This paper proposes a novel multi-cavity steel–concrete composite floor. The mechanical properties of multi-cavity steel–concrete composite floor were studied by static load test. Based on full-scale tests on 2500 × 1000 × 120 mm multi-cavity steel–concrete composite floors, the bearing capacity and failure characteristics of the composite floor were analyzed. Compared with the existing prefabricated floor, the reliability of the test was verified by finite element simulation. The influence of steel plate material thickness, floor thickness, cavity size and span on the mechanical properties of composite floor was analyzed. The results showed that the composite floor had stronger bearing capacity and better ductility and integrity than the existing precast floor. The bearing capacity and stiffness of composite floor were positively correlated with the thickness of steel plate and floor, and negatively correlated with the cavity size and span.

Non-autoclaved aerated concrete (NAAC) is a two-phase material with a concrete matrix and air, exhibits good thermal insulation performance and shows good potential in the insulating construction industry. In this study, recycled concrete fine powder was used as an auxiliary cementing material, and the NAAC with different porosity and distribution was fabricated by the non-autoclaved method at different curing temperatures. The effect of porosity on the thermal conductivity and mechanical strength of NAAC is analyzed by experimental tests. A prediction method of thermal conductivity combining pore structure reconstruction and numerical simulation was proposed, which is established by two steps. Firstly, the pore size distributions of NAAC with different porosities were characterized by stereology image analyses. Secondly, the thermal conductivity prediction model based on the pore structure information was established by a COMSOL steady-state heat transfer module. The thermal conductivity results of COMSOL simulations were compared with the experiments and other theoretical models to verify the reliability of the model. The model was used to evaluate the effect of porosity, pore size distribution and the concrete matrix’s thermal conductivity on the thermal conductivity of NAAC; these are hard to measure when only using laboratory experiments. The results show that with the increase in curing temperature, the porosity of NAAC increases, and the number and volume proportion of macropores increase. The numerical results suggest that the error between the COMSOL simulations and the experiments was less than 10% under different porosities, which is smaller than other models and has strong reliability. The prediction accuracy of this model increases with the increase in NAAC porosity. The steady thermal conductivity of NAAC is less sensitive to the distribution and dispersion of pore size in a given porosity. With the increase in porosity, the thermal conductivity of NAAC is linearly negatively correlated with that of the concrete matrix, and the correlation is close to 1.

The shield tunnel is a common solution for natural gas pipelines crossing rivers. Consequently, the development of natural gas tunnel filling materials with excellent performance is crucial to the safe operation and maintenance of pipelines. The foam concrete offers a reasonable solution. Nevertheless, since its inherent compressive strength decreases almost proportionally with the decrease in density, obstacles remain concerning obtaining the high density and relatively low strength required for natural gas tunnel filling. Here, a synergistic optimization strategy was proposed involving the orthogonal test, univariate control, and comprehensive balance method. It involves modifying the type and proportion of cementitious matrix, in particular by incorporating fly ash and PVA fibers in the mix design, and synergetic determining the best mix ratio from the aspects of compressive strength, stability, and dry density. The obtained foam concrete has a compressive strength of 4.29 MPa (FC4) and a dry density of 1060.59 kg/m3 (A11), which meets the requirements of pipeline pressure and pipeline anti-floating. This study is applied to the Yangtze River shield crossing project of the Sino-Russian Eastern Gas Pipeline, and ANSYS was used to simulate the stress and deformation of the foam concrete. This work provides an efficient foam concrete optimization mix scheme, and supports the application of foam concrete in the filling of the long-distance cross-river natural gas tunnels.