Residual Impact Performance of ECC Subjected to Sub-High Temperatures

Despite the fact that the mechanical properties of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) after high-temperature exposure are well investigated in the literature, the repeated impact response of ECC is not yet explored. Aiming to evaluate the residual impact response of ECC subjected to sub-high temperatures under repeated drop weight blows, the ACI 544-2R repeated impact test was utilized in this study. Disk impact specimens (150 mm diameter and 64 mm thickness) were prepared from the M45 ECC mixture but using polypropylene fibers, while similar 100 mm cube specimens and 100 × 100 × 400 mm prism specimens were used to evaluate the compressive and flexural strengths. The specimens were all cast, cured, heated, cooled, and tested under the same conditions and at the same age. The specimens were subjected to three temperatures of 100, 200 and 300 °C, while a group of specimens was tested without heating as a reference group. The test results showed that heating to 100 and 200 °C did not affect the impact resistance noticeably, where the retained cracking and failure impact numbers and ductility were higher or slightly lower than those of unheated specimens. On the other hand, exposure to 300 °C led to a serious deterioration in the impact resistance and ductility. The retained failure impact numbers after exposure to 100, 200, and 300 °C were 313, 257, and 45, respectively, while that of the reference specimens was 259. The results also revealed that the impact resistance at this range of temperature showed a degree of dependency on the compressive strength behavior with temperature.

Assessment of farmers knowledge and perception towards the usage of sugarcane trash and environmental safety

Purpose In Maharashtra's Kolhapur district, open field burning of sugarcane trash (ST) is a major concern. This pollutes the environment, loses energy, and has a detrimental effect on biodiversity. As a result, a study was conducted to learn more about the underlying cause of sugarcane trash burning. MethodsThe face-to-face interview of 186 sugarcane growers were carried in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra (India). The impact of age and education on behavior of farmers towards the usage of sugarcane trash were analyzed with help of M.S Excel, and Past-3 software and Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact, Response (DPSIR) model. ResultsThe age and education has non-significant effect on burning of sugarcane trash even though at 10% level of significance. The 61.12 % farmers burn the sugarcane trash in the field, whereas 38.70 % used for other purposes. The farmers (95.69 %) are very well know that burning of sugarcane trash has a detrimental effect on the environment. The 80 % farmers reported fear of rats, snakes and scorpion to use sugarcane trash as mulch in field as well as 42 % farmers reported burning of sugarcane trash in field has benefits. Conclusions The study revealed that farmers have knowledge and understanding on how to use sugarcane trash for benefits but due to utilization barriers they burned the sugarcane trash in the field. There is need a robust policy as well as extension activity to address this issue.

Static and Impact Response of a Single-Span Stone Masonry Arch

Unreinforced masonry structures are susceptible to man-made hazards such as impact and blast loading. However, the literature on this subject mainly focuses on masonry wall behavior, and there is a knowledge gap about the behavior of masonry arches under high-strain loading. In this context, this research aims to investigate both quasistatic and impact response of a dry-joint stone masonry arch using the discrete element method. Rigid blocks with noncohesive joint models are adopted to simulate dry-joint assemblages. First, the employed modeling strategy is validated utilizing the available experimental findings, and then sensitivity analyses are performed for both static and impact loading, considering the effect of joint friction angle, contact stiffness, and damping parameters. The outcomes of this research strengthen the existing knowledge in the literature regarding the computational modeling of masonry structures that are subjected to usual and extreme loading conditions. The results highlight that applied discontinuum-based numerical models are more sensitive to stiffness parameters in high-strain loading than static analysis.