published_or_final_version / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the durability, toughness, and strength of Synthetic Fiber Reinforced Concrete after being immersed in five separate environments for one year at FAU SeaTech. The specimens were molded and reinforced with two-inch Polypropylene/Polyethylene Fibers in a concrete aggregate matrix and were cut into identical sizes. Some of these environments had accelerated parameters meant to increase degradation to simulate longevity and imitate harsh environments or seawater conditions. The environments consisted of: a high humidity locker (ideal conditions), submerged in the Intracoastal Waterway (FAU barge), seawater immersion, a wet and dry seawater immersion simulating a splash/tidal zone, and another in low pH seawater. The latter three were in an elevated temperature room (87-95°F) which produced more degradative properties. The specimens were monitored and the environments were controlled. The specimens were then evaluated using the IDT test method using force to initiate first-cracking and post-cracking behaviors. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

An experimental study was conducted on the strength and toughness characteristics of concrete made from recycled aggregate, cement and fly ash reinforced with reclaimed high density polyethylene plastic (HDPE) fibers. The objectives of the investigation were: (1) to evaluate the performance of a sustainable concrete containing up to 90% recycled materials; (2) to determine the variation of strength and toughness with a Fiber Factor incorporating length, width and amount of HDPE fibers; (3) to identify the best performing mix design based on tensile strength and toughness and (4) to provide some guidelines for the use of this sustainable composite in Civil Engineering construction. The results showed that the HDPE fiber reinforcements did not improve the compressive strength of the mixture. However, HDPE fibers improved the ductility and toughness which may be beneficial for structural and pavement applications. / by Roody Numa. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

In the United States design for fire safety follows a prescriptive code-based approach. Building codes detail the types of construction materials, assemblies, and fire suppression systems that are required for various building types. This prescriptive method has prevented structural engineers from exposure to performance-based design approaches for fire safety. The motivation for this thesis was to increase the awareness of the structural engineering field to the concepts behind structural design for fire safety. Extensive research has been published on the performance of structural steel in fire conditions, and simplified design tools already exist to describe its behavior. Such tools do not exist for reinforced concrete structures. Research on concrete has been more focused on material properties rather than structural performance. This thesis presents a simplified design tool which assesses the fire performance of reinforced concrete. An Excel-based spreadsheet application was developed for thermal analysis of concrete slabs. It accounts for different aggregate types, slab thicknesses, and fire exposures. Several analyses were performed with the spreadsheet application to examine the affect slab thickness and aggregate types have on the fire performance of concrete slabs in standard and natural fires. The results were compared with published test data and finite element software simulations to benchmark the accuracy of the proposed tool. Furthermore, methods for the design of reinforced concrete slabs in fire conditions are presented.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-242). Also available in print.

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Thesis (M.S.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-121). / xii, 282 leaves, bound ill. (some col.) 29 cm

Thesis (Ph.D) -- McMaster University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 317-326). Also available via World Wide Web.

Thesis (PhD(Transportation Engineering)(Civil Engineering)) --University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.