Enzo Martinelli

• Ph.D.
• Professor (Full) at University of Salerno

Predicting the development of cracking processes in structural elements made of reinforced concrete (RC) or other cementitious composites is still a challenging task. Although well‐established experimental procedures are widely adopted with the aim to gain empirical knowledge of the aforementioned processes, no similar consensus has been reached ab...

This study presents a comprehensive review of various advanced methodologies that have been used to enhance the structural and thermal performance of masonry walls through innovative and sustainable retrofitting/upgrading techniques. Focusing on three primary approaches—mechanical/structural retrofitting, thermal retrofitting, and integrated (struc...

Existing masonry buildings require appropriate structural and thermal upgrading to meet structural safety and energy efficiency according to the current standards. Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) presents several advantages for masonry strengthening, but the production of man-made fibers is often expensive and environmentally harmful. For this reas...

In recent years, the development of alternative and more sustainable technologies for reinforced concrete structures has been attracting more and more interest, given the increasing need to reduce the impact that the construction sector has on the environment. Furthermore, 3D concrete printing (3DCP) technology falls into this context, allowing the...

Submissions are now open for #SMAR2024, the 7th International Conference on 𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝐴𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑅𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠: https://lnkd.in/d3yxMgW6 Save the date: Salerno, 4-6 September 2024 Please, take a look at the general programme: https://www.smar2024.org/conference-programme/ SMAR 2024 Proceedings will be published as...

The construction and building industry is responsible for a significant amount of carbon emissions due to its high energy consumption throughout the lifecycle of buildings. Many masonry buildings were constructed without following any seismic or energy standards, making them vulnerable to both natural and man-made disasters. This paper discusses th...

Usually, man-made fibers are used in the construction and building sector for retrofitting or reinforcing purposes. However, these fibers are costly, non-biodegradable, non-recyclable, and contribute significantly to a higher carbon footprint, unlike natural fibers. Instead, jute fiber, being a bio-based natural alternative, ranks as the second mos...

The use and application of natural fiber in the Construction and Building sector is gaining momentum due to its various advantages over synthetic fibers, mainly in terms of sustainability, recyclability, and biodegradability. In this paper, two aspects of the jute fiber composite mortar have been discussed. Firstly, the effect of water on the mecha...

The use of external steel bracing systems (named exoskeletons) has recently emerged as a convenient technique for seismic upgrading of existing RC structures, as it possibly limits disturbance or interruption of building occupancy. However, although some conceptual formulations of the design problem can be found in the scientific literature, there...

Sustainable building materials for integrated (structural and thermal) retrofitting are the need of the hour to retrofit/upgrade the seismic vulnerable and ill-insulated existing building stocks. At the same time, the use of natural fibers and their recyclability could help construct safer and more sustainable buildings. This paper presents three a...

Seismic retrofitting of existing structures can be pursued by adopting either member-level (e.g. RC member confinement) or structural-level (e.g. the introduction of steel bracings) techniques. Sometimes, they can be combined with the aim to exploit the main advantages of each of them. However, no well-established and consistent design rule exists...

The application of high-performance fibre-reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCCs) represents one of the most advanced solutions in the civil engineering field for both mitigating the criticisms of ordinary concrete while ate the same time enhancing its overall mechanical performances. Moreover, due to its significant durability resistance, HPF...

Existing masonry buildings are often in need of strengthening interventions, and several technical solutions have been recently developed for this purpose. Among them, the use of textile-reinforced mortar (TRM) composites has gained consensus as a technically viable and economically convenient option as a strengthening technique. The present paper...

The spirit of the ecological transition applied to seismically deficient structures should inspire the development of simple methods capable of identify the “optimal” retrofitting solution (with reference to some predefined criteria). In order to support the intervention choice, an “objective” approach could be implemented making use of recently-in...

Several solutions are currently under investigation with the aim to reduce environmental impact of concrete production processes. These solutions often consist of partially/totally replacing ordinary “natural” constituents with recycled ones, in view of the twofold objective of both reducing the raw materials demand and the amount of waste to be di...

In Europe, the vast majority of RC structures is characterized by a lack in both material quality and structural detailing, which significantly influences their seismic behaviour. Furthermore, a huge number of them may be affected by severe material degradation phenomena, since classical procedures adopted in concrete structures design have often f...

The heat generated by the cement hydration reaction increases temperature within concrete elements during the setting and hardening phases, while it starts to develop its physical and mechanical properties. The generated heat, which depends on the physical-chemical properties of the mixture, the geometry of the elements and the boundary conditions,...

The construction sector is one of the most energy-intensive and raw-material demanding human activities and hence contributes a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, making the construction sector greener is one of the main challenges for policy makers, private companies and the scientific community. To this aim, one of the most...

Nowadays, the construction industry increasingly demands sustainable structural solutions, where life extension through increased durability can be combined with the ability to deconstruct such systems and reuse them in other contexts. Following a recent research project that investigated the potential of structural modules made of recycled aggrega...

In the last decade, several applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques have been emerging in Civil Engineering. Among others, Genetic Algorithms (GAs) have revealed their potential in solving optimization problems in various fields of applied sciences, including the case of structural and seismic engineering.This paper presents the mos...

Making the construction sector “greener” is one of the main challenges for policy makers, private companies and the scientific community. In the last years, several solutions were proposed in the literature and, among them, the use of the spread reinforcement in cement-based composites in partial replacement of ordinary steel. In this context, the...

The reuse of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) to produce new materials is an effective method for reducing the negative impacts from the inadequate waste disposition, in addition to bringing economic and environmental benefits to the industry. The use of Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) in concrete is a technique widely disseminated, howeve...

Existing buildings are often in need of strengthening interventions, and several technical solutions have been recently developed for this purpose. Among them, the use of textile-reinforced mortar (TRM) composites has gained consensus as a technically viable and economically convenient option. Moreover, TRM has the potential to be employed as a rev...

This work aims at investigating the seismic response of existing reinforced concrete core‐wall buildings with corroded bars erected in the marine environments, with the main focus on the dependency of seismic fragility curves on aging and degradation effects caused by environmental actions. The structural capacity is predicted by nonlinear finite‐e...

The construction sector is one of the most energy-intensive and raw-material-demanding human activities and, hence, contributes a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions. As a matter of principle, making the construction sector “greener” is one of the main challenges for policy makers, private companies and the scientific community. For this...

Both existing and new buildings affect, either directly or indirectly, our environment and eco-systems, mainly due to their contribution to the climate change. Particularly they are responsible for greenhouse gas emission, during the whole life cycle of the building. The use of sustainable materials in the con-struction sector could help in slowing...

High-performance fibre-reinforced concrete (HPFRC) is a composite material in which the advantages of fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC) are combined with those of a high-performance concrete (HPC), which mitigates the weaknesses of conventional concrete and improves its overall performance. With the aim to reduce the long-term maintenance costs of st...

The seismic analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) structures generally requires significant computational effort, which can be challenging or at least time-consuming also for the modern computing systems. Particularly, huge computational effort is required for running optimisation procedures intended at selecting the “best” retrofitting solution amo...

The need for a “systemic” approach to reduce both carbon footprint and seismic vulnerability of the built environment is clearly evident nowadays. Therefore, the use of bio-based composites, is gaining consensus as a sustainable solution due to their low environmental impact and promising properties as a construction material. This paper investigat...

For ages, natural fibers have been used as building materials. In the last centuries the man-made fibers, steel and concrete have predominantly dominated construction sector. Climate change has highlighted the importance of sustainable construction that can reduce the carbon footprint and the application of green, natural, recyclable and sustainabl...

In most of the European countries, a significant part of the built stock is made of Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings realized during the first decades after WWII. Therefore, those buildings do not generally comply with the safety standards implied by the modern codes and standards, both in terms of structural safety and energy efficiency. Therefo...

The heat generated during early age cement hydration causes a semi-adiabatic temperature rise of hardening concrete, while starting to develop its physical and mechanical properties. As a matter of principle, the heat generated by the hardening mixture depends on the cement properties and its hardening conditions like for instance the type of binde...

The construction sector requires a major part of the produced energy (around 36% globally) and emits the highest amount of greenhouse gases (around 39% globally). Therefore, it has an important impact on global warming and climate change. For centuries the irrational use of natural resources of non-renewable raw materials in the construction and bu...

This paper aims at further advancing the knowledge about the cyclic behavior of FRP strips glued to quasi-brittle materials, such as concrete. The results presented herein derive from a numerical model based on concepts of based on fracture mechanics and already presented and validated by the authors in previous works. Particularly, it assumes that...

It is well-known that concrete is the most widely utilised construction material in the world [...]

In the last several decades, the growth of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) production and the increased consumption of natural resources have led to promoting the use of secondary raw materials for a more sustainable construction. Specifically, the use of Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA), derived from waste concrete, for the production of...

Existing reinforced concrete (RC) buildings in Europe have generally been designed without proper consideration of seismic actions and capacity design principles, and thus they tend to be vulnerable to earthquakes. Moreover, since a significant proportion of the aforementioned buildings were developed during the 1950s and 1960s, they are currently...

Stange Overpass is a three-span railway reinforced concrete bridge on the Dovre line that connects the cities of Oslo and Trondheim in Norway. It was built in 2002 and has been extended by 1,5 m in each direction in 2004. During the extension operation, the part of the deck that has been extended from the abutments had not been placed on a foundati...

Sustainable alternatives should be employed in the construction industry to minimize environmental impacts, including high consumption of natural resources and high waste generation. The recycling of waste to be used as aggregates for concrete is an alternative with great potential. Although many studies have been carried out to investigate the inf...

This paper proposes a meso-mechanical formulation aimed at explicitly simulating the contribution of both fibers and matrix in the cracking response of fiber-reinforced cementitious composite members subjected to bending actions. Specifically, based on an extension of a previous study inspired by the well-known non-linear cracked-hinge model, the p...

The present paper proposes a useful closed-form solution for a wide class of mechanical problems, among which one of the most relevant and debated is the deboning process of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) strips glued to generic materials and possibly intended as a mode-II fracture process. Specifically, after outlining well-known equations, a nove...

In recent years, the use of plant fibres in Textile-Reinforced Mortar (TRM) composites emerged as a valuable solution to increase their sustainability. Several studies carried out to mechanically characterize the so-called Natural TRMs, although showing promising results, also emphasised some drawbacks due to a severe deformability of the system an...

Old masonry buildings represent the largest part of traditional constructions. Generally, they are both seismically vulnerable and thermally dispersive. Therefore, the need for seismic and thermal retrofitting aimed at reducing their vulnerability and environmental impact has motivated research efforts towards sustainable retrofitting solutions. Th...

Companies and practitioners working in the civil construction sector are more and more aware and motivated to develop and adopt sustainable building materials, possibly obtained from renewable and locally available resources. As part of this common effort, special attention is being paid to an emerging class of materials generally referred to as bi...

Recently, concerns have been rising about the impact of increasing the depletion of natural resources and the relevant generation of construction and demolition waste, on the environment and economy. Therefore, several efforts have been made to promote sustainable efficiency in the construction industry and the use of recycled aggregates derived fr...

Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) composite systems as a technique to retrofit and reinforce existing structures represents, nowadays, an efficient application. The use of plant fibres textile as reinforcement, instead of the most employed industrial ones, resulted a promising solution as response to the sustainability criteria more and more required...

Although base isolation is nowadays a well-established seismic-protection technique for both buildings and bridges, and several issues are still open and attract the interest of the research community. Among them, the formulation of computationally efficient and accurate analysis methods is a relevant aspect in structural design of seismic-isolated...

A growing environmental awareness is gradually changing the entire economic system and consequently, the building materials sector is increasingly interested in innovative sustainable solutions. The use of plant fibres as reinforcement in inorganic composite systems, generally referred to as Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM), represents an innovative...

This study presents a non-linear cracked-hinge model for the post-cracking response of fiber-reinforced cementitious composites loaded in bending. The proposed displacement-based model follows a meso-mechanical approach, which makes it possible to consider explicitly the random distribution and orientation of the reinforcing fibers. Moreover, the m...

Two-layer composite systems are widely employed in structural engineering: composite beams coupling a concrete slab to either a steel joist or a timber beam are probably the most remarkable examples of the aforementioned systems, but also other structural members can somehow be mechanically regarded as two-layer composite systems. Therefore, simula...

This study deals with the analytical modeling of hybrid fiber-reinforced concretes (HyFRCs) made with a blend of different types of fibers characterized by different geometries and/or constitutive materials. The presented analytical formulation is oriented towards predicting the postcracking behavior of HyFRC and is mainly based on the well-known “...

The increasing global demand for natural resources and the extensive production of construction and demolition waste (CDW) raise concerns for both the economic and environmental consequences that they can induce. Several efforts are being made with the aim to promote sustainable practices in the construction industry. In this context, one of the mo...

The early-age performances of cement-based mixtures are governed by cement hydration reactions. As a matter of fact, the heat generated during the setting and hardening phases due to the hydration processes increases the temperatures within the concrete elements while it starts developing its mechanical properties. These thermal stresses can cause...

The recycling of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) to be used as aggregates for concrete is a potential alternative to minimize the environmental impact. In cold regions, the damage caused to concrete structures by freezing and thawing is a serious problem. This study presents the results of experimental tests aimed at investigating the influ...

This paper reports on a collaborative activity developed as part of the DPC-ReLUIS Research Project, year 2017. It aims at comparing the results obtained by considering alternative options in the definition of the nonlinear FEM model employed in pushover analyses for seismic assessment of existing RC frames. Specifically, the RC frame structure of...

Recent earthquakes have highlighted the vulnerability of existing buildings, generally realised without any measures against the effects of seismic actions. The need for maintenance and rehabilitation of historical centres and the preservation of the original architectural characters of building are among the major challenges in civil and structura...

Recent earthquakes have demonstrated that despite the continuous developments of novel materials and new strengthening techniques, the majority of the existing structures are still unprotected and at high seismic risk. The repair and strengthening framework is a complex process and there are often barriers in the preventative upgrade of the existin...

Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) composite systems are gaining consensus within the scientific and technical communities as a viable and advantageous alternative to the most conventional Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites. Due to the good compatibility both in terms of stiffness and vapor permeability between the inorganic matrix and the subs...

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures realised in earthquake-prone regions are exposed to seismic shakings that may result in significant damage and even lead them to collapse. As well known, high stress concentration occurs at the end of both beams and columns of RC frames, making those members extremely prone to damage. Moreover, beam-to-column joi...

Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures built in the past decades in earthquake-prone regions do not generally meet the seismic safety standards requested by the current codes. Therefore, they generally need to be retrofitted with the aim to reduce their seismic vulnerability within acceptably low levels. Although several technical solutions are nowada...

In 2007 the National Research Council published the technical document DT 206/2007 “Instructions for the design, execution and control of timber structures”, with the purpose to provide a technical support to the operators of the sector, in line with the most advanced knowledge at that time. Since then, the world of timber engineering has largely u...

Among the existing techniques to retrofit and reinforce masonry elements, the use of Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) composite systems represents these days an efficient and compatible solution. Aiming to improve the sustainability of these composite systems, the efficiency of plant fibres as reinforcement fabric of TRMs is analysed in the present...

The increasing attention toward environmental aspects has led, also in the sector of construction materials, to the need for developing more eco-friendly solutions. Among several options, the employment of low energy raw materials appears as an efficient solution intended to enhance the sustainability of building structures. One of the applications...

Contexto: La producción de hormigón se caracteriza por una importante demanda de energía y materias primas, emitiendo grandes cantidades de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI). Asimismo, la construcción, mantenimiento y demolición de edificios genera enormes cuantías de residuos que requieren costosos y ambientalmente sensibles procedimientos de disp...

Parameter estimation of heat conduction properties of construction materials plays an important role in green building and sustainable design. Based on a heat conduction problem solved through a numerical method, an inverse problem rises. The thermal conductivity of each component of crumb-rubber-modified mortars (quartz sand, crumb rubber, cement...

The use of Textile-Reinforced-Matrix (TRM) systems is gaining consensus as a possible technical solution for strengthening masonry structures. In this context, the use of natural fabrics (among which those made of flax) instead of synthetic ones can have a positive impact on several sustainability-related aspects, such as renewability, recyclabilit...

This paper is aims at highlighting the main mechanical parameters controlling the behavior of the so-called ‘acceleration-sensitive’ non-structural components (NSCs). The first reports a short review of the current state of knowledge and the critical issues dealing with the prediction of the seismic response of NSCs. Then, the paper presents the re...

This paper is intended at highlighting the main mechanical parameters controlling the behavior of the so-called "acceleration-sensitive" Non-Structural Components (NSCs). In the first part a short review of the current state of knowledge and the critical issues related to the prediction of the seismic response of NSCs is reported. Then, the paper p...

A numerical approach for modelling the mechanical behavior of fiber reinforced concrete beams is presented, based on a non-linear cracked hinge model, incorporating a fracture energy based constitutive law for the plain concrete matrix and in turn, proper constitutive laws aimed at capturing the crack-bridging effect of steel macro-fibers. Moreover...

This paper investigates the effect of high temperature on two different Self-Compacting (SC) cementitious composites. SC-High Strength (SCHSC) and Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (SCHSFRC) samples were tested in three-point bending after having been exposed to high temperature at 300 and 600 °C. Besides the conventional force-displacement response, Acous...

The reuse of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) employed as aggregates for new concrete production, leading to the so-called Recycled Aggregate Concrete (RAC), is an excellent solution from the environmental point of view. In fact, the influence on the use of Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) on the resulting RAC's properties has been widely i...

In recent years, retrofitting of steel structures has emerged as a major issue in structural engineering and construction management. As the adhesive bond is often the critical aspect controlling the actual performance of steel profiles externally strengthened by composite plates, this paper investigates the bond behavior of fiber reinforced polyme...

Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) composite systems are among the most promising techniques for strengthening masonry elements. This study aims to assess the mechanical performance of a sustainable TRM system internally reinforced by natural fabric. More specifically, specimens consisting of a bi-directional flax fabric and a hydraulic lime-based mor...

The heat that liberates during early age cement hydration causes a semi-adiabatic temperature rise of hardening concrete, while starting to develop its physical and mechanical properties. In fact, the heat generated by the hardening mixture depends on the cement properties and its hardening conditions like for instance the type of binders, quality...

This paper aims to analyze the post-cracking behavior of Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) elements. It proposes a model based on combining an appropriate fracture-based stress-crack opening relationship, for the plain concrete matrix, with proper constitutive laws for capturing the crack-bridging effect of macro steel fibers. An original meso-scale...

In recent years, the increasing interest in environmentally friendly materials has brought the attention of material technologists and civil engineers to natural fibres and their potential use in composite materials. Although several research activities have shown the good mechanical properties of these fibres, their use is still limited due to bot...

The recycling of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) to be used as aggregates for concrete is a potential alternative to min-imize the environmental impact. In cold regions, the damage caused to concrete structures by freezing and thawing is a serious problem. This study presents the results of experimental tests aimed at investigating the infl...

This paper reports on a collaborative activity developed as part of the DPC-ReLUIS Research Project, year 2017. It aims at comparing the results obtained by considering alternative options in the definition of the nonlinear FEM model employed in pushover analyses for seismic assessment of existing RC frames. Specifically, the RC frame structure of...

In most of the European countries, a significant share of the built stock consists of Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings designed and realized between the ‘50s and the ‘70s of the past century. As a matter of fact, those buildings do not generally meet the performance objectives requested by the modern codes and standards in terms of both structura...

The present study aims at investigating the influence of Recycled Steel Fibers (RSFs) recovered from waste tires on the resulting post-cracking response of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (FRC) mixtures, when they are employed for replacing conventional Industrial Steel Fibers (ISFs). It moves from the results of four-point bending tests carried out on a...