Static and Vibration Analysis of CFRP Composite Mono Leaf Spring

Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention - Conventional steel leaf spring is analyzed at maximum load using finite element analysis (FEA), ANSYS v16 software. The finite element results showed...     

In vitro inhibition of Escherichia coli O157:H7 by bifidobacterial strains of human origin

The ability of bifidobacteria isolated from infant feces to inhibit enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 in vitro and reduce its adhesion to human enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells was evaluated in comparison to American Type Culture Collection bifidobacterial reference strains. Five Bifidobacterium isolates from infant feces were identified and characterized by morphology, fructose-6-phosphate phosphoketolase (F6PPK) assay, polymerase chain reaction using bifidobacterial 16S rDNA specific primers, carbohydrate fermentation patterns, resistance to lysozyme, acid, bile and hydrogen peroxide as well as their ability to inhibit E. coli O157:H7 using the agar spot technique. Infant isolates showed greater resistance to bile, acid, lysozyme and more antimicrobial activity against E. coli O157:H7 than ATCC strains. Two infant isolates identified as B. bifidum RBL 71 and B. bifidum RBL 460 showed good adhesion and significant potential for reducing adhesion of E. coli O157:H7 to Caco-2 cells. This effect was dependent on bifidobacterial cell concentration. These results show that bifidobacteria isolated from infants may be useful for improving probiotic formulae with respect to protection against E. coli O157:H7 infection.     

Investigation of concrete encased steel composite columns at elevated temperatures

This paper presents a nonlinear 3-D finite element model investigating the behaviour of concrete encased steel composite columns at elevated temperatures. The composite columns were pin-ended axially loaded columns having different cross-sectional dimensions, different structural steel sections, different coarse aggregates and different load ratios during fire. The nonlinear material properties of steel, concrete, longitudinal and transverse reinforcement bars as well as the effect of concrete confinement at ambient and elevated temperatures were considered in the finite element models. The interface between the steel section and concrete, the longitudinal and transverse reinforcement bars, and the reinforcement bars and concrete were also considered allowing the bond behaviour to be modelled and the different components to retain its profile during the deformation of the column. The initial overall (out-of-straightness) geometric imperfection was carefully included in the model. The finite element model has been validated against published tests conducted at elevated temperatures. The time–temperature relationships, deformed shapes at failure, time–axial displacement relationships, failure modes and fire resistances of the columns were evaluated by the finite element model. It has been shown that the finite element model can accurately predict the behaviour of the columns at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, the variables that influence the fire resistance and behaviour of the composite columns comprising different load ratios during fire, different coarse aggregates and different slenderness ratios were investigated in parametric studies. It is shown that the fire resistance of the columns generally increases with the decrease in the column slenderness ratio as well as the increase in the structural steel ratio. It is also shown that the time–axial displacement relationship is considerably affected by the coarse aggregate. The fire resistances of the composite columns obtained from the finite element analyses were compared with the design values obtained from the Eurocode 4 for composite columns at elevated temperatures. It is shown that the EC4 is conservative for all the concrete encased steel composite columns, except for the columns having a load ratio of 0.5 as well as the columns having a slenderness ratio of 0.69 and a load ratio of 0.4.     

Would LEED-UHI greenery and high albedo strategies mitigate climate change at neighborhood scale in Cairo,Egypt?

Neighborhood has always been of significant interest to built environment stockholders as a basic planning unit. However, any discussion in these concerns, without drawing attention to sustainable microclimate approaches, would still in a mess at a time of increasing population and climate change. Emergence of the sustainable development concept at the mid-20th century and its emphasis led to increasing crucial role that the urban green infrastructure along with reflective materials can play in mitigating neighborhood microclimate’s symptoms of climate change. Considering the lack of studies for urban heat island (UHI) in hot arid regions, particularly in Egypt and the limited number of studies concerning the numerical simulation of all mitigation strategies incorporated, this research studies the mitigation of UHI phenomenon in a case study in Cairo in present and future (2020, 2050 and 2080) through applying the criteria of tree lines, green roofs, high albedo pavements and shading structures within the neighborhood sustainability assessment tool (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood; LEED-ND). The microclimatic numerical CFD simulations of ENVI-met 4.0 was used following the measurement of LAI and Albedo of selected Egyptian trees to assess UHI through air and radiant temperature differences before and after applying mitigation strategies. Results demonstrate a considerable ability to acclimatize the microclimate in terms of better conditions in present and future.     

Fire tests on bonded post-tensioned concrete slabs

The results from eight fire tests conducted on bonded post-tensioned one-way spanning concrete slabs are presented in this paper. The fire tests were augmented with two additional tests at ambient temperature, carried out to failure on slabs with identical geometry and prestressing tendons. The different structural response between using plastic and metallic ducts, Limestone and Thames Gravel aggregates, and different axial restraint conditions to longitudinal thermal expansion, have been highlighted. Slabs with Thames Gravel aggregates were shown to have a much higher deflection compared to slabs with Limestone aggregates, with restrained slabs having a lower vertical deflection compared to equivalent unrestrained slabs. In all the fire tests, cracks directly inline and parallel to the tendons occurred due to thermal stresses at relatively low tendon temperatures, which were not observed in the ambient tests. It is shown that the use of plastic ducts resulted in slightly higher tendon temperatures due to the ease at which water migrated from the grout once the duct had melted. The fire tests have shown that the fire resistance specified in current codes of practice are generally conservative for bonded post-tensioned one-way spanning concrete slabs. The tests have provided detailed experimental data in the form of temperature distributions within the slab, vertical and horizontal displacements and strains in the tendons, which will allow validation of future computer models to predict the behaviour of bonded post-tensioned concrete slabs under fire conditions.     

Simultaneous reconstruction of the time-dependent Robin coefficient and heat flux in heat conduction problems

This paper aims to solve an inverse heat conduction problem in two-dimensional space under transient regime, which consists of the estimation of multiple time-dependent heat sources placed at the boundaries. Robin boundary condition (third type boundary condition) is considered at the working domain boundary. The simultaneous identification problem is formulated as a constrained minimization problem using the output least squares method with Tikhonov regularization. The properties of the continuous and discrete optimization problem are studied. Differentiability results and the adjoint problems are established. The numerical estimation is investigated using a modified conjugate gradient method. Furthermore, to verify the performance of the proposed algorithm, obtained results are compared with results obtained from the well-known finite-element software COMSOL Multiphysics under the same conditions. The numerical results show that the proposed algorithm is accurate, robust and capable of simultaneously representing the time effects on reconstructing the time-dependent Robin coefficient and heat flux.     

Synthesis of mordenite zeolite in absence of organic template

Mordenite is a zeolite that has been used as a selective adsorbent and as a catalyst. Mordenite zeolite with crystal diameter 65 nm and crystal length 7 μm was successively synthesized in the absence of organic template by hydrothermal method at 180 °C for 5 days after stirring at high speed and aging in the synthesis mixture with the molar composition of 12Na₂O:100SiO₂:2Al₂O₃:500H₂O. The produced samples were investigated using XRD, SEM, FT-IR, EDS, DTA/TG and BET surface area. The prepared sample, crystallized in needle shape crystals. Total (BET) surface area was 52.14 m²/g whereas, total pore volume was 0.2 cm³/g. Average pore diameter was 24.16 Å. Thermogravimetry analysis (DTA/TG) showed that, at room temperature to 800 °C, mordenite mass loss is 6%.     

Field Investigation on the First Bridge Deck Slab Reinforced with Glass FRP Bars Constructed in Canada

Recently, there has been a rapid increase in using noncorrosive fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) reinforcing bars as alternative reinforcement for bridge deck slabs, especially those in harsh environments. A new two-span girder type bridge, Cookshire-Eaton Bridge (located in the municipality of Cookshire, Quebec, Canada), was constructed with a total length of 52.08 m over two equal spans. The deck was a 200-mm-thick concrete slab continuous over four spans of 2.70 m between girders with an overhang of 1.40 m on each side. One full span of the bridge was totally reinforced using glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars, while the other span was reinforced with galvanized steel bars. The bridge deck was well instrumented at critical locations for internal temperature and strain data collection using fiber optic sensors. The bridge was tested for service performance using calibrated truckloads as specified by the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code. The construction procedure and field test results under actual service conditions revealed that GFRP rebar provides very competitive performance in comparison to steel.