The utilization and incorporation of glass fiber-reinforced plastics (GFRP) in structural applications and architectural constructions are progressively gaining prominence. Therefore, this paper experimentally and numerically investigates the use of GFRP I-beams in conjunction with concrete slabs to form composite beams. The experimental design incorporated 2600 mm long GFRP I-beams which were connected compositely to concrete slabs with a 500 mm width and 80 mm thickness. The concrete slabs are categorized into two groups: concrete slabs cast using normal-strength concrete (NSC), and concrete slabs prepared using high-strength concrete (HSC). Various parameters like the type of concrete (normal and high-strength concrete), type of stiffeners bonded to the composite section (bolt–epoxy or bolt only), and inclusion of corrugated metal sheets were investigated. To obtain the full shear connection between the GFRP I-sections and concrete slabs, two rows of shear connectors in the form of bolts were utilized. These shear connectors were erected to the top flange of the GFRP I-sections to compositely connect between the GFRP I-beams and the concrete slabs as well as the corrugated metal sheets. The strengthening of the shear webs of GFRP I-beams with GFRP T-section stiffeners resulted in an enhancement in the flexural and shear strength. The failure loads in the case of the bolt–epoxy connection for the stiffeners were 8.2% and 10.0% higher than those in the case of bolt only when the concrete compressive strengths were 20.1 MPa and 52.3 MPa, respectively. Moreover, the effect of the concrete compressive strength was vital where the failure loads increased by 79.9% and 77.1% when HSC was used instead of NSC for the cases of bolt–epoxy and bolt only, respectively. The epoxy adhesive used in conjunction with mechanical connectors, specifically bolts, resulted in sufficient composite action and delayed shear failure within the web of the GFRP beam. For the specimens with bolt–epoxy connection, strain levels in the concrete slabs were consistently higher than in the other specimens with bolts alone at the same loading level. The concrete slabs integrated with HSC registered strain levels that were 20.0% and 21.8% greater for bolt–epoxy and bolt-only connections, respectively, when compared to those using normal-strength concrete (NSC). This discrepancy can likely be credited to the enhanced composite interaction between the concrete slabs and the GFRP I-beams. In addition, ABAQUS software (version 6.2) was used to develop FE models to analyze the tested composite beams and provide a parametric study using the verified models.
Heat pipes and two‐phase thermosyphon systems are passive heat transfer systems that employ a two‐phase cycle of a working fluid within a completely sealed system. Consequently, heat exchangers based on heat pipes have low thermal resistance and high effective thermal conductivity, which can reach up to the order of (105 W/(m K)). In energy recovery systems where the two streams should be unmixed, such as airconditioning systems of biological laboratories and operating rooms in hospitals, heat pipe heat exchangers (HPHEs) are recommended. In this study, an experimental and theoretical study was carried out on the thermal performance of an air‐to‐air HPHE filled with two refrigerants as working fluids, R22 and R407c. The heat pipe he
... Show MoreElectrical resistivity tomography (ERT) methods have been increasingly used in various shallow depth archaeological prospections in the last few decades. These non‐invasive techniques can save time, costs, and efforts in archaeological prospection and yield detailed images of subsurface anomalies. We present the results of quasi‐three‐dimensional (3D) ERT measurements in an area of a presumed Roman construction, using a dense electrode network of parallel and orthogonal profiles in dipole–dipole configuration. A roll‐along technique has been utilized to cover a large part of the archaeological site with a 25 cm electrode and profile spacing, respectively. We have designed a new field proce
The research aims to verify the Role of Internal Auditing in Assessing the Risks of Strategic Operations (Acquisition) and then reflect on management decisions. Since all corporations wish to expand, growth and domination of the market may expose them to multiple risks that lead to failure. The research assumes two main hypotheses. First, there is no role for internal audit in evaluating the strategic operations (acquisition). Second, there is no relationship between internal auditing in assessing the risks of strategic operations (Acquisition) and management decisions. The data was collected by using a questionnaire distributed to a group of private bank employees. The statistical analysis regarding research rejected the two hyp
... Show MoreThe international business environment faces many challenges, including the intensity of competition, the speed of expansion, and control of the market. This leads to its shadow on the local business environment, which prompted many economic units to adopt modern strategies, including mergers and acquisitions, for expansion and prosperity. The research was conducted to verify the role of internal audit in the governance of strategy operations (Mergers and acquisitions) and its reflection on management decisions and making them efficient and effective. Internal auditing is the independent variable related to the other variable, the governance of strategic operations and its impact on management decisions for strategic operations as a depende
... Show MoreIntroduction: The present study was performed to evaluate the influence of a 1064 nm fiber laser on shear bond strength (SBS) at the interface of titanium and resin cement. Methods: Forty titanium discs of 6 mm × 3 mm (diameter and thickness respectively) were categorized into four groups (n=10): control group without any surface treatment and three groups treated with a fiber laser with 81 ns pulse duration, 30 kHz frequency, 10000 mm/s scanning speed, 0.05 mm spot size, and different average power values (3, 5 and 7 W) depending on the tested group. Titanium disc characterization was performed by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and surface roughness tester. Phase analysis was achieved using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD). F
... Show MoreCorncob is an agricultural biomass waste that was widely investigated as an adsorbent of contaminants after transforming it into activated carbon. In this research carbonization and chemical activation processes were achieved to synthesize corncob-activated carbon (CAC). Many pretreatment steps including crushing, grinding, and drying to obtain corncob powder were performed before the carbonization step. The carbonization of corncob powder has occurred in the absence of air at a temperature of 500 °C. The chemical activation was accomplished by using HCl as an acidic activation agent. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) facilitate
... Show MoreTraditional volumetric asphalt mix design methods do not directly evaluate cracking and rutting resistance, which may result in mixtures with inadequate field performance despite satisfying conventional volumetric requirements. Balanced Mix Design (BMD) has been introduced to address this limitation by incorporating performance testing. However, it remains unclear whether additive modification alone can recover mixtures that do not satisfy BMD criteria, or whether volumetric redesign (binder content optimization) is necessary. Therefore, this study investigated the effectiveness of additive modification before and after BMD redesign using IDEAL-CT and IDEAL-RT performance indices. Three additive systems were evaluated: SBS polymer,
... Show MoreVariation orders are an on-going phenomenon in construction and industry projects worldwide, particularly in the province of Sulaimani, where the project's damage from cost and schedule overrun because of variation orders. However, the effect on project costs and time overrun of variation order has yet to be identified. This study evaluates the impact of variation orders on the cost and time off in the Sulaimani governorate. Two hundred twenty-eight projects from various construction sectors built between 2007-2012 were adopted to calculate the contract cost and schedule overruns due to variation orders. Data analysis was applied in the study were descriptive statistics. One-way ANOVA was also applied to determine w
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