• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.69-83
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• 2019

This paper investigates the structural behavior of very high strength concrete encased steel composite columns via combined experimental and analytical study. The experimental programme examines stub composite columns under pure compression and eccentric compression. The experimental results show that the high strength encased concrete composite column exhibits brittle post peak behavior and low ductility but has acceptable compressive resistance. The high strength concrete encased composite column subjected to early spalling and initial flexural cracking due to its brittle nature that may degrade the stiffness and ultimate resistance. The analytical study compares the current code methods (ACI 318, Eurocode 4, AISC 360 and Chinese JGJ 138) in predicting the compressive resistance of the high strength concrete encased composite columns to verify the accuracy. The plastic design resistance may not be fully achieved. A database including the concrete encased composite column under concentered and eccentric compression is established to verify the predictions using the proposed elastic, elastoplastic and plastic methods. Image-oriented intelligent recognition tool-based fiber element method is programmed to predict the load resistances. It is found that the plastic method can give an accurate prediction of the load resistance for the encased composite column using normal strength concrete (20-60 MPa) while the elastoplastic method provides reasonably conservative predictions for the encased composite column using high strength concrete (60-120 MPa).

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.96-107
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• 2022

PURPOSE. Microstructural and physico-mechanical characterization of highly translucent zirconia, prepared by milling technology (CAD-CAM) and repeated firing cycles, was the main aim of this in vitro study. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Two groups of samples of two commercial highly-translucent yttria-stabilized dental zirconia, VITA YZ-HT^White (Group A) and Zolid HT + White (Group B), with dimensions according to the ISO 6872 "Dentistry - Ceramic materials", were prepared. The specimens of each group were divided into two subgroups. The specimens of the first subgroups (Group A₁ and Group B₁) were merely the sintered specimens. The specimens of the second subgroups (Group A₂ and Group B₂) were subjected to 4 heat treatment cycles. The microstructural features (microstructure, density, grain size, crystalline phases, and crystallite size) and four mechanical properties (flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, Vickers hardness, and fracture toughness) of the subgroups (i.e. before and after heat treatment) were compared. The statistical significance between the subgroups (A₁/A₂, and B₁/B₂) was evaluated by the t-test. In all tests, P values smaller than 5% were considered statistically significant. RESULTS. A homogenous microstructure, with no residual porosity and grains sized between 500 and 450 nm for group A and B, respectively, was observed. Crystalline yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia was exclusively registered in the X-ray diffractograms. The mechanical properties decreased after the heat treatment procedure, but the differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION. The produced zirconia ceramic materials can be safely (i.e., according to the ISO 6872) used in extensive fixed prosthetic restorations, such as substructure ceramics for three-unit prostheses involving the molar restoration and substructure ceramics for prostheses involving four or more units. Consequently, milling technology is an effective manufacturing technology for producing zirconia substructures for dental fixed all-ceramic prosthetic restorations.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.97-111
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• 2022

In the present article, silica nanoparticles (SNPs) were exploited to improve the tribological and mechanical properties of vinyl ester/glass fiber composites. To the best of our knowledge, there hasn't been any prior study on the wear properties of glass fiber reinforced vinyl ester SiO₂ nanocomposites. The wear resistance is a critical concern in many industries which needs to be managed effectively to reduce high costs. To examine the influence of SNPs on the mechanical properties, seven different weight percentages of vinyl ester/nano-silica composites were initially fabricated. Afterward, based on the tensile testing results of the silica nanocomposites, four wt% of SNPs were selected to fabricate a ternary composite composed of vinyl ester/glass fiber/nano-silica using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding. At the next stage, the tensile, three-point flexural, Charpy impact, and pin-on-disk wear tests were performed on the ternary composites. The fractured surfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images after conducting previous tests. The most important and interesting result of this study was the development of a nanocomposite that exhibited a 52.2% decrease in the mean coefficient of friction (COF) by augmenting the SNPs, which is beneficial for the fabrication/repair of composite/steel energy pipelines as well as hydraulic and pneumatic pipe systems conveying abrasive materials. Moreover, the weight loss due to wearing the ternary composite containing one wt% of SNPs was significantly reduced by 70%. Such enhanced property of the fabricated nanocomposite may also be an important design factor for marine structures, bridges, and transportation of wind turbine blades.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.447-456
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• 2022

Recent experimental studies showed that deep steel I-shaped profiles classified as high ductility class sections in seismic design international codes exhibit low deformation capacity when subjected to cyclic loading. This paper presents an innovative retrofit solution to increase the rotation capacity of beams using bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) patches validated with advanced finite element analysis. This investigation focuses on the flexural cyclic behaviour of I-shaped hot rolled steel deep section used as beams in moment-resisting frames (MRF) retrofitted with CFRP patches on the web. The main goal of this CFRP reinforcement is to increase the rotation capacity of the member without increasing the overstrength in order to avoid compromising the strong column-weak beam condition in MRF. A finite element model that simulates the cyclic plasticity behavior of the steel and the damage in the adhesive layer is developed. The damage is modelled using the cohesive zone modelling (CZM) technique that is able to capture the crack initiation and propagation. Details on the modelling techniques including the mesh sensitivity near the fracture zone are presented. The effectiveness of the retrofit solution depends strongly on the selection of the appropriate adhesive. Different adhesive types are investigated where the CZM parameters are calibrated from high fidelity fracture mechanics tests that are thoroughly validated in the literature. This includes a rigid adhesive commonly found in the construction industry and two tough adhesives used in the automotive industry. The results revealed that the CFRP patch can increase the rotation capacity of a steel member considerably when using tough adhesives.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.421-432
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• 2022

Recently, the interminable ozone depletion and the global warming concerns has led to construction industries to seek for construction materials which are eco-friendly. Regarding this, Geopolymer Concrete (GPC) is getting great interest from researchers and scientists, since it can operate by-product waste to replace cement which can lead to the reduction of greenhouse gas emission through its production. Also, compared to ordinary concrete, geopolymer concrete belongs improved mechanical and durability properties. In spite of its positive properties, the practical use of geopolymer concrete is currently limited. This is primarily owing to the scarce structural, design and application knowledge. This study investigates the Mechanical and Durability of Geopolymer Concrete Containing Fibers and Recycled Aggregate. Mixtures of elastoplastic fiber reinforced geopolymer concrete with partial replacement of recycled coarse aggregate in different proportions of 10, 20, 30, and 40% with natural aggregate were fabricated. On the other hand, geopolymer concrete of 100% natural aggregate was prepared as a control specimen. To consider both strength and durability properties and to evaluate the combined effect of recycled coarse aggregate and elastoplastic fiber, an elastoplastic fiber with the ratio of 0.4% and 0.8% were incorporated. The highest compressive strength achieved was 35 MPa when the incorporation of recycled aggregates was 10% with the inclusion of 0.4% elastoplastic fiber. From the result, it was noticed that incorporation of 10% recycled aggregate with 0.8% of the elastoplastic fiber is the perfect combination that can give a GPC having enhanced tensile strength. When specimens exposed to freezing-thawing condition, the physical appearance, compressive strength, weight loss, and ultrasonic pulse velocity of the samples was investigated. In general, all specimens tested performed resistance to freezing thawing. the obtained results indicated that combination of recycled aggregate and elastoplastic fiber up to some extent could be achieved a geopolymer concrete that can replace conventional concrete.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.69-84
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• 2023

This paper proposes a novel frame element on Winkler-Pasternak foundation for analysis of a non-ductile reinforced concrete (RC) member resting on foundation. These structural members represent flexural-shear critical members, which are commonly found in existing buildings designed and constructed with the old seismic design standards (inadequately detailed transverse reinforcement). As a result, these structures always experience shear failure or flexure-shear failure under seismic loading. To predict the characteristics of these non-ductile structures, efficient numerical models are required. Therefore, the novel frame element on Winkler-Pasternak foundation with inclusion of the shear-flexure interaction effect is developed in this study. The proposed model is derived within the framework of a displacement-based formulation and fiber section model under Timoshenko beam theory. Uniaxial nonlinear material constitutive models are employed to represent the characteristics of non-ductile RC frame and the underlying foundation. The shear-flexure interaction effect is expressed within the shear constitutive model based on the UCSD shear-strength model as demonstrated in this paper. From several features of the presented model, the proposed model is simple but able to capture several salient characteristics of the non-ductile RC frame resting on foundation, such as failure behavior, soil-structure interaction, and shear-flexure interaction. This confirms through two numerical simulations.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.107-115
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• 2022

With the improvements in computer technologies, utilization of image processing techniques has increased in many areas (such as medicine, defence industry, other industries etc.) Many different image processing techniques are used for surface analysis, detection of manufacturing defects, and determination of physical and mechanical characteristics of composite materials. In this study, cementitious composites were obtained by addition of Grounded Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (GGBFS), Styrene Butadiene polymer (SBR), and Grounded Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag and Styrene Butadiene polymer together (GGBFS+SBR). Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) beads were added to these cementitious composites in different ratios (20%, 40% and 60%). The mechanical and physical characteristics of the composites were determined, and homogeneity indexes of the composites were determined by image processing techniques to determine EPS distribution forms in them. Physical and mechanical characteristics of the produced samples were obtained by applying consistency, density, water absorption, compressive strength (7 and 28 days), flexural strength (7 and 28 days) and tensile splitting strength (7 and 28 days) tests on them. Also, visual examination by using digital microscope, and image analysis by using image processing techniques with open source coded ImageJ program were performed. As a result of the study, it is determined that GGBFS and SBR addition strengthens the adhesion sites formed as it increases the adhesion power of the mixture and helps to get rid of the segregation problem caused by EPS. As a result of the image processing analysis it is demonstrated that GGBFS and SBR addition has positive contribution on homogeneity index.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.3A
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• pp.421-428
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• 2006

This study was performed by using experiment to minimize behavior difference of Monolithic and segmental Girder and to prove the design concept of the PSI (Precast PSC-Segmental I Grider). A full scale girder test was performed in four different cases, the monolithic girder, the segmental girder type-1, the segmental girder type-2 and the segmental girder type-3. The monolithic girder that was produced in one body 25 m span and the segmental girder that was jointed 5-sliced 5 m segment. The girder was built by as one body prestressing the tendons after manufacturing the segmental girder, and second prestressing after the casting of the slab concrete. The test result shows that the measured values were almost same or slightly bigger than the theoretical values which means that the PSI girder bridges concept came out to be reliable.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.85 no.4
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• pp.531-543
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• 2023

The existing concrete bridges are time-varying working systems, where the maintenance strategy should be planned according to the time-varying performance of the bridge. This work proposes a time-dependent residual capacity assessment procedure, which considers the non-stationary bridge load effects under growing traffic and non-stationary structural deterioration owing to material degradations. Lifetime bridge load effects under traffic growth are predicated by the non-stationary peaks-over-threshold (POT) method using time-dependent generalized Pareto distribution (GPD) models. The non-stationary structural resistance owing to material degradation is modeled by incorporating the Gamma deterioration process and field inspection data. A three-span continuous box-girder bridge is illustrated as an example to demonstrate the application of the proposed procedure, and the time-varying reliability indexes of the bridge girder are calculated. The accuracy of the proposed non-stationary POT method is verified through numerical examples, where the shape parameter of the time-varying GPD model is constant but the threshold and scale parameters are polynomial functions increasing with time. The case study illustrates that the residual flexural capacities show a degradation trend from a slow decrease to an accelerated decrease under traffic growth and material degradation. The reliability index for the mid-span cross-section reduces from 4.91 to 4.55 after being in service for 100 years, and the value is from 4.96 to 4.75 for the mid-support cross-section. The studied bridge shows no safety risk under traffic growth and structural deterioration owing to its high design safety reserve. However, applying the proposed numerical approach to analyze the degradation of residual bearing capacity for bridge structures with low safety reserves is of great significance for management and maintenance.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.467-484
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• 2023

Despite the significant features of fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (FRCCs), including better mechanical, fractural, and durability performance, their high content of cement has restricted their use in the construction industry. Although ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) is considered the main supplementary cementitious material, its slow pozzolanic reaction stands against its application. The addition of nano-sized mineral modifiers, including nano-silica (NS), is an alternative to address the drawbacks of using GGBFS. The main object of this empirical and numerical research is to examine the effect of NS on the strain-hardening behavior of cementitious composites; ten mixes were designed, and five levels of NS were considered. This study proposes a new method, using a four-point bending test to assess the use of nano-silica (NS) on the flexural behavior, first cracking strength, fracture energy, and micromechanical parameters including interfacial friction bond strength and maximum bridging stress. Digital image correlation (DIC) was used for monitoring the initiation and propagation of the cracks. In addition, to attain a deep comprehension of fiber/matrix interaction, scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis was used. It was discovered that using nano-silica (NS) in cementitious materials results in an enhancement in the matrix toughness, which prevents multiple cracking and, therefore, strain-hardening. In addition, adding NS enhanced the interfacial transition zone between matrix and fiber, leading to a higher interfacial friction bond strength, which helps multiple cracking in the composite due to the hydrophobic nature of polypropylene (PP) fibers. The findings of this research provide insight into finding the optimum percent of NS in which both ductility and high tensile strength of the composites would be satisfied. As a concluding remark, a new criterion is proposed, showing that the optimum value of nano-silica is 2%. The findings and proposed method of this study can facilitate the design and utilization of green cementitious composites in structures.