A novel demountable shear connector is proposed to link a concrete slab to steel sections in a way that resulting steel-concrete composite floor is demountable, i.e. it can be easily dismantled at the end of its service life. The proposed connectors consist of two parts: the first part is a hollow steel tube with internal threads at its lower end. The second part is a compatible partially threaded bolted stud. After linking the stud to the steel section, the hollow steel tube can be fastened over the threaded stud, which create a complete demountable shear connector. The connector is suitable for use in both composite bridges and buildings, and using cast in-situ slabs, precast solid slabs, or hollow-core precast slabs. A series of push-off

This study aims to show the  effectiveness of immobilization of Chlorella green algae biomass in the form of bead for the removal of lead ions from synthetic polluted water  at various operational parameters such as pH (2–6), biosorbent dosage (0.5–20 g/L) and initial concentration (10–100 mg/L). More than 90 % removal efficiency was achieved. FTIR and SEM-EDX analysis of the biosorbent before and after sorption show differences in the functional groups on the adsorbent surface. Langmuir and Freundlich equilibrium isotherm, pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were applied to the experimental and results and show good conformity with Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model with c

This paper proposes a novel finite-time generalized proportional integral observer (FTGPIO) based a sliding mode control (SMC) scheme for the tracking control problem of high order uncertain systems subject to fast time-varying disturbances. For this purpose, the construction of the controller consists of two consecutive steps. First, the novel FTGPIO is designed to observe unmeasurable plant dynamics states and disturbance with its higher time derivatives in finite time rather than infinite time as in the standard GPIO. In the FTGPO estimator, the finite time convergence rate of estimations is well achieved, whereas the convergence rate of estimations by classical GPIO is asymptotic and slow. Secondly, on the basis of the finite and fast e

   The inhibitive action of a blend of sodium nitrite/sodium hexametaphosphate (SN+SHMP) on corrosion of carbon steel in simulated cooling water systems (CWS) has been investigated by weight loss and electrochemical polarization technique. The effect of temperature, velocity, and salts concentrations on corrosion of carbon steel were studied in the absence and presence of mixed inhibiting blend. Also the effect of inhibitors blend concentrations (SN+SHMP), temperatures, and rotational velocity, i.e., Reynolds number (Re) on corrosion rate of carbon steel were investigated using Second-order Rotatable Design (Box-Wilson Design) in performing weight loss and corrosion potential approach. Electrochemical polarization measurements

This paper numerically and theoretically investigates the optical and thermal performance of a parabolic trough collector PTC system. Many numerical simulations and theoretical analyses are conducted to demonstrate the influence of the receiver geometry and shifting from the focal position on the optical performance. The examined receiver geometries are circular, square, triangular, elliptical, and the new circular–square combined geometry is named as channel receiver. The thermal performance of PTC is examined for different volume flow rates theoretically in the range of (0.36 to 2.4 lpm). The results show that the best optical design is the channel receiver with an intercept factor of 84%, while the worst is the elliptical receiver with

Human resources have been regarded as the most important asset for any organization because of its essential part in achieving the sustainable competitive advantage and survival. Managing human resources is very challenging and requires an effective bundle of practices that contribute to attaining the organizational goals. This study tries to confirm the importance of HRM practices in small businesses which came to play a vital role in the economies of the world, through clarifying the influence of HRM practices on the organizational performance, using a mediating variable (employees’ outcomes). Also the study attempts to highlight the key role of governmental support from view point of small businesses, through verifying the significant

An experiment was conducted to study how SAE 50 engine oil contaminated with diesel fuel affects engine performance. The engine oil was contaminated with diesel fuel at concentrations of 0%, 1%, and 3%. The following performance characteristics were studied: brake-specific fuel consumption, brake thermal efficiency, friction power, and exhaust gas temperature. Each treatment was tested three times. The three treatments (0%, 1%, and 3%) were analyzed statistically with a one-way ANOVA model at the 5% probability level to determine if the three treatments produced significant differences in engine performance. The statistical results showed that there were significant differences in engine performance metrics among the three treatments. The 3

Cultural awareness is becoming increasingly important in an effort to reinvigorate local urban heritage into modern production. Considering that, one of the most significant aspects of sustainability is preserving socio-cultural and environmental specificities and restoring local heritage. The aim is influencing the local identity by promoting sustainability through the revival of Islamic geometric patterns (IGP) and their performance as effective components in local urban facades. A set of indicators related to the purposes for reusing IGP in facades within three main performances (decorative, structural, and functional). Their sustainability was studied and extrapolated, and a checklist has developed and tested by Likert scale on