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Sustainable Building Materials: Novelties, Characteristics and Applications
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Sustainable Building Materials: Novelties, Characteristics and Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2022) | Viewed by 12341

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Oliver Plé

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Head of The French Academic Association of Civil Engineering, LOCIE Laboratory, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, UMR CNRS 5271, 73000 Chambéry, France
Interests: innovation in materials and in structural engineering; sustainable concrete; rammed earth; biocomposites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to World Green Building Trends reports, green building is officially a “global trend” and energy conservation is a top priority all over the world. The shift is being driving by environmental regulations and consumer demands. In that way, sustainable building materials are a necessity, and the trend is expected to grow. With more green constructions, engineers, researchers, industries and research centers are also developing innovative, new, green materials. Nowadays, natural materials are in the spotlight (rammed earth, straw bale, bamboo, wool insulation, …), solar is green and roof tiles are embedded energy, recycled materials, sustainable concrete and biocomposites are going mainstream. Clearly, there are eco-friendly building materials becoming available at an amazing rate. With the increasing availability and affordability of these sustainable building materials, we had to take point on novelties.

This Special Issue is dedicated to sustainable building materials, especially on novelties and trends. Focuses on green materials, recycled materials, sustainable and renewable materials for energy and construction are welcome. Approaches can be based on research results or industry developments. Applications in prefabrication techniques and building enveloping systems can be also presented.

So, it is my pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Prof. Dr. Olivier Plé
Guest Editor

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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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

  • green materials
  • recycled materials
  • durable and renewable materials
  • test method
  • performance evaluation
  • regulations
  • material characterization

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3660 KiB  
Article
Delayed Absorption Superabsorbent Polymer for Strength Development in Concrete
by Yuka Morinaga, Yuya Akao, Daisuke Fukuda and Yogarajah Elakneswaran
Materials 2022, 15(8), 2727; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15082727 - 7 Apr 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1720
Abstract
Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are used as internal curing agents in cementitious materials, which reduce autogenous shrinkage in concrete as they have a low water-to-cement ratios and improve the freeze–thaw resistance. However, the compressive strength of concrete may also be reduced due to additional [...] Read more.
Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are used as internal curing agents in cementitious materials, which reduce autogenous shrinkage in concrete as they have a low water-to-cement ratios and improve the freeze–thaw resistance. However, the compressive strength of concrete may also be reduced due to additional voids in the hydrated cement matrix. In this study, we fabricated a delayed absorption type of SAP (I-SAP) composed of cross-linked modified acrylate and studied its absorption characteristics and effect on compressive strength after 28 days. Furthermore, the effect of curing conditions on the strength of concrete and hydrated cement paste with SAP were investigated. The absorption capacity of I-SAP in the synthetic pore solution and deionised water was examined and compared with that of a conventional SAP, and the former was absorbed more by I-SAP. The results revealed that the compressive strength of concrete increased with the addition of I-SAP, particularly with the curing condition of 60% RH. Although the compressive strength of hydrated cement paste with I-SAP reduced in water or sealed curing conditions, no loss of strength in the paste cured at 60% RH was seen. The cement matrix densification due to hydration of belite around the SAP surface is the main mechanism for strength development in concrete cured at sealed and 60% RH. However, the voids formed by SAP control the compressive strength of hydrated paste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Building Materials: Novelties, Characteristics and Applications)
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26 pages, 2476 KiB  
Article
Benefit of Unsaturated Soil Mechanics Approach on the Modeling of Early-Age Behavior of Rammed Earth Building
by Parul Chauhan, Noémie Prime and Olivier Plé
Materials 2022, 15(1), 362; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15010362 - 4 Jan 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1653
Abstract
Rammed earth has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint and limit the energy consumption in the building sector due to its sustainable characteristics. Still, its use is not generalized due to a lack of understanding of the material behavior, notably its sensitivity [...] Read more.
Rammed earth has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint and limit the energy consumption in the building sector due to its sustainable characteristics. Still, its use is not generalized due to a lack of understanding of the material behavior, notably its sensitivity to water. The coupled hydro-mechanical behavior has been recently studied in the framework of unsaturated soil mechanics, using suction as the parameter to represent the hydric state. This dependency of the mechanical behavior on the hydric state leads to uncertainty of the drying period required to progress in the construction process. Notably, the drying period before building the next floor is unknown. To determine the drying period, thermo-hydro-mechanical coupled finite element method simulations were carried out on a single wall by using the unsaturated soil mechanics approach and safety criterion recommendations from the practical guide for rammed earth construction in France. It was determined that it takes significant time for the construction of additional floor both in ‘summer-like’ and ‘winter-like’ environmental conditions, whereas the walls were far away from the ultimate failure state. Thus the drying periods were overestimated. It was concluded that the safety criterion from the practical guide is very conservative and drying periods can be reduced without significantly compromising the safety factor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Building Materials: Novelties, Characteristics and Applications)
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24 pages, 15554 KiB  
Article
Behavioral Assessment and Evaluation of Innovative Hollow Glue-Laminated Timber Elements
by Nikola Perković, Vlatka Rajčić and Monika Pranjić
Materials 2021, 14(22), 6911; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14226911 - 16 Nov 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2186
Abstract
Due to the growing need to preserve our planet and reduce carbon emissions during construction, the use of the only carbon-absorbing material, timber, is increasingly being imposed. In addition to the requirement of reducing emissions, there is a necessity for the shortest possible [...] Read more.
Due to the growing need to preserve our planet and reduce carbon emissions during construction, the use of the only carbon-absorbing material, timber, is increasingly being imposed. In addition to the requirement of reducing emissions, there is a necessity for the shortest possible construction time and the minimum use of construction machinery, which has led to the development of prefabricated construction systems. This paper deals with the innovative, hollow, glue-laminated timber elements which are intended for modular construction. Comparing this new system with existing modular systems, the main features and behavior of the constitutive elements, i.e., the hollow, glue-laminated timber elements, are presented. Experimental and numerical analysis of the mechanical performance of the timber elements was carried out and a comparative analysis of the behavior of two different types of hollow timber elements was conducted. The finite element method was used to predict the behavior of this innovative structural system. The results are compared with the analytical procedure to provide a background for the development of standardized methods for the design of timber structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Building Materials: Novelties, Characteristics and Applications)
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22 pages, 10352 KiB  
Article
Geopolymer Recycled Aggregate Concrete: From Experiments to Empirical Models
by Hoai-Bao Le, Quoc-Bao Bui and Luping Tang
Materials 2021, 14(5), 1180; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14051180 - 3 Mar 2021
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 3268
Abstract
Ordinary cement concrete is a popular material with numerous advantages when compared to other construction materials; however, ordinary concrete is also criticized from the public point of view due to the CO2 emission (during the cement manufacture) and the consumption of natural [...] Read more.
Ordinary cement concrete is a popular material with numerous advantages when compared to other construction materials; however, ordinary concrete is also criticized from the public point of view due to the CO2 emission (during the cement manufacture) and the consumption of natural resources (for the aggregates). In the context of sustainable development and circular economy, the recycling of materials and the use of alternative binders which have less environmental impacts than cement are challenges for the construction sector. This paper presents a study on non-conventional concrete using recycled aggregates and alkali-activated binder. The specimens were prepared from low calcium fly ash (FA, an industrial by-product), sodium silicate solution, sodium hydroxide solution, fine aggregate from river sand, and recycled coarse aggregate. First, influences of different factors were investigated: the ratio between alkaline activated solution (AAS) and FA, and the curing temperature and the lignosulfonate superplasticizer. The interfacial transition zone of geopolymer recycled aggregate concrete (GRAC) was evaluated by microscopic analyses. Then, two empirical models, which are the modified versions of Feret’s and De Larrard’s models, respectively, for cement concretes, were investigated for the prediction of GRAC compressive strength; the parameters of these models were identified. The results showed the positive behaviour of GRAC investigated and the relevancy of the models proposed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Building Materials: Novelties, Characteristics and Applications)
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20 pages, 17678 KiB  
Article
New Composite Material for Masonry Repair: Mortar Formulations and Experimental Studies
by Walid Deboucha, Ibrahim Alachek, Jean-Patrick Plassiard and Olivier Plé
Materials 2021, 14(4), 912; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14040912 - 15 Feb 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2439
Abstract
The need for retrofitting existing masonry structures is progressively becoming more important due to their continuous deterioration or need to meet the current design requirements of Eurocodes. Textile-Reinforced Mortar (TRM) composite systems have emerged as a sustainable repair methodology suitable for structure retrofitting. [...] Read more.
The need for retrofitting existing masonry structures is progressively becoming more important due to their continuous deterioration or need to meet the current design requirements of Eurocodes. Textile-Reinforced Mortar (TRM) composite systems have emerged as a sustainable repair methodology suitable for structure retrofitting. Nevertheless, their mechanical performance is still far from being fully investigated. This paper presents an experimental study on the tensile and bond behaviors of a new mortar-based composite consisting of mineral additives, blended cement mortar, and stainless-steel grid. Three different mineral additives (silica fume, fly ash, and blast furnace slag), in binary and ternary systems were used. The experimental study included uniaxial tensile coupon testing on composite specimens and bond tests on composite material applied to clay-brick substrate. The results obtained with the different textile-reinforced cement-based mortars were compared and are discussed here. It was found that, for mortar formulations containing mineral additives—such as fly ash or blast-furnace slag—with high tensile and bond strengths, an adequate adherence between the constituents was obtained. The developed mortar presents mechanical performances equivalent to traditional mortars without additives. The study contributes to the existing knowledge regarding the structural behavior of TRM and promotes the development of a low impact carbon cementitious matrix. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Building Materials: Novelties, Characteristics and Applications)
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