ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
Recent advances in prestressed post-tensioned concrete structures have emphasized enhanced structural performance, resilience under extreme loading and thermal conditions. Additionally, its sustainability through innovative materials, hybrid systems, and data-driven modelling approaches in the years under review has not been adequately researched using bibliometric analysis research method. Therefore, this study presents a bibliometric and thematic review of research on prestressed and composite concrete systems, including ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP), and steel fiber-reinforced concrete. Bibliographic data were retrieved from the Scopus database, covering peer-reviewed journals, articles, conference papers published between 1996 and 2026. A systematic screening process was conducted to remove duplicates and irrelevant records. VOSviewer software was employed to perform bibliometric analysis, including co-authorship analysis, keyword co-occurrence mapping, citation analysis, and bibliographic coupling. Author keywords and indexed keywords were analysed using a minimum occurrence threshold to identify dominant research themes and their interrelationships. Network visualization and density maps were generated to reveal knowledge clusters and emerging research trends. The results indicate strong thematic convergence toward prestressed UHPC and composite structural systems, FRP strengthening techniques, machine learning–based predictive modelling, and structural performance under extreme conditions such as fire and elevated temperatures. Additionally, sustainability-oriented studies focusing on economic and environmental performance are gaining prominence. Overall, the bibliometric findings demonstrate a growing interdisciplinary integration of advanced materials, prestressing technologies, and intelligent analytical methods aimed at improving safety, durability, and sustainability in modern concrete infrastructure. It also revealed that there is a need for similar research in Africa as there were few scholarly research from Africa and will be an easy source of research gaps for new postgraduate student’s research thesis.
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