This issue of Structures and Buildings contains six papers covering different topics, including cement-stabilised rammed earth, seismic response of shear walls and concrete members reinforced with high-strength steel rebars, compression capacity of corroded welded hollow spherical joints and a summary of an investigation of the last 30 years at Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain) regarding the construction process of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings.
Earthen construction has not only a very long history, but is still a very popular construction technique as nowadays a third of the world's population (50% in the developing countries) lives in buildings made of earth-based materials. However, these materials are vulnerable due to effects induced by weathering (e.g., moisture, erosion and so on) and earthquakes as a consequence of their low mechanical properties. Thus, in the first paper by Cárdenas-Haro et al. (2023), the influence of additives on the structural behaviour of cement-stabilised rammed earth is investigated through an experimental programme. Different properties, such as strength, workability, hardening speed and shrinkage, are analysed considering various additives and cement contents (6%, 8% and 10% by earth weight).
Steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) are commonly used as steel lateral-force-resisting systems for their good seismic performance and low cost. However, SPSWs also show some disadvantages, such as stability resistance and high forces transmitted to the columns. Due to these reasons, some researchers proposed to use high-performance steel plate shear wall (HPSPSW). In the second paper, Ghamari and Johari Naeimi (2023) compare the HPSPSW and SPSW systems performing linear and nonlinear finite element analyses. The results confirm the good stiffness, ductility and energy absorption of HPSPSW and the higher modification factors than the SPSWs.
The application of high-strength steel (HSS) rebars in reinforced concrete (RC) structures has considerable demonstrated benefits, such as decreases in material cost and construction time, as well as reduced bar congestion. Meanwhile, most of the literature focuses on HSS application as longitudinal rebars in single members (i.e., columns, beams and so on) and not as both longitudinal and transverse rebars in frames. In the third paper, Arshadi et al. (2023) experimentally investigate the effects of different steel grade (yielding strength 500 MPa and 580 MPa) rebars on the damage indices of four special moment frames and three beam–column connection (BCC) specimens. The results show that the dissipation capacity and ultimate displacements decrease using the higher strength steel.
In recent years, rehabilitation systems using carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets to improve RC column ductility and strength have been proposed. In the fourth paper by Saljoughian et al. (2023), the seismic performance of RC columns reinforced with high-strength steel bars and rehabilitated with vertical and horizontal CFRP strips is experimentally investigated. The results show that by using the corner strip–batten (CSB) technique and the confining grooving method (GM), it is possible to obtain a greater ductility and energy dissipation.
The corrosion of steel structures is attracting the attention of the construction industry due to its economic impact. According to some statistics available in the literature, this impact is estimated to be around USD 2.5 trillion annually (e.g., 3.4% of the global GPD). In the fifth paper, Zhang et al. (2023) propose a probabilistic model of the compression capacity of corroded welded hollow spherical joints, commonly used in reticulated shell structures. The random locations and sizes of pitting corrosion are considered in the developed methodology.
Buildings construction phases should be always carefully analysed due to the different conditions compared to the service ones. In addition, for the purposes of improving safety, it can also be important to systematically investigate the construction processes. In the concluding paper of this issue, Buitrago et al. (2023) present studies done in the last 30 years at Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain) on RC buildings’ construction. The importance of considering the construction processes in the planning phases, as well as the need to implement efficiency and considerations for sustainability issues in evaluations’ analytical methods to improve the robustness of temporary shoring or propping structures, are outlined.
We thank all the authors, reviewers and readers, and we welcome discussion on any of these papers.
