This study presents experimental and numerical investigations on seven one-way, reinforced concrete (RC) slabs with a new technique of slab weight reduction using polystyrene-embedded arched blocks (PEABs). All slabs had the same dimensions, steel reinforcement, and concrete compressive strength. One of these slabs was a solid slab, which was taken as a control slab, while the other six slabs were cast with PEABs. The main variables were the ratio of the length of the PEABs to the length of the slab (lp/L) and the ratio of the height of the PEABs to the total slab depth (hP/H). The minimum decrease in the ultimate load capacity was about 6% with a minimum reduction in the slab weight of 15%. In contrast, the maximum decrease in the ultimate load capacity was about 24% with a maximum reduction in the slab weight of 40%. Moreover, the mode of failure changed from flexure to shear failure, especially for those slabs with an lP/L ratio equal to one. The geometric and material non-linearity was adopted in the proposed finite element (FE) model to simulate the slabs with PEABs using Abaqus software. Good agreement was obtained between the developed FE and experimental results.
Traffic‐induced ground vibrations cause significant problems for residents and nearby structures. Reducing the effect of these vibrations on the neighboring environment is a key challenge, particularly in urban areas. This study presents both numerical and experimental investigations of the performance of mass scatters for screening ground vibrations. A three‐dimensional numerical model is validated and extended to conduct a comparative study on the efficiency of three geotechnical methods of isolation. These methods include trench barriers, wave‐impeding blocks (WIBs), and mass scatters. The results showed that mass scatters represent an efficient way of scattering ground vi
The effect of considering the third dimension in mass concrete members on its cracking behavior is investigated in this study. The investigation includes thermal and structural analyses of mass concrete structures. From thermal analysis, the actual temperature distribution throughout the mass concrete body was obtained due to the generation of heat as a result of cement hydration in addition to the ambient circumstances. This was performed via solving the differential equations of heat conduction and convection using the finite element method. The finite element method was also implemented in the structural analysis adopting the concept of initial strain problem. Drying shrinkage volume changes were calculated using the procedure suggested
... Show MoreThe effect of considering the third dimension in mass concrete members on its cracking behavior is investigated in this study. The investigation includes thermal and structural analyses of mass concrete structures. From thermal analysis, the actual temperature distribution throughout the mass concrete body was obtained due to the generation of heat as a result of cement hydration in
addition to the ambient circumstances. This was performed via solving the differential equations of heat conduction and convection using the finite element method. The finite element method was also implemented in the structural analysis adopting the concept of initial strain problem. Drying shrinkage volume changes were calculated using the procedure sug
The reduction of vibration properties for composite material (woven roving E-glass fiber plies in thermosetting polyester matrix) is investigated at the prediction time under varied combined temperatures (60 to -15) using three types of boundary conditions like (CFCF, CCCF, and CFCC). The vibration properties are the amplitude, natural frequency, dynamic elastic moduli (young modulus in x, y directions and shear modulus in 1, 2 plane) and damping factor. The natural frequency of a system is a function of its elastic properties, dimensions, and mass. The woven roving glass fiber has been especially engineered for polymer reinforcement; but the unsaturated thermosetting polyester is widely used, offering a good balance of vibration p
... Show MoreThe optimal design of any structural elements requires examining all environmental risks, emergency accidents, and standard load cases. Exposure to fire is one of the most common safety threats. Nowadays wide developments are achieved in the field of concrete technology, therefore, experimental and theoretical investigations should be performed on the characteristics of such developed materials under different loading conditions. This study investigates the impact of fire exposure on the mechanical characteristics of self-compacting concrete, specifically compressive and tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and stress-strain relation. The adopted fire exposure consisted of six steady-state temperatures (300, 400, 500, 600, 700,
... Show MoreThis research is devoted to investigate relationship between both Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity and Rebound Number (Hammer Test) with cube compressive strength and also to study the effect of steel reinforcement on these relationships.
A study was carried out on 32 scale model reinforced concrete elements. Non destructive testing campaign (mainly ultrasonic and rebound hammer tests) made on the same elements. About 72 concrete cubes (15 X 15 X15) were taken from the concrete mixes to check the compressive strength.. Data analyzed.Include the possible correlations between non destructive testing (NDT) and compressive strength (DT) Statistical approach is used for this purpose. A new relationships obtained from correlations results is give
This paper presents a study to investigate the behavior of post-tensioned segmental concrete beams that exposed to high-temperature. The experimental program included fabricating and testing twelve simply supported beams that divided into three groups depending on the number of precasting concrete segments. All specimens were prepared with an identical length of 3150 mm and differed in the number of the incorporated segments of the beam (9, 7, or 5 segments). To simulate the genuine fire disasters, nine out of twelve beams were exposed to a high-temperature flame for one hour. Based on the standard fire curve (ASTM – E119), the temperatures of 300◦C (572◦F), 500◦C (932◦F), and 700◦C (1292◦F) were adopted. Consequently,
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