M. M. Reda Taha

• PhD, PEng, FACI
• Chair at University of New Mexico

The fiber/matrix interface is a critical item that affects Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites mechanical performance due to its control of the load transfer mechanism. Partially bonded interfaces have been shown to affect the failure mode of FRP composites. This article examines the significance of manipulating the fiber/matrix interfacial b...

This article presents a new method for preparing enhanced cation exchange membrane (CEM) for water treatment using cellulose biopolymer. The preparation methodology of CEM membranes was performed in two steps; functionalization followed by fabrication. Firstly, cellulose powder was functionalized with trichloroacetic acid at different reaction time...

Inspired by the fact that there is an immense amount of renewable energy sources available on the roadways, such as mechanical pressure, this study presents the development and implementation of an innovative charging technique for electric vehicles (EVs) by fully utilizing the existing roadways and state-of-the-art nanotechnology and power electro...

This article investigates the relationship between stress, damage, crack propagation, and air (gas) permeability evolution in concrete using the Brazilian tension test. This investigation is important for situations where hazardous gases are in contact with concrete as it quantifies the effect that damage of concrete has on gas permeability. Cylind...

One of the main challenges of using a high fiber volume content in a cement composite is the narrow margin of fiber volume content beyond which fibers can cause an adverse effect on the mechanical properties. In this paper, the significance of fiber size distribution and fiber volume content of different proportions of chopped and milled carbon mic...

Current practices for estimating calculated nitrogen leakage rate (CNLR) have been a great challenge in Mechanical Integrity tests (MIT) for underground solution-mined storage caverns due to the insufficient wellbore temperature measurements. The use of a traditional temperature logging system for detecting gas leakage relies on the existence of st...

Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) has gained attention from the construction industry due to its light weight, high tensile strength, design flexibility, corrosion resistance, and remarkably long service life. Some structural applications that utilize TRC components include precast panels, structural repair, waterproofing elements, and façades. TRC...

The stiffness of wellbore cement fracture surfaces was measured after exposing to the advective flow of nitrogen, silicone oil, and medium sweet dead crude oil for different exposure periods. The test specimens were extracted from fractured cement cylinders, where the cement fracture surfaces were exposed to the different fluids up to 15 weeks. A n...

Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcing bars have relatively low shear strength, which limits their possible use in civil infrastructure applications with high shear demand, such as concrete reinforcing dowels. We suggest that the horizontal shear strength of GFRP bars can be significantly improved by nanomodification of the vinyl ester r...

Additive manufacturing relies on the deposition of layers of material upon existing ones. The nature of this method disadvantages materials such as concrete due to the rheological changes of the material over time, the lack of standardization of the printing process, and the nature of the deposition process. This paper examines the significance of...

Multiple fluids are likely to exist in fractures and flow paths associated with leaky wellbores, including liquids (e.g., crude oil) and gases (e.g., gas ex-solved from liquid and/or nitrogen from MIT tests). These fluids occupy and move through different portions of the pore spaces within the fractures depending on many factors, including fluid pr...

The flow rates through leaky wellbores associated with hydrocarbon storage facilities, which can result in pressure buildup in the cemented annulus at the surface, depend on the permeabilities of the leakage pathways, including cement fractures and microannuli. Similar to rock fractures, the permeabilities of these flow paths are expected to be a f...

Understanding the nature of fluid flow through fractured wellbore cement is fundamental for evaluating the leakage potential and risk assessments of leaky wellbores. In this study, the conditions that require considering visco-inertial flow for describing the gas flow through wellbore cement fractures were investigated. Nitrogen gas flow tests were...

Wellbores provide access beneath the ground for a multitude of operations, including fluid storage, waste disposal, and oil/gas exploration. Wellbores typically consist of a steel casing surrounded by cement to create a seal between the host formation and casing. Because wellbores often leak through cement fractures, pressurized fluids (gas or liqu...

Accelerated bridge construction (ABC) techniques are used worldwide to accelerate construction and reduce cost. Precast concrete bridge deck panels are used today as part of ABC to simplify bridge deck construction. When used, bridge deck closure joints are created between the precast panels, as shown in Figure 1. Flowable yet very strong concrete...

Certification Publications Symposium Volumes International Translations Document Errata Permission and Reprint Requests ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL CONCRETE ABSTRACTS PORTAL The International Concrete Abstracts Portal is an ACI led collaboration with leading technical organizations from within the international concrete industry and offers the most co...

The pressure gradient that drives the crude oil leakage in the wellbores causes aggregation of tacky particles or micelle deposition in crude oil. A thin layer of micelle deposition adsorbed in fracture interface has been observed experimentally, which can temporarily reduce the fracture aperture but does not provide a permanent solution. Sufficien...

Microscale defects (microannuli) at the steel-cement and rock-cement interfaces are a major cause of failure in the integrity of wellbore systems. Microscale defects/microcracks as small as 30 μm are sufficient to create a significant leakage pathway for fluids. In this paper, the authors propose the use of nanomodified methyl methacrylate (NM-MMA)...

Leakage along wellbores is of concern for a variety of applications, including sub-surface fluid storage facilities, geothermal wells, and CO2 storage wells. We have investigated whether corroded casing is permeable to gas and can serve as a leakage pathway along wellbores. Three specimens were prepared from laboratory steel plates corroded using d...

Prefabricated concrete bridge deck panels are utilized in Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) to simplify bridge deck construction. Concrete with good bond and shear strength as well as excellent flowability is required to fill bridge deck closure joints. This paper discusses the use of polymer concrete (PC) for bridge deck closure joints in ABC....

Degradation due to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is an important durability challenge with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite. Design and construction guidelines of GFRP suggest using UV protection paint to prevent GFRP degradation. In this study we examine the possible use of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) dispersed i...

Recycled carbon fibers cost a fraction of virgin fibers and their composites can potentially achieve mechanical properties suitable for a wide range of applications. When recycled, carbon fibers usually become millimeter to centimeter long and emerge as a tangled mass analogous to cotton candy. In this work, recycled carbon fibers were processed in...

Numerous regulations have been imposed worldwide by governments and environmental organizations in order to reduce the negative environmental impact resulting from large numbers of solid waste landfills. Recycling of industrial by-products is a step toward sustainable waste management. By utilizing ceramic waste powder (CWP) as a partial cement rep...

Corrugated metal pipes (CMPs) have been used as culverts in North America since the 1950s. Today, corrosion of CMPs is a major problem that requires an urgent and efficient solution to retrofit thousands of corroded CMPs across the country. One potential solution gaining wide acceptance is to use a fit-in Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) liner...

Wellbores are comprised by a steel casing surrounded by a cement sheath. The microannulus is the typically very small annular or degraded space that may develop between cement and casing that has been identified as a common leakage pathway in wellbore systems. Although data regarding the actual size and character of wellbore microannuli are limited...

Bolted joints are critical in bracing elements subjected to seismic loads. When fabricated out of glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP), joint capacity is limited by the shear strength of the GFRP. We hypothesize that adding multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to the epoxy resin prior to fabricating GFRP elements can improve the seismic resistan...

Significant progress has taken place in the past few years in developing terahertz devices 13 to make use of their superior capabilities in radio astronomy, security screening, chemical analysis, 14 medical imaging and biological sensing, etc. With such advances in terahertz devices, 15 electromagnetic interference shielding (EMI) in the terahertz...

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) was developed in the 1980s in Japan and has since received wide attention and use in the construction industry worldwide. Numerous investigations have been conducted on SCC to establish comprehensive knowledge of itsmixture requirements and performance. The use of high powder content, mostly cement, is one of the SCC...

Strain energy deployable composite structures offer spacecraft designs reduced payload and compact volume. One of the greatest advantages presented by deployable composite structures arises from their ability to maintain high-strain configurations for extended periods of stowage. Because of the viscoelastic nature of the polymer matrix, the stowed...

Leakage along wellbores is of concern for a variety of applications, including sub-surface fluid storage facilities, geothermal wells, and CO2 storage wells. We have investigated whether corroded casing is permeable to gas and can serve as a leakage pathway along the wellbore. Steel plates were corroded in corrosion reactor and sandwiched in a cyli...

A number of wells at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) have shown sustained, positive pressure (referred to as sustained casing pressure or SCP) in the cemented annulus behind the production casing. To better understand how SCP may develop for SPR conditions, we conducted gas and oil flow tests on cement specimens with flaws including cement fr...

Ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) has high compressive strength of about 150–200 MPa, but does not have sufficient ductility requires for optimum performance in protective structures, which are usually subjected to large inelastic deformation unless steel fibers are introduced to the mix. However, it has been shown that inco...

In less than one century, concrete has become the most widely used construction material worldwide. Today it is difficult to imagine a concrete totally without polymers. An implantation of polymers into concrete has taken effect in the form of concrete-polymer composite [C-PC = PMC + PCC + PIC + PC]. On the way of C-PC development, several mileston...

Polymer concrete (PC) is a type of concrete where polymer binder replaces cement. PC has been used in field applications since the 1950s. Specifically, PC has been widely used for precast architectural facade, underground utilities, manholes, machine foundations, bridge deck overlays and closures, and other applications. PC is characterized by high...

This study presents the performance of hybrid concrete walls incorporating ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) and nano-modified polymer concrete (NMPC) under blast loading. UHPC has compressive strength with failure strain very close to that of conventional concrete. Such strain is insufficient to sustain large plastic deformations required for...

Pultrusion is a renowned method in industry to produce glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcing bars. Pristine multiwalled carbon nanotubes (P-MWCNTs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with carboxyl functional group (COOH-MWCNTs) were dispersed into the vinyl ester resin to produce GFRP bars. The GFRP bars were produced using a pul...

Polymer concrete (PC) replaces cement hydration with polymerization by utilizing epoxy polymer binders as a substitute of cement creating impermeable and highly durable concrete. It has been reported that the tensile properties of PC can be significantly improved by incorporating multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) at 2.0 wt.% content. In this w...

Accelerated bridge construction techniques are getting attention due to their ability to reduce construction time and thus lower cost of bridges. Precast concrete girders and bridge deck panels are typically used today in the construction of bridges. This construction method creates the need for flowable yet high strength and good bond for filling...

Preserving historical concrete structures recognizes the work and skills of past generations and allows the communities surrounding these pieces of history the opportunity to enjoy the character and purpose of their construction. Restoration of concrete picnic tables, constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, required researching...

Purpose: "Damage" is an engineering term defining a period between a state of material perfection and the onset of crack initiation. Clinically, it is a loss of fixation due to microstructural breakdown, indirectly measured as a reduction of stiffness of the bone-implant construct, normalized by the cross-sectional area and length of the bone. The...

This volume collects the proceedings from the International Congress of Polymers in Concrete 2018 (ICPIC), held under the theme “Polymers for Resilient and Sustainable Concrete Infrastructure.” ICPIC 2018 provides an opportunity for researchers and specialists working in the fields of polymers to exchange ideas and follow the latest progress in the...

This investigation experimentally examines the effect of incorporating alumina nanoparticles on the off-axis stiffness and stress-relaxation of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites. Four epoxy–alumina nanoparticle nanocomposites incorporating 0.0, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 wt% alumina nanoparticles of the total weight of epoxy are examined. Off-axis...

We have measured gas and oil flow through laboratory samples that represent two important potential flow paths in wellbores associated with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR): cement-steel interfaces (microannuli) and cement fractures. Cement fractures were created by tensile splitting of cement cores. Samples to represent microannuli were creat...

Desirable outcomes for geologic carbon storage include maximizing storage efficiency, preserving injectivity, and avoiding unwanted consequences such as caprock or wellbore leakage or induced seismicity during and post injection. To achieve these outcomes, three control measures are evident including pore pressure, injectate chemistry, and knowledg...

The cement-casing interface, or microannulus, has been identified as a common pathway within wellbores for leakage of fluids yet little is known about its size or character. We conducted laboratory measurements of gas flow through microannuli under varying confining, casing and pore pressures to provide insight into how microannuli respond to a ran...

Incorporating solid waste materials in concrete has three advantages-the immediate environmental benefit of recycling a material from landfills, reducing the negative impact of cement production and preserving natural resources. Ceramic waste powder (CWP), produced during the process of polishing ceramic tiles, is dumped in landfills and can cause...

This paper presents the potential use of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as sensors to monitor moisture damage propagation in glass fiber reinforced polymer composites (GFRP). GFRP coupons incorporating 2% CNFs and 2% MWCNTs by weight of epoxy were fabricated using hand layup method and examined. Water absorption t...

The ability to fold and deploy lightweight composites without damage makes them attractive for aerospace applications. However, one of the challenges faced with deployable composites is their high stiffness, which results in a relatively high deployment rate. It has been hypothesized that by exploiting the time-dependent viscoelastic response of co...

In this paper, an approach to integrating nanoindentation testing and finite element simulations is introduced to compute the fracture toughness of cementitious materials. Calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) was synthesized using the standard procedure of mixing calcium oxide (CaO) and silicate (SiO2) at a mixture ratio of 1.5. C–S–H powder was filter...

Ceramic waste powder (CWP) is produced during ceramic tile polishing with potential environmental pollution. CWP is silica-rich, alumina-rich and fine particle size material. High performance concrete (HPC) mixtures incorporating 10–40% CWP as replacement of Portland cement by mass were evaluated. Mechanical, durability and microstructural investig...

Producing "greener" concrete that meets various construction/industrial needs will have significant positive impacts on both the construction field and the environment. This paper investigates the use of ceramic waste powder (CWP); a waste material from the final polishing process of ceramic tiles, in producing different concrete types; conventiona...

A polymeric hybrid composite system made of UHPC and CFRP was proposed as a retrofit system to enhance flexural strength and ductility of RC slabs. While the effectiveness of the proposed system was confirmed previously through testing three full-scale one-way slabs having two continuous spans, the slabs retrofitted with the hybrid system failed in...

Glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites are widely used in infrastructure applications including water structures due to their relatively high durability, high strength to weight ratio, and non-corrosiveness. Here we demonstrate the potential use of carbon nanoparticles dispersed during GFRP composite fabrication to reduce water absorption...

This study investigates the effect of alumina nanoparticles (ANPs) on tension and fracture characteristics of polymer concrete (PC). ANPs with a maximum particle size of 50 nm were used at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 wt.% of epoxy resin. Tensile strength, tensile failure strain, and fracture toughness (KIC, GIC, and JIC) were determined experimentally....

This research aims to describe the microannulus region of the cement sheath-steel casing interface in terms of its compressibility and permeability. A wellbore system mock-up was used for lab-scale testing, and was subjected to confining and casing pressures in a pressure vessel while measuring gas flow along the specimen’s axis. The flow was inter...

The structural design of the bolted fiber reinforced polymer elements is typically governed by the capacity of the joint rather than the fiber reinforced polymer member, while the joint capacity is typically governed by the shear strength of the fiber reinforced polymer. Here, the possibility of improving the shear strength of bolted joints is inve...

High quality few-layered graphene nano-platelets (GNPs) were successfully prepared via catalytic chemical vapor deposition of methane under ambient pressure using substrate-free unsupported iron, cobalt, and nickel metallic sheets as catalysts. The bulk catalysts were prepared via combustion method using citric acid as a fuel. Various analytical te...

Polymer concrete (PC) is a commonly used material in construction due to its improved durability and good bond strength to steel substrate. PC has been suggested as a repair and seal material to restore the bond between the cement annulus and the steel casing in wells that penetrate formations under consideration for CO2 sequestration. Nanoparticle...

Bridge deck overlays often require materials that are durable and easy to apply and that have a long fatigue life. In many applications, polymer concrete (PC) has been chosen not only because it meets such requirements but also because it offers additional features such as high friction. However, the service life of PC overlays is reduced, and crac...

Seal integrity of functional oil wells and abandoned wellbores used for CO2 subsequent storage has become of significant interest with the oil and gas leaks worldwide. This is attributed to the fact that wellbores intersecting geographical formations contain potential leakage pathways. One of the critical leakage pathways is the cement-shale interf...

In this study we report on characterization of synthetic calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) produced at relatively low Cao to SiO2 (C/S) mixture ratio of 0.7 compared with C-S-H produced at 1.5 C/S mixture ratio. Synthetic C-S-H slurry was produced by mixing calcium oxide (CaO) to micro-silica (SiO2) with large amount of deionized water. The slurry w...

ArmorHab architecture aims to develop long term habitats, constructed primarily (>50%) from in-situ resources of planetary bodies, using synthetic magnetospheres for shielding, providing protection for each type of habitat: transport, orbital, and surface habitats. The ArmorHab architecture adapts to the challenges of extraterrestrial environments...

The deployment speed of tape springs is a critical factor effecting the structural performance of aerospace components. At either extreme, an undesirable speed of deployment could result in (a) only partial deployment if too slow or (b) damage to the tape spring and/or removal of attached articles if too fast. While traditionally tape springs have...

Deployable aerospace structures are becoming more attractive to researchers due to their light weight and flexible design characteristics. Their ability to easily be deployed after a certain time period of stowage makes them very desirable joints in aerospace structures. Controlling the deployment process by controlling the rate of deployment is cr...

In this work, we report the potential use of novel carbon nanofibers (CNFs), dispersed during fabrication of glass fiber composites to monitor damage propagation under static loading. The use of CNFs enables a transformation of the typically non-conductive glass fiber composites into new fiber composites with appreciable electrical conductivity. Th...

This paper discusses the potential use of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to improve the mechanical properties of short glass fiber composites. Two methods to incorporate MWCNTs in short glass fiber composite fabrication were examined. First, Carboxylic-functionalized MWCNTs were dispersed in a silane fiber sizing material and then were allo...

Polymer concrete (PC) has been favoured over Portland cement concrete when low permeability, high adhesion, and/or high durability against aggressive environments are required. In this research, a new class of PC incorporating Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) is introduced. Four PC mixes with different MWCNTs contents were examined. MWCNTs we...

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) mixtures include high powder content (i.e. 450-600 kg/m3) which is needed to maintain sufficient stability/cohesion of the mixture and hence improving segregation resistance. The use of high cement content to meet the need of high powder is not desirable as it will increase the cost and has other negative effects on c...

Large sensor networks have been proposed as part of structural health monitoring (SHM) systems for infrastructure safety. To apply SHM on large structures such as pipelines, a considerably large number of sensors are required. By increasing the number of sensors, the amount of data to communicate and analyze becomes a burden due to the required com...

The incorporation of pozzolanic materials in concrete has many beneficial effects to enhance the mechanical properties of concrete. The calcium silicate hydrates in cement matrix of concrete increase by pozzolanic reaction of silicates and calcium hydroxide. The fine pozzolanic particles fill spaces between clinker grains, thereby resulting in a de...

This research aims to examine the use of reactive rubber nanoparticles (RRNP) as well as waste polypropylene as asphalt modifiers to get rid of the undesirable aforementioned characteristics as a method for waste solid disposal. To achieve this goal, RRNP were prepared in the lab via emulsification of natural rubber with a suitable emulsifying agen...

Polymer concrete (PC) overlays are typically used in infrastructure applications, specifically bridges and parking structures, to provide durable protection to the structural system. However, PC suffers from cracking and crack propagation during its service life mostly due to fatigue. Fatigue cracking of PC results in limiting the service life of P...

The bond of polymer concrete (PC) to a steel surface is a critical aspect in many infrastructure applications. Bond strength can be evaluated through several means including pull-off, flexural, twist-off, and slant shear tests. While pull-off strength tests are the most common method for evaluating bond for PC overlays in bridge and parking structu...

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are the most commonly used material for aerospace applications. Damage of CFRP composites due to low-velocity impact from hail or small cosmic particles on airplanes or aerospace structures have been reported as a critical issue in aerospace applications. Since CFRP off-axis and out-of-plane respons...

Calcium Silicate Hydrate gel (C-S-H) is the basic product of the cement hydration process responsible for strength and durability of concrete. Synthetic C-S-H was synthesized by mixing Calcium oxide (CaO denoted as C) and silicate (SiO 2 denoted as S) with a C/S mixture ratio of 1.5. C-S-H powder was filtered, and dried to a relative humidity of 11...

Concrete is a time-dependent and multi-scale composite. Alkalis in cement react with reactive silica in aggregate in the presence of water and forms a gel in what is known as alkali-silica reaction (ASR). When ASR gel absorbs water, it swells. Swelling of ASR gels can damage concrete and cause cracking which reflects on long-term structural perform...

This research aims to examine the use of reactive rubber nanoparticles (RRNP) as well as waste polypropylene as asphalt modifiers to get rid of the undesirable aforementioned characteristics as a method for waste solid disposal. To achieve this goal, RRNP were prepared in the lab via emulsification of natural rubber with a suitable emulsifying agen...