Advanced materials and technologies for structural performance improvement

The development of advanced materials and technologies for application to new and existing structures, infrastructures, and equipment, aiming at improving their response to service and extreme loads, represents an emerging issue both from an academic and a professional viewpoint. Relevant performance assessment procedures, based on effective experimental verification methods [1] and refined numerical simulation models [2], are quickly evolving as well. New or improved building materials and innovative protection technologies offer updated solutions to the constantly increasing capacity requirements in structural, geotechnical, plant, and mechanical engineering design and rehabilitation. At the same time, they open novel and challenging research and application perspectives. The objective of this special issue was to provide readers with a representative outlook of the latest achievements in this field, including emerging aspects in modelling, testing, manufacturing, and practical implementation studies. The response of the scientific community was encouraging, with over 100manuscripts submitted. The published papers offer a selected and articulated overview of the examined topics.