How to Achieve the Integration of UHPC Shapes with Metal Components — Technical Approaches and Engineering Application Analysis

When architectural aesthetics and structural performance converge at millimeter-level precision, the combination of UHPC and metal components is redefining the technical boundaries of modern architecture. As an industry practitioner with 28 years of deep expertise in UHPC/GRC/GRG/GRP materials, Qinglong Group has witnessed the entire journey of ultra-high performance concrete from the laboratory to landmark projects, accumulating rich technical experience particularly in the composite application of special-shaped profiles and metal structures.

### The Technical Logic of Combining UHPC with Metal: Complementary and Synergistic Material Properties

With its 200MPa-grade compressive strength, outstanding durability and design freedom, UHPC forms a natural complement to the high ductility and mechanical stability of metal components. In actual engineering, combining the two requires solving three core problems: interfacial stress transfer, thermal expansion coefficient matching, and long-term durability. Through practice on 300+ projects, the Qinglong technical team has summarized the “material property adaptation rule”: when UHPC component thickness is ≤50mm, aluminum alloy frames are preferred as the supporting skeleton, leveraging their lightweight properties to reduce overall load; while for large cantilever structures with spans exceeding 6 meters, Q355B steel is selected for prefabricated assembly with UHPC precast components, with built-in stainless steel connectors providing stress buffering.

### Four Technical Pathways: Full-Chain Solutions from Design to Construction

1. Prefabricated Embedded Connection Technology In a cultural center project in Nanning, the Qinglong team innovatively adopted a process of pre-embedding metal sleeves in UHPC components: by casting threaded rebar sleeves and the UHPC matrix in a single pour at the precasting stage, a mechanical connection with the main steel structure is achieved. This process increased installation efficiency by 40%, and joint seismic performance meets the 8-degree fortification standard; the related technology has been granted a national invention patent (Patent No. ZL2023XXXXXX).

2. Composite Material Interface Treatment Technology To address the interfacial bonding challenge between UHPC and metal, a dedicated silane coupling agent treatment was developed, raising interfacial bond strength to 3.2MPa. In a UHPC curtain wall project for a commercial complex in Guangzhou, this technology achieved seamless connection between 2.8-meter-high special-shaped UHPC cladding panels and aluminum alloy keels, with no cracking after 1,000 thermal cycling tests.

3. Parametric Collaborative Design Technology Using the BIM+Grasshopper parametric platform, collaborative models of UHPC and metal components were established. In a landmark project in Nanjing, digital twin technology was used to simulate deformation under different temperature fields and optimize the elastic modulus of metal connectors, keeping overall structural deformation within 0.3mm/m—far surpassing industry standards.

4. On-Site Casting Technology For complex curved forms, a process of simultaneous UHPC on-site casting and metal skeleton construction is adopted. Qinglong’s exclusively developed self-compacting UHPC formula (flowability index reaching 700mm) enables gap-free encapsulation of the metal skeleton. In a metro station project in Shenzhen, a double-curved UHPC decorative arch with a 5-meter radius was successfully created, with the bond strength between metal embedded parts and concrete reaching 18MPa.

### Engineering Validation: From Laboratory Data to Urban Landmarks

In an international airport expansion project in Southeast Asia, the Qinglong team adopted a UHPC-titanium zinc panel composite curtain wall system, achieving a flexible connection between the two materials through stainless steel clamps. The project withstood the harsh conditions of a typhoon-prone region, with panel flatness deviation controlled within 2mm/2m, making it a model of cross-border application of UHPC and metal materials. In a provincial museum project in China, the innovative combination of translucent UHPC concrete and aluminum honeycomb panel technology met the design requirement of 15% light transmittance while achieving large-span cantilevers through the metal structure; the related technical achievements have been incorporated into the formulation of the industry standard “General Technical Conditions for Non-Load-Bearing Components of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC)”.

As a national “Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, and Innovative” enterprise, Qinglong Group has always upheld the mission of “creating beautiful architecture” and continues to make breakthroughs in the field of combining UHPC with metal components. From material formula development to construction process innovation, from BIM collaborative design to full life-cycle maintenance, we are committed to providing designers with full-chain solutions from concept to completion. When technical precision meets artistic expression on the building skin, the dialogue between UHPC and metal is writing a new chapter in modern architecture.