The main objective of this paper is to study the behavior of Non-Prismatic Reinforced Concrete (NPRC) beams with and without rectangular openings either when exposed to fire or not. The experimental program involves casting and testing 9 NPRC beams divided into 3 main groups. These groups were categorized according to heating temperature (ambient temperature, 400°C, and 700°C), with each group containing 3 NPRC beams (solid beams and beams with 6 and 8 trapezoidal openings). For beams with similar geometry, increasing the burning temperature results in their deterioration as reflected in their increasing mid-span deflection throughout the fire exposure period and their residual deflection after cooling. Meanwhile, the existing openings situation was compounded. The burned NPRC beams were left to gradually cool down under ambient laboratory conditions, and afterward, they were loaded until failure. The influence of temperature on the residual ultimate load-carrying capacity of each beam was studied by comparing these beams with unburned reference beams. Increasing exposure temperature reduces the ultimate strength of solid NPRC beams exposed to temperatures of 400°C and 700°C by about 5.7% and 10.84% respectively. Meanwhile, NPRC beams with trapezoidal openings showed ultimate strength reductions of 21.13% and 32.8% (for beams with 8 openings) and 28% and 34.4% (for beams with 6 openings) under the same burning conditions. The excessive mid-span deflections for these three types of beams were 2%–30.8%, 1.33%–21.8%, and 1.5%–17.4% under the same burning conditions.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterized by hepatic fat accumulation in individuals consuming little or no alcohol, has become highly prevalent globally. Oxidative stress plays a central role in instigating inflammation and cell death pathways driving NAFLD progression. This case–control study aimed to elucidate the association between circulating levels of the pivotal non-enzymatic antioxidants – coenzyme Q10 and vitamins E and C – and liver injury parameters among 60 Iraqi NAFLD patients versus 30 healthy controls. NAFLD diagnosis entailed over 5% hepatic steatosis on ultrasound excluding other etiologies. Patients spanned three age groups: 20–29, 30–39, an
This paper presents experimental results regarding the behaviours of eight simply supported partially prestressed concrete beams with internally unbonded tendons, focusing particularly on the effect of three different variables: concrete compressive strength,
An experimental study is made here to investigate the discharge coefficient for contracted rectangular Sharp crested weirs. Three Models are used, each with different weir width to flume width ratios (0.333, 0.5, and 0.666). The experimental work is conducted in a standard flume with high-precision head and flow measuring devices. Results are used to find a dimensionless equation for the discharge coefficient variation with geometrical, flow, and fluid properties. These are the ratio of the total head to the weir height, the ratio of the contracted weir width to the flume width, the ratio of the total head to the contracted width, and Reynolds and Weber numbers. Results show that the relationship between the discharge co
... Show MoreNumerical simulations have been investigated to study the external free convective heat transfer from a vertically rectangular interrupted fin arrays. The continuity, Naver-Stockes and energy equations have been solved for steady-state, incompressible, two dimensional, laminar with Boussiuesq approximation by Fluent 15 software. The performance of interrupted fins was evaluated to gain the optimum ratio of interrupted length to fin length (
