrittlement temperature (T_EMB) were negatively correlated with the E_Spiral and G_f parameters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Material Design and Nondestructive Testing Applications for Infrastructure Materials)

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12 pages, 4078 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Testing and Analysis of Ultra-High Toughness Cementitious Composite-Confined Recycled Aggregate Concrete under Axial Compression Loading

by Li He, Sheng Peng, Yong-Sheng Jia, Ying-Kang Yao and Xiao-Wu Huang

Materials 2023, 16(19), 6573; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16196573 - 6 Oct 2023

Viewed by 980

Abstract

In order to analyze the axial compressive properties of ultra-high-toughness cementitious composite (UHTCC)-confined recycled aggregate concrete (RAC), a batch of UHTCC-confined RAC components was designed and manufactured according to the requirements of GB/T50081-2002 specifications. After analyzing the surface failure phenomenon, load-displacement curves, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and parameter analysis of the specimen, the result shows that UHTCC-confined RAC is an effective confinement method, which can effectively improve the mechanical properties and control the degree of surface failure of RAC structures. Compared with the unconfined specimen, the maximum peak load of the UHTCC confinement layer with a thickness of 10 mm and 20 mm increased by 44.61% and 79.27%, respectively, meeting the requirements of engineering practice. Different fiber mixing amounts have different effects on improving the mechanical performance of RAC structural. The specific rule was steel fiber (SF) > polyvinyl alcohol fiber (PVAF) > polyvinyl alcohol fiber (PEF) > no fiber mixture, and the SF improves the axial compression properties of UHTCC most significantly. When there are strict requirements for improving the mechanical properties of the structure, SF should be added to UHTCC. On the contrary, PVAF should be added to UHTCC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Material Design and Nondestructive Testing Applications for Infrastructure Materials)

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19 pages, 9692 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nondestructive Detection and Early Warning of Pavement Surface Icing Based on Meteorological Information

by Jilu Li, Hua Ma, Wei Shi, Yiqiu Tan, Huining Xu, Bin Zheng and Jie Liu

Materials 2023, 16(19), 6539; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16196539 - 3 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1193

Abstract

Monitoring and warning of ice on pavement surfaces are effective means to improve traffic safety in winter. In this study, a high-precision piezoelectric sensor was developed to monitor pavement surface conditions. The effects of the pavement surface temperature, water depth, and wind speed on pavement icing time were investigated. Then, on the basis of these effects, an early warning model of pavement icing was proposed using an artificial neural network. The results showed that the sensor could detect ice or water on the pavement surface. The measurement accuracy and reliability of the sensor were verified under long-term vehicle load, temperature load, and harsh natural environment using test data. Moreover, pavement temperature, water depth, and wind speed had a significant nonlinear effect on the pavement icing time. The effect of the pavement surface temperature on icing conditions was maximal, followed by the effect of the water depth. The effect of the wind speed was moderate. The model with a learning rate of 0.7 and five hidden units had the best prediction effect on pavement icing. The prediction accuracy of the early warning model exceeded 90%, permitting nondestructive and rapid detection of pavement icing based on meteorological information. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Material Design and Nondestructive Testing Applications for Infrastructure Materials)

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17 pages, 2742 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of the Relationship between Permanent Deformation and Dynamic Modulus Performance for Bearing-Layer Asphalt Mixture

by Weidong Ji, Yunrui Meng, Yunlong Shang, Xiwei Zhou and Huining Xu

Materials 2023, 16(19), 6409; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16196409 - 26 Sep 2023

Viewed by 974

Abstract

Of major concern is the lack of correlation between the material design and structural function of asphalt pavement in China. The objective of this paper is to identify the layer in asphalt pavement where permanent deformation occurs most seriously and to propose a control index for that layer’s asphalt mixture. The permanent deformation of each layer was determined through the utilization of thickness measurements obtained from field cores. The results indicate that the reduction in thickness is more significant in the driving lane than in the ridge band and shoulder. This phenomenon can be attributed to the intensified densification and shearing deformation that arise from the combined impacts of recurrent axle loads and high temperatures. Compared to surface and base layers, the bearing layer is the primary area of concern for permanent deformation in asphalt pavement. Therefore, it is imperative to incorporate the ability of bearing-layer asphalt mixture to withstand permanent deformation as a crucial design parameter. The dynamic modulus of the bearing-layer asphalt mixture is significantly influenced by the type of asphalt, gradation, and asphalt content, compared to other design parameters. Based on the relationship established between dynamic modulus and dynamic stability, with creep rate as the intermediate term, a control standard was proposed to evaluate the permanent deformation of the bearing-layer asphalt mixture. This study can provide reasonable and effective guidance for prolonging pavement life and improving pavement performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Material Design and Nondestructive Testing Applications for Infrastructure Materials)

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