Steel Reinforced Concrete (RC) frequently faces durability problems. In certain areas, Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) rebars are considered a non-corrodible substitute for steel reinforcement. Elevated temperatures have a significant impact on the mechanical characteristics and the adhesiveness of GFRP rebars to concrete, particularly when the polymeric matrix's glass transition temperature is approached or surpassed. Three simply supported reinforced concrete slabs were considered in the experimental program. Each specimen had identical dimensions of 1500×540×120 mm. For the fire resistance requirements, a 45 mm clear concrete cover and an exception of a 200 mm unexposed (cool) anchor zone at the ends were considered. The GFRP replacement ratio was 0, 20, and 40%. The burning procedure involved fire exposure for an hour with a steady-state temperature of 500 °C in accordance with ASTM E-119 regarding the temperature time elevation and a sudden cooling condition. The optimal concrete cover was detected by testing a fire-exposed small model reinforced by GFRP bars of varying concrete cover. The specimen was tested under static intense loads. The reference slab and the slab with a replacement percentage of 20% failed due to flexural failure, whereas the slab with a replacement percentage of 40% failed due to shear failure. The influence of the GFRP replacement ratio was extended to include toughness and ultimate load. A replacement percent of 20% increased them by 18.30, and 2.62%, respectively, while a replacement percent of 40% decreased them by 28.16, and 3.13%, accordingly. It was also shown that the location of replacing the GFRP and 200 mm of unexposed (cold) installation area at the ends with a 45 mm concrete cover has a significant impact. The more the GFRP is located in the middle, away from the ends, the better the fire resistance is.
This research explores the integration of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrices to enhance their structural, electrical and thermal properties. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirms the formation of a PVA-MWCNT complex. The incorporation of MWCNTs, even at low concentrations, leads to increased electrical conductivity, making the composite material suitable for applications in flexible electronics and sensors. Dielectric studies reveal frequency-dependent electrical behavior, attributed to interfacial polarization, suggesting potential uses in capacitors and energy storage devices. The introduction of MWCNTs into PVA leads to N-type semiconductor behavior, as indicated by the Hall c
... Show MoreIn order to promote sustainable steel-concrete composite structures, special shear connectors that can facilitate deconstruction are needed. A lockbolt demountable shear connector (LB-DSC), including a grout-filled steel tube embedded in the concrete slab and fastened to a geometrically compatible partial-thread bolt, which is bolted on the steel section's top flange of a composite beam, was proposed. The main drawback of previous similar demountable bolts is the sudden slip of the bolt inside its hole. This bolt has a locked conical seat lug that is secured inside a predrilled compatible counter-sunk hole in the steel section's flange to provide a non-slip bolt-flange connection. Deconstruction is achieved by demounting the tube from the t
... Show MoreThis research is presented experimental and numerical investigations of composite concrete-steel plate shear walls under axial loads to predicate the effect of both concrete compressive strength and aspect ratio of the wall on the axial capacity, lateral displacement and axial shortening of the walls. The experimental program includes casting and testing two groups of walls with various aspect ratios. The first group with aspect ratio H/L=1.667 and the second group with aspect ratio H/L=2. Each group consists of three composite concrete -steel plate wall with three targets of cube compressive strength of values 39, 54.75 and 63.3 MPa. The tests result obtained that the increase in concrete compressive strength results in increasing
... Show MoreIn this study, the effect of the combination of micro steel fibers and additives (calcium hydroxide and sodium carbonate) on the size of cracks formation and healing them were investigated. This study aims to apply the use of self-healing phenomenon to repair cracks and to enhance the service life of the concrete structures. Micro steel fibers straight type were used in this research with 0.2% and 0.4% by volume of concrete. A weight of 20 and 30 kg/m3 of Ca(OH)2 and 2 and 3 kg/m3 of Na2CO3 were used as a partial cement replacement. The results confirm that the concrete cracks were significantly self-healed up to 30 days re-curing. Cracks width up to 0.2 mm were comp
... Show MoreBlend solid polymer electrolytes (BSPEs) comprising PVA/HPMC/CuSO4 were prepared using a solution casting approach. BSPEs were synthesized with varying weight percentages of CuSO4 (0, 10, 20, and 30 wt.%). A variety of experimental methods, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), were used to characterize these BSPE systems. The polymer blend matrix underwent structural alterations, according to the XRD data. The standard data from JCPDS card numbers for copper sulfate matches well with the observed strong peaks of PVA/HPMC+20 wt.% of CuSO4 BSPE. The complex
... Show MoreProductivity estimating of ready mixed concrete batch plant is an essential tool for the successful completion of the construction process. It is defined as the output of the system per unit of time. Usually, the actual productivity values of construction equipment in the site are not consistent with the nominal ones. Therefore, it is necessary to make a comprehensive evaluation of the nominal productivity of equipment concerning the effected factors and then re-evaluate them according to the actual values.
In this paper, the forecasting system was employed is an Artificial Intelligence technique (AI). It is represented by Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to establish the predicted model to estimate wet ready mixe
... Show MoreIn this study, plain concrete simply supported beams subjected to two points loading were analyzed for the flexure. The numerical model of the beam was constructed in the meso-scale representation of concrete as a two phasic material (aggregate, and mortar). The fracture process of the concrete beams under loading was investigated in the laboratory as well as by the numerical models. The Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM) was employed for the treatment of the discontinuities that appeared during the fracture process in concrete. Finite element method with the feature standard/explicitlywas utilized for the numerical analysis. Aggregate particles were assumedof elliptic shape. Other properties such as grading and sizes of the aggr
... Show MoreThis search concerns study the crack growth in the wall of pipes made of low carbon steel under the impact load and using the effect of moisture (rate of moisture 50%). The environmental conditions were controlled using high accuracy digital control with sensors. The pipe has a crack already. The test was performed and on two type of specimens, one has a length of 100cm and other have length 50cm. The results were, when the humidity was applied to the pipe, the crack would enhance to grow (i.e. the number of cycles needed to grow the crack will reduce). In addition, when the test performed on the specimens of length 50cm the number of cycles needed to grow the crack is increased due to the effect of bending stress on the
... Show MoreThis research concerns study the crack growth in the wall of pipes made of low carbon steel under the impact load and using the effect of hygrothermal (rate of moisture 50% and 50℃ temperature). The environmental conditions were controlled using high accuracy digital control with sensors. The pipe have a crack already. The test was performed and on two type of specimens, one have length of 100cm and other have length 50cm. The results were, when the humidity was applied to the pipe, the crack would enhance to growth (i.e. the number of cycles needed to growth the crack will reduce). In addition, when the temperature was increase the number of cycles needed to growth the crack are reduced because the effect of heat on the mechanical pro
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