SMARTINCS’23 Conference on Self-Healing, Multifunctional and Advanced Repair Technologies in Cementitious Systems

Overview

On 22 and 23 May 2023 we are organizing the conference SMARTINCS’23 on Self-Healing, Multifunctional and Advanced Repair Technologies in Cementitious Systems. SMARTINCS trains a new generation of entrepreneurial early-stage researchers (ESRs) in prevention of deterioration of (1) new concrete infrastructure by innovative, multifunctional self-healing strategies; and (2) existing concrete infrastructure by advanced repair technologies. 15 ESRs are being trained by the consortium to implement new life-cycle thinking and durability-based approaches to the design of concrete structures, minimizing the use of resources and production of waste, in line with Europe’s Circular Economy strategy.

SMARTINCS’23 will not only be a forum for the dissemination of SMARTINCS results, but also an opportunity for all worldwide research groups in this field to come together and present their ongoing research.

Conference Topics

This conference focusses on self-healing, multifunctional and advanced repair technologies in cementitious systems. Based on this global topic, the following sub-topics have been defined:

• Self-healing cementitious materials
• (Advanced) repair technologies of concrete structures
• Non-destructive testing of cementitious materials
• Self-sensing, monitoring and inspection of concrete structures and infrastructure
• Service life design and life cycle assessment of concrete structures and infrastructure
• Innovative solutions for service life extension of concrete structures and infrastructure
• Corrosion inhibition solutions of reinforcement steel
• Cementitious grouting technologies
• Computational modelling related to self-healing and repair of cementitious materials
• Commercialization of innovative cement-based construction materials and building technologies
• Automated techniques for repair of concrete structures and infrastructure

Venue

The conference will take place in Ghent, Belgium. As can be found on Tripadvisor “Ghent's city center is a pedestrian area that is like a museum to early Flemish architecture and a testament to the city's medieval might. Impressive Gothic sites, such as dramatic St. Bavo's Cathedral and the Castle of the Counts, inspire awe.” Not convinced? Read this recent article in the Washington Post!

The conference venue will be “Het Pand”, a former monastery of the Dominican Order. The building dates back to the 13th century when it served as a hospital.

In order to encourage networking and lively discussions, we aim only at in person presentations (i.e. no possibility to join online).

Keynote speakers

Dates and submission

Authors of accepted abstract are asked to prepare a full paper

The full paper needs to be submitted on the submission platform. The papers will be published by MATEC Web of Conferences (edp sciences), who will ensure that each paper gets a DOI, is indexed and is made open access.

Full paper instructions:

• The length of the papers should be 5-6 pages.
• Papers need to be prepared as “camera-ready”, meaning that the authors are responsible for the formatting. Use the two column A4 Word Format to prepare your paper. If the embedded link does not work, you can find the two column template on this site: https://www.e3s-conferences.org/for-authors
• Please read the Instructions on "how to prepare your article"
• Ethical rules
• General editorial guidelines
• For each article, please make sure that all co-authors are aware of being listed in the paper and they have contributed to the work.
• Note that articles will be checked in a plagiarism tool by the publisher. Any ethical misconduct will be considered very seriously.

Revised paper instructions:

• The review comments can be accessed via the SAGA platform. A direct link will also be sent by email.
• Authors are asked to prepare a reply to the reviewer comments, along with a Word version highlighting the changes in yellow.
• In addition, a camera-ready pdf version of the revised paper needs to be uploaded (it can no longer contain track changes or highlighted text, note that the publisher will not make any formatting changes, i.e. the paper will be published as it is provided).

Accepted paper instructions:

• Comments (if any) can be accessed via the SAGA platform. A direct link will also be sent by email.
• Authors need to upload the license agreement (copyright form) as soon as possible after receiving the email.
• The copyright form can be retrieved from: https://www.matec-conferences.org/doc_journal/woc/publication_right_form.pdf

Submit your paper via the SAGA paper submission platform. Please note that if it is your first time connecting to SAGA for this conference, you are a First user, even if you have used SAGA for a journal or another conference. You must register in Conferences at the specific interface for this new conference.  In case of problems, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Registration

The registration fee includes coffee breaks, lunches, conference dinner, farewell reception and publication of the paper in MATEC Web of Conferences.

Presenting authors need to register by 1^st of April  2023 to ensure that the papers can be included in the proceedings.

Special issue

Authors of best papers presented at the SMARTINCS'23 conference will be invited to submit an original article related to their presented work in a special issue of Developments in the Built Environment (IF 5.563) entitled "Self-Healing, Multifunctional and Advanced Repair Technologies in Cementitious Systems". Article processing costs for the selected papers will be waived. Developments in the Built Environment is an open access journal published by Elsevier. This journal covers all topics related to construction materials and building sustainability, leading to a holistic approach that will benefit the community.

Organising Committee

Nele De Belie, Ghent University,Belgium
Tim Van Mullem, Ghent University, Belgium
Liberato Ferrara, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Elke Gruyaert, KU Leuven, Belgium
Kim Van Tittelboom, Ghent University, Belgium
Mirjam Knockaert, Ghent University, Belgium
Brenda Debbaut, Ghent University, Belgium
Marijke Reunes, Ghent University, Belgium
Laís Bandeira Barros, Ghent University, Belgium
Davide di Summa, Ghent University, Belgium
Vanessa Giaretton Cappellesso, Ghent University, Belgium
Yasmina Shields, Ghent University, Belgium
Harry Hermawan, KU Leuven, Belgium  

Scientific Committee

Updates

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