Journal of Materials and Engineering Structures

519-524

Authors: Farid ASMA, Hocine HAMMOUM

The year 2020 has been a difficult one for most of us; the coronavirus pandemic has not only affected our health and sanity, but has also had a lasting impact on our lives. Now as we enter the year 2021, the Journal of Materials and Engineering Structures (JMES) would like to wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year. We appreciate the contributions and support from around the world to develop and improve JMES publications. We have received the complete trust and gratitude of the authors in the research communities; we promise to do the best we can not only to maintain the scientific excellence of JMES, but also to continue work to improve the best publication practices. This special issue of Journal of Materials and Engineering Structures (JMES) includes manuscripts of some of the presentations at the third International Conference on Sustainability in Civil Engineering (ICSCE 2020), held during 26-27 November, 2020 at Hanoi, Vietnam. We believe that all the papers published in this special issue will be an opportunity for researchers to present recent works on Sustainability in Civil Engineering field. The International Conference on Sustainability in Civil Engineering is very significant to the development of new ideas and the promotion of research into advanced in Sustainability in Civil Engineering field. ICSCE 2020 received more than 200 abstracts and 135 full paper were submitted and 23 were selected for publishing, from all over the world have been rigorously reviewed before being accepted for this special issue. According to their subject and their merit by professionals, twenty three of the best papers presented at the ICSCE 2020 Conference are included in the issue, from six different countries (Vietnam, Japan, Portugal, China, Australia and Malaysia). The two first papers are keynote speakers. The first paper aims to improve the use of recycled aggregates prepared using the aggregate replacement method, reducing both the environmental burden and costs associated with concrete waste. The second paper gives a focus on the recent developments on the assessment and forecasting the performance of bridge and other structures including an overview of the different types of structures, especially those related to transportation infrastructure. Some papers deal with the subject of durability relating to different themes of civil engineering, such as the performance of concrete reinforced with FRP, Properties of polymer concrete used for repairing portland cement and recycled concrete aggregate by cement. Other topics, as important as they are diverse are also discussed in this issue such as prestressed concrete, steel corrosion, asphalt pavement,... We would like to thank all the authors who contributed to this special issue. Below you will find important information on the Third International Conference on Sustainability in Civil Engineering, such as the purpose and scope and the main themes of ICSCE 2020.

551-559

Authors: José C. Matos, Sérgio Fernandes, Hélder S. Sousa, Mário Coelho, Elisabete Teixeira, Yina Moscoso, Joaquim Tinoco

The process of managing a stock of existing bridges and structures is extremely complex and challenging. At the same time, it is considered as one of the most relevant and important fields for civil engineers, involving academics, researchers, consultants, contractors, and owners. Indeed, in the recent years, several national and international R&D funded projects raised this topic, and many international associations, such as EuroStruct, IABSE& fib, started commissions and task groups on this field. This work consists on an overview of the most recent matters on this field, covering the whole cycle, from the quality control, addressing extreme events, to the decision making process. Also, it will be given a focus on the recent developments on the assessment and forecasting the performance of bridge and other structures. Finally, an overview will be made for different types of structures, specifically those related to transport infrastructures.

567-574

Authors: Duy Hoa Pham, Ba Danh Le, Dang Tung Khuc, Thanh Quang Vu, Trong Toan Khong, Van Trinh Do, Quy Tuan Ngo

The objective of this paper is to investigate the bond properties of prestressing strands embedded in Ultra–High–Performance Concrete (UHPC).The UHPC was made in laboratory using local materials in Vietnam.Its mixture contains: silica aggregates, portland cement PC40, fly ash, silica fume, polycarboxylate superplasticizer and the micro steel fibers.The experimental process is realized on a pull-out test. The volume fraction of micro steel fibers in UHPC was 2%. The prestressing strand with diameters of 15.2mm was considered. The interface shear strength between strand and UHPC is identified based on the results of force and displacement obtained during the pull-out test. The Cohesive Zone Model (CZM) is implemented in finite element model to study this interface behavior. This model described by a piecewise linear elastic law. The CZM’s parameters are identified based on experimental results of pull-out test.The numerical studies are used the CZM in ANSYS software. Two numerical tests are realized and compared with experimental results: pull-out test and other test to verify the deflection of I girder due to prestressing force.

583-589

Authors: Pham Huy Khang, Nguyen Trong Hiep

Polymer concrete (PC) is a popular construction material used for repair, thin overlays for floors and bridge decks, and other specialized fields such as precast components, machine construction. The material has many desirable properties such as fast curing, high compressive and flexural strength, high bonding to substrate, resistance to chemical agents. This study focuses on finding the suitable PC content oriented for repairing works of airfield Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement. An experimental program was designed to investigate the mechanical properties of PC mixtures with polymer resin and filler contents varied in the ranges of 12-22 wt. % and 0-20 wt. %, respectively. The tests were conducted in accordance with the Vietnam standards system, for all samples at 2-hour-age and room condition. The test results showed that the highest values of compressive and flexural strengths and elastic modulus were 95.9 MPa, 18.7 MPa, and 37.8 GPa, respectively, at the same mixture of 22 wt. % polymer binder and 20 wt. % filler content. For samples of more than 18 wt. % of polymer binder, the direct pull-off tests demonstrated that the PC perfectly bonded to the existing PCC, with all failure locations occurred in PCC substrate. The abrasion test showed that all PC mixtures has lost only less than 0.09 g/cm2, about one-third of regulated value for airfield pavement.

597-603

Authors: Nguyen Phuong Duy, Tran Duc Lan

Wind induced vibrations are considering as one of the major concerns of the owner, the engineers and contractors of stay cable bridges. This paper presents in premier lieu the assessment of the vibration monitoring data from the pre-installed accelerometers on the longest cables of the Bach Dang bridge, Quang Ninh province. The identified cables natural frequencies based on the ambient vibration monitoring data were then compared to the taut string vibrating model calculation based on lift-off tension forces showing a good concordant. The enhanced damping of the cables stayed were then estimated and compared to the damping test results of another stay cables bridge recently performed in Vietnam with similar range of cables length. The damping prediction are quite in line with the damping test results and comparable also to those given in most of International Standard for stay cable. Finally, the identified natural frequencies and predicted intrinsic damping were used for an assessment of the wind induced vibration instability including the wind/rain induced vibration, wake galloping and vortex excitation.

613-618

Authors: Tran Anh Dung, Le Hai Ha, Tran The Truyen, Nguyen Hong Phong

Highway-railway grade crossings are an important part of the transportation system. It allows two types of vehicles to operate in the same areas. Researchers have previously studied the grade crossings, but research on the monolithic prestressed concrete slab (PSCS) track at grade crossings for 1,000mm gauge is limited. At present, there are many types of grade crossing structures that are using in Vietnam. However, these structures still have many disadvantages in the operation process. A new structure type of grade crossing for PSCS is proposed to apply for the 1,000 mm gauge to overcome the main disadvantages of existing structural types. This paper presents test production and experimental measurements to analyze the behavior of PSCS. Test samples of monolithic PSCS were produced in factory. Measurement experiments were conducted in the laboratory. The results of the manufacturing and testing process presented in this paper show that this structure completely meets the criteria of stability and durability under the effect of test loads.

627-632

Authors: Huu-Dao Do, Van-Ngoc Pham, Anand J. Puppala, Duc-Manh Nguyen

The paper presents the vertical bearing capacity of bored piles from the bi-directional load test (O-Cell method) at the Tra Khuc dam-bridge project in Quang Ngai province. The dam structure was supported by approximately 400 bored piles with the diameter of D1200 mm and the length of 27 m to 50 m. The ground includes the sand, clay and weathered rock layers with the SPT index (N30) from 8 to 80. The pile's tips were socketed in the granite layer with the average compressive strength of 18.6 MPa. Two test piles with the length of 29.1 m (T1N) and 42.75 m (T8N) were conducted O-Cell test. The side friction of soil layers and pile tip resistance were analyzed. The axial strain obtained from strain gages were used to analyze the axial load distribution along the depth of the pile. The test results show that the side resistance of the piles in the weathered rock mixed is 77.14 kPa for the pile T1N and 72.34 kPa for the pile T8N (approximately 50% of the total side resistance) which are not the ultimate shaft resistance of the piles in this layer. As its’ advantages, the bi-directional load test could be applied widely in the narrow site or on river condition in Vietnam.

639-644

Authors: Ji Chen, Bangyao Zhong, Jianxin Yang, Xuenan Zheng, Xuegang Zhu, Qiang Tang

Pipe jacking construction in complex soil layers and soil conditions remains to be a tough issue, because various factors are supposed to be considered and the jacking parameters needs optimization. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of pipe jacking on surface settlement, soil deformation and pipe-soil interaction in a numerical model of pipe jacking through deep soft soil, which is a simulated construction of urban underground sewage pipeline. The results show that the pipe jacking construction adopted in the deep soft soil layer has little effect on the surrounding soil layers. And the maximum ground settlement is only about 8 mm. The impact of pipe jacking construction in deep soft soil layer on ground settlement is about 6 times the diameter of the jacking pipe along the pipe axis. Finally, the input force needs to be selected according to the condition of the soil layer to ensure the safety of the pipe jacking construction.

651-658

Authors: Phe Van Pham, Xuan Huy Nguyen

Elastic and inelastic moment resistances of W-steel beams with considering the effects of initial imperfections and residual stresses are numerically investigated in the present study. The numerical model is implemented in ABAQUS in which residual stresses are incorporated by using initial conditions while the initial imperfection is imported through the first lateral-torsional buckling mode. By comparing the FEA moment resistances of W250x45 steel beams against those of the CSA S16 and Eurocodes 3 design standards, it is observed that (i) If the effects of initial imperfections and residual stresses are excluded, the inelastic resistances are close to a fully plasticized section moment. In contrast, if the effects are included, the inelastic resistances are significantly smaller than the fully plasticized moment. (ii) The effects of initial imperfections on the moment resistance are significant for intermediate and long spans. Although the initial imperfection taken in the present study is 4.0 mm, that is within the allowable limit specified in the design standards (i.e., not greater than L/1000), the moment resistances with the taken imperfection are considerably smaller than the design moments specified in the design standards, and (iii) When considering steel beams with the effects of initial imperfection and residual stresses, the moment resistances based on the CSA S16 and EC3-6.3.2.3 solutions are higher, while those based on EC3-6.3.2.2 solution are lower than the moment capacities of the beams with the initial imperfection. This indicates that EC3-6.3.2.2 clause is the most safety design for the moment resistances.

669-675

Authors: Huynh Xuan Tin, Nguyen Trung Truc, Tran Tri Quang, Ngo Thanh Thuy

The experiment consists of twenty-four mid-scale rectangular RC columns (200x200x800mm) strengthening by BFRP sheets and research variables include: BFRP layer (0, 1, and 3 layers); eccentricity (25mm and 75mm); and 4 levels of steel corrosion. The results reveal that SEL (ratio of ultimate load of strengthened member to that of corresponding controlled member) is direct proportion with steel corrosion while SEV (ratio of ultimate vertical displacement of strengthened member to that of corresponding controlled member) is inverse proportion with steel corrosion; SEL slightly increases with the increase of BFRP layer and eccentricity; but SEV decreases noticeably with the increase of BFRP layer and eccentricity. In addition,the interaction between FRP sheets, stirrups, and longitudinal reinforcement in steel degraded BFRP strengthened columns is very strong.However, column design basing on current design manuals and codes as ACI 440.2R and CNR DT 200R1 has not mentioned this affect. Thus, the load capacity prediction of column being strengthened by BFRP sheets should include levels of steel corrosion for reality, reasonable, and integral of the design.

685-693

Authors: Nguyen Anh Duc, Dosho Yasuhiro, Nishikigi Kenji, Dinh Van Linh

Since the 19th century, concrete has been a fundamental construction material. It is the most popular manmade material in the world because of its more reliable workability, greater durability, and lower cost compared with other construction materials. However, because of its durability, demolishing or renovating old structures generates a huge amount of concrete waste, which, if not properly treated or reused, can adversely affect the environment. Therefore, the development of concrete-recycling technology is a necessary and pressing requirement for all the countries. This study concerns material design with concrete using low-quality recycled aggregates prepared via an aggregate replacement method. To evaluate the quality of the aggregates in recycled aggregate concrete, experiments were conducted using specimen groups characterized by various mix proportions. Accordingly, when low-quality recycled aggregate is used, by employing the relative quality index method for material design, the manufacturing of recycled aggregate concrete with required performance could be achieved.

703-710

Authors: Nguyen Thi Cam Nhung, Tran Quang Minh

Many construction activities such as pile driving, drilling, roadbed compaction, drilling and blasting tunnels can cause ground vibration, which affects buildings and people nearby. If the wave intensity is high while the distance to neighboring buildings is close, the presence of damage in buildings is inevitable. Determination of the vibration radius which can cause damage in surrounding structures regarding each source of vibration is a necessary requirement for planning, construction technology selection and design method. It can minimize risks to surrounding buildings. The content of this article presents the measurement method to accurately estimate the vibration level of the construction activities of Hanoi pilot urban railway line 3 passing the busy Kim Ma street, Hanoi. High sensitivity vibration accelerometers are gathered in lines from the vibration source. It is shown that predicting the radius of the impact of construction site vibrations to neighboring buildings is possible. If the level of vibration is high then measures can be taken to prevent damage caused by the construction of the Hanoi pilot urban railway line. From obtained results, some solutions are proposed to minimize and avoid possible negative impacts.

329-338

Authors: Mostefa Kara Esma, Sekkel Abdelkrim, Fellah Mohamed, Djellal Abdelkader

This paper illustrated the physical modeling of the phenomenon of Active Earth Pressure and kinetics of rupture in the granular soils. Better, understand the phenomenon of Active Earth Pressure and mechanisms of failure behind the retaining walls will contribute to better conceiving them and will make claims less damaging. The exploitation of a small-scale model filled with Schneebeli material;light two-dimensional material simulating granular non-cohesive soil, allowed tests realization of Active Earth Pressure by moving the mobile wall of the device towards the outside of two-dimensional material. The evolution of the shear bands has highlighted the locations of the deformations. The results showed that the wall's speed of movement influences the failure mechanism and is proportional to the disturbance of the granular soil. In perspective, it would be judicious to explore the failure on real soil reinforced by recycled materials.

359-375

Authors: Omar Amellal, Mahmoud Bensaibi

The use of metal structures is increasingly used. This is due to the fact that these structures are quick to erect (saving time and money) and make it possible to obtain interesting technical characteristics (spans and heights). These structures can be built in seismic zones and therefore despite their ductility can be damaged. This aspect has been very little addressed. Therefore, it is proposed within the framework of this study to investigate the seismic vulnerability of steel structures using the "vulnerability index" method. Parameters having an influence on the seismic behavior of steel frames were identified and then weighting coefficients for these parameters were calculated using the "Push-over" method. To do this, finite element models were developed and vulnerability classes were defined. Damage probability matrices and seismic vulnerability curves as well as a classification of metallic structures according to their vulnerability were developed. Validation and application cases have been processed and the obtained results are in adequacy what observations made in situ.

389-415

Authors: Khencha Khadidja, Ratiba Wided Biara, Hocine Belmili

Currently, the façades of the desert buildings have witnessed and remarkably widespread use of glass. But, without any regard to the lowest harsh climate data. However, this exaggerated use of glass in the contemporary facades of the buildings may cause many problems, especially at the level of thermal comfort of the user. Hence, the excessive energy consumption resulting from heat exchange through the glass. With the current technological developments and the development of new and advanced building materials of glass, who can be used to reduce excessive energy consumption. Among these, materials are insulating glass and energy-producing at the same time. However, how effective is this type of glass in contemporary desert architecture? What is their efficiency at the level of thermal performance inside the building and even on the level of user comfort (heat exchange, production, and energy-saving)? To find out, a comparative study was conducted between four types of glazing materials used in contemporary architecture, Simple Glazing (i), Double Glazing (ii), Semi-Transparent Photovoltaic (STPV) (iii), and the Vacuum Photovoltaic Insulated Glass Unit (VPV IGU) (iv). Before the simulation, an overview of the history of the use of glass in contemporary buildings in Algeria in general and in desert regions, in particular, was presented. After that, the most important results of the comparison study are presented according to the simulation software TRNSYS.

439-450

Authors: Monsuru Tunde Akinleye, Yinusa Alaro Jimoh, Lukman Olaide Salami

This study was carried out to investigate the performance of Hot and Warm mix asphalt (HMA and WMA) with dissolved plastic bottle (DPB) modified bitumen. In this study, 1 - 17% @ 2% DPB by weight of bitumen was blended with 60/70 straight-run bitumen to produce hot and warm (+3% Sasobit) DPB modified bitumen blends. The produced binders were subjected to ductility, penetration, softening point, viscosity, flash and fire point and specific gravity tests to understand the effect of this modification. Also, the binders were used in preparing HMA and WMA concrete respectively. Marshall Properties (stability, flow, stiffness, volume of void, void filled with bitumen and bulk specific gravity) were evaluated on HMA and WMA concrete produced. Results revealed that addition of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), in dissolved form (0 – 17%), increased the softening, viscosity, specific gravity, flash and fire points of both hot and warm modified bitumen blends but decreased their penetration and ductility. Addition of DPB improve the stability, flow and stiffness up to 13% for both HMA and WMA concrete. However, the Marshall Stability and flow of all asphalt concrete mixtures satisfied the requirements of both Federal Ministry and Asphalt Institute. Meanwhile, DPB modifier performed better in WMA than HMA concrete.

467-476

Authors: Mohamed Kesseir, Otmane Boukendakdj, El Hadj Kadri, Tien Tung Ngo

This paper presents an experimental study on the rheological and mechanical properties of High Performance Mortar (HPM) based on natural pozzolan (NP). The specific surface BET of NP was 370 m²/kg used with different contents by weight of cement (5, 10, 15 and 20%). Two (w/b) water-binder ratios (0.35and 0.40) were used, the dosage of Superplasticizer (Sp) was kept constant (0.32 by weight of cement). The experimental results show that rheological properties of HPM increased with increasing NP content when w/b kept constant, but the increasing of (w/b) ratio led to decrease of both yield stress and plastic viscosity of mixtures. The mechanical characteristics were improved with increasing NP content when w/b kept constant, but the increasing of (w/b) ratio led to decrease of both compressive strength. The optimal percentage substitution was 15% of NP, reducing CO2 emission by 20% for each cubic meter of mortar production.

487-500

Authors: Bekhiti Melik, Ghrieb Abderrahmane, Rebih Zaitri

The purpose of the work presented in this paper is the treatment of dune sand; which is abundant in the region of Djelfa (Algeria), with different lime and tyre rubber powder in order to valorise them in road construction. Several steps were considered in this research. A method of blend formulation has been proposed which is based on stabilization of the studied sand using a hydraulic binder (lime) and scrap tyre rubber powder with different percentages. For each mixture, the optimum Proctor, shear strength, immediate and immersion CBR index, compressive strength and tensile strength were determined. After that, an analysis of the results was made to examine the influence of treatment agents on the characteristics of the mixtures. The results show that the replacement of lime and tyre rubber powder at optimum content has a positive impact on the physical and mechanical behaviours of the treated dune sand mixtures; increases its compressive and tensile strengths, improves its cohesion and increases its immediate and immersion CBR indexes. The selected optimum formulation has sufficient performances to be used as road material

155-165

Authors: Ngoc-Long Tran, Trong-Ha Nguyen

Nowadays, Pre-Engineered steel buildings are widely used in the field of the industrial construction. However, design standards often only care about the safety (or reliability) at the start time but not concerned about the deterioration of reliability during used under the metal corrosive of environment. Meanwhile, reliability and durability of steel structure depend heavily on metal corrosion of environmental, this is uncertainty parameters. In this research presents the effect of the safety of Pre-Engineered steel frames considering metal corrosion. The metal corrosion modeling used to propose by M.E. Komp. Reliability of the structure is evaluated using Monte Carlo simulation method and Finite Element Method (FEM). This computer program is written by using the MATLAB programming language. The results numbers are reliability and durability behaviors under corrosion are determined for exposure about from 10 - 50 years. Effects of input parameters are also investigated.

185-202

Authors: Meriem Zoutat, Mohammed Mekki, Sidi Mohammed Elachachi

The present study consists in describing and applying a new approach called N2-SSI Multi-modal to study the effect of higher modes on the nonlinear seismic response of soil structure interaction (SSI) systems. The two essential parameters in performance-based design considered in this study are lateral displacement and inter-story drift. The proposed method consists in applying N2-SSI method (which takes into account only one vibration mode) to a considerable number of vibration modes. The results found were compared with those obtained by other methods to assess its reliability. We also showed through this approach, that it was not reasonable to take a single seismic behaviour factor for all modes.

215-225

Authors: Farih Messaoudi , Hafida Marouf , Mohammed Sonebi , Abdelaziz Semcha

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) development marks an important step towards efficiency and conditions working in construction sites and in the precast industry. SCC easily flows into more complex shapes and through reinforcing bars, reduces the labor required for placement; no vibration is required to ensure proper concrete compaction. This concrete contains a high binder volume, which is controlled by their rheological behavior. The paste binders consists Portland cement (with or without additional cementations’ materials), water, chemical additives and fillers. In this study, two tests series were carried out on self-compacting cement pastes made with marble waste additions as addition minerals. The first series of this survey was to determine the flow dough time of using a Marsh cone, the second series was to determine the same dough rheological parameters, namely the elastic limit and the plastic viscosity at using a rheometer. The results of this survey allowed us to study of the elastic limit evolution, the viscosity and the marsh flow time cone paste as a paste composition function.

241-252

Authors: Imène HEBBAR, Abdelkader BOULENOUAR, Yazid AIT FERHAT

This paper extends the concept to isotropic functionally graded materials and addresses fracture problems under mechanical loading. The mode-I and mixed mode stress intensity factors (SIFs) are determinate by combination between the finite element method and the displacement extrapolation technique (DET). The variation continue of the elastics properties is incorporated at the centroid of each finite element, using the Ansys Parametric Design Language (APDL). In this work, two examples are analysed to check for the robustness of the present approach, the FGM disk with a central inclined crack subjected to concentrated couple forces and the three-point bending specimen with crack parallel to material gradation. The numerical results obtained by present technique are discussed by comparison with other published results.

267-276

Authors: Muhammad Saleem Raza, Kunal Rai, Danish Kumar, Mutahar Ali

The increasing demand and production of cement have caused a huge environmental burden and thus researchers are involved in discovering waste materials having cementitious properties to reduce the production and usage of cement in order to contribute towards the development of a sustainable environment. The present study, therefore, sought to quantify the influence of wood waste ash (WWA) as a cementitious resource on the fresh-state, physical, and strength parameters of concrete. The water absorption, workability, density, compression strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength of concrete was checked at various replacement levels i.e. 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% by weight fraction of cement. The density and water absorption were checked on the 28th day of curing while the strength parameters were tested at 7, 28, 56, and 90 days of curing period. The water absorption, density, and workability of concrete reduced with an increase in wood waste ash content while the strength values were increased up to 10% replacement level. Hence, this study suggests that 10% WWA can be used instead of cement for concrete structures.

293-306

Authors: C. Vijayaprabha, D. Brindha

Scarcity of the natural sand and large availability of industrial wastes give the way to utilise the industrial by-product in concrete production. This paper showcases the performance of concrete composite containing copper slag and polypropylene fibre under cyclic loading. Fibrillated polypropylene fibre of 0% (P0), 0.2% (P1), 0.4% (P2) & 0.6% (P3) volume fractions and 40% copper slag (C40) are used together. The experimental work was conducted on the reinforced concrete beams of size 100mm x 200mm x 900mm. The criteria considered for discussion are yield power, yield deflection, ultimate strength, ultimate deflection, ductility factors and energy dissipation. It is observed that when subjected to monotonic loading and cyclic loading respectively, the overall load carrying power of C40P2 beam is 5 per cent and 2.71 per cent higher than the reference section. The specimen C40P2 has a ductility factor 25.05 per cent higher than the control beam. Energy absorption capacity of C40P2 is 72.79% more than the normal concrete. It is therefore concluded that, under cyclic loading, the output of 40% copper slag with 0.4% of polypropylene fibres find superior than control concrete.

5-14

Authors: Mohammed Bousmaha, Mohamed Bensoula, Renaud Toussaint

Soil liquefaction is a significant natural hazard associated with earthquakes. Some of its devastating effects include tilting and sinking of buildings and bridges, and destruction of pipelines. Conventional geotechnical engineering assumes liquefaction occurs via elevated pore pressure. We show, using simulations and experiments, another mechanism for liquefaction in saturated sandy soils, without high pore fluid pressure. In this work, the objective is to follow and characterize the vertical displacement of an intruder on a saturated mass of soil in laboratory experiments. The liquefaction is shown to have a direct impact on the vertical displacement of intruders. It can be concluded that the movement of the intruder depends essentially on the imposed acceleration and the relative density of soil.

25-34

Authors: Stephen Adeyemi Alabi, Jeffrey Mahachi

This paper study the effects of construction and agricultural wastes (CAW) as coarse aggregates in ternary blends on the properties of concrete. A concrete mix ratio of 1:2:4 by weight of cement, sand and granite was adopted with water-cement ratio of 0.50. Five different concrete mixes were prepared in this study; one natural aggregate concrete (NAC) and four concretes with 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% recycled aggregate and 40%, 30%, 20% and 10% palm kernel shell (PKS) contents in reverse order at constant 50% natural coarse aggregate (NCA). The results of slump tests showed an increase in workability as the percentage replacement level of RCA reduces and PKS respectively. The compressive strength of concrete mixes was observed to be less than the strength of lightweight concrete recommended by standards by 23.2%, 28.87%, 31.2%, 43.2% and 45.6% respectively. Based on the result of calculated thermal conductivity, it was observed that as the %RCA content reduces with increasing %PKS content significant amount of energy was saved. Also, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out to determine the effect of the % replacement and curing period on the compressive strength of concrete. It showed that % replacement had a statistically significant effect on the concrete performance. This type of concrete can be classified as lightweight concrete based on the strength and bulk density.

47-56

Authors: Mustapha Beldi, Ali Bilek , kamel Touahir

The incorporation of lubricating oil at high levels in the epoxy composite materials makes it possible to obtain materials with low friction and wear. This article evaluates the wear behaviour of an epoxy-based composite obtained by the addition of lubricating oil and activated carbon. An oil content of up to 31wt% is trapped and maintained in the matrix by the presence of activated carbon. The wear experiments are carried out on a pin-on-disk type tribometer. The tests are carried out on pins of different compositions sliding on steel discs (XC48) under dry friction conditions. The effect of various parameters such as speed and loading has been investigated. The wear surfaces are analyzed by using a scanning electron microscope to observe the different wear mechanisms. The results show that the addition of activated carbon made it possible to trap large quantities of oil in the matrix. This decreased greatly the coefficient of friction and increased the capacity of the sample to withstand higher values of sliding velocities and pressures.

73-82

Authors: Munshi Galib Muktadir, M I Fahim Alam, Asifur Rahman, Mohammad Robiul Haque

The Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) is made of the same ingredients as in regular concrete. The coarse aggregate is replaced with tiny Polyvinyl Alcohol fibres. This structure offers maximum flexibility and it is expected to cost less. It looks exactly like normal concrete, but under excessive strain, the ECC concrete allows, the specially coated network of fibre in the cement to slide within the cement, thus avoiding the inflexibility that causes brittleness and breakage. As this is a special type of concrete there are no defined codes for it, thus for these reasons, the parameters needed are to be obtained using trial and error method. During the composite preparation, sieve analysis was carried out. Composites were reinforced with Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) at the following ratios: 0 % (control), 0.5 %, 1 % and 1.5 %. The cylindrical specimens were subjected to compression and the slab specimens were subjected to flexural test using a Universal Testing Machine, while acquiring data with GOM Correlation Software. Test results reveal that fibre ratio 1% is most acceptable for attaining best compressive strength along with high flexural value. Even though 1% fibre content concrete in the flexural strength test showed 33% less strength of what 1.5% fibre content concrete gained, in the long run, for having the highest compressive strength value (almost 62% more than of 0% fibre content concrete and 15% more than of 1.5% fibre content concrete), 1% fibre content concrete is most suited for constructions.

97-111

Authors: Naoual Karar, Ahmed FELKAOUI, Farhat DJEDDOU

In this paper, a Reliability Based Robust Design Optimization (RBRDO) based on sensitivity and elasticity factors analysis is presented. In the first step, a reliability assessment is performed using the First-and Second Order Reliability Method (FORM)/ (SORM), and Monte Carlo Simulation. Furthermore, FORM method is used for reliability elasticity factors assessment, which can be carried out to determine the most influential parameters, these factors can be help to reduce the size of design variables vector in RBRDO process. The main objective of the RBRDO is to improve both reliability and design of a cylindrical gear pair under uncertainties. This approach is achieved by integration of two objectives which minimize the variance and mean values of performance function. To solve this problem a decoupled approach of Sequential Optimization and Reliability Assessment (SORA) method is implemented. The results obtained shown that a desired reliability with a robust design is progressively achieved.

125-140

Authors: Ismail Layadi, Ali Messabhia, Jean-Patrick Plassiard, Olivier Ple

The reinforced concrete structures with masonry infill walls are widely used to construct buildings in Algeria, as in many parts of the world. According to earthquake analysis, this type of construction can undergo serious damage under seismic load. The interaction between the infill wall and the surrounding reinforced concrete structure is considered a key parameter, which could trigger damage and even collapse in self-stable frame buildings. To study the behavior of this type of structures and the wall–frame interaction, four half-scale single-storey, single-bay reinforced concrete unfilled and unfilled frames were constructed and tested under in-plane lateral load. Furthermore, the experimental results were analyzed using the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique giving a detailed analysis of displacement and strain fields. The wall–frame interaction was evaluated in terms of displacement field evolution and interface slip in the contact contour. The masonry infill wall demonstrated a significant influence on the in-plane lateral response of this type of structure. The analysis of the results of the experiment are discussed in this paper.

469-484

Authors: Salmabanu LUHAR, Ismail LUHAR

The present manuscript stands for the review on the topic of durability attribute of concretes developed by means of green conception with incorporation of a variety of solid industrial waste slag from Ground Granulated Blast Furnace, silica fume, rice husk ash, pulverised fly ash, glass powder waste as well as materials that have undergone recycling in order to know its degree of sustainability. It is highly sought-after to transform these types of waste into a precious adding up materials in place of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) in building-up of Green concrete with affordable cost and more essential with a little carbon footprint. How far these Green concept concretes have succeeded in context to its durability characteristic is the principal focus of this review study. There prevails an enormous demand for cost-effective construction materials for offering enough residences and infrastructure networks to get rid of the burgeoning population on the planet earth. The centre of attention is to make researcher, engineer and infrastructure related peoples, as well as construction industry au courant of absorbing the, dissipate materials and their promotion as an acceptable, sustainable and cost-effective building materials. The apposite standards of durability and still excellent researches on the sustainability of this novel Green concept concrete will encourage for espousal of gargantuan construction and infrastructures projects globally. Looking to the above facts, it can be predicted that the said Green technology bestows the impression to have dazzling potential and its approval in construction industries which establishes it as the most promising future edifice material.

501-512

Authors: A. Chithambar GANESH, M. MUTHUKANNAN

This research work investigates the effect of utilization of glass fibers in geopolymer concrete made of Manufactured sand (M-sand) over its fresh and hardened properties and understand the influence of fibers over reducing the brittleness of the matrix. Geopolymer concrete synthesized in this study is Fly ash- GGBS blend type with optimum molarity cured under heat condition. Fresh property of the fiber reinforced geopolymer concrete was accessed using compaction factor test. Mechanical properties such as compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength, ductility factor, first crack toughness, failure crack toughness and ultimate failure toughness were measured and their results are analyzed and discussed in this work. Later, SEM analysis was carried out over the optimum fiber reinforced geopolymer concrete samples to understand the bonding and the effectiveness of the fiber reinforced geopolymer concrete made of M-sand. Incorporation of glass fiber s proved to be more beneficial and yielded a hybrid concrete with increased strength properties. The performance of fiber s could be measured precisely in increasing the ductility and impact strength. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis showed better bonding between the fiber s and the matrix. This study unleashes an enormous scope for the practical implication of fiber reinforced geopolymer concrete as a building material.

525-534

Authors: Humphrey DANSO, Joseph Kent BOADI

The use of natural sand as fine aggregate in concrete is becoming problematic due to scarcity and pressure on mining of the resource. Alternate sources such as the use of industrial waste as replacement of natural sand in concrete are gaining popularity as a sustainable construction material. The aim of this study is to examine the possibility of using bauxite mining waste as a fine aggregate replacement for concrete production. The quantities of sand replaced with bauxite mining waste used are 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%. Cube, cylinder and beam specimens were molded and cured for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days, and tested for density, compressive strength, tensile splitting strength and flexural strength. The study found that there was a slight increase in density of bauxite mining waste produced concrete over the control as the quantity of bauxite residue increased. The study further revealed a significant increase in compressive, tensile splitting and flexural strengths of the concrete produced with bauxite residue as compared with the control, with an increase between 60.3 and 65.5%. Additionally, a good correlation was established between the bauxite contents and the density of concrete produced with bauxite mining waste, recording R2 values between 0.9749 and 0.9896. The 100% bauxite residue replacement of sand obtained the highest strength properties in the concrete. The study, therefore, concludes that it is feasible to use bauxite mining waste as a fine aggregate replacement in concrete production. It is recommended that further studies should be conducted on the durability and chemical properties of concrete produced with bauxite mining waste as the current study only focused on the strength properties.

547-563

Authors: Y. DANYUO, T. ZAKARIYYAH, S. NASIRU, K. MUSTAPHA, S. T. AZEKO, S. A. BELLO, M. Abade-ABUGRE, J. YIRIJOR, V. ANYIDOHO, F. McBAGONLURI

The study presents the mechanical properties of polymer-based composites reinforced with chemically modified banana fibers, by alkalization in different concentrations of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The fiber weight fraction has a great effect on the mechanical properties of the composites. Stiff composites were obtained at 6 wt% fiber fractions with Young’s modulus of 254.00 ±12.70 MPa. Moreover, the yield strength was 35.70 ±1.79 MPa at 6 wt% fiber fractions. However, the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and toughness of the composites were obtained at 5 wt% fiber fractions. Statistical analyses were used to ascertain the significant different on the mechanical properties of the fibers and composites. The implication of the results is then discussed for potential applications of PDMS-based composites reinforced with chemically modified banana fibers.

583-592

Authors: Balraj SINGH, Parveen SIHAG, Anjul TOMAR, Ankush SEHGAD

High strength concrete (HSC) define as the concrete that meets a unique mixture of performance uniformity requirements that cannot be reached routinely using conventional constituents and regular mixing, placing, and curing events. The modeling of such type of concrete is very difficult. In this investigation, the performance of the random forest regression and M5P model tree were compared to estimate the 28th day compressive strength of the HSC. Total data set consists of 83 data out of which 70 % of the total dataset used to train the model and residual 30 % used to test the models. The accuracy of the models was depending upon the three performance evaluation parameters which are correlation coefficient (R), root mean square error (RMSE) and maximum absolute error (MAE). The results recommend that random forest regression is more accurate to predict the compressive strength as compare to M5P model tree. Sensitivity analysis indicates that water (W) and Silica fumes (SF) are the most valuable constituents of the HSC and compressive strength mainly depends on these constituents.

609-626

Authors: Mohamed KHELLADI, Mohamed ABED, Redha REBHI

The design of a new base isolation system is proposed in this research with the objective that the system does not transmit any force to the structure under horizontal loading. The structure must remain operational and steady. Before investigating the dynamics problem of the base isolation system, the isolator components of the model can be solved analytically using different approaches. In order to calculate the deformation of any element of the isolator due to a compressive vertical load, the analysis focuses on the primary instability region to determine all deformations parameters which can lead to frictions coefficients. This region is located at the interaction contact point between the elements. The design is based on the contact point developed by different approaches. In the present study, the mathematical analysis methods by using formulations can calculate the different dimensions and deformations of the elements of the system and which are verified using ANSYS finite element analysis. After ensuring the adequate dimensions of the different parts of the isolator system from the analysis, the system can be applied on the structure. This technique can reduce significantly the displacements and accelerations at the underground level with a new seismic isolation system, which it is an uncoupled system between the structure and the underground.