This paper aims to investigate the performance of concrete which incorporates plastic optical fibre (POF). In this study, the performance of light-transmitting concrete (LTC) specimens made by using different dosages and spacings of POF is investigated. The properties of POF are investigated and discussed. The experimental results show that LTC can provide a high light-transmitting ratio. This paper contributes to the determination of new alternatives for sustainable construction around the world. LTC can help to reduce power consumption in buildings by allowing natural light to shine into the building interior through external walls. This paper adds distinctive knowledge to the area of sustainable construction by studying the effect of POF on the properties and performance of concrete. In addition, the use of POF in concrete can lead to an increase in compressive strength.
This research collected and summarized a total of 455 experimental tests of axially loaded square and rectangular concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) stub columns. The recently published papers were used to evaluate the current design equations from four international standards, namely the American Concrete Institute (ACI) code, British Standard (BS5400), Chinese standard (BDJ13-51), and Eurocode 4 (EC4). It was found that the results obtained from the codes have appreciable differences and could be improved, especially for the specimens fabricated using high-resistance materials. Therefore, new empirical equations were proposed based on the four standard formulas and the wide range of previously available experimental data to provide more accurate estimations. The proposed equations could predict an average sectional capacity of only 0.1% lower than the experimental results, with better data scattering than the existing equation’s results.
1 December 2018 in International Journal of Integrated Engineering
The use of recycled waste materials in road pavements is currently seen as a viable solution not just in terms of environmental sustainability, but also in terms of improving service performance.[1] This is particularly true when it comes to recycled plastics. Thin plastic bags are primarily composed of low-density Polyethylene and it’s commonly used for packaging, protecting and many other applications. Nevertheless, disposal of waste plastic bags in large quantities constitutes an environmental problem, as they considered non-biodegradable materials. Hence, there is a real need to find useful applications for these growing quantities of wastes. In this research, Waste Plastic Bags (WPB) as one form of polymers are used to investigate the potential prospects to enhance asphalt mixture properties. Research aims include studying the effect of partial replacing of different percentages of WPB pieces of the bitumen as binder modifiers on the properties of asphalt mix comparing it with conventional mix properties, besides identifying the optimum percent of WPB to be added in the hot mix asphalt. WPB were presented in the asphalt mixture in pieces with size (2 x 5 mm2 ). Marshal mix design procedure was used, first to determine the Optimum Bitumen Content (OBC) and then further to test the modified mixture properties. In total, (39) samples were prepared, 15 samples were used to determine the OBC and the remaining were used to investigate the effects adding different WPB percentages to asphalt mix. The OBC was 5.6 % by weight of asphalt mix. Seven proportions of WPB by weight of OBC were tested (2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24%), besides testing of ordinary asphalt mix. Tests include the determination of stability, bulk density, flow and air voids