Journal of Civil Engineering Researchers
Volume:6 Issue: 1, Winter 2024

Floods are natural disasters that can result in significant social, economic, and environmental impacts. Timely and accurate flood detection is crucial for effective disaster management and mitigation. This paper addresses the importance of water segmentation in flood detection and water engineering applications, emphasizing the need for precise delineation of water areas in flood-hit regions. Accurate water segmentation not only aids in assessing the extent of flooding but also plays a vital role in predicting and preventing potential flood events. This study explores the application of advanced deep learning models, namely SegNet, UNet, and FCN32 for automated flood area segmentation. Leveraging a dataset comprising 290 images depicting flood-affected areas, the models are trained to accurately delineate water regions within the images. The experiment results demonstrate the efficacy of these models in effectively segmenting floodwaters. Among the tested models, SegNet emerges as the top performer, achieving an impressive precision rate of 88%. This superior performance underscores the potential of deep learning techniques in enhancing flood detection and response capabilities, paving the way for more efficient and reliable flood prediction systems

Due to the important role that bridges play in rescue operations after an earthquake, it is necessary that these structures have a higher level of protection against seismic attacks. Earthquake identifies the weak points of the structure and causes the most damage there. Bridges are very vulnerable to these attacks due to their low degree of uncertainty. All bridges built before 1971 were designed with the elastic design method (permissible stress). In this method, the effects of plasticity, section cracking, and plastic deformation are not taken into account. The change of seismic locations based on the principles of elastic design is much less. It is because the structure experiences in a real earthquake, one of the consequences of which is the falling of the decks due to the loss of the support surface. The decision to strengthen the bridge was made when there were many bending and shear cracks on the king beams. The bridge was created. The use of FRP profiles can significantly prevent the damage caused bycorrosion and is a good alternative to the traditional methods of strengthening the structure. In this study, a design for the deck of a steel bridge with I beams is presented. The shape of reinforcement using FRP fibers with vinyl ester resins has also been investigated, the effect of the geometry of FRP profiles has been investigated. The presented specifications are optimized to obtain a lasting shape and section, especially for the pultrusion process. FRP materials are light, resistant to corrosion andhave high tensile strength. These materials come in different forms and range from multi-layer factory sheets to dry sheets that can be twisted on various structural forms before adding resin, is available. The durability and high tensile strength of FRP materials are among the advantages of these materials. The durability and long-term performance of FRP requires more research, which is ongoing and continues.

In this study, geopolymer concrete made from fly ash was utilized, with different proportions of cement (0%, 10%, and 20%) replacing fly ash to examine the influence of cement presence in geopolymer concrete. To increase tensile strength and impact resistance, 0.5 and 1 percent steel fibers were used. Adding 0.5 percent fibers improved compressive strength by 9 percent, and for 1 percent fibers, it was 26 percent. The tensile strength also significantly increased with the addition of fibers. Adding 0.5% fibers, on average, increased the tensile strength by 25%, with the increase being 34% for 1% fibers. It was also noted that substituting cement for fly ash had little effect on compressive strength, but replacing 10% cement could be considered as the optimalsubstitution level in terms of tensile strength in the samples.The test results for impact resistance indicated a significant effect of steel fibers on the number of impacts until the first crack appeared and the complete rupture of the samples. Adding fibers increased the resistance to complete rupture by 12 to 22 percent with 0.5 percent fibers, and between 49 to 64 percent for 1 percent fibers. Replacing 10 percent rubber crumbs improved the impact energy of concrete, increasing the energy until the first crack by 10 percent on average and the energy until complete rupture by 15 percent.

Nanotechnology has emerged as a transformative force in the construction industry, revolutionizing traditional building materials and methods. This paper delves into the multifaceted applications of nanotechnology in construction, focusing on its impact onbuilding coatings, materials, colors, insulation, and sensors. By incorporating nanoparticles like carbon nanotubes and titanium dioxide, construction materials gain enhanced mechanical properties and durability. Nano-coatings applied to surfaces such as glass, wood, and concrete offer benefits like water repellence, UV resistance, and antibacterial properties, contributing to energy efficiency and cost savings. Furthermore, advancements in self-healing concrete, fire-resistant glass, and smart surfaces demonstrate the potential of nanotechnology to address longstanding challenges in construction. The paper also explores the use of nanotechnology in paints, insulation, and sensors, highlighting innovations such as self-cleaning paints, antistatic coatings, and nano-acoustic insulators. Overall, the integration of nanotechnology into the construction sector promises improved product quality, energy efficiency, and longevity, heralding a new era of sustainable and resilient built environments.

Hollow core slabs are commonly used in prefabricated building construction and are calculated and constructed using gravity loads. The dead loads of the structure are reduced by using this slab system. Different criteria, such as the initiation and propagation of cracks in the hollow core slab, are used to analyze these slabs. Fracture mechanics is the basis for studying crack propagation. The present study was conducted to analyze the propagation of cracks in hollow core slabs under common loading conditions using the finite element method and numerical modeling to analyze cracks in reinforced concrete members. This research is theoretically conducted using finite element software. This research takes into account the potential varieties of cracks in concrete slabs. Slabs should consider all three types of cracks, which are shear, flexural, and flexural-shear cracks obtained from the reference test. Two Contour integral and XFEM methods are used to analyze cracks in Abaqus software. To validate and control the modeling process, the laboratory results of the research of Ibrahim N. Najma, Raid A. Daudb, and Adel A. Al-Azzawi. December 2, 2019, has been used. The outcomes of this study showed that the probability of the formation of a flexural-shear crack in theslab is higher than in other crack forms.

The modern types of concrete consist of a mixture of aggregates, cement, water, and optional additives and admixtures. Polymer additives, such as superplasticizers, latexes, redispersible powders, polymer fibers, and recycled polymers, have shown promise in significantly altering the properties of concrete and mortar. These polymeric materials are widely used in the construction industry to enhance resistance to cracking and improve overall performance. This paper provides an overview of popular polymeric additives and their impact on concrete properties, as well as the relationship between the chemical structure of additives and the behavior of the resulting concrete.