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Advances in Ultra-High Performance Concretes and Cementitious Composites

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2025 | Viewed by 1534

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Interests: cement and concrete composites; self-sensing concrete for smart structures; nano-engineered cementitious composites; (ultra)high performance and smart/multifunctional concrete materials and structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, Aarhus University, 8000C Aarhus, Denmark
Interests: oil and gas well cement; ultra-high performance cementitious composites; nano-engineered cement and concrete; smart concrete materials and structures

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ultra-high performance concretes (UHPC) and cementitious composites have emerged as revolutionary materials in the field of construction and engineering. These advanced materials offer exceptional mechanical properties, durability, and sustainability, opening up new frontiers in structural design and construction practices.

This special issue aims to bring together the latest research and developments in the field of ultra-high performance concretes and cementitious composites. We invite contributions from researchers, engineers, and industry professionals to share their insights and findings on various aspects of these materials.

We welcome original research articles, review papers, and case studies that address the following topics:

  1. Development and characterization of ultra-high performance concretes;
  2. Innovative cementitious composites for enhanced performance;
  3. Durability and long-term performance of UHPC and cementitious composites;
  4. Sustainable manufacturing and use of these materials;
  5. Applications of UHPC and cementitious composites in infrastructure projects;
  6. Numerical modeling and simulation of UHPC and cementitious composites;
  7. Experimental investigations and testing methods for these materials;
  8. New technologies and techniques for the production and processing of UHPC and cementitious composites.

Prof. Dr. Baoguo Han
Dr. Jialiang Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • ultra-high performance concretes (UHPC)
  • cementitious composites
  • durability
  • sustainability
  • numerical modeling
  • mechanical properties
  • long-term performance

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 4971 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Relative Humidity on Creep Behavior of Cement Paste Microprism
by Zhao Chen, Mahdiar Dargahi and Luca Sorelli
Materials 2025, 18(2), 406; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18020406 - 16 Jan 2025
Viewed by 547
Abstract
Despite decades of extensive studies, the mechanism of concrete creep remains a subject of debate, mainly due to the complex nature of cement microstructure. This complexity is further amplified by the interplay between water and the cement microstructure. The present study aimed to [...] Read more.
Despite decades of extensive studies, the mechanism of concrete creep remains a subject of debate, mainly due to the complex nature of cement microstructure. This complexity is further amplified by the interplay between water and the cement microstructure. The present study aimed to better understand the creep mechanism through creep tests on microprisms of cement paste at hygral equilibrium. First, microprisms with dimensions of 150 mm × 150 mm × 300 mm were prepared by precision cutting from a cement paste specimen with a water-to-cement ratio of 0.4. Subsequently, uniaxial compression and creep tests were carried out on these microprisms in a chamber with controlled relative humidity (RH). To mitigate the impact of plasticity and damage, the applied peak load was set to generate a stress level that was approximately 40% of the compressive strength. Moreover, an analytical coefficient φ was formulated to account for the foundation effect on microprism creep, agreeing with the numerical analysis employing the finite element method. Our findings showed that the microscale creep compliance varied when the RH level was changed from 90% to 11%. Furthermore, logarithmic and power-law models were both applied to simulate creep curves. Lastly, the modeled creep behaviors were compared with those obtained by microindentation experiments in previous studies. Full article
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Review

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29 pages, 8122 KiB  
Review
UHPC Viability for Nuclear Storage Facilities: Synthesis and Critical Review of Durability, Thermal, and Nuclear Properties for Informed Mix Modifications
by Nataliia Igrashkina and Mohamed A. Moustafa
Materials 2025, 18(2), 430; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18020430 - 17 Jan 2025
Viewed by 462
Abstract
Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the United States’ nuclear power plants has been placed in dry cask storage systems since the 1980s. Due to the lack of a clear path for permanent geological repository for SNF, consolidated and long-term storage solutions that use [...] Read more.
Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the United States’ nuclear power plants has been placed in dry cask storage systems since the 1980s. Due to the lack of a clear path for permanent geological repository for SNF, consolidated and long-term storage solutions that use durable concrete and avoid current aging and licensing challenges are becoming indispensable. Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is a rapidly growing advanced concrete solution with superior mechanical and durability properties that can help realize future resilient nuclear storage facilities. Thus, the overall goal of this review study is to demonstrate the viability of UHPC as a long-term solution for future nuclear storage facilities. The paper first identifies all possible non-nuclear (environmental) and nuclear (thermal and radiation-induced) degradation mechanisms in concrete overpacks and storage modules with critical assessment and projections on UHPC performance in comparison to current conventional concrete solutions. Next, since concrete serves as a shielding material in nuclear settings, the preliminary attenuation properties of UHPC from emerging studies are synthesized along with the possible mix modifications to improve its attenuation performance. The paper identifies the major knowledge gaps to inform future research and development, aimed at rethinking the design of SNF dry storage facilities by incorporating UHPC. Full article
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