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Sustainable Strategies for Preventing Deterioration and Corrosion Risks in Reinforced Concrete Structures

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 November 2022) | Viewed by 8250

Special Issue Editor

*
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Bergamo, Viale Marconi, 4, 24044 Dalmine, BG, Italy
Interests: durability and sustainability of cementitious materials; admixtures and additives for concrete; alternative binders and aggregates; cement-based repair materials
* Mr. Luigi Coppola is an Associate Professor.
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the field of construction materials, it is increasingly evident that traditional environmental parameters (such as global warming potential, gross energy requirement, consumption of natural resources including water) as well as life cycle analyses are necessary, but not sufficient, to define the sustainability of a building material. In fact, it is essential to combine information regarding the material’s performance and durability with the evaluation of its environmental impact. In other words, it is not possible to define a construction material as “green” without a deep investigation of the evolution of its properties in different environments over time. In other words, the sustainability of reinforced concrete structures is strictly correlated with their durability in aggressive environments. In particular, at equal environmental impact, the higher the durability of construction materials, the higher the sustainability. Hence, the present Special Issue will collect the most innovative papers dealing with the possible strategies aiming to produce sustainable and durable reinforced concrete structures in different environments. The Special Issue focuses on innovative approaches to the design of sustainable and durable structures as well as the use of unconventional corrosion-resistant reinforcements, alternative binders for Portland cement and innovative or traditional solutions for reinforced concrete protection and prevention against rebar corrosion such as hydrophobic treatments, corrosion inhibitors, coatings, self-healing admixtures, waterproofing aggregates, self-sensing concretes, and nanoparticle materials for the conservation of cultural heritage.

This Special Issue aims to add evidence to the scientific progress achieved in the research and development in the construction of sustainable and durable structures.

Topics of interest include the following:

  • Steel corrosion mechanism in traditional Portland cement concrete and in alternative binder matrices.
  • Hydrophobic protections and treatments able to seal capillary pores.
  • Organic and polymer-cementitious coatings.
  • Self-healing admixtures.
  • Corrosion-resistant reinforcements: galvanized steel or epoxy-coated bars, stainless steels and composite materials (fiber-reinforced polymers) reinforcements.
  • Corrosion inhibitors.
  • Special waterproofing aggregates.
  • Innovative design strategy and approach to durability.
  • Durability of low-carbon concretes (alkali-activated materials, geopolymers, CSA-based mixtures).
  • High-performance multi-functional self-sensing concretes.
  • Durable repair strategies of existing reinforced and prestressed concrete structures (electrochemical techniques, UHPFRC jackets and FRCM systems).
  • Nanoparticles for conservation of cultural heritage.
  • Case history and applications.

Luigi Coppola
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

  • steel corrosion mechanism in traditional Portland cement concrete and in alternative binder matrices
  • hydrophobic protections and treatments able to seal capillary pores
  • organic and polymer-cementitious coatings
  • self-healing admixtures
  • corrosion-resistant reinforcements: galvanized steel or epoxy-coated bars, stainless steels and composite materials (fiber-reinforced polymers) reinforcements
  • corrosion inhibitors
  • special waterproofing aggregates
  • innovative design strategy and approach to durability
  • durability of low-carbon concretes (alkali-activated materials, geopolymers, CSA-based mixtures)
  • high-performance multi-functional self-sensing concretes
  • durable repair strategies of existing reinforced and prestressed concrete structures (electrochemical techniques, UHPFRC jackets and FRCM systems)
  • nanoparticles for conservation of cultural heritage
  • case history and applications

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 5828 KiB  
Article
Influence of Polyurea Coatings on Low-Longitudinal-Reinforcement-Ratio Reinforced Concrete Beams Subjected to Bending
by Jacek Szafran, Artur Matusiak, Katarzyna Rzeszut and Iwona Jankowiak
Materials 2022, 15(7), 2652; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15072652 - 4 Apr 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1588
Abstract
“Polyurea coatings as a possible structural reinforcement system” is a research investigation that aims to explore the possible applications of polyurea coatings for improving structural performance (including steel, concrete, timber and other structures used in the construction industry). As part of the research [...] Read more.
“Polyurea coatings as a possible structural reinforcement system” is a research investigation that aims to explore the possible applications of polyurea coatings for improving structural performance (including steel, concrete, timber and other structures used in the construction industry). As part of the research in this field, this paper focuses on evaluating the performance of bending polyurea-coated reinforced concrete (RC) beams with a low reinforcement ratio. The easy application and numerous advantages of polyurea can prove very useful when existing RC structural elements are repaired or retrofitted. Laboratory tests of RC beams were performed for the purpose of this paper. The failure mechanisms and cracking patterns of these specimens are described, and their bending strengths were compared. On this basis, the effect of the coating on bending strength and the performance of the reinforced beams at the serviceability limit state (SLS) was examined and analyzed. The results showed that the use of a polyurea coating has a positive impact on the cracking and deflection state of RC beams and makes it possible to safely use RC elements on a continuous basis under high levels of load. Full article
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Review

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18 pages, 2334 KiB  
Review
New Materials and Technologies for Durability and Conservation of Building Heritage
by Luigi Coppola, Tiziano Bellezze, Alberto Belli, Alessandra Bianco, Elisa Blasi, Miriam Cappello, Domenico Caputo, Mehdi Chougan, Denny Coffetti, Bartolomeo Coppola, Valeria Corinaldesi, Alberto D’Amore, Valeria Daniele, Luciano Di Maio, Luca Di Palma, Jacopo Donnini, Giuseppe Ferrara, Sara Filippi, Matteo Gastaldi, Nicola Generosi, Chiara Giosuè, Loredana Incarnato, Francesca Lamastra, Barbara Liguori, Ludovico Macera, Qaisar Maqbool, Maria Cristina Mascolo, Letterio Mavilia, Alida Mazzoli, Franco Medici, Alessandra Mobili, Giampiero Montesperelli, Giorgio Pia, Elena Redaelli, Maria Letizia Ruello, Paola Scarfato, Giuliana Taglieri, Francesca Tittarelli, Jean-Marc Tulliani and Antonino Valenzaadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Materials 2023, 16(3), 1190; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16031190 - 30 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2265
Abstract
The increase in concrete structures’ durability is a milestone to improve the sustainability of buildings and infrastructures. In order to ensure a prolonged service life, it is necessary to detect the deterioration of materials by means of monitoring systems aimed at evaluating not [...] Read more.
The increase in concrete structures’ durability is a milestone to improve the sustainability of buildings and infrastructures. In order to ensure a prolonged service life, it is necessary to detect the deterioration of materials by means of monitoring systems aimed at evaluating not only the penetration of aggressive substances into concrete but also the corrosion of carbon-steel reinforcement. Therefore, proper data collection makes it possible to plan suitable restoration works which can be carried out with traditional or innovative techniques and materials. This work focuses on building heritage and it highlights the most recent findings for the conservation and restoration of reinforced concrete structures and masonry buildings. Full article
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20 pages, 1125 KiB  
Review
The Improvement of Durability of Reinforced Concretes for Sustainable Structures: A Review on Different Approaches
by Luigi Coppola, Silvia Beretta, Maria Chiara Bignozzi, Fabio Bolzoni, Andrea Brenna, Marina Cabrini, Sebastiano Candamano, Domenico Caputo, Maddalena Carsana, Raffaele Cioffi, Denny Coffetti, Francesco Colangelo, Fortunato Crea, Sabino De Gisi, Maria Vittoria Diamanti, Claudio Ferone, Patrizia Frontera, Matteo Maria Gastaldi, Claudia Labianca, Federica Lollini, Sergio Lorenzi, Stefania Manzi, Milena Marroccoli, Michele Notarnicola, Marco Ormellese, Tommaso Pastore, MariaPia Pedeferri, Andrea Petrella, Elena Redaelli, Giuseppina Roviello, Antonio Telesca and Francesco Todaroadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Materials 2022, 15(8), 2728; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15082728 - 7 Apr 2022
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3755
Abstract
The topic of sustainability of reinforced concrete structures is strictly related with their durability in aggressive environments. In particular, at equal environmental impact, the higher the durability of construction materials, the higher the sustainability. The present review deals with the possible strategies aimed [...] Read more.
The topic of sustainability of reinforced concrete structures is strictly related with their durability in aggressive environments. In particular, at equal environmental impact, the higher the durability of construction materials, the higher the sustainability. The present review deals with the possible strategies aimed at producing sustainable and durable reinforced concrete structures in different environments. It focuses on the design methodologies as well as the use of unconventional corrosion-resistant reinforcements, alternative binders to Portland cement, and innovative or traditional solutions for reinforced concrete protection and prevention against rebars corrosion such as corrosion inhibitors, coatings, self-healing techniques, and waterproofing aggregates. Analysis of the scientific literature highlights that there is no preferential way for the production of “green” concrete but that the sustainability of the building materials can only be achieved by implementing simultaneous multiple strategies aimed at reducing environmental impact and improving both durability and performances. Full article
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