Strength, Ductility and Durability of Strengthened or Repaired Reinforced Concrete or Masonry Structures

Dear Colleagues,

Numerous existing reinforced concrete (RC) or masonry structures were designed in compliance with past design codes and deteriorated over time due to many factors, such as earthquakes, accidental impacts and damage to structural parts due to the aging of construction materials or fire damage, corrosion of steel reinforcements, and/or impact of vehicles. The need to strengthen civil engineering structures is becoming a serious problem for facilities owners. The first traditional techniques for strengthening structures used steel plates or post-tensioned cables bonded in the tension regions. The limitations of such methods stem from the high additional weight imposed on the structure and the dubious durability of its strengthening due to corrosion or other environmental impacts. The many materials used to overcome the above-mentioned problems include fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP), ultra-high performance fibre concrete (UHPC), shape memory alloys (SMA), fibre-based textile reinforced mortar (TRM) and vegetable fibres composite materials (VFC). Some strengthening or repairing materials do not meet certain ductility and resistance criteria (in the post-elastic domain), which are necessary to absorb seismic energy. Long-term durability is often stated as the main reason for using the aforementioned materials. However, their durability depends on the choice of constituent materials, the method and conditions of processing, and surrounding environmental conditions throughout their service lives. Although previous studies demonstrated the use of these materials for strengthening structures, a number of issues related to the lack of a clear understanding of their long-term performance hampered their widespread implementation.

This Special Issue aims to cover a wide array of subjects, from dealing with the strengthening and repair of RC and masonry structures. It will cover state-of-the-art, advanced strengthening materials. Special attention will be given to the ductility and durability of these strengthening systems.

Manuscript Submission Information

Authors are invited to send their original research findings regarding the behaviour of strengthened or re-paired structures, components and materials subjected to static or dynamic loading. Manuscripts are expected to contribute to the scientific understanding of the response of strengthened or repaired structures, especially in terms of failure mode, hysteretic response, load-bearing capacity, ductility, stiffness degradation, energy dissipation and their ductility and durability. Papers that promote knowledge are of relevance and interest, provided that they include an analysis of the experimental data and proper conclusions. Additionally, the use of analytical modelling and numerical simulations to support experimental results is highly encouraged.

Dr. Firas Al Mahmoud
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.