Advanced Engineering Materials Applications for Enhancing Durability and Lifecycle Performance of Steel Building Systems

Abstract

This study investigates advanced engineering materials applications for enhancing durability and lifecycle performance in steel building systems, addressing the problem that conventional steel materials and protection methods often fail to prevent corrosion, fatigue, coating degradation, moisture exposure, and maintenance-related performance decline over long service periods. The purpose of the study was to examine whether advanced engineering materials, including advanced protective coatings, corrosion-resistant steel grades, high-performance steel sections, composite reinforcement systems, and smart protective materials, significantly improve durability and lifecycle performance in practical steel-building project contexts. A quantitative, cross-sectional, case-based design was adopted, using structured five-point Likert-scale survey data collected from professional respondents involved in steel construction, design, materials selection, project management, and maintenance. Out of 240 distributed questionnaires, 218 were returned and 210 were usable, giving an effective response rate of 87.5%. The sample included structural engineers, civil engineers, architects, project managers, materials specialists, and maintenance professionals across industrial, commercial, institutional, high-rise, and mixed-use steel building cases. The analysis plan included descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha reliability testing, Pearson correlation analysis, simple regression, multiple regression, material effectiveness ranking, and case-based mean comparison. Findings showed high mean scores for advanced engineering materials applications (M = 4.18, SD = 0.61), durability (M = 4.11, SD = 0.57), and lifecycle performance (M = 4.09, SD = 0.63). Reliability was strong, with Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.86, 0.83, and 0.88 respectively. Correlation results confirmed significant positive relationships between AEM and durability (r = 0.710, p < .01), AEM and lifecycle performance (r = 0.680, p < .01), and durability and lifecycle performance (r = 0.740, p < .01). Regression results showed that AEM explained 50.4% of durability variance and 46.2% of lifecycle performance variance, while durability explained 54.8% of lifecycle performance variance. The combined model explained 61.8% of lifecycle performance, with durability emerging as the stronger predictor (β = 0.510, p < .001) than AEM (β = 0.290, p = .002). Advanced protective coatings ranked highest in perceived effectiveness (M = 4.27), followed by corrosion-resistant steel grades (M = 4.19). The findings imply that advanced materials should be treated as strategic lifecycle assets that preserve structural reliability, reduce maintenance burden, extend service life, and support sustainable steel construction decision-making.