A ‘locking-bolt’ demountable shear connector (LBDSC) is proposed to facilitate the deconstruction and reuse of steel-concrete composite structures, in line with achieving a more sustainable construction design paradigm. The LBDSC is comprised of a grout-filled steel tube and a geometrically compatible partially threaded bolt. The latter has a geometry that ‘locks’ the bolt in compatible holes predrilled on the steel flange and eliminates initial slip and construction tolerance issues. The structural behaviour of the LBDSC is evaluated through nine pushout tests using a horizontal test setup. The effects of the tube thickness, strength of concrete slab, and strength of infilled grout on the shear resistance, initial stiffness, and du

Every so often, a confluence of novel technologies emerges that radically transforms every aspect of the industry, the global economy, and finally, the way we live. These sharp leaps of human ingenuity are known as industrial revolutions, and we are currently in the midst of the fourth such revolution, coined Industry 4.0 by the World Economic Forum. Building on their guideline set of technologies that encompass Industry 4.0, we present a full set of pillar technologies on which Industry 4.0 project portfolio management rests as well as the foundation technologies that support these pillars. A complete model of an Industry 4.0 factory which relies on these pillar technologies is presented. The full set of pillars encompasses cyberph

As one type of heating furnaces, the electric heating furnace (EHF) typically suffers from time delay, non-linearity, time-varying parameters, system uncertainties, and harsh en-vironment of the furnace, which significantly deteriorate the temperature control process of the EHF system. In order to achieve accurate and robust temperature tracking performance, an integration of robust state feedback control (RSFC) and a novel sliding mode-based disturbance observer (SMDO) is proposed in this paper, where modeling errors and external disturbances are lumped as a lumped disturbance. To describe the characteristics of the EHF, by using convection laws, an integrated dynamic model is established and identified as an uncertain nonlinear second ord

The introduction of concrete damage plasticity material models has significantly improved the accuracy with which the concrete structural elements can be predicted in terms of their structural response. Research into this method's accuracy in analyzing complex concrete forms has been limited. A damage model combined with a plasticity model, based on continuum damage mechanics, is recommended for effectively predicting and simulating concrete behaviour. The damage parameters, such as compressive and tensile damages, can be defined to simulate concrete behavior in a damaged-plasticity model accurately. This research aims to propose an analytical model for assessing concrete compressive damage based on stiffness deterioration. The prop

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

The Cu(II) was found using a quick and uncomplicated procedure that involved reacting it with a freshly synthesized ligand to create an orange complex that had an absorbance peak of 481.5 nm in an acidic solution. The best conditions for the formation of the complex were studied from the concentration of the ligand, medium, the eff ect of the addition sequence, the eff ect of temperature, and the time of complex formation. The results obtained are scatter plot extending from 0.1–9 ppm and a linear range from 0.1–7 ppm. Relative standard deviation (RSD%) for n = 8 is less than 0.5, recovery % (R%) within acceptable values, correlation coeffi cient (r) equal 0.9986, coeffi cient of determination (r2) equal to 0.9973, and percentage capita

To investigate the efficacy of polyether‐ether‐ketone (PEEK) wire as a fixed orthodontic retainer, by comparing its performance to other retainer wires and optimizing its adhesion to composite bonding materials.

     The research aimed to identify the extent to which the media offices in the ministries depend on the website of the Iraqi Council of Ministers as a source of information. Such goal includes a set of sub-goals: Knowing the reasons for media offices' reliance on the information provided by the Cabinet's website; and revealing the benefit derived from relying on the Cabinet's website.

The researcher used the survey method to screen and comprehend the extent to which the media offices in the ministries depend on the website of the Iraqi Council of Ministers as a source of information.

The mechanism of comprehensive account of the limits of research wa