The main objective of this study is to introduce a systematic design procedure for short-span segmental beams following a sophisticated ACI 440.2R-17 design procedure. The general aspects of innovative short-span segmental beams are easy to fabricate, economical and rapidly placed in pre-specified positions. Short-span segmental beams fabricated from individual precast plain-concrete blocks and CFRP plates. Recently, experimental tests performed on short-span segmental beams, by the authors, investigated CFRP plate-bonding, CFRP plate cross-sectional area, the thickness of plate-bonding epoxy resin, surface-to-surface condition of concrete blocks, as well as, interface condition of the bonding surface. The experimental program comprises testing of eight short-span segmental beams with an overall length, width and depth of (900, 200 and 80) mm, respectively, divided into four groups and subjected to 4-point bending test. The investigated test specimens exhibited considerable flexural strength under loading. Systematic designing of short-span segmental beams (SSSB) is presented in the current research. The advanced design method of SSSB with 1-layer of CFRP plates revealed an overestimation in ultimate strength by (73 and 15) % from the tested SSSB consisted of 1-layer CFRP/cementitious adhesive and SSSB has 1-layer CFRP/epoxy adhesive; respectively. Whereas the design method of SSSB with 2-layer of CFRP plates resulted in overestimation in strength by (71 and 45) % from the physical models of SSSB consisted of 2-layer CFRP/cementitious adhesive and SSSB has 2-layer CFRP /epoxy adhesive; respectively.
Carbon fibre reinforced polymers are widely used to strengthen steel structural elements. These structural elements are normally subjected to static, dynamic and fatigue loadings during their life-time. A number of studies have focused on the characteristics of CFRP sheets bonded to steel members under static, dynamic and fatigue loadings. However, there is a gap in understanding the bonding behaviour between CFRP laminates and steel members under impact loading. This paper shows the effect of different load rates from quasi-static to 300 × 103 mm/min on this bond. Two types of CFRP laminate, CFK 150/2000 and CFK 200/2000, were used to strengthen steel joints using Araldite 420 epoxy. The results show a significant bond strength enhancemen
... Show MoreOne study whose importance has significantly grown in recent years is lip-reading, particularly with the widespread of using deep learning techniques. Lip reading is essential for speech recognition in noisy environments or for those with hearing impairments. It refers to recognizing spoken sentences using visual information acquired from lip movements. Also, the lip area, especially for males, suffers from several problems, such as the mouth area containing the mustache and beard, which may cover the lip area. This paper proposes an automatic lip-reading system to recognize and classify short English sentences spoken by speakers using deep learning networks. The input video extracts frames and each frame is passed to the Viola-Jone
... Show MoreCement-based adhesive (CBA) is used as a bonding agent in Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) applications as an alternative to epoxy-based adhesive due to the drawbacks of the epoxy system under severe service conditions which negatively affect the bond between the CFRP and strengthened elements. This paper reports the results of, an investigation carried out to develop two types of CBA using magnetized water (MW) for mixing and curing. Two magnetic devices (MD-I and MD-II), with different magnetic field strengths (9000 and 6000 Gauss) respectively, were employed for water magnetization. Different water flows with different water circulation times in the magnetizer were used for each device. Compressive and splitting tensile strength te
... Show MoreA nano manganese dioxide (MnO2) was electrodeposited galvanostatically onto a carbon fiber (CF) surface using the simple method of anodic electrodeposition. The composite electrode was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Very few studies investigated the efficiency of this electrode for heavy metals removal, especially chromium. The electrosorption properties of the nano MnO2/CF electrode were examined by removing Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solutions. NaCl concentration, pH, and cell voltage were studied and optimized using the Box-Behnken design (BDD) to investigate their effects and interactions on the electrosorption process. The results showed that the
... Show MoreDiverting river flow during construction of a main dam involves the construction of cofferdams, and tunnels, channels or other temporary passages. Diversion channels are commonly used in wide valleys where the high flow makes tunnels or culverts uneconomic. The diversion works must form part of the overall project design since it will have a major impact on its cost, as well as on the design, construction program and overall cost of the permanent works. Construction costs contain of excavation, lining of the channel, and construction of upstream and downstream cofferdams. The optimization model was applied to obtain optimalchannel cross section, height of upstream cofferdam, and height of downstream cofferdamwith minimum construction cost
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