• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제11권3호
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• pp.219-229
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• 2021

In recent years, geopolymer cements, have gained significant attention as an environmental-friendly type of cement. In this experimental research, effects of different alkaline activator solutions and variations of associated parameters, including time of addition, concentration, and weight ratio, on the mechanical strengths of Granulated Ground Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS)-based Geopolymer Concrete (GPC) were investigated. Investigation of the effects of simultaneous usage of KOH and NaOH solutions on the tensile and flexural strengths of GGBFS-based GPC, and the influence of NaOH solution addition time delay on the mechanical strengths is among the novel aspects investigated in this research. four series of mix designs and corresponding specimen testing is conducted to study different parameters of the active alkali solutions on GPC mechanical strengths. The results showed that addition of NaOH to the mix after 3 min of mixing KOH and Na2SiO3 with dry components (1/3 of the total mixing duration) resulted in the highest compressive, tensile and flexural strengths amongst other cases. Moreover, increasing the KOH concentration up to 12 M resulted in the highest compressive strength, while weight ratio of 1.5 for Na2SiO3/KOH was the optimum value to achieve highest compressive strengths.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제22권6호
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• pp.597-608
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• 2022

One of the most important parameters affecting nonlinearsoil-structure interaction, especially rocking foundation, is the vertical factor of safety (F.S_v). In this research, the effect of F.S_v on the behavior of rocking foundations was experimentally investigated. A set of slow, cyclic, horizontal loading tests was conducted on elastic SDOF structures with different shallow foundations. Vertical bearing capacity tests also were conducted to determine the F.S_v more precisely. Furthermore, 10% silt was mixed with the dry sand at a 5% moisture content to reach the minimum apparent cohesion. The results of the vertical bearing capacity tests showed that the bearing capacity coefficients (N_c and N_γ) were influenced by the scaling effect. The results of horizontal cyclic loading tests showed that the trend of increase in capacity was substantially related to the source of nonlinearity and it varied by changing F.S_v. Stiffness degradation was found to occur in the final cycles of loading. The results indicated that the moment capacity and damping ratio of the system in models with lower F.S_v values depended on soil specifications such cohesiveness or non-cohesiveness and were not just a function of F.S_v.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제28권3호
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• pp.239-253
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• 2022

Suitable techniques to stabilize organic soil and improve its engineering behaviour are in demand. Despite various alternatives, nano-additives proved to be an effective stabilizer owing to their strength enhancing properties. The study focuses on using nano-silica as a potential stabilizer to improve organic silt. Soil was treated with four dosages of nano-silica namely 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6% and 0.8% of dry weight of the soil. Nano-silica treated soil showed a strength increase of nearly 25% at a dosage of 0.4% after curing for two hours. Strength of the treated soil improved with age. Strength improved by nearly 62.9% after 28 days of curing and 221.4% after 180 days of curing due to formation of Calcium - Silicate - Hydrate (CSH) gel in the soil matrix. Dosage of 0.6% nano-silica is observed to be the optimum dosage. Coefficient of permeability and compression index showed an increase by 13.32 and 5.5 times respectively owing to aggregation of particles and creation of void spaces as visualized from the scanning electron micrographs. Further model foundation study and numerical parametric studies using PLAXIS 2D indicate that optimized and economic results can be obtained by varying the additive dosage with depth.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.211-218
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• 2022

This study characterizes Proctor and geophysical properties in a broad range of grading and fines contents. The results show that soil index properties such as uniformity and fines plasticity control the optimum water content and peak dry unit trends, as well as elastic wave velocity. The capillary pressure at a degree of saturation less than S = 20% plays a critical role in determining the shear wave velocity for poorly graded sandy soils. The reduction in electrical resistivity with a higher water content becomes pronounced as the water phase is connected A parallel set of compaction and geophysical properties of sand-kaolinite mixtures reveal that the threshold boundaries computed from soil index properties adequately capture the transitions from sand-controlled to kaolinite-controlled behavior. In the transitional fines fraction zone between F_F ≈ 20 and 40%, either sand or kaolinite or both sand and kaolinite could dominate the geophysical properties and all other properties associated with soil compaction behavior. Overall, the compaction and geophysical data gathered in this study can be used to gain a first-order approximation of the degree of compaction in the field and produce degree of compaction maps as a function of water content and fines fraction.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.341-354
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• 2022

Treatment of solid waste building materials is a crucial method of disposal and an area of ongoing research. New standards for the treatment of solid waste building materials are necessary due to multisource features, huge quantities, and complicated compositions of solid waste. In this research, sustainable nanomaterial mixtures containing nano-paper waste (NPW) and nano-metakaolin (NMK) were used as a substitute for Portland cement. Portland cement was replaced with different ratios of NPW and NMK (0%, 4%, 8%, and 12% by weight of cement) while the cement-to-water ratio remained constant at 0.4 in all mortar mixtures. The fresh properties had a positive effect on them, and with the increase in the percentage of replacement, the fresh properties decreased. The results of compressive strength at 7 and 28 days and flexural strength at 28 days show that the nanomaterials improved the strength, but the results of NMK were better than those of NPW. The best replacement rate was 8%, followed by 4%, and finally 12% for both materials. The combination of NMK and NPW as a replacement (12% NMK + 12% NPW) showed less shrinkage than the others because of the high pozzolanic reactivity of the nanomaterials. The combination of NMK and NPW improved the microstructure by increasing the hydration volume and lowering the water in the cement matrix, as clearly observed in the C-S-H decomposition.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.127-149
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• 2023

A theoretical method is developed to analyze the free vibration of an elastic annular plate in contact with an ideal liquid. The displacement potential functions of the contained liquid are expressed as a combination of the Bessel functions that satisfy the Laplace equation and the liquid boundary conditions. The compatibility condition along the interface between the annular plate and the contained liquid is taken into account to consider the fluid-structure coupling. The dynamic displacement of the wet annular plate is assumed to be a combination of dry eigenfunctions, allowing for prediction of the natural frequencies using the Rayleigh-Ritz method. The study investigates the effect of radial liquid boundary conditions on the natural frequencies of the wet annular plate, considering four types of liquid bounding: outer container bounded, outer and inner bounded, inner bounded, and radially unbounded. The proposed theoretical method is validated by comparing the predicted wet natural frequencies with those obtained from finite element analysis, showing excellent accuracy. The results indicate that the radial liquid bounding effect on the natural frequencies is negligible for the axisymmetric vibrational mode, but relatively significant for the mode with one nodal diameter (n =1) and no nodal circle (m' = 0). Furthermore, the study reveals that the wet natural frequencies are the largest for the plate with an inner bounded cylinder among the radial liquid boundary cases, regardless of the vibration mode.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.233-242
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• 2022

An attempt is made to develop an eco-friendly concrete with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and pond ash as partial replacement materials for cement and fine aggregate, respectively without compromising the strength and durability. Sixteen concrete mixes were developed by replacing cement and fine aggregate by GGBS and pond ash, respectively in stages of 10%. The maximum replacement levels of cement and fine aggregates were 50% and 30% respectively. Experimental results revealed that the optimum percentage of GGBS and pond ash replacement levels were 30% and 20% respectively. The optimized mix was used further to study the flexural behavior and durability properties. Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams were cast and tested under a four-point bending configuration. Also, the specimens prepared from the optimized mix were subjected to alternate wet and dry cycles of acid (3.5% HCl and H₂SO₄) and sulphate (10% MgSO₄) solutions. Results show that the optimized concrete mix with GGBS and pond ash had a negligible weight loss and strength reduction.

• Wind and Structures
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.57-78
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• 2023

In this study, a generalized three-degree-of-freedom (3-DoF) analytical model is formulated to predict linear aerodynamic instabilities of a prism under quasi-steady (QS) conditions. The prism is assumed to possess a generic cross-section exposed to turbulent wind flow. The 3-DoFs encompass two orthogonal horizontal directions and rotation about the prism body axis. Inertial coupling is considered to account for the non-coincidence of the mass center and the rotation center. The aerodynamic force coefficients-drag, lift, and moment-depend on the Reynolds number based on relative flow velocity, angle of attack, and the angle between the wind and the cable. Aerodynamic forces are linearized with respect to the static equilibrium configuration and mean wind velocity. Routh-Hurwitz and Liénard and Chipart criteria are used in the eigenvalue problem, yielding an analytical solution for instabilities in galloping and static divergence types. Additionally, the minimum structural damping and stiffness required to prevent these instabilities are numerically determined. The proposed 3-DoF instability model is subsequently applied to a conductor with ice accretion and a full-scale dry inclined cable. In comparison to existing models, the developed model demonstrates superior prediction accuracy for unstable regions compared with results in wind tunnel tests.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제29권5호
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• pp.549-565
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• 2022

Severe acid rains can be a major source for geotechnical and environmental problems in any soil depending on the acid type and concentration. Hence, this study investigates the individual severe effects of sulfuric, hydrochloric and nitric acids on the geotechnical properties of real field soil through a series of experimental laboratory tests. The laboratory program consists of experimental tests such as consistency, compaction, unconfined compression, pH determination, electrical conductivity, total dissolved salts, total suspended solids, gypsum and carbonates contents. The experimental tests have been performed on the untreated soil and individual acid treated soil for acid concentrations range of 0% to 20% by weight. In addition, a unique hyperbolic mathematical model has been used to predict significant geotechnical characteristics for acid treated soil. The plastic and liquid limits and optimum moisture content have been increased under the effect of all the used acids whereas the maximum dry density and unconfined stress-strain behavior have been decreased with increasing the acid concentrations. Moreover, the used hyperbolic mathematical model has predicted all the geotechnical characteristics very well with a very high coefficient of determination (R²) value and lowest root mean square error (RMSE) estimate.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.215-225
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• 2022

Thermal comfort and energy conservation are critical issues in the building sector. Energy consumption in the building sector should be reduced whilst enhancing the thermal comfort of occupants. Concrete is the most widely used construction material in buildings. Its thermal conductivity (k-value) has a direct effect on thermal comfort perception. This study aims to find the optimum value of replacing the normal aggregate with lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) under high strengths and low thermal conductivity, density and water absorption. The k-value of the LECA concrete and its physical and mechanical properties have varying correlations. Results indicate that the oven-dry density, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and k-value of concrete decrease when normal coarse aggregates are replaced with LECA. However, water absorption (initial and final) increases. Thermal conductivity and the physical and mechanical properties have a strong correlation. The statistical optimisation of the experimental data shows that the 39% replacement of normal coarse aggregate by LECA is the optimum value for maximising the compressive and splitting tensile strengths whilst maintaining the k-value, density and water absorption at a minimum.