Two dimensional meso-scale concrete modeling was used in finite element analysis of plain concrete beam subjected to bending. The plane stress 4-noded quadrilateral elements were utilized to model coarse aggregate, cement mortar. The effect of aggregate fraction distribution, and pores percent of the total area – resulting from air voids entrapped in concrete during placement on the behavior of plain concrete beam in flexural was detected. Aggregate size fractions were randomly distributed across the profile area of the beam. Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM) was employed to treat the discontinuities problems result from double phases of concrete and cracking that faced during the finite element analysis of concrete beam. Cracking was initiated at a small notch located at the middle of the bottom face of the concrete beam. The response of plain concrete beam subjected to pure bending via two point load application was detected using (XFEM) analysis of meso-scale concrete model. Assuming full bond between aggregate particles, and mortar at interfacial zone, the flexural strength of plain concrete beam is increased when aggregate particles size is increased, so that bending and shear stress were affected by void percentage and aggregate particles distribution. The maximum deflection at midspan was increased when the aggregate particles size decreases.
Measuring the efficiency of postgraduate and undergraduate programs is one of the essential elements in educational process. In this study, colleges of Baghdad University and data for the academic year (2011-2012) have been chosen to measure the relative efficiencies of postgraduate and undergraduate programs in terms of their inputs and outputs. A relevant method to conduct the analysis of this data is Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The effect of academic staff to the number of enrolled and alumni students to the postgraduate and undergraduate programs are the main focus of the study.
Untreated municipal solid waste (MSW) release onto land is prevalent in developing countries. To reduce the high levels of harmful components in polluted soils, a proper evaluation of heavy metal concentrations in Erbil's Kani Qrzhala dump between August 2021 and February 2022 is required. The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of improper solid waste disposal on soil properties within a landfill by assessing the risks of contamination for eight heavy elements in two separate layers of the soil by using geoaccumulation index (I-geo) and pollution load index (PLI) supported. The ArcGIS software was employed to map the spatial distribution of heavy element pollution and potential ecological risks. The I-geo values in summe
... Show MoreIn recent decades, tremendous success has been achieved in the advancement of chemical admixtures for Portland cement concrete. Most efforts have concentrated on improving the properties of concrete and studying the factors that influence on these properties. Since the compressive strength is considered a valuable property and is invariably a vital element of the structural design, especially high early strength development which can be provide more benefits in concrete production, such as reducing construction time and labor and saving the formwork and energy. As a matter of fact, it is influenced as a most properties of concrete by several factors including water-cement ratio, cement type and curing methods employed.
Because of acce
The main objective of this study is to develop predictive models using SPSS software (version 18) for Marshall Test results of asphalt mixtures compacted by Hammer, Gyratory, and Roller compaction. Bulk density of (2.351) gm/cc, at OAC of (4.7) % was obtained as a benchmark after using Marshall Compactor as laboratory compactive effort with 75-blows. Same density was achieved by Roller and Gyratory Compactors using its mix designed methods.
A total of (75) specimens, for Marshall, Gyratory, and Roller Compactors have been prepared, based on OAC of (4.7) % with an additional asphalt contents of more and less than (0.5) % from the optimum value. All specimens have been subjected to Marshall Test. Mathematical model
... Show MoreFrequently, load associated mode of failure, rutting and fatigue, are the main failure types found in some newly constructed roads within Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, and some suburban areas. The use of excessive amount of natural sand in asphalt concrete mixes which is attractive to local contractors could be one of the possible causes to the lack of strength properties of the mixes resulting in frustration in the pavement performance. In this study, the performance properties of asphalt concrete mixes with two natural sand types, desert and river sands, were evaluated. Moreover, five replacement rates of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% by weight of the fine aggregate finer than 4.75 were used. The performance properties including moisture susc
... Show MoreIt is commonly known that Euler-Bernoulli’s thin beam theorem is not applicable whenever a nonlinear distribution of strain/stress occurs, such as in deep beams, or the stress distribution is discontinuous. In order to design the members experiencing such distorted stress regions, the Strut-and-Tie Model (STM) could be utilized. In this paper, experimental investigation of STM technique for three identical small-scale deep beams was conducted. The beams were simply supported and loaded statically with a concentrated load at the mid span of the beams. These deep beams had two symmetrical openings near the application point of loading. Both the deep beam, where the stress distribution cannot be assumed linear, and the ex
... Show MoreIn this paper, the probabilistic behavior of plain concrete beams subjected to flexure is studied using a continuous mesoscale model. The model is two-dimensional where aggregate and mortar are treated as separate constituents having their own characteristic properties. The aggregate is represented as ellipses and generated under prescribed grading curves. Ellipses are randomly placed so it requires probabilistic analysis for model using the Monte Carlo simulation with 20 realizations to represent geometry uncertainty. The nonlinear behavior is simulated with an isotropic damage model for the mortar, while the aggregate is assumed to be elastic. The isotropic damage model softening be
Rotating blades are the important parts in gas turbines. Hence, an accurate mathematical estimation (F.E.M) of the stresses and deformations characteristics was required in the design applications to avoid failure. In recent year’s there are researchers interest in the effect of temperature on solid bodies has greatly increased, The main of this study investigated the thermal and rotational effects. So, the thermal stresses due to high pressure and temperature are studies, also determine the steady state stresses and deformations of rotating blades due to mechanical effect. Many parameters such as thickness and centre of rotating are investigated in this paper. The
... Show MoreCarbon dioxide geo-sequestration (CGS) into sediments in the form of (gas) hydrates is one proposed method for reducing anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere and, thus reducing global warming and climate change. However, there is a serious lack of understanding of how such CO2 hydrate forms and exists in sediments. We thus imaged CO2 hydrate distribution in sandstone, and investigated the hydrate morphology and cluster characteristics via x-ray micro-computed tomography in 3D in-situ. A substantial amount of gas hydrate (∼17% saturation) was observed, and the stochastically distributed hydrate clusters followed power-law relations with respect to their size distributions and surface area-volume relationships. The layer-
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