Concrete structures in marine environments are subjected to severe conditions that significantly compromise their durability and service life. Exposure to chloride penetration, sulfate attack, and physical erosion accelerates deterioration, leading to extensive maintenance requirements and high associated costs. To address these challenges, significant advancements in surface coatings and inspection technologies have been developed to enhance the longevity of concrete structures. This review examines recent progress in protective surface coatings that mitigate environmental damage and explores state-of-the-art inspection techniques for assessing structural integrity. By providing a comprehensive analysis of innovative materials, coating applications, and non-destructive evaluation methods, this paper aims to equip researchers and industry professionals with effective strategies for preserving concrete infrastructure in marine environments.

Epoxy-based vitrimers represent a paradigm shift in material science, offering an unprecedented combination of mechanical robustness, environmental sustainability, and reconfigurability. These dynamic polymer systems utilize associative dynamic covalent bonds (DCBs) such as transesterification to blend the structural integrity of thermosets with the recyclability and self-healing properties of thermoplastics. This unique combination makes vitrimers ideal candidates for high-performance applications in industries such as civil engineering, where material durability, repairability, and environmental compatibility are critical. Epoxy-based vitrimers, in particular, exhibit exceptional self-healing capabilities, allowing them to autonomously repair microcracks and damage, restoring mechanical properties under appropriate stimuli such as heat or light. Their recyclability further aligns with global sustainability goals by reducing material waste and lifecycle costs. Recent advancements have also integrated bio-based feedstocks and scalable manufacturing methods, enhancing the feasibility of these materials for industrial applications. This review explores the underlying self-healing mechanisms, dynamic recycling processes, and the emerging role of epoxy-based vitrimers in civil engineering. Challenges related to scalability, mechanical optimization, and regulatory acceptance are also discussed, with a focus on their potential to drive sustainable innovation in infrastructure materials.

Macro fibers have been extensively used in the construction of various concrete structures, including bridges, dams, tunnels, industrial floors, and pavements. However, their effectiveness in reducing crack opening widths in concrete pavements has not been fully explored. This study aims to delineate the role of fibers by identifying the optimal types and volumes for effectively controlling cracks in concrete pavement structures, particularly in thin overlays. The research investigates how different fiber types, such as synthetic and steel, and their respective volumes can mitigate crack propagation in concrete overlays. Additionally, it evaluates the performance of fiber-reinforced concrete overlays compared to conventional dowel bar systems in terms of crack width reduction and overall pavement durability. The findings aim to provide specific design criteria for incorporating macro fibers in concrete overlays to enhance structural integrity and longevity.

Despite extensive research on lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC), the precise effects of different coarse aggregate types and their physical properties on the shear capacity of reinforced all lightweight aggregate concrete (ALWAC) beams remain unclear. A comprehensive understanding of how aggregates influence the shear behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams is essential for accurately predicting shear strength and effectively designing ALWAC structures. To advance this understanding, experiments were conducted on twelve RC beams: four made of normal-weight concrete (NWC) and eight of ALWAC. ALWAC beams exhibited more extensive and wider flexural cracks compared to NWC beams under the same loading conditions. ALWAC beams demonstrated structural performance similar to NWC beams under identical loading conditions. The cracking loads of ALWAC can be estimated through measured concrete strength, with the post-cracking behavior predominantly influenced by the tensile reinforcement. All considered design codes underestimated the shear capacity of the tested ALWAC beams, and the shear resistance estimated by EC2 corresponded more closely than other existing codes. Lastly, the limitations and future work based on the results of this study were discussed and summarized.

Mineral carbonation offers a pathway for permanent CO₂ storage in construction materials while, in many systems, improving product performance and enabling the reuse of cementitious wastes. However, laboratory-scale carbonation efficiencies often decline during pilot- and industrial-scale implementation because conversion is governed not only by reaction chemistry but also by spatially heterogeneous transport conditions. Local velocity, CO₂ concentration, residence time, temperature, moisture, and phase distribution collectively determine the reaction environment experienced by each specimen, particle, or slurry region. This review develops a unified computational fluid dynamics (CFD) framework linking material carbonation with reactor hydrodynamics, reactive transport, model selection, validation, and scale-up. Four representative processes—accelerated carbonation curing, CO₂ injection during mixing, recycled-concrete-aggregate carbonation, and aqueous mineral carbonation—are interpreted as humid gas–porous solid, gas–liquid–solid non-Newtonian suspension, packed-bed, and gas–liquid–solid slurry systems, respectively. A Reynolds–Damköhler framework, extended through a local Damköhler number, Da(x), is proposed to characterize spatial variations in transport–reaction competition. Three coupled mechanisms are identified as essential for predictive modelling: reaction-induced CO₂ depletion, two-way moisture exchange between gas and cementitious phases, and thermal feedback on reaction kinetics and CO₂ solubility. Process-specific modelling strategies, coupling requirements, and validation criteria are then synthesized. The resulting framework enables CFD-informed reactor design, diagnosis of flow-induced non-uniformity, and more reliable scale-up by linking hydrodynamic performance to material conversion, product uniformity, energy demand, and process-level carbon efficiency.