In 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

      The effect of fiber volume fraction of the carbon fiber on the thermal conductivity of the polymer composite material was studied. Different percentages of carbon fibers were used (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%). Specimens were made in two groups for unsaturated polyester as a matrix and carbon fibers, first group has parallel arrangement of fibers and the second group has perpendicular arrangement of fibers on the thermal flow, Lee's disk method was used for testing the specimens. This study showed that the values of the of thermal conductivity of the specimens when the fibers arranged in parallel direction was higher than that when the fibers arranged in the perpendicular direction  

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In this work, an enhanced Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) based on Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) sensor using a sided polished structure for the detection of toxic ions Arsenic in water was designed and implemented. The SPR curve can be obtained by polishing the side of the PCF after coating the Au film on the side of the polished area, the SPR curve can be obtained. The proposed sensor has a clear SPR effect, according to the findings of the experiments. The estimated signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), sensitivity (S), resolution (R), and Figures of merit (FOM) are approaching; the SNR is 0.0125, S is 11.11 μm/RIU, the resolution is 1.8x〖10〗^(-4), and the FOM is 13.88 for Single-mode Fiber- Photonic Crystal Fiber- single mode Fiber (SMF-P

Composite materials are widely used in the engineered assets as aerospace structures, marine and air navigation owing to their high strength/weight ratios. Detection and identification of damage in the composite structures are considered as an important part of monitoring and repairing of structural systems during the service to avoid instantaneous failure. Effective cost and reliability are essential during the process of detecting. The Lamb wave method is an effective and sensitive technique to tiny damage and can be applied for structural health monitoring using low energy sensors; it can provide good information about the condition of the structure during its operation by analyzing the propagation of the wave in the

As an alternative to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), the alkali-activated binders have been developed with better technical characteristics and more extended durability. The Alkali-Activated Iraqi Natural Pozzolans (AANP) could produce geopolymer cementation building materials and make them ecologically acceptable. The primary advantage of geopolymer cement is that it has a lower environmental effect that contributes to it. The engineering characteristics of geopolymer concrete produced using activated Iraqi natural Pozzolan are summarized in this research. The mechanical properties, modulus of elasticity, and ultrasonic pulse velocity of various concrete mixes were determined via experimental study. The impact of essential variables like w

Free cement refractory concrete is a type of refractory concrete with replacing alumina cement by bonding materials such as white kaolin, red kaolin and fumed silica. The free cement refractory concrete used in many applications like Petrochemicals, iron furnaces and cement production industries. The research clarifies the effect of steel fibers with two types crimped steel fibers and hooked steel
fibers with percentages 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% by volume from weight of bauxite aggregates. The additions of steel fibers with two types gave good properties in high temperatures where the specimens keep the dimension without failure and the properties made the best. the percentage of increasing for thermal conductivity was 44% for 1.5% crimped

      Self-compacted concrete (SCC) is a highly flowable concrete, with no segregation which can be spread into place by filling the structures framework and permeate the reinforcement without any compaction or mechanical consolidation ACI 237R-14. One of the most important problems faced by concrete industry in Iraq and Gulf Arab land is deterioration due to internal sulfate attack (ISA) that causes damage of concrete and consequently reduces its compressive strength, increases expansion and may lead to its cracking and destruction. The experimental program was focused to study two ordinary Portland cements with different chemical composition with (5, 10 and 15) % percentage of high reactivity metakaoline (HRM)

One of the most important problems that faces the concrete industry in Iraq is the deterioration due to internal sulfate attack , since it  reduces the compressive strength and increases the expansion of concrete. Consequently, the concrete structure may be damage .The effects of total and total effective sulfate contents on high strength concrete (HSC) have been studied in the present study.

The research studied the effect of sulfate content in cement , sand and gravel , as well as comparing  the total sulfate content with the total effective SO₃ content. Materials used were divided into two groups of SO₃ in cement ,three groups of SO₃ in sand ,and two groups of SO