A novel demountable shear connector for precast steel-concrete composite bridges is presented. The connector uses high-strength steel bolts, which are fastened to the top flange of the steel beam with the aid of a special locking nut configuration that prevents bolts from slipping within their holes. Moreover, the connector promotes accelerated construction and overcomes the typical construction tolerance issues of precast structures. Most importantly, the connector allows bridge disassembly. Therefore, it can address different bridge deterioration scenarios with minimum disturbance to traffic flow including the following: (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, whereas precast decks and shear connectors can be reused. A series of push-out tests are conducted to assess the behavior of the connector and quantify the effect of important parameters. The experimental results show shear resistance, stiffness, and slip capacity significantly higher than those of welded shear studs along with superior stiffness and strength against slab uplift. Identical tests reveal negligible scatter in the shear load-slip displacement behavior. A design equation is proposed to predict the shear resistance with absolute error less than 8%.
Field trial was conducted with the aim of utilizing extract of allelopathic crop to reduce the use of synthetic herbicides in wheat fields. Sorghum extract at 12 L /ha, sunflower extract at 12 L /ha, combination of sorghum and sunflower extracts at 12 L /ha and chevalier at 25, 50 and 100% of recommended dose were applied alone or in combination with each other. Weed free and weedy check treatments were included for comparison. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results showed that the recommended dose of chevalier treatment recorded lowest means of weed density 15.7, 23.7, 25.3 and 27.9 weeds m-2and weeds dry weight 13.4, 16.4, 23.3 and 29.2 g m-2 and gave
... Show MoreRisk identification and assessment can be analysed using many risk management tools. Fishbone diagram is one of these techniques which can be employed, for the identification of the causes behind the construction failure, which has become a phenomenon that often gets repeated in several projects. If these failures are not understood and handled scientifically, it may lead to disputes between the project parties. Additionally, the construction failure also leads to an increase in the project budget, which in turn causes a delay in the completion of the projects. Punching shear in reinforcement slab may be one of the reasons for construction failures. However, there are many doubts about other causes that lead to this failure as w
... Show MoreThe roots of international relations: peace or war: A critical review A great debate has taken place about international relations between scholars concerning peace and War .The concept of root is matched with that of exception. And the importance of the research lies in the ensuing results in the report about the legitimacy of war and the space it holds, so if the origin of international relation is war .the obstacles against it are going to decrease .and if the origin lies in peace then the dimension of its legitimacy will narrow. key words: international relation –peace-war. Résumé : L’Origine des relations internationales : guerre ou paix : révisions critiques L’origine des relations internationales entre guerre et paix, a s
... Show MoreStructure type and disorder have become important questions in catalyst design, with the most active catalysts often noted to be “disordered” or “amorphous” in nature. To quantify the effects of disorder and structure type systematically, a test set of manganese(III,IV) oxides was developed and their reactivity as oxidants and catalysts tested against three substrates: methylene blue, hydrogen peroxide, and water. We find that disorder destabilizes the materialsthermodynamically, making them stronger chemical oxidantsbut not necessarily better catalysts. For the disproportionation of H2O2 and the oxidative decomposition of methylene blue, MnOx-mediated direct oxidation competes with catalytically mediated oxidation, making the most
... Show MoreLacing reinforcement plays a critical role in the design and performance of reinforced concrete (RC) slabs by distributing the applied loads more evenly across the slab, ensuring that no specific area of the slab is overloaded. In this study, nine slabs, divided into three groups according to the investigated parameters, were meticulously designed and evaluated to study the interplay between the lacing reinforcement and other key parameters. Each slab was crafted for simple support and was subjected to both static and repeated two-point load tests. The lacing reinforcement had an angle of 45° with various tension and lacing steel. The repeated-tested specimens with lacing reinforcement experienced smaller ductility than those of s
... Show MoreLacing reinforcement plays a critical role in the design and performance of reinforced concrete (RC) slabs by distributing the applied loads more evenly across the slab, ensuring that no specific area of the slab is overloaded. In this study, nine slabs, divided into three groups according to the investigated parameters, were meticulously designed and evaluated to study the interplay between the lacing reinforcement and other key parameters. Each slab was crafted for simple support and was subjected to both static and repeated two-point load tests. The lacing reinforcement had an angle of 45° with various tension and lacing steel. The repeated-tested specimens with lacing reinforcement experienced smaller ductility than those of s
... Show MoreAddition of bioactive materials such as Titanium oxide (TiO2), and incorporation of bio inert ceramic such as alumina (Al2O3), into polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has been adopted as an effective approach to improve bone-implant interfaces. In this paper, hot pressing technique has been adopted as a production method. This technique gave a homogenous distribution of the additive materials in the proposed composite biomaterial. Different compositions and compounding temperatures have been applied to all samples. Mechanical properties and animal model have been studied in all different production conditions. The results of these new TiO2/Al2O3/PEEK biocomposites with different
... Show MoreIn this paper we use Bernstein polynomials for deriving the modified Simpson's 3/8 , and the composite modified Simpson's 3/8 to solve one dimensional linear Volterra integral equations of the second kind , and we find that the solution computed by this procedure is very close to exact solution.
Two different polyvinyl alcohol/polyvinyl chloride (PVA/PVC) hollow fiber composite nanofiltration membranes were prepared after PVC hollow fiber membranes were coated using dip-coating method with PVA aqueous solution, which was composed of PVA, fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO9), and water [PVA/AEO9/water (4:0.5:95.5) wt%]. Effect of two different PVC hollow fiber immersion times in coating solution were studied. Cross-section, internal and external surfaces of the PVC hollow fibers and PVA/PVC composite nanofiltration membranes structures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), pure water permeation flux and solutes rejection. It was found that, the coating layer thickness on the outer surface of the 19 wt% P
... Show MoreThe modern steer-by-wire (SBW) systems represent a revolutionary departure from traditional automotive designs, replacing mechanical linkages with electronic control mechanisms. However, the integration of such cutting-edge technologies is not without its challenges, and one critical aspect that demands thorough consideration is the presence of nonlinear dynamics and communication network time delays. Therefore, to handle the tracking error caused by the challenge of time delays and to overcome the parameter uncertainties and external perturbations, a robust fast finite-time composite controller (FFTCC) is proposed for improving the performance and safety of the SBW systems in the present article. By lumping the uncertainties, parameter var
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