• Composite Materials and Engineering
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• 제3권3호
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• pp.201-220
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• 2021

In this study, potential of three machine learning techniques i.e., M5P, Support vector machines and Gaussian processes were evaluated to find the best algorithm for the prediction of flexural strength of concrete mix with steel fibre. The study comprises the comparison of results obtained from above-said techniques for given dataset. The dataset consists of 124 observations from past research studies and this dataset is randomly divided into two subsets namely training and testing datasets with (70-30)% proportion by weight. Cement, fine aggregates, coarse aggregates, water, super plasticizer/ high-range water reducer, steel fibre, fibre length and curing days were taken as input parameters whereas flexural strength of the concrete mix was taken as the output parameter. Performance of the techniques was checked by statistic evaluation parameters. Results show that the Gaussian process technique works better than other techniques with its minimum error bandwidth. Statistical analysis shows that the Gaussian process predicts better results with higher coefficient of correlation value (0.9138) and minimum mean absolute error (1.2954) and Root mean square error value (1.9672). Sensitivity analysis proves that steel fibre is the significant parameter among other parameters to predict the flexural strength of concrete mix. According to the shape of the fibre, the mixed type performs better for this data than the hooked shape of the steel fibre, which has a higher CC of 0.9649, which shows that the shape of fibers do effect the flexural strength of the concrete. However, the intricacy of the mixed fibres needs further investigations. For future mixes, the most favorable range for the increase in flexural strength of concrete mix found to be (1-3)%.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제68권6호
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• pp.691-700
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• 2018

Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) is a by product obtained from iron and steel industries, useful in the design and development of high quality cement paste/mortar and concrete. This paper investigates the applicability of relevance vector machine (RVM) based regression model to predict the compressive strength of various GGBS based concrete mixes. Compressive strength data for various GGBS based concrete mixes has been obtained by considering the effect of water binder ratio and steel fibres. RVM is a machine learning technique which employs Bayesian inference to obtain parsimonious solutions for regression and classification. The RVM is an extension of support vector machine which couples probabilistic classification and regression. RVM is established based on a Bayesian formulation of a linear model with an appropriate prior that results in a sparse representation. Compressive strength model has been developed by using MATLAB software for training and prediction. About 70% of the data has been used for development of RVM model and 30% of the data is used for validation. The predicted compressive strength for GGBS based concrete mixes is found to be in very good agreement with those of the corresponding experimental observations.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.191-200
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• 2017

Impact resistance and weight are important features for ballistic materials. Kevlar fibres are the most widely reinforcement for military and civil systems due to its excellent impact resistance and high strength-to-weight ratio. Kevlar fibres or spectra fiber composites are used for designing personal body armour to avoid perforation. In this study, the ballistic impact behaviour of Kevlar/filled epoxy matrix is investigated. Three different fillers, nanoclay, nanocalcite and nanocarbon, were used in order to increase the ballistic impact performance of Kevlar-epoxy composite at lower weight. The filler, nanoclay and nanocalcite, content employed was 1 wt.% and 2 of the epoxy resin-hardener mixture while the nanocarbon were dispersed into the epoxy system in a 0.5%, 1% and 2% ratio in weight relating to the epoxy matrix. Specimens were produced by a hand lay-up process. The results obtained from ballistic impact experiments were discussed in terms of damage and perforation. The experimental tests revealed a number of damage mechanisms for composite laminated plates. In the ballistic impact test, it was observed whether the target was perforated completely penetrated at the back or not. The presence of small amounts of nanoclay and nanocalcite dispersed into the epoxy system improved the impact properties of the Kevlar/epoxy composites. The laminates manufactured with epoxy resin filled by 1 wt.% of nanoclay and 2 wt% nanocalcite showed the best performance in terms of ballistic performance. The addition of nanocarbon reduced ballistic performance of Kevlar-epoxy composites when compared the results obtained for laminates with 0% nanoparticles concentration.

• 한국터널지하공간학회 논문집
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.469-483
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• 2018

쉴드TBM 터널의 프리캐스트 콘크리트 세그먼트 라이닝의 보강재로 철근이 주로 사용되어 왔으나, 철근 보강량을 줄이기 위하여 섬유보강재를 적용하는 연구가 진행되어 오고 있다. 세계적으로 터널 시공성을 향상시키기 위하여 강섬유보강재를 적용한 연구와 시공이 진행되어 왔으나, 터널 라이닝 방수막에 대한 펀칭, 자체 부식에 의한 내구성 및 미관상의 문제로 인하여 이에 대한 적용이 국내에서는 미뤄지고 있는 실정이며, 이에 대한 대책으로 합성섬유가 강섬유의 대체제로 주목 받고 있다. 이 연구에서는 섬유(강섬유, 합성섬유) 보강재를 사용한 프리캐스트 콘크리트 세그먼트의 파괴시험을 통하여 성능을 분석하여 현장에서의 적용 가능성을 평가하였다. 그 결과 강섬유와 합성섬유의 조합이나 합성섬유의 혼입량에 따라 보조철근의 대체가 가능한 것으로 분석되었다.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제46권1호
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• pp.75-92
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• 2023

The novel composite cold-formed steel (CFS)/engineered cementitious composites (ECC) beams have been recently presented. The new composite section exhibited superior structural performance as a flexural member, benefiting from the lightweight thin-walled CFS sections with improved buckling and torsional properties due to the restraints provided by thinlayered ECC. This paper investigated the shear performance of the new composite CFS/ECC section. Twenty-eight simply supported beams, with a shear span-to-depth ratio of 1.0, were assembled back-to-back and tested under a 3-point loading scheme. Bare CFS, composite CFS/ECC utilising ECC with Polyethylene fibres (PE-ECC), composite CFS/MOR, and CFS/HSC utilising high-strength mortar (MOR) and high-strength concrete (HSC) as replacements for PE-ECC were compared. Different failure modes were observed in tests: shear buckling modes in bare CFS sections, contact shear buckling modes in composite CFS/MOR and CFS/HSC sections, and shear yielding or block shear rupture in composite CFS/ECC sections. As a result, composite CFS/ECC sections showed up to 96.0% improvement in shear capacities over bare CFS, 28.0% improvement over composite CFS/MOR and 13.0% over composite CFS/HSC sections, although MOR and HSC were with higher compressive strength than PE-ECC. Finally, shear strength prediction formulae are proposed for the new composite sections after considering the contributions from the CFS and ECC components.

• 한국근적외분광분석학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국근적외분광분석학회 2001년도 NIR-2001
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• pp.3122-3122
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• 2001

Documented quality control plays a vital role I the production of technical “Depth filter” sheets used in industries such as Beverage and pharmaceutical. Depth filter sheets which can be up to several millimeters thick are stacker in plate and frame filter systems. They are the core of stainless steel filter systems which can be up to several meters high. FT-NIR Spectroscopy has many potential applications in the whole production line of filter sheets. Raw materials such as different types of cellulose pads, white powdery fillers (e.g. Kieelgur, Perlite) or liquid chemicals such as wet-strength agents we, with the help of NIR, easy to identify. NIR can also determine physical parameters such as particle size, essential for the filtration behavior. FT-NIR can be used for the quality parameters of the final product. Moisture and permeability can be determined, and with the help of the speed of this NIR method it is possible to correct possible faults quickly in the production process. Waste production can be minimized which is good for both the product profitability and the environment. Further tests have shown that it is also possible to use NIR on-line in the production area, to check the concentrations and the homogeneity of the paper suspension consisting of cellulose fibres, fillers and additives.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.921-947
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• 2016

Concrete Filled Fibre Reinforced Polymer Tube (CFFT) for new columns construction has attracted significant research attention in recent years. The CFFT acts as a formwork for new columns and a barrier to corrosion accelerating agents. It significantly increases both the strength capacity (Strength enhancement ratio) and the ductility (Strain enhancement ratio) of reinforced concrete columns. In this study, based on predefined selection criteria, experimental investigation results of 134 circular CFFT columns under axial compression have been compiled and analysed from 599 CFFT specimens available in the literature. It has been observed that actual confinement ratio (expressed as a function of material properties of fibres, diameter of CFFT and compressive strength of concrete) has significant influence on the strength and ductility of circular CFFT columns. Design oriented models have been proposed to compute the strength and strain enhancement ratios of circular CFFT columns. The proposed strength and strain enhancement ratio models have significantly reduced Average Absolute Error (AAE), Mean Square Error (MSE), Relative Standard Error of Estimate (RSEE) and Standard Deviation (SD) as compared to other available strength and strain enhancement ratios of circular CFFT column models. The predictions of the proposed strength and strain enhancement ratio models match well with the experimental strength and strain enhancement ratios investigation results in the compiled database.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.133-142
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• 2017

Two-stage concrete (TSC), also known as pre-placed aggregate concrete, is characterized by its unique placement technique, whereby the coarse aggregate is first placed in the formwork, then injected with a special grout. Despite its superior sustainability and technical features, TSC has remained a basic concrete technology without much use of modern chemical admixtures, new binders, fiber reinforcement or other emerging additions. In the present study, an experimental database for TSC was built. Different types of cementitious binders (single, binary, and ternary) comprising ordinary portland cement, fly ash, silica fume, and metakaolin were used to produce the various TSC mixtures. Different dosages of steel fibres having different lengths were also incorporated to enhance the mechanical properties of TSC. The database thus created was used to develop fuzzy logic models as predictive tools for the grout flowability and mechanical properties of TSC mixtures. The performance of the developed models was evaluated using statistical parameters and error analyses. The results indicate that the fuzzy logic models thus developed can be powerful tools for predicting the TSC grout flowability and mechanical properties and a useful aid for the design of TSC mixtures.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• 제1권3호
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• pp.253-264
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• 2016

Based on the variation of strain along the cross section, any region in a structural member can be classified into two regions namely, Bernoulli's region (B-region) and Disturbed region (D-region). Since the variation of strain along the cross section for a B-region is linear, well-developed theories are available for their analysis and design. On the other hand, the design of D-region is carried out based on thumb rules and past experience due to the presence of nonlinear strain distribution. Strut-and-Tie method is a novel approach that can be used for the analysis and design of both B-region as well as D-region with equal importance. The strut efficiency factor (${\beta}_s$) is needed for the design and analysis of concrete members using Strut and Tie method. In this paper, equations for finding ${\beta}_s$ for bottle shaped struts in concrete deep beams (a D-region) with and without steel fibres are developed. The effects of transverse reinforcement on ${\beta}_s$ are also considered. Numerical studies using commercially available finite element software along with limited amount of experimental studies were used to find ${\beta}_s$.

• Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering
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• 제2권3호
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• pp.143-157
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• 2015

Successful integration of cementless femoral stems using porous surfaces relies on effective periimplant bone healing to secure the bone-implant interface. The initial stages of the healing process involve protein adsorption, fibrin clot formation and cell osteoconduction onto the implant surface. Modelling this process in vitro, the current work considered the effect of fibrin deposition on the responses of human mesenchymal stromal cells cultured on ferritic fibre networks intended for magneto-mechanical actuation of in-growing bone tissue. The underlying hypothesis for the study was that fibrin deposition would support early stromal cell attachment and physiological functions within the optimal regions for strain transmission to the cells in the fibre networks. Highly porous fibre networks composed of 444 ferritic stainless steel were selected due to their ability to support human osteoblasts and mesenchymal stromal cells without inducing untoward inflammatory responses in vitro. Cell attachment, proliferation, metabolic activity, differentiation and penetration into the ferritic fibre networks were examined for one week. For all fibrin-containing samples, cells were observed on and between the metal fibres, supported by the deposited fibrin, while cells on fibrin-free fibre networks (control surface) attached only onto fibre surfaces and junctions. Initial cell attachment, measured by analysis of deoxyribonucleic acid, increased significantly with increasing fibrinogen concentration within the physiological range. Despite higher cell numbers on fibrin-containing samples, similar metabolic activities to control surfaces were observed, which significantly increased for all samples over the duration of the study. It is concluded that fibrin deposition can support the early attachment of viable mesenchymal stromal cells within the inter-fibre spaces of fibre networks intended for magneto-mechanical strain transduction to in-growing cells.