Rutting 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 incorporated in the specimens by three percentages designated as 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 % by the weight of asphalt mixture. The evaluation process based on conducting Marshall Test, Compressive strength test, and the wheel tracking test. The optimum asphalt content was determined for asphalt mixture. The results of the Marshall quotient and the index of retained strength of modified mixtures were increased by 44.0 and 17.38% respectively with adding 1.0% of steel fibres compared with the conventional mixture. The rut depth and dynamic stability were determined by using a wheel tracking test at two various testing temperatures of 45 and 55°C and two applied stresses of 70 and 80 psi. Results show that adding 1% of steel fibres to asphalt mixtures is very effective in increase the rutting resistance and reduce moisture damage.
Applying load to a structural member may result in a bottle-shaped compression field especially when the width of the loading is less than the width of bearing concrete members. At the Building and Construction Department – the University of Technology-Iraq, series tests on fibre reinforced concrete specimens were carried out, subjected to compression forces at the top and bottom of the specimens to produce compression field. The effects of steel fibre content, concrete compressive strength, transverse tension reinforcement, the height of test specimen, and the ratio of the width of loading plate to specimen width were studied by testing a total of tenth normal strength concrete blocks with steel fibre and one normal s
... Show MoreFlexure members such as reinforced concrete (RC) simply supported beams subjected to two-point loading were analyzed numerically. The Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM) was employed for the treatment the non-smooth h behaviour such as discontinuities and singularities. This method is a powerful technique used for the analysis of the fracture process and crack propagation in concrete. Concrete is a heterogeneous material that consists of coarse aggregate, cement mortar and air voids distributed in the cement paste. Numerical modeling of concrete comprises a two-scale model, using mesoscale and macroscale numerical models. The effectiveness and validity of the Meso-Scale Approach (MSA) in modeling of the reinforced concrete beams w
... Show MoreRisk identification and assessment can be analysed using many risk management tools. Fishbone diagram is one of these techniques which can be employed, for the identification of the causes behind the construction failure, which has become a phenomenon that often gets repeated in several projects. If these failures are not understood and handled scientifically, it may lead to disputes between the project parties. Additionally, the construction failure also leads to an increase in the project budget, which in turn causes a delay in the completion of the projects. Punching shear in reinforcement slab may be one of the reasons for construction failures. However, there are many doubts about other causes that lead to this failure as w
... Show MoreA Longitudinal opening is used to construct hollow core beam is a cast in site or precast or pre stressed concrete member with continuous voids provided to reduce weight, cost and, as a side benefit, to use for concealed electrical or mechanical runs. Primarily is used as floor beams or roof deck systems. This study investigate the behavior of six beams (solid or with opening) of dimension (length 1000 x height 180 x width120mm) simply support under partial uniformly distributed load, four of these beam contain long opening of varied section (40x40mm) or (80x40mm). The effect of vertical steel reinforcing, opening size and orientations are investigated to evaluate the response of beams. The experimental behavior based on load-deflection
... Show MoreThis study reveals the results of a numerical simulation performed using the ABAQUS/CAE finite element program. The study aimed to provide a simulation model that can forecast the shear behavior of reinforced concrete beams confined with reinforcing meshes. Limited numerical studies have been conducted using geogrid or FRP mesh as shear reinforcement, with limited representation accuracy and limited material quality. The results were compared to published experimental findings in the literature. The finding of the finite element model and the experimental results were highly comparable; consequently, the model was determined to be valid. Following this, the domain of numerical analyses was broadened to include the investigation of m
... Show MoreThis paper presents an analytical study on the serviceability of reinforced concrete gable roof beams with openings of different sizes, based on an experimental study which includes 13 concrete gable roof beams with openings under static loading. For deflection and crack widths under static loading at service stage, a developed unified calculation procedure has been submitted, which includes prismatic beams with one opening subjected to flexure concentrated force. The deflection has been calculated with two methods: the first method calculated deflections via relevant equations and the second was Direct Stiffness Method in which the beam is treated as a structural member with several segments constituting the portions with solid sec
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