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 Investigations on vibration behaviors of railway track systems were attempted in this research. This was made by conducting a comprehensive field investigation into the free vibration of track systems and response of tracks to train moving loads. In-situ modal analysis was used in a railway track field as an efficient method of investigating dynamic properties of railway track systems. Natural frequencies and mode shapes of the track system in different insitu track conditions were obtained for the fist time. The sensitivity of the natural frequencies of the track to the types of sleepers, fastening systems, ballast conditions, and rail joints were studied. Efficiency of rail welded joints in CWR tracks and the effects of replacing timber sleepers with concrete sleepers on dynamic behavior of a track were investigated. Advantages of flexible sleeper fastening system from the aspects of serviceability and passenger riding comfort were discussed. The effects of the track accumulative loading as a main indicator of ballast degradation on track dynamic behavior were studied. Rail deflections were calculated by using auto-spectra obtained from vibrations of the track under trainloads, leading to the development of a new mathematical expression for the calculation of the rail dynamic amplification factor.

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The results of laboratory model tests and numerical analysis on circular footings supported on sand bed under incremental

cyclic loads are presented. The incremental values of intensity of cyclic loads (loading, unloading and reloading) were applied

on the footing to evaluate the response of footing and also to obtain the value of elastic rebound of the footing corresponding

to each cycle of load. The effect of sand relative density of 42%, 62%, and 72% and different circular footing area of 25, 50,

and 100cm2 were investigated on the value of coefficient of elastic uniform compression of sand (CEUC). The results show that

the value of coefficient of elastic uniform compression of sand was increased by increasing the sand relative density while with

increase the footing area the value of coefficient of elastic uniform compression of sand was decreases. The responses of footing

and the quantitative variations of CEUC with footing area and soil relative density obtained from experimental results show a

good consistency with the obtained numerical result using “FLAC-3D”.

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This paper aims at finding the long term coupled effect of high temperature and constant high relative humidity on the corrosion rehabilitated patches of chloride contaminated steel reinforced concrete. This paper is an extension of previous research in which the authors experimentally corroborated re-corrosion in the repaired reinforced concrete (RC) patches in the form of macro-cells. In previous research, the coupled effect was investigated by laboratory controlled experimentation at varying temperature of 30, 40 and 50°C and a high ambient relative humidity of 85% in environmental control chambers for duration of one year. The specimens were prepared having total chloride concentration in mixing water 3% and 5 % by mass of binder. In this present research paper, the two year results of the same specimens are presented to get a deep insight of the long term phenomenon of macro-cell corrosion under the coupled effect of high temperature and humidity on repaired RC patches.

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In order to investigate the flexural behaviors of RC beams after freeze-thaw cycles, compressive strength test of concrete cubes after 0, 50, 100, 125 freeze-thaw cycles were made, and static flexural experiment of 48 RC beams after 0, 50, 100, 125 freeze-thaw cycles were made. The relationships of relative compressive strength, mass loss rate, relative dynamic elastic modulus and numbers of freeze-thaw cycles were analyzed. The influences of different numbers of freeze-thaw cycles on the flexural behaviors of RC beams with different concrete grades were studied. The results show that concrete cubes’ mass, relative dynamic elastic modulus and compressive strength decrease with the increasing of freeze-thaw cycles, and high-strength grade concrete could slow down the damage caused by freeze-thaw cycles. Experimental values of test beams stiffness under short-term load were smaller than theory value. Some under-reinforced RC beams occurs over-reinforced failure mode after freeze-thaw cycles. Boundary reinforcement ratio of RC beams after certain numbers of freeze-thaw cycles was derived and its correctness was verified by experiment. Current code for design of concrete structures about crack load and ultimate load are still suitable for RC beams after freeze-thaw cycles.

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In order to improve the utilization of high liquid limit soil, the fundamental properties of high liquid limit soil and its direct utilization method are studied in this paper. This work involves both laboratory and fieldwork experiments. The results show that clay and sandy clay both with high liquid limit can be directly used for the road embankment, and the degree of compaction can be controlled at 88 %. The pack-and-cover method in accordance with Chinese technical specifications is recommended to be operated in the engineering practice. The packed height should be less than 8 meters and the total height of embankment no more than 12 meters in the interests of settlement. From the view of stability, the optimal thickness value of top sealing soil layer and edge sealing soil layer is about 1.5 meter respectively, and the geogrid reinforcement spacing should be about 2.0 meters. In addition, based on Yun-Luo expressway in China filled with high liquid limit soil, the construction techniques and key points of quality control in subgrade with pack-and-cover method are compared and discussed in detail, and the feasibility of these schemes are verified by the experimental results.

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To study seismic performance of concrete-encased composite columns with T-shaped steel cross-section, twelve half-scale columns were tested under quasi-stastic cyclic loading. The result indicates that concrete-encased composite columns with T-shaped steel section possess good seismic performance. The failure modes include bending failure, shear-bond failure, shear compression failure and shear-composition failure. Unsymmetrical phenomenon of positive and negative hysteresis loop was shown evidently. Span ratio has a great influence on failure mode. The ductility performance decreases with increasing of axial compression level. As stirrup ratio increases, ductility and bearing capacity of columns are improved greatly, and energy dissipation capacity after yielding is enhanced. Cross tie can enhance ultimate bearing capacity, and lower strength attenuation and stiffness degradation on the later loading stage

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Dividing open channels are varied types of open channel structures used to provide water for irrigation channels, agriculture and wastewater networks. In the present study the mean velocity is calculated in different dividing angles within the branches channel through the use of artificial Neural Network (ANN) and coputational fluid dynamices (CFD) models. First the ANSYS-CFX model is used to simulate the flow pattern within the branch with a 90° angle. The results of the CFX model correspond fairly well to the results of the experimental model with Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 5%. After verifying, two CFX model are generated in 30° and 60° angle in different width ratios of 0.6, 0.8, 1, 1.2, and 1.4, and the mean velocities are obtained by flowmeter. Following that ANN model trained and tested through the use of a set of experimental and CFX datas. The comparison showed that the ANN model has an acceptable level of accuracy in predicting the dividing open channel mean flow velocity with mean value R2 of 0.93. Comparing the results indicated that ANN model with the MAPE of 1.8% performs better in 0.8 m width ratio. Also, in this width ratio the MAPE are equal to 1.58, 1.87, and 2.04 % in 30°, 60°, and 90° deviation angles respectively and therefore the model performs better in 30° angle.

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In this paper, the scour hole dimensions around submerged and emerged spur dike in a 90o bend along with the mean and turbulent flowfield were investigated experimentally. Two types of re-circulating flow at the downstream of the spur dike and around the spur dike wing were observed. A direct relation between the estimated bed shear stress using TKE and the scour process prevails. More attentions is needed in estimating the bed shear stress using vertical velocity fluctuations. The scour hole dimensions increase by increasing the ratio of radius of channel bend to channel width , the Froude number of the spur dike, ratio of the length of spur dike to channel width and ratio of the approach mean flow velocity to the approach flow velocity at threshold condition. However, vice versa trends were observed by increasing ratio of the spur dike length to the median sediment size, ratio of the wing length of spur dike to the length of spur dike and the submergence ratio. A particular location of the spur dike in the sharp bend was specified beyond which the scour hole dimensions increase. The ratio of the spur dike length to the median sediment size has a secondary effect on the scour hole dimensions. New equations are proposed for prediction of the scour hole dimensions considering the submergence ratio along with other effective parameters.