Reinforced concrete (RC) beams containing a longitudinal cavity have become an innovative development and advantage for economic purposes of light-weight members without largely affecting their resistance against the applied loads. This type of openings can also be used for maintenance purposes and usage space of communication lines, pipelines, etc. RC beams are primarily loaded in the plane of the members, which are two-dimensional in a plane stress state and the dominant structural behaviours include bending, shear, or combination of both. In the present study, six numerical models of RC beams with and without openings were simulated by using commercial finite element software ANSYS to evaluate the structural behaviours of those beam models under the partial uniformly distributed load. Different parameters were assessed, including opening dimensions and shear reinforcement ratios. The obtained numerical results were analysed and verified and were found very close to those obtained from the experimental investigations in the literature. The increase of shear reinforcement ratio could enhance the flexural and shear capacities of the RC beams, and the results also showed that some models sustained flexural failure while the others sustained failure of combined bending and shear.
Reinforcing asphalt concrete with polyester fibers considered as an active remedy to alleviate the harmful impact of fatigue deterioration. This study covers the investigation of utilizing two shapes of fibers size, 6.35 mm by 3.00 mm and 12.70 mm by 3.00 mm with mutual concentrations equal to 0.25 %, 0.50 % and 0.75 % by weight of mixture. Composition of asphalt mixture consists of different optimum (40-50) asphalt cement content, 12.50 mm nominal aggregate maximum size with limestone dust as a filler. Following the traditional asphalt cement and aggregate tests, three essential test were carried out on mixtures, namely: Marshall test (105 cylindrical specimens), indirect tensile strength test (21 cylindrical specimens)
... Show MoreThe incorporation of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) into asphalt concrete supports circular economy goals by reducing reliance on virgin materials and minimizing construction waste. However, RCA’s inherent limitations, such as high porosity, microcracking, and poor interfacial bonding, compromise the structural integrity and durability of asphalt mixtures. This study introduces sugarcane molasses (SCM), a naturally derived, carbohydrate-rich byproduct of sugarcane refining, as a novel and eco-friendly surface treatment for RCA aimed at enhancing its compatibility with asphalt binders. SCM was applied at 5-6% by weight of RCA replacing coarse aggregate at varying levels (0-100%) to assess its effect on asphalt mixture performance. A com
... Show MoreRutting is a crucial concern impacting asphalt concrete pavements’ stability and long-term performance, negatively affecting vehicle drivers’ comfort and safety. This research aims to evaluate the permanent deformation of pavement under different traffic and environmental conditions using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) prediction model. The model was built based on the outcomes of an experimental uniaxial repeated loading test of 306 cylindrical specimens. Twelve independent variables representing the materials’ properties, mix design parameters, loading settings, and environmental conditions were implemented in the model, resulting in a total of 3214 data points. The network accomplished high prediction accuracy with an R
... Show MoreExperimental study on the effect of cylindrical hollow cathode, working pressure and magnetic field on spatial glow distribution and the characteristics of plasma produced by dc discharge in Argon gas, were investigated by image analyses for the plume within the plasma. It was found that the emission intensity appears as a periodic structure with many peaks appeared between the electrodes. Increasing the pressure leads to increase the number of intensity peaks finally converted to continuous form at high pressure, especially with applied of magnetic field, i.e. the plasma is more stable with the presence of magnetic field. The emission intensity study of plasma showed that the intensity has a maximum value at 1.07 mbar pressure and decre
... Show MoreThe aim of this research was to estimate the production function to measure returns to scale and distribution efficiency of resources used in the production of wheat. Cross sectional data used of a random sample of 130 farmers in Dhi Qar Province. The results of the quantitative analysis of estimating production function showed that the double logarithmic form was the best estimated model based on economic and statistical indicators. However, that form suffered from heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation, so the robust regression technique was chosen. Value of returns to scale was 0.89 and this indicates decreasing returns to scale. This means that production function is in the second stage of the function. The results of the dist
... Show MoreRutting is mainly referring to pavement permanent deformation, it is a major problem for flexible pavement and it is a complicated process and highly observed along with many segments of asphalt pavement in Iraq. The occurrence of this defect is related to several variables such as elevated temperatures and high wheel loads. Studying effective methods to reduce rutting distress is of great significance for providing a safe and along-life road. The asphalt mixture used to be modified by adding different types of additives. The addition of additives typically excesses stiffness, improves temperature susceptibility, and reduces moisture sensitivity. For this work, steel fibres have been used for modifying asphalt mixture as they incorp
... Show MoreBackground: Tooth extraction is one of the most commonly performed procedures in dentistry. It is usually a traumatic process often resulting in immediate destruction and loss of alveolar bone and surrounding soft tissues. Various instruments have been described to perform atraumatic extractions which can prevent damage to the paradental structures. The physics forceps is one of those innovations in dental extraction technologies that claim to provide an efficient means for atraumatic dental extractions. Materials and method: A randomized clinical trial was conducted to compare the physics forceps with the conventional forceps for the removal of 28 mandibular single rooted teeth under the following parameters: incidence of crown, root, b
... Show MoreThe study aimed to spread the culture of efficient performance between nursing staffs, which would contribute and achieve health care quality, and to clarify the role of nursing in improving the quality of high-quality health care, as well as to clarify how to reach national standards for the quality of health care in Iraq, Therefore, the study dealt with the efficiency of nursing performance as an explanatory variable, and the quality of health care as a dependent variable. The fact that the health sector is the foundation for building a healthy society free from diseases, so hospital of IBN AL-NAFIS as an institution and it's nursing teams were taken as a community for this study. The results to be objective and reflect the rea
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