Two novel demountable shear connectors for precast steel-concrete composite bridges are presented. The connectors use high-strength steel bolts, which are fastened to the steel beam with the aid of a special locking configuration that prevents slip of bolts within their holes. Moreover, the connectors promote accelerated construction and overcome typical construction tolerances issues of precast structures. Most importantly, the connectors allow bridge disassembly, and therefore, can address different bridge deterioration scenarios with minimum disturbance to traffic flow, i.e. (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, while precast decks and shear connectors can be reused. A series of push-out tests and a beam test were conducted to assess the behavior of the connectors and quantify the effect of important parameters. The experimental results showed that shear resistance and slip capacity can reach 2.5 and 2.7 times respectively of those of welded shear studs along with superior stiffness and strength against slab uplift. Additionally, shear stiffness of M16 mm LNSC was equal to that of M19 mm welded studs. Identical tests reveal negligible scatter in the shear load – slip displacement behavior. Design equations are proposed to predict the shear resistance with minimum deviations.
The imperative of achieving financial stability has transcended national boundaries, necessitating heightened attention from both researchers and policymakers. Consequently, this article delves into an examination of the impact of government debt and public debt on financial development within the context of Iraq. The study employs monetary policy, interest rate, inflation, and population growth as control variables to prognosticate financial development. Utilizing data extracted from the World Development Indicators (WDI) spanning the period from 1995 to 2022, the study employs the dynamic autoregressive distributed lag (DARDL) approach to scrutinize the associations under investigation. The findings underscore a negative association betwe
... Show MoreIn this research the hard chromium electroplating process, which is one of the common methods of overlay coating was used, by using chromium acid as source of chromium and sulphuric acid as catalyst since the ratio between chromic acid and sulphuric acid is (100 : 1) consequently. Plating process was made by applying current of density (40 Amp / dm2) and the range of solution temperature was (50 – 55oC) with different time periods (1-5 hr). A low carbon steel type (Ck15) was used as substrate for hard chromium electroplating. Solid carburization was carried out for hard chromium plating specimen at temperature (925oC) with time duration (2 hr) to be followed with quenching and tempering
... Show MoreUsing an electrochemical polymerization technique at room temperature, poly nicotine amide (PNA) was produced from the monomer nicotine amide (NA) in aqueous solution. The structure of polymer layer generated on the stainless steel surface (316 L) (working electrode) is investigated by Fourier Transmission Infrared Region (FT-IR). The anti-corrosion activity of polymer coating on the stainless steel (SS 316 L) is investigated by electrochemical polarization in 0.20M solution of HCl at 293-323K. The graphene -modified polymer film-coated SS had greater protection efficiency (PE percent) when compared to Nano ZnO -modified polymer film-coated SS. For the corrosion process of SS 316 L, kinetic and thermo-dynamic parameters of activation are
... Show MoreExperienced economic environmentRadical changes at the end of the last century and the beginning of the present century, resulting in new concepts and expectations in all aspects of economic, political, social and even behavioral.Each of these concepts is the result of rapid developments in the intangible space. Competition is no longer limited to the mere possession of tangible material resources, but because of its link to knowledge and technology content and to the comprehensive quality standards and efficient and effective policies of States. With the increasing pace of growth and interdependence among the global economies, this resulted in the birth of a new economic system led by technological development and financial liberalizati
... Show MoreIn this study the effect of fiber volume fraction of the glass fiber on the thermal conductivity of the polymer composite material was studied. Different fiber volume fraction of glass fibers were used (3%, 6%, 9%, 12%, and 15%). Specimens were made from polyester which reinforced with glass fibers .The fibers had two arrangements according to the direction of the thermal flow. In the first arrangement the fibers were parallel to the direction of the thermal flow, while the second arrangement was perpendicular; Lee's disk method was used for testing the specimens. The experimental results proved that the values of the thermal conductivity of the specimens was higher when the fibers arranged in parallel direction than that when the fibers
... Show MoreAbstract-Industrial and urban development has resulted in the spread of plastic waste and the increase in the emissions of carbon dioxide resulting from the cement manufacturing process. The current research aims to produce green (environmentally friendly) concrete by using plastic waste as coarse aggregates in different proportions (10% and 20%) and nano silica sand powder as an alternative to cement in different proportions (5% and 10% by weight). The results showed that compressive strength decreased by 12.10% and 19.23% for 10% and 20% plastic waste replacement and increased by 12.89% and 20.39% for 5% and 10% silica sand replacement respectively at 28 days. Flexural strength decreased by 12.95% and 19.64% for 10% and 20% plastic waste
... Show MoreIndustrial and urban development has resulted in the spread of plastic waste and the increase in the emissions of carbon dioxide resulting from the cement manufacturing process. The current research aims to produce green (environmentally friendly) concrete by using plastic waste as coarse aggregates in different proportions (10% and 20%) and nano silica sand powder as an alternative to cement in different proportions (5% and 10% by weight). The results showed that compressive strength decreased by 12.10% and 19.23% for 10% and 20% plastic waste replacement and increased by 12.89% and 20.39% for 5% and 10% silica sand replacement respectively at 28 days. Flexural strength decreased by 12.95% and 19.64% for 10% and 20% plastic waste r
... Show MoreReinforced concrete (RC) slabs strengthened with carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) and subjected to flexural actions may experience many types of failure, including FRP debonding, FRP rupture and concrete crushing. Of these different types of failure modes, FRP debonding stands out as the most predominant type of failure because of its dependence on the relatively weak bond interface between the soffit of the RC member and the FRP sheet attached to it. Many anchorage systems have been developed to enhance the performance of strengthened systems, one of which is the hybrid anchor, which combines the effects of patch anchors and spike anchors. Hybrid anchors have shown significant enhancement when used with RC members subjected to shear
... Show MoreThe incorporation of safety characteristics into the traditional pavement structural design or in the functional evaluation of pavement condition has not been established yet. The design has focused on the structural capacity of the roadway so that the pavement can withstand specific level of repetitive loading over the design life. On the other hand, the surface texture condition was neither included in the AASHTO design procedure nor in the present serviceability index measurements.
The pavement surface course should provide adequate levels of friction and ride quality and maintain low levels of noise and roughness. Many transportation departments perform routine skid resistant testing, the type of equipment us
... Show MoreThe wear behavior of alumina particulate reinforced A332 aluminium alloy composites produced by a stir casting process technique were investigated. A pin-on-disc type apparatus was employed for determining the sliding wear rate in composite samples at different grain size (1 µm, 12µm, 50 nm) and different weight percentage (0.05-0.1-0.5-1) wt% of alumina respectively. Mechanical properties characterization which strongly depends on microstructure properties of reinforcement revealed that the presence of ( nano , micro) alumina particulates lead to simultaneous increase in hardness, ultimate tensile stress (UTS), wear resistances. The results revealed that UTS, Hardness, Wear resistances increases with the increase in the percentage of
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