Concrete structures are exposed to aggressive environmental conditions that lead to corrosion of the embedded reinforcement and pre-stressing steel. Consequently, the safety of concrete structures may be compromised, and this requires a significant budgets to repair and maintain critical infrastructure. Prediction of structural safety can lead to significant reductions in maintenance costs by maximizing the impact of investments. The aim of this paper is to establish a framework to assess the reliability of existing post-tensioned concrete bridges. A time-dependent reliability analysis of an existing post-tensioned involving the assessment of Ynys-y-Gwas bridge has been presented in this study. The main cause of failure of this bridge was corrosion of tendons, making it a relevant case study to evaluate the effect of corrosion on bridge safety. Uncertainties associated with material properties, geometry, loads and corrosion parameters are taken into account. The probabilistic models of the uncertainties are combined with a non-linear finite element analysis to study the effect of tendons pitting corrosion on the post-tensioned concrete bridge. The limit state function considered is flexural strength. The Monte-Carlo simulation (MCS) method is used to compute the statistical parameters of the resisting bending moment through a MATLAB code running ABAQUS. It was found that the reliability index for the first year of bridge service life is below the minimum value acceptable for structures. The study confirmed that this bridge was a high risk structure due to its design and location. The proposed framework can be used by engineers and researchers as a tool to support decision for segmental post-tensioned (PT) bridges maintenance since they need for a regular inspection due to their risk to corrosion.
This study investigates the possibility of using waste plastic as one of the components of expired lead-acid batteries to produce lightweight concrete. Different percentages of lead-acid battery plastic were used in the production of lightweight concrete. The replacements were (70, 80 and 100%) by volume of the fine and coarse aggregate. Results demonstrated that a reduction of approximately 23.6% to 35% in the wet density was observed when replacement of 70% to 100% of the natural aggregate by lead-acid battery plastic. Also, the compressive strength decreased slightly with the increase in plastic content at different curing ages of 7, 28, 60, 90, 120 days. The lowest value of compressive strength was (20.7 MPa) for (wa
... Show MoreThe present study investigates the use of intensifiers as linguisticdevices employed by Charles Dickens in Hard Times. For ease of analysis, the data are obtained by a rigorous observation of spontaneously occurring intensifiers in the text. The study aims at exploring the pragmatic functions and aesthetic impact of using intensifiers in Hard Times.The current study is mainly descriptive analytical and is based on analyzing and interpreting the use of intensifiers in terms ofHolmes (1984) andCacchiani’smodel (2009). From the findings, the novelist overuses intensifiers to the extent that 280 intensifiers are used in the text. These intensifiers(218) are undistinguished
... Show MoreABSTRACT This paper has a three-pronged objective: offering a unitary set of semantic distinctive features to the analysis of nominal “hatred synonyms” in the lexicon of both English and Standard Arabic (SA), applying it procedurally to test its scope of functionality crosslinguistically, and singling out the closest noun synonymous equivalents among the membership of the two sets in this particular lexical semantic field in both languages. The componential analysis and the matching procedures carried have been functional in identifying ten totally matching equivalents (i.e. at 55.6%), and eight partially matching ones (i.e. at %44.4%). This result shows that while total matching equivalences do exist in the translation of certain Eng
... Show MoreAs the process of estimate for model and variable selection significant is a crucial process in the semi-parametric modeling At the beginning of the modeling process often At there are many explanatory variables to Avoid the loss of any explanatory elements may be important as a result , the selection of significant variables become necessary , so the process of variable selection is not intended to simplifying model complexity explanation , and also predicting. In this research was to use some of the semi-parametric methods (LASSO-MAVE , MAVE and The proposal method (Adaptive LASSO-MAVE) for variable selection and estimate semi-parametric single index model (SSIM) at the same time .
... Show MoreA comparative investigation of the anatomical characters through a microscopical examination of the prepared transverse sections of the stem was carried out. Six plates with 32 photomicrographs were provided to convincingly show the considerable variations of anatomical characters within the nine examined species. The matrix of 18 anatomical characters which included nine quantitative and nine qualitative was applied for the clustering analysis (CA) followed by the principal component analysis (PCA) using the Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data, PC-ORD.
The results exhibited significant variations among the species resulting in the construction of an artificial key; this key accurately represents a sufficient tool to display the
Abstract:
The problem of poverty is one of the most important development challenges facing developing countries including Sudan for several decades. Although many efforts have been made to reduce poverty, however, its rates are increasing, and public policies adopted by the government in this regard remain elusive in achievinging its main objectives or making any significant progress. The purpose of the present study is to analyse poverty in Sudan by identifying its measurement, causes and the factors that have contributed to the increasing poverty rates over the past two decades. Also this study aims at investigating the interim poverty reduction strategy in Sudan as well as evaluates that strategy throug
... Show MoreAbstract Purpose of research: The purpose of the article is to conduct a comparative analysis of the concept and types of puns in the Russian and Arabic languages. The main focus is on identifying similarities and differences in the definition of a pun, as well as analyzing its various types in both languages. The purpose of the study is to understand how puns are used to achieve comic or semantic effect in different cultural contexts. Methods: The study includes an analysis of literature providing information about puns in Russian and Arabic. For comparative analysis, methods were used to compare concepts, definitions and types of puns in both languages. The phonetic, semantic and syntactic aspects of the pun are considered, and cultural f
... Show MoreAbstract: This article is a comparative analysis of the concept and types of homonyms in Russian and Arabic. Homonyms are lexical units that have the same sound but different meanings. The study of homonymy in different languages can help reveal the features of the semantic structure and syntactic rules of each language. The article discusses the main aspects of homonymy in Russian and Arabic, as well as a comparative analysis of the types of homonyms that exist in both languages. The study includes an analysis of the semantic meanings of homonyms, their use in context, and possible differences in syntactic features that may affect their interpretation and perception by native speakers of these languages. The purpose of the article is to id
... Show MorePurpose of research: The purpose of the article is to conduct a comparative analysis of the concept and types of puns in the Russian and Arabic languages. The main focus is on identifying similarities and differences in the definition of a pun, as well as analyzing its various types in both languages. The purpose of the study is to understand how puns are used to achieve comic or semantic effect in different cultural contexts.
Methods: The study includes an analysis of literature providing information about puns in Russian and Arabic. For comparative analysis, methods were used to compare concepts, definitions and types of puns in both languages. The phonetic, semantic and syntactic aspects of the pun are considered,
... Show MoreThis research aims to create lightweight concrete mixtures containing waste from local sources, such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads and waste plastic fibers (WPFs), all are cheap or free in the Republic of Iraq and without charge. The modern, rigid, and mechanical properties of LWC were investigated, and the results were evaluated. Three mixtures were made, each with different proportions of plastic fibers (0.4%, 0.8%, 1.2%), in addition to a lightweight concrete mixture containing steak fibers (0.4%, 0.8%, 1.2%), in addition to a lightweight concrete mixture. It contains 20% EPS. The study found that the LWC caused by the addition of WPFs reduced the density (lightweight) of the concrete mixtures because EPS tends
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