The utilization of structural control systems for alleviating the responses of civil engineering structures, under the effects of different kinds of dynamics loadings, has become a standard technology, although there are still numerous research approaches for advancing the effectiveness of these methodologies. The aim of this article is to review the state-of-the-art technologies in structural control systems by introducing a general literature review for all types of vibrations control systems that have appeared up to now. These systems can be classified into four main groups: (a) passive; (b) semi-active; (c) active; and (d) hybrid systems, based on their operational mechanisms. A brief description of each of these main groups and their subgroups, with their corresponding advantages and disadvantages, is also given. This article will conclude by providing an overview of some innovative practical implementations of devices that are able to demonstrate the potential and future direction of structural control systems in civil engineering.

Plastic shrinkage cracking in concrete is mainly a physical process, in which chemical reactions between cement and water do not play a decisive role. It is commonly believed that rapid and excessive moisture loss due to evaporation is the primary cause of the phenomenon. This paper presents a new model to estimate the severity of plastic shrinkage cracking, based on the initial setting time and the amount of water evaporating from within the concrete bulk. A number of experiments were performed under controlled ambient conditions, during which the water/cement ratio, cement type and dosage of superplasticiser were altered. The results, alongside those reported by other researchers, were utilised to check the validity of the proposed model. According to the outcomes, the model could predict the cracking severity of the tested concretes with good precision.

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Most of the currently used concretes are based on ordinary Portland cement (OPC) which results in a high carbon dioxide footprint and thus has a negative environmental impact. Replacing OPCs, partially or fully by ecological binders, i.e., supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) or alternative binders, aims to decrease the carbon dioxide footprint. Both solutions introduced a number of technological problems, including their performance, when exposed to low, subfreezing temperatures during casting operations and the hardening stage. This review indicates that the present knowledge enables the production of OPC-based concretes at temperatures as low as −10 °C, without the need of any additional measures such as, e.g., heating. Conversely, composite cements containing SCMs or alkali-activated binders (AACs) showed mixed performances, ranging from inferior to superior in comparison with OPC. Most concretes based on composite cements require pre/post heat curing or only a short exposure to sub-zero temperatures. At the same time, certain alkali-activated systems performed very well even at −20 °C without the need for additional curing. Chemical admixtures developed for OPC do not always perform well in other binder systems. This review showed that there is only a limited knowledge on how chemical admixtures work in ecological concretes at low temperatures and how to accelerate the hydration rate of composite cements containing high amounts of SCMs or AACs, when these are cured at subfreezing temperatures.

It is commonly accepted that the autogenous self-healing of concrete is mainly controlled by the hydration of Portland cement and its extent depends on the availability of anhydrous particles. High-performance (HPCs) and ultra-high performance concretes (UHPCs) incorporating very high amounts of cement and having a low water-to-cement ratio reach the hydration degree of only 70–50%. Consequently, the presence of a large amount of unhydrated cement should result in excellent autogenous self-healing. The main aim of this study was to examine whether this commonly accepted hypothesis was correct. The study included tests performed on UHPC and mortars with a low water-to-cement ratio and high cement content. Additionally, aging effects were verified on 12-month-old UHPC samples. Analysis was conducted on the crack surfaces and inside of the cracks. The results strongly indicated that the formation of a dense microstructure and rapidly hydrating, freshly exposed anhydrous cement particles could significantly limit or even hinder the self-healing process. The availability of anhydrous cement appeared not to guarantee development of a highly effective healing process.

Waste management is emerging as one of the most troublesome and critical problems of the upcoming decades. Therefore, the utilization of industrial by-products as building materials components has been widely studied in recent years. Geopolymer concrete, with binder entirely substituted by slag or fly ash, is one of the materials, which combines positive environmental impact with satisfying mechanical parameters. Although various properties of geopolymers have been examined, the autogeneous self-healing potential of this alternative binder has not been thoroughly verified yet. This paper aims to validate whether geopolymer concrete made of alkali activated slag is capable of self-repair. Four different mortar mixes with two types of slag and varying activation parameters were investigated. The polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers were added in order to control the crack width. The 1.2 × 1.2 × 6 cm beams were pre-cracked with the use of three point bending test at 7 days after casting to achieve crack opening of approximately 300 µm. The effects of various exposure conditions on the healing process were examined, i.e., lime water, different sodium silicate solutions and water. The self-healing efficiency as well as the evolution of the crack recovery was assessed by the observation of the crack surface with the use of digital optical microscope. The healed area of the crack was calculated and compared for all the specimens by applying the image processing techniques. The morphology of the healing products as well as their chemical composition were examined with the use of Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy.

A B S T R A C T R I~ S U M I ~Embedded cooling pipes can be used to reduce the temperature rise in massive structures as a measure against thermal cracking. When air is used as a cooling medium, relatively large diameters with profiles causing friction losses along the pipe are preferred. In this paper, heat transfer coefficients for two different types of cooling pipes have been determined for different pipe flows in combination with various temperature levels. This paper relates to the first part of the investigation dealing with the laboratory tests of heat transfer coefficients. The second part, dealing with application in design, is presented in "Air cooling of concrete by means of embedded cooling pipes -Part II: Applications in design" [1].

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