A novel demountable shear connector for precast steel-concrete composite bridges is presented. The connector uses high-strength steel bolts, which are fastened to the top flange of the steel beam with the aid of a special locking nut configuration that prevents bolts from slipping within their holes. Moreover, the connector promotes accelerated construction and overcomes the typical construction tolerance issues of precast structures. Most importantly, the connector allows bridge disassembly. Therefore, it can address different bridge deterioration scenarios with minimum disturbance to traffic flow including the following: (1) precast deck panels can be rapidly uplifted and replaced; (2) connectors can be rapidly removed and replaced; and (3) steel beams can be replaced, whereas precast decks and shear connectors can be reused. A series of push-out tests are conducted to assess the behavior of the connector and quantify the effect of important parameters. The experimental results show shear resistance, stiffness, and slip capacity significantly higher than those of welded shear studs along with superior stiffness and strength against slab uplift. Identical tests reveal negligible scatter in the shear load-slip displacement behavior. A design equation is proposed to predict the shear resistance with absolute error less than 8%.
Exposure of reinforced concrete buildings to an accidental fire may result in cracking and loss in the bearing capacity of their major components, columns, beams, and slabs. It is a challenge for structural engineers to develop efficient retrofitting techniques that enable RC slabs to restore their structural integrity, after being exposed to intense fires for a long period of time. Experimental
investigation was carried out on twenty one slab specimens made of self compacting concrete, eighteen of them are retrofitted with CFRP sheets after burning and loading till failure while three of them (which represent control specimens) are retrofitted with CFRP sheet after loading till failure without burning. All slabs had been tested in a
The rehabilitation of deteriorated pavements using Asphalt Concrete (AC) overlays consistently confronts the reflection cracking challenge, where inherent cracks and joints from an existing pavement layer are mirrored in the new overlay. To address this issue, the current study evaluates the effectiveness of Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) and geotextile fabric as mitigation strategies. ECC, characterized by its tensile ductility, fracture resistance, and high deformation capacity, was examined in interlayer thicknesses of 7, 12, and 17 mm. Additionally, the impact of geotextile fabric positioning at the base and at 1/3 depth of the AC specimen was explored. Utilizing the Overlay Testing Machine (OTM) for evaluations, the research d
... Show MoreThis study examines the impact of different curing methods on the compressive strength of concrete. It investigates techniques such as air curing, periodic water spraying, full water submersion, and polyethylene encasement. Artificial neural network models were employed to evaluate the compressive strength under each curing condition. A model for calculating compressive strength that considers surrounding conditions was created using an artificial neural network. The current study’s figures were generated using this model. The research thoroughly examined the impact of curing environments and concrete mix components on strength properties, taking into account factors such as tempera
PVC/Kaolinite composites were prepared by the melt intercalation method. Mechanical properties, thermal properties, flammability and water absorption percentage of prepared samples were tested. Mechanical characteristic such as tensile strength, elongation at break; hardness and impact strength (charpy type) were measured for all samples. It was found that the tensile strength and elongation at break of PVC composites decreased with increasing kaolinite loading. Also, the hardness of the composites increases with increase in filler content .The impact strength of the composites at the beginning increases at lower kaolinite loadings is due to the lack of kaolin adhesion to the matrix. However, at higher kaolin loadings. This severe agglom
... Show MoreCalcium-Montmorillonite (bentonite) [Ca-MMT] has been prepared via cation exchange reaction using benzalkonium chloride [quaternary ammonium] as a surfactant to produce organoclay which is used to prepare polymer composites. Functionalization of this filler surface is very important factor for achieving good interaction between filler and polymer matrix. Basal spacing and functional groups identification of this organoclay were characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy respectively. The (XRD) results showed that the basal spacing of the treated clay (organoclay) with the benzalkonium chloride increased to 15.17213 0A, this represents an increment of about 77.9% in the
... Show MoreThe aim of this work is to study the influence of the type of fiber glass –mat on fatigue behavior of composite material which is manufactured from polyester and E-glass (woven roving, chopped strand mat (CSM)) as a laminate with a constant fiber volume fraction (VF) of 33%. The results showed that the laminates reinforced with E-glass (woven roving) [0/90, ±45.0/90] and [0/90, CSM, 0/90] have lower fatigue strength than the laminates reinforced with E-glass [0/90]3,[CSM]3 and [CSM, 0/90, CSM] although they had different tensile strength; the best laminate was [0/90]3 .
Laser etching may be an alternative to acid etching of enamel and dentin. Several characteristics of irradiated dental hard tissues have been considered advantageous, microscopically rough surfaces without demineralization, open dentinal tubules without smear layer production and dentin surface sterilization. The aim of this study is to determine and compare histology the microleakage in class V cavity restored with a light cured composite after conditioning the samples(tooth surface) with 1-acid etching, 2-Q-switched Nd:YAG Laser etching and finally 3- acid and laser etching. Materials and methods: Twenty four non carious human extracted teeth were used in this study. The samples were equally grouped into four groups of six teeth each.
... Show MorePore pressure means the pressure of the fluid filling the pore space of formations. When pore pressure is higher than hydrostatic pressure, it is named abnormal pore pressure or overpressure. When abnormal pressure occurred leads to many severe problems such as well kick, blowout during the drilling, then, prediction of this pressure is crucially essential to reduce cost and to avoid drilling problems that happened during drilling when this pressure occurred. The purpose of this paper is the determination of pore pressure in all layers, including the three formations (Yamama, Suliay, and Gotnia) in a deep exploration oil well in West Qurna field specifically well no. WQ-15 in the south of Iraq. In this study, a new appro
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