The conception and experimental assessment of a removable friction-based shear connector (FBSC) for precast steel-concrete composite bridges is presented. The FBSC uses pre-tensioned high-strength steel bolts that pass through countersunk holes drilled on the top flange of the steel beam. Pre-tensioning of the bolts provides the FBSC with significant frictional resistance that essentially prevents relative slip displacement of the concrete slab with respect to the steel beam under service loading. The countersunk holes are grouted to prevent sudden slip of the FBSC when friction resistance is exceeded. Moreover, the FBSC promotes accelerated bridge construction by fully exploiting prefabrication, does not raise issues relevant to precast construction tolerances, and allows rapid bridge disassembly to drastically reduce the time needed to replace any deteriorating structural component (e.g., the bridge deck). A series of 11 push-out tests highlight why the novel structural details of the FBSC result in superior shear load-slip displacement behavior compared to welded shear studs. The paper also quantifies the effects of bolt diameter and bolt preload and presents a design equation to predict the shear resistance of the FBSC.
Fiber reinforced polymer composite is an important material for structural application. The diversified application of FRP composite has taken center of attraction for interdisciplinary research. However, improvements on mechanical properties of this class of materials are still under research for different applications. In this paper we have modified the epoxy matrix by Al2O3, SiO2 and TiO2 nano particles in glass fiber/epoxy composite to improve the mechanical and physical properties. The composites are fabricated by hand lay-up method. It is observed that mechanical properties like flexural strength, hardness are more in case of SiO2 modified epoxy composite compare to other nano
... Show MoreBackground: The microhardness of a composite resin is a vital parameter that is used to determine its clinical behavior. Measuring the microhardness of a composite resin has been used as an indirect method to assess its degree of conversion and extent of polymerization. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of three curing distances (0, 2, and 4 mm) on the microhardness of the top and bottom surfaces of three types of flowable bulk-fill composite resins (smart dentin replacement, Opus bulk fill flow, and Tetric N). Material and method: Sixty-three specimens from the three types of composite resins (n=21) were fabricated using Teflon mold with a 4mm depth and a 5 mm internal diameter and cured for 20 seconds. For e
... Show MoreThe nanostructured MnO2 /carbon fiber (CF) composite electrode was prepared using the anodic electrodeposition process. The crystal structure and morphology of MnO2 particles were determined with X-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The electrosorptive properties of the prepared electrode were investigated in the removal of cadmium ions from aqueous solution, and the effect of pH, cell voltage, and ionic strength was optimized and modeled using the response surface methodology combined with Box–Behnken design. The results confirm that the optimum conditions to remove Cd(II) ions were: pH of 6.03, a voltage of 2.77 V, and NaCl concentration of 3 g/L. The experimental results showed a good fit for the Freundli
... Show MoreIn this study, Laser Shock Peening (LSP) effect on the polymeric composite materials has been investigated experimentally. Polymeric composite materials are widely used because they are easy to fabricate and have many attractive features. Unsaturated polyester resin as a matrix was selected and Aluminum powder with micro particles as a reinforcement material was used with different volume fraction (2.5%, 5% and 7.5%). Hand lay-up process was used for preparation the composites. Fatigue test with constant amplitude with stress ratio (R =-1) was carried out before and after LSP process with two levels of energy (1Joule and 2Joule). The result showed an increase in the endurance strength of 25.448% at 7.5% volume fraction when peened is 1J
... Show MoreThe corrosion behavior of low carbon steel in washing water of crude oil solution has been studied potentiostatically at five temperatures in the range (30–70)°C .The corrosion potential shifted to more negative values with increasing temperature and the corrosion current density increased with increasing temperature. Folic acid had on inhibiting effect on the corrosion of low carbon steel in washing water at a concentration (5× 10-4-- 5× 10-3 ) mol/dm3 over the temperature range (30–70)°C. Values of the protection efficiency were calculated from the corrosion current density .From the general results for this study, it can be seen that thermodynamic and kinetic function were also calculated (?G, ?S, ?H and Ea )
... 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 MorePortland cement concrete is the most commonly used construction material in the world for decades. However, the searches in concrete technology are remaining growing to meet particular properties related to its strength, durability, and sustainability issue. Thus, several types of concrete have been developed to enhance concrete performance. Most of the modern concrete types have to contain supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) as a partial replacement of cement. These materials are either by-products of waste such as fly ash, slag, rice husk ash, and silica fume or from a geological resource like natural pozzolans and metakaolin (MK). Ideally, the utilization of SCMs will enhance the concrete performance, minimize
... Show MoreWhen 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
... Show MoreObjective: To enhance bonding strength between thermoplastic denture base and acrylic soft liner through ethyl acetate surface treatment. Materials and Methods: Modifications of thermoplastic acrylic denture base surface were investigated with SEM. FTIR was used to detect whether there was a chemical bond between thermoplastic acrylic and the organic solvent. A total of 80 samples were prepared and divided into 20 samples for the surface roughness test and 60 samples for the shear bond strength test. Failure type was assessed visually. Results: Shear bond strength and surface roughness values of un treated samples were lower in comparison to surface treated groups; the greatest post thermocycling bond strength value was recorded for the sam
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