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.
Roller compacted concrete (RCC) is a material with no slumps and is made from the same raw materials as conventional concrete. The roller compacted dam method, the high paste technique, the corps of engineers method, and the maximum density method are all ways of designing RCC. The evolution of RCC has resulted in a substantial change in construction projects, most notably in dams, because of the sluggish pace of conventional placement, consolidation, and compacting. The construction process was accelerated by incorporating RCC into dams, resulting in a shorter construction period. Research shows that the dams that used RCC had completed one to two years sooner than the dams that used regular concrete (Bagheri an
... Show MoreA steel-concrete composite structure (1) is described. The steel-concrete composite structure comprises a steel member (2) having an upper surface (5) and a plurality of shear connector elements (6) upstanding from the upper surface and a concrete slab (4) having upper and lower surfaces (7, 8). The slab is supported on its lower surface by the upper surface of the steel member. The slab comprises a plurality of through holes (9) between the upper and lower surfaces, each through hole tapering towards the lower surface so as to form an inverted frustally-shaped seating surface (10). The concrete slab is configured and positioned with respect to the steel member such that at least one shear connector element projects into each through hole.
... Show MoreRecently, increasing material prices coupled with more acute environmental awareness and the implementation of regulation has driven a strong movement toward the adoption of sustainable construction technology. In the pavement industry, using low temperature asphalt mixes and recycled concrete aggregate are viewed as effective engineering solutions to address the challenges posed by climate change and sustainable development. However, to date, no research has investigated these two factors simultaneously for pavement material. This paper reports on initial work which attempts to address this shortcoming. At first, a novel treatment method is used to improve the quality of recycled concrete coarse aggregates. Thereafter, the treated recycled
... Show MoreObjectives: The study aims to assess the school refusal behavior of first class pupils at primary schools and identifying the relationship between the school refusal behavior and some of socio-demographic characteristics for the pupils.
Methodology: A descriptive-analytic study was initiated from November 1st, 2012 to April 1st, 2013. A random sample of 411 students is selected from a probability stratified sample of 17 primary schools for both sexes in 4 sectors in Baghdad Al-Rasafa and Al-Karkh districts which are selected randomly from first class of primary school. A Self administrative questionnaire (Parents' Version) which constructed by the rese
... Show MoreAdaptive responses in larval behavior may be of two kinds: Taxis: This involves a change in direction relative to source of a stimulus. Kinesis: Kinesis has no directional component, but involves change in the rate of performance in response to a stimulus. Drosophila larvae exhibited flexible behavioral responses associated with food acquisition and selection for different environmental conditions. In this investigation, we are concerned explosively with kinetic responses to food viability. Third instar larvae were subjected to test for thirty minutes in each of the following conditions i) in distilled water, ii) in Ringer's solution, iii) in glucose solution and on live yeast suspension. In each case the larva was in a thin layer of solu
... Show MoreLogic in the philosophy of ethical behavior in business organizations
PMMA films of different thickness (0.006, 0.0105, 0.0206, 0.0385 and 0.056cm) were synthesized by casting process. The temperature and frequency dependence of dielectric constant and AC electrical conductivity measurements at various frequencies (10kHz-10MHz) and temperatures (293-373K) were carried out. Few anomalies in dielectric studies were observed near 313 and 373 K respectively. These points were related to glass transitions temperature. The variation of activation energy and conduction behavior was studied .From the AC conduction studies, it is confirmed that the mechanism responsible for the conduction process is hopping of carriers. The variations of the dielectric constant and loss as function of frequency at different tempera
... Show MoreThe piled raft is a geotechnical composite construction consisting of three elements: piles, raft and soil.
In the design of piled rafts, the load shared between the piles and the raft, and the piles are used up to a
load level that can be of the same order of magnitude as the bearing capacity of a comparable single
pile or even greater. Therefore, the piled raft foundation allows reduction of settlements in a very
economic way as compared to traditional foundation concepts.
This paper presents experimental study to investigate the behavior of piled raft system in sandy
soil. A small scale “prototype” model was tested in a sand box with load applied to the system through
a compression machine. The settlement was
This research involves studying the mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of “low carbon steel” (0.077wt% C) before and after welding using Arc, MIG and TIG welding. The mechanical properties include testing of microhardness, tensile strength, the results indicate that microhardness of TIG, MIG welding is more than arc welding, while tensile strength in arc welding more than TIG and MIG.
The corrosion behavior of low carbon weldments was performed by potentiostat at scan rate 3mV.sec-1 in 3.5% NaCl to show the polarization resistance and calculate the corrosion rate from data of linear polarization by “Tafel extrapolation method”. The results indicate that the TIG welding increase the corrosion current d
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