How to Achieve the Integration of UHPC Forms with Metal Components: Key Technologies and Innovative Applications

When architectural aesthetics meets the materials revolution, the fusion of UHPC and metal components is becoming the key code for reshaping spatial forms. As an industry leader with 28 years of deep expertise in UHPC/GRC/GRG/GRP materials, Qinglong Group has leveraged its full-chain technical strength to achieve the perfect symbiosis of the two in countless landmark projects.

Technical Breakthroughs in Combining UHPC with Metal Components: From Mechanical Balance to Process Innovation

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), with a compressive strength above 200MPa and excellent toughness, provides an ideal synergistic carrier for metal components. Qinglong has solved the bonding challenges through three core technologies: first, a basalt fiber-reinforced UHPC formula that brings the material's elastic modulus to a golden ratio of 8:1 with aluminum alloy, resolving the deformation difference between dissimilar materials; second, a modular embedded part system that achieves millimeter-level precise alignment between metal connectors and UHPC components through 3D scanning positioning technology; third, an innovative “gradient transition” process that forms a micro-mechanical interlock structure at the UHPC-metal interface, increasing shear strength by 40%. These technologies supported the seamless joining of light-transmitting UHPC and titanium-zinc panels in the Century Plaza renovation on Nanjing East Road, a project that won the AALBORG WHITE Cup UHPC Construction Engineering Innovation Award.

Full-Chain Solutions: Qinglong's Advantages from Design to Maintenance

As a national high-tech enterprise, Qinglong has built a complete industrial chain covering detailed design, manufacturing, construction and installation, and after-sales maintenance. In the design phase, the Rhino+Grasshopper parametric platform is used to digitally decompose complex shapes, ensuring geometric matching between UHPC curved surfaces and metal frames; in production, automated production lines with an annual capacity of 600,000 square meters control the shrinkage rate of UHPC components to ≤0.03% through steam curing; in the installation phase, an innovative “3D adjustable” bracket system, combined with BIM technology, achieves millimeter-level precision control. This full-process capability was validated in the Dongguan Women and Children's Activity Center project, whose GRC and metal curtain wall system won the Silver Award at the first GRC Construction Engineering Innovation Awards.

Innovative Application Scenarios: Redefining the Language of Building Envelopes

In the commercial complex sector, Qinglong combines UHPC relief panels with metal shading systems to create double-skin facades that are both artistic and energy-efficient. In one landmark project, 3.6-meter super-long UHPC components achieve cantilevers through built-in steel frames, forming a facade rhythm of solid-and-void contrast with aluminum honeycomb panels. In the landscape sector, UHPC copper-effect finishes combined with stainless steel frames produce art installations with both metallic texture and durability, cutting costs by 35% compared to pure metal solutions. In an overseas project, the light-transmitting UHPC curtain wall Qinglong created for an airport in Saudi Arabia achieved a 27-meter column-free span through innovative connections with titanium alloy support structures.

From technical breakthroughs to real-world applications, the combination of UHPC and metal components has not only expanded the boundaries of architectural expression but also established a new material synergy system. As a participant in setting industry standards, Qinglong will continue its mission of “creating aesthetically beautiful architecture,” promoting more innovative practices in material fusion and providing designers and owners with full-cycle solutions from concept to delivery. At the intersection of architectural industrialization and aesthetic expression, this art of material symbiosis is writing a new chapter for the industry.