Concrete Structures: Latest Advances and Prospects

Dear Colleagues,

The modern society is characterized by a widespread use of concrete as building material both in the realization of new constructions and in the existing building stock. This circumstance has pushed forward research with the challenge of developing advanced solutions that enhance the mechanical behavior and the sustainability of constructions.

In recent years, an important part of the research has been devoted to the experimental and theoretical analysis of new concrete-based construction materials, made by incorporating recycled materials, fatigue-resistant materials, nano-sized particles, etc. with the final goal of increasing the sustainability, durability, and performance of the new constructions. To investigate the use of these materials, experimental analyses, advanced simulation techniques of nonlinear response, and performance evaluation are needed.

Regarding the existing concrete building stock, the main part is reaching the end of its service life, so there is a growing attention towards safety and retrofitting interventions that will adapt the existing structures to actual performance demands. In this field, the research is mainly focused on the experimental technologies for the assessment of the safety level, modeling of the concrete structure, damage assessment, design procedures of the rehabilitation strategies, and innovative solutions for the achievement of target performances.

However, many issues in these areas yet remain. The aim of the Special Issue on “Concrete Structures: Latest Advances and Prospects” is to contribute to the systematization and dissemination of knowledge related to recent advances in these fields of concrete structures. We would like to invite researchers to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that discuss the new trends regarding innovative concrete-based building materials, structural modeling of new and existing concrete structures, experimental investigation and diagnosis techniques, and design criteria. Experimental or numerical analyses of case studies are also welcome.

Dr. Mariella Diaferio
Guest Editor

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• damage assessment
• performance evaluation
• design procedures for concrete structures
• structural modeling
• innovative concrete-based building materials
• diagnosis techniques
• experimental investigation on concrete structures
• strengthening and repair of concrete structures
• analysis of case studies