To promote the application of rubber-cement composites as the main bearing structure and key components in practical engineering under frequent dynamic disturbances, in this work, the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) cyclic impact tests of rubber-cement composite specimens with four different confine modes were carried out in which the impact load increased sequentially. The relationship between average strain rate, ultimate strain and impact times and the relationship between peak stress, damage energy, ultimate strain and incident energy were analyzed. The results showed that the appropriate confine reinforcement treatment can make rubber-cement composite give full play to its deformation ability when it was completely damaged. Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheet and steel cylinder can work together with the rubber-cement composite matrix to resist impact load, which effectively improves the structural strength, damage fracture energy, and cyclic impact resistance of the rubber-cement composite. Finally, based on the effect difference of confine modes, the simplified plane force models of rubber-cement composite specimens with four different confine modes were established, which clearly revealed the completely different impact resistance mechanism of the rubber-cement composites with different constraints under cyclic impact loading.

The topic of smart structures, their active control and implementation, is relatively new. Therefore, different approaches to the problem can be met. The present paper discusses variable aspects of the active control of structures. It explains the idea of smart systems, introduces different terms used in smart technique and defines the structural smartness. The author indicates differences between actively controlled structures and structural health monitoring systems and shows an example of an actively controlled smart footbridge. The analyses presented in the study concern tensegrity structures, which are prone to the structural control through self-stress state adjustment. The paper introduces examples of structural control performed on tensegrity modules and plates. An influence of several self-stress states on displacements is analyzed and a study concerning damage due to member loss is presented.