CivilEng, Volume 6, Issue 4 (December 2025) – 5 articles

UHPC has been found to have excellent freeze–thaw durability in cold regions. Previous UHPC testing performed has mostly focused on concrete with compressive strength above 21 ksi (145 MPa). In this study, testing was conducted to determine at what strength level concrete transitions to provide excellent freeze–thaw (F–T) performance. Non-proprietary concrete samples were made for freeze–thaw durability from four different concrete mixture designs: 12–15 ksi, 15–18 ksi, 18–21 ksi, and 21+ ksi (83–145+ MPa), and these were tested according to ASTM C666, using 1.5% steel fibers. The samples were made for three different curing regimens: limewater curing in a fog room, simulated precast curing, and steam curing. Low-temperature differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) tests were carried out to reveal the freeze–thaw mechanism of the concrete samples. All mixtures with compressive strength above 15 ksi (103 MPa) performed excellent in freeze–thaw testing with no damage seen. Steam curing was found to negatively affect the freeze–thaw performance at the lowest strength level tested. Full article

This study presented a comprehensive finite element (FE) investigation into the flexural behavior of RC T-beams strengthened in the negative moment region using near-surface mounted (NSM) carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP) rods. A three-dimensional nonlinear FE model was developed and validated against experimental data, achieving close agreement with normalized mean square error values as low as 0.006 and experimental-to-numerical ratios ranging from 0.95 to 1.04. The validated model was then employed to conduct a systematic parametric analysis considering CFRP rod diameter, concrete compressive strength, longitudinal reinforcement ratio, and FRP material type. The results showed that increasing CFRP diameter from 6 to 10 mm enhanced ultimate load by up to 47.51% and improved stiffness by 1.48 times. Higher concrete compressive strength contributed to stiffness gains exceeding 50.00%, although this improvement was accompanied by reductions in ductility. Beams with reinforcement ratios up to 2.90% achieved peak loads of 309.61 kN, but ductility declined. Comparison among FRP materials indicated that CFRP and AFRP offered superior strength and stiffness, whereas BFRP provided a more balanced combination of strength and deformation capacity. Full article

Riverbank erosion in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) poses a serious threat to agricultural lands, infrastructure, and local communities. Conventional protective measures, such as synthetic geotextiles and concrete revetments, are often costly and environmentally disruptive. This study investigates the potential of Eichhornia crassipes, a widely available invasive species, commonly known as water hyacinth (WH), to produce biodegradable geotextiles as a low-cost, nature-based solution (NbS) for small-scale riverbank protection. It is the first to test minimally processed WH mats under simulated tidal conditions in the VMD. Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the geotextile’s (1) sediment retention capacity, (2) wave energy reduction, and (3) mechanical durability under wet–dry cycles. Results show that the WH geotextile effectively reduced sediment resuspension, decreasing turbidity levels from 800 FTU (unprotected scenario) to below 50 FTU. The geotextile also attenuated wave energy, reducing significant wave heights by approximately 35–40%. Mechanical testing revealed that the fish bone weaving pattern with adhesive coating achieved the highest tensile strength (8.36 kN/m after 12 wet–dry cycles), while uncoated samples demonstrated higher elongation (up to 61.67%), providing greater flexibility. These demonstrate the feasibility of WH geotextiles as a scalable nature-based solution for erosion-prone tropical deltas. Future studies should focus on field-scale validation, biodegradation rates, and performance optimization for long-term applications. Full article

This study presents the design and performance assessment of suction anchor foundations for an integrated offshore wind–solar–aquaculture system located in Jiangsu Sheyang, China. The project represents one of the first practical demonstrations of coupling renewable energy production with large-scale marine aquaculture on a shared floating platform. Using three-dimensional numerical simulations in FLAC3D and ABAQUS, the study evaluates the anchors’ bearing capacity, structural safety, and fatigue performance under ultimate (ULS), accidental (ALS), and fatigue (FLS) limit states. The analysis incorporates site-specific geotechnical conditions, seabed scour, and installation deviations, providing a realistic framework for foundation design in layered coastal sediments. Results confirm that the suction anchor system meets international safety requirements (DNV, CCS) and maintains robust performance throughout its service life. The findings demonstrate that scour depth and installation accuracy are critical factors governing anchor reliability and offer practical insights for updating offshore foundation design standards in future multifunctional renewable–aquaculture developments. Full article

Explosions, including those from war weapons, terrorist attacks, etc., can lead to damage and overall collapse of bridges. However, there are no clear guidelines for anti-blast design and protective measures for bridges under blast loading in current bridge design specifications. With advancements in intelligent construction, precast segmental bridge piers have become a major trend in social development. There is a lack of full understanding of the anti-blast performance of precast segmental bridge piers. To study the engineering calculation method for blast load acting on a typical precast segmental reinforced concrete (RC) pier in near-field explosions, an air explosion test of the precast segmental RC pier is firstly carried out, then a fluid–structure coupling numerical model of the precast segmental RC pier is established and the interaction between the explosion shock wave and the precast segmental RC pier is discussed. A numerical simulation of the precast segmental RC pier in a near-field explosion is conducted based on a reliable numerical model, and the distribution of the blast load acting on the precast segmental RC pier in the near-field explosion is analyzed. The results show that the reflected overpressure on the pier and the incident overpressure in the free field are reliable. The simulation results are basically consistent with the experimental results (with a relative error of less than 8%), and the fluid–structure coupling model is reasonable and reliable. The explosion shock wave has effects of reflection and circulation on the precast segmental RC pier. In the near-field explosion, the back and side blast loads acting on the precast segmental RC bridge pier can be ignored in the blast-resistant design. The front blast loads can be simplified and equalized, and a blast-resistant design load coefficient (1, 0.2, 0.03, 0.02, and 0.01) and a calculation formula of maximum equivalent overpressure peak value (applicable scaled distance [0.175 m/kg^1/3, 0.378 m/kg^1/3]) are proposed, which can be used as a reference for the blast-resistant design of precast segmental RC piers. Full article