Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) beams have gained attention due to their promising mechanical properties and potential for structural applications. Combining GFRP core and encasing materials creates a composite beam with superior mechanical properties. This paper describes the testing encased GFRP beams as composite Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams under low-velocity impact load. Theoretical analysis was used with practical results to simulate the tested beams' behavior and predict the generated energies during the impact loading. The impact response was investigated using repeated drops of 42.5 kg falling mass from various heights. An analysis was performed using accelerometer readings to calculate the generalized inertial load. The integrated acceleration record and the measured hammer load vs. time data were utilized to determine the generalized bending load and fracture energy. Four forms of energy were calculated at the maximum load. The total energy was calculated and divided into two parts: The first part was gained by the beam's rotational kinetic energy, the bending energy in the specimen, and the elastic strain energy. The second part was the hammer's kinetic energy before striking the beam. The analytical results showed that the bending energy was less than its rotational kinetic energy for the encased GFRP beams and the reference specimens. In contrast, the encased steel beams had high bending energy due to the higher impact load and deflection. Strain energy recorded lower energy values for all specimens with higher bending energy. There is a good agreement between the tested and the calculated inertial and bending force for all beams. The ratio of inertia force to the total impact load for the encased GFRP and encased steel beams to the reference beam is about 9% and 5%, respectively.

The dual nature of asphalt binder necessitates improvements to mitigate rutting and fatigue since it performs as an elastic material under the regime of rapid loading or cold temperatures and as a viscous fluid at elevated temperatures. The present investigation assesses the effectiveness of Nano Alumina (NA), Nano Silica (NS), and Nano Titanium Dioxide (NT) at weight percentages of 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8% in asphalt cement to enhance both asphalt binder and mixture performance. Binder evaluations include tests for consistency, thermal susceptibility, aging, and workability, while mixture assessments focus on Marshall properties, moisture susceptibility, resilient modulus, permanent deformation, and fatigue characteristics. NS notably improves binder viscosity by about 138% and reduces penetration by approximately 40.8% at 8% nanomaterial (NM) content, significantly boosting hardness and consistency. NS also enhances Marshall stability and decreases air voids, increasing the mix’s durability. For moisture resistance, NS at 8% NM content elevates the Tensile Strength Ratio (TSR) to 91.0%, substantially surpassing the 80% standard. Similarly, NA and NT also show improved TSR values at 8% NM content, with 88.0% and 84.1%, respectively. Additionally, NS, NA, and NT reduce permanent deformation by 82%, 69%, and 64% at 10,000 cycles at 8% NM content, illustrating their effectiveness in mitigating pavement distress. Notably, while higher NM content generally results in better performance across most tests, the optimal NM content for fatigue resistance is 4% for NS and 6% for both NA and NT, reflecting their peak performance against various types of pavement distresses. These results highlight the significant advantages of nanoparticles in improving asphalt’s mechanical properties, workability, stability, and durability. The study recommends further field validation to confirm these laboratory findings and ensure that enhancements translate into tangible improvements in real-world pavement performance and longevity.

Concrete columns with hollow-core sections find widespread application owing to their excellent structural efficiency and efficient material utilization. However, corrosion poses a challenge in concrete buildings with steel reinforcement. This paper explores the possibility of using glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcement as a non-corrosive and economically viable substitute for steel reinforcement in short square hollow concrete columns. Twelve hollow short columns were meticulously prepared in the laboratory experiments and subjected to pure axial compressive loads until failure. All columns featured a hollow square section with exterior dimensions of (180 × 180) mm and 900 mm height. The columns were categorized into four separate groups with different variables: steel and GFRP longitudinal reinforcement ratio, hollow ratio, spacing between ties, and reinforcement type. The experimental findings point to the compressive participation of longitudinal GFRP bars, estimated to be approximately 35% of the tensile strength of GFRP bars. Notably, increasing GFRP longitudinal reinforcement significantly improved the ultimate load capability of hollow square GFRP column specimens. Specifically, elevating the ratio of GFRP reinforcement from 1.46% to 2.9%, 3.29%, 4.9%, and 5.85% resulted in axial load capacity improvements of 32.3%, 43.9%, 60.5%, and 71.7%, respectively. Specifically, the GFRP specimens showed a decrease in capacity of 13.1%, 9.2%, and 9.4%, respectively. Notably, the load contribution of steel reinforcement to GFRP reinforcement (with similar sectional areas) was from approximately three to four times the axial peak load, highlighting the greater load participation of steel reinforcement due to its higher elastic modulus. In addition, the numerical modeling and analysis conducted using ABAQUS/CAE 2019 software exhibited strong concordance with experimental findings concerning failure modes and capacity to carry axial loads.

This research aims to introduce a new technique—off-site and self-form segmental concrete masonry arches fabrication, without the need of construction formwork or centering. The innovative construction method in the current study encompasses two construction materials forms the self-form masonry arches, wedge-shape plain concrete voussoirs, and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites. The employment of CFRP fabrics was for two main reasons: bonding the voussoirs and forming the masonry arches. In addition, CFRP proved to be efficient for strengthening the extrados of the arch rings under service loadings. An experimental test was conducted on four sophisticated masonry arch specimens. The research parameters were the Keystone thickness and the strengthening of the self-form arch ring at the intrados. The major test finding was that the use of thicker Keystone alters the behavior of the self-form arch and considerably increases the load carrying capacity by 79%. Partial strengthening of the intrados with CFRP fabrics of typical arch ring Keystone resulted considerable increase in the debonding load of fabrication CFRP sheets by 81%, increase in the localized crushing load by 13% and considerably increase voussoir sliding load by 107%.

Two of the main advantages of segmental construction are economics, as well as the rapid construction technique. One of the forms of segmental construction, for structural elements, is the segmental beams that built-in short sections, which referred to segments. This research aims to exhibit a new technique for the fabrication of short-span segmental beams from wedge-shaped concrete segments and carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) in laminate form. The experimental campaign included eight short-span segmental beams. In this study, two selected parameters were considered. These parameters are; the number of layers of CFRP laminates and the adhesive material that used to bond segments to each other, forming short-span segmental beams. The test results showed that for segmental beams reinforced by 2-layer of CFRP laminates, undergoes less deflection and sustained considerable ultimate loading value of 38.4%–104% than beams reinforced by 1-layer. Moreover, the test of segmental beams fabricated by adhering to the concrete segments with epoxy resin exhibited an increase in ultimate loading by 16%–65% than beams constructed using cementitious adhesive for bonding the wedge-shaped segments. Theoretically, segmental beams were analyzed by the American Concrete Institute (ACI) 440.2R-17 procedure with slight modifications. The analysis gave an overestimation of flexural strength for segmental beams when compared with experimental outcomes.

Many properties of advanced materials need to be studied, including ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) as well as the Carbon Polymer Reinforcing Fiber (CFRP) rods of sand coated surfaces. The combined action of (UHPC) with (CFRP) is of constructive importance for researchers to know the behavior of the structural members in different loading stages. Eight samples were prepared with dimensions of 2.4 meters in length, 0.25 meters in depth, and 150 mm in width. The compressive strength of 110 MPa was selected after preparing many trail mixes. A computer model by ANSYS 11 program was made for the representation of all inputs, including steel fibers. All Parts of beams, testing accessories, and loads were simulated with adequate elements. The study examined the effect of the orientation of steel fibers on the flexural capacity in terms of load-deflection response. It was concluded that the distribution of the steel fibers plays a fundamental role in the behavior of the models, and thus the optimal distribution was found to be orthogonal distribution to the longitudinal direction of UHPC beam in equal ratios.