Incorporating waste byproducts into concrete is an innovative and promising way to minimize the environmental impact of waste material while maintaining and/or improving concrete’s mechanical characteristics and strength. The proper application of sawdust as a pozzolan in the building industry remains a significant challenge. Consequently, this study conducted an experimental evaluation of sawdust as a fill material. In particular, sawdust as a fine aggregate in concrete offers a realistic structural and economical possibility for the construction of lightweight structural systems. Failure under four-point loads was investigated for six concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) specimens. The results indicated that recycled lightweight co

The study involved the synthesis of new complexes with tetradentate ligand (LH). The general formula of complexes was [M(LH)(H2O)2] with M of Ni2+, Co2+, Cu2+, and Zn+. The ligand was synthesized by treating the 2-hydroxybenzohydrazide with salicylaldehyde. The structural characteristics of ligands and complexes were analyzed using various techniques, including elemental analyses, magnetic susceptibility, molar conductivity, infrared, ultraviolet absorption, mass, and NMR spectroscopy studies. The physical measurements indicated that the prepared complexes are non-electrolyte and showed that the ligand is tetradentate when coordinated with metal ions through the nitrogen of azomethine (–C=N–), two oxygen atoms of O–H phenolic,

This experimental research was conducted to quantify the combined effect of the external bonded Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) plate width and prestressing on the flexural performance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams in terms of strength improvement. Seven beams (one control and six strengthened) were subjected to two-point loading tests. The experimental methodology consisted of the testing of three different widths of the CFRP plates (25, 40, and 60 mm) in non-prestressed and prestressed conditions. Prestressing was accomplished by tensioning the plates to 23% of the CFRP tensile strength using a novel, locally developed mechanical anchorage system, which is one of the key experimental contributions that distinguishes thi

In this study, the effect of construction joints on the performance of reinforced concrete beams was experimentally investigated. Seven beam specimens, with dimensions of 200×100×1000 mm, were fabricated. The variables were considered including; the location and configuration of the joints. One beam was cast without a joint (Reference specimen), two specimens were fabricated with a one horizontal joint located either at tension, or compression zone. The fourth
beam had two horizontal joints placed at tension, and compression area. The remaining specimens were with one or two inclined joints positioned at the shear span or beam’s mid-span. The specimens were subjected to a monotonic central concentrated loading until the failure. T

Background: Mouthwashes used widely as ancillary to mechanical oral hygiene methods. Little information provided about the effect of mouthwashes on ions released from orthodontic brackets. Therefore, the present study has been established to evaluate the effect of different mouthwashes on the corrosion resistance and the biocompatibility of two brands of brackets. Materials and Methods: Eighty premolar stainless steel brackets were used (40 brackets from each brand). They were subdivided into four subgroups (n=10) according to immersion media (deionized distilled water, Corsodyl, Listerine and Silca herb mouthwashes). Each bracket was stored in a closely packed glass tube filled with 15ml of the immersion media and incubated for 45 days at

When the flange of a reinforced concrete spandrel beam is in tension, current design codes and specifications enable a portion of the bonded flexure tension reinforcement to be distributed over an effective flange width. The flexural behavior of the RC L-shaped spandrel beam when reinforcement is laterally displaced in the tension flange is investigated experimentally and numerically in this work. Numerical analysis utilizing the finite element method is performed on discretized flanged beam models validated using experimentally verified L-shaped beam specimens to achieve study objectives. A parametric study was carried out to evaluate the influence of various factors on the beam’s flexure behavior. Results showed that

To promote sustainable steel-concrete composite structures, it is essential to develop special shear connectors that facilitate accelerated construction and deconstruction. A lockbolt demountable shear connector (LBDSC) was recently proposed. While the LBDSC has been evaluated using horizontal and vertical (standard) push-out tests, it is essential to further assess the disassembly mechanism and the positive flexural performance of prefabricated demountable composite beams (PDCBs) under both serviceability and ultimate limit states. Two full-scale test specimens of PDCBs with LBDSC were designed with partial shear connections and assessed using a three or four-point load beam setup under both cyclic and static monotonic loading conditions.

This study examines the structural performance of concrete-encased pultruded Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) I-sections with shear connections. It specifically focuses on how different parameters affect the latter’s ductility, flexural strength, and load-carrying capacity. The key variables studied include various shear connector types, spacing, and geometries, as well as the compressive strength of concrete and the properties of GFRP. The finite element modeling and experimental validation show that the shear connectors significantly improve the ductility, ultimate capacity, and load transmission efficiency. The present review emphasizes that the shear connectors greatly enhance the structural performance when they are prop

This paper presents a study (experimentally) for strengthening reinforced concrete (RC) beams with Near-Surface-Mounted (NSM) technique. The use of this technique with CFRP strips or rebars is an efficient technology for increasing the strength for flexure and shear or for repairing damaged reinforced concrete (RC) members. The objective of this research is to study, experimentally, RC beams either repaired or strengthened with NSM CFRP strips and follow their flexural behavior and failure modes. NSM-CFRP strips were used to strengthen three RC beam specimens, one of them was initially strengthened and tested up to failure. Four beam specimens have been initially subjected to preloading to 50% and 80% of ultimate load. Two of the sp