Paul Awoyera

• PhD
• Associate Professor at Prince Muhammad Bin Fahd University

In this research work, a representative data of 334 collected from literature of concrete admixed with highly pozzolanic industrial waste materials, which are nano-silica (nSi), nano-alumina (nAl) and micro-silica (mSi) has been deployed to the learning abilities of the artificial neural network (ANN), genetic programming (GP), and the evolutionary...

Considering the response of structures to intense heat is crucial when designing for potentially life-threatening fires, such as wildfires and postearthquake fires. The attention paid to structural thermal reaction following several disasters has increased in recent years. Eccentrically braced frame (EBF) structures in seismic conditions are widely...

The self-compacting concrete (SCC) mixes were developed using lightweight expandable clay aggregate (LECA) as a partial substitute for coarse aggregate, ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) as a partial replacement for cement, and combusted bio-medical waste ash (BMWA) as a partial replacement for fine aggregate. The substitution levels for...

Basalt fiber-reinforced concrete (BFRC) mixed with fly ash, combined with advanced machine learning techniques, offers a practical, cost-effective, and less time-consuming alternative to traditional experimental methods. Conventional approaches to evaluating mechanical properties, such as compressive and splitting tensile strengths, typically requi...

This research investigates the compressive strength behavior of basalt fiber-reinforced concrete (BFRC) using machine learning models to optimize predictions and enhance its practical applications. The study incorporates various modeling techniques, including Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), k-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Support Vector Machines (SVM)...

The traditional evaluation of compressive strength through repeated experimental works can be resource-intensive, time-consuming, and environmentally taxing. Leveraging advanced machine learning (ML) offers a faster, cheaper, and more sustainable alternative for evaluating and optimizing concrete properties, particularly for materials incorporating...

Physics-informed modeling (PIM) using advanced machine learning (ML) represents a paradigm shift in the field of concrete technology, offering a potent blend of scientific rigor and computational efficiency. By harnessing the synergies between physics-based principles and data-driven algorithms, PIM-ML not only streamlines the design process but al...

This study investigates the feasibility of using melted plastic wastes, specifically low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE), as the sole binder in masonry blocks in light-load applications, addressing both environmental and construction challenges. Repurposing plastics offers a sustainable alternative owing to the incr...

Recent sustainable engineering trends show the re-use of wastes in the production of concrete materials. This was important in two ways. First, there is a great environmental necessity to eliminate these industrial wastes and their usage in a solid waste upcycling system to ensure structural sustainability creates an avenue for this process. Second...

In recent times, increasing demand for raw aggregate has emphasized the need for construction industry to adopt sustainable practices by exploring alternative materials, such as agro-waste, to address resource depletion and reduce environmental pollution., This current study investigated the suitability of combining discarded periwinkle shell (PWKS...

Accurate shear capacity estimation for reinforced concrete (RC) beams without stirrups is essential for reliable structural design. Traditional code-based methods, primarily empirical, exhibit variability in predicting shear strength for these beams. This paper assesses the effectiveness of mechanics-based and optimized machine learning (ML) models...

The indoor comfort of occupied buildings has become essential, as it significantly affects the productivity and health of occupants. This review provides a comprehensive overview of air and thermal comfort studies in residential buildings using alternative materials. This study aims to provide the trends and the state of the research in this field,...

The concept of sustainability has become a crucial concern for safeguarding the planet. The current research has focused on developing affordable and eco-friendly mortar by using industrial wastes. This study explores the use of fly ash (FA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), byproducts of steelmaking and coal burning, in mortar prod...

Soft computing techniques have become popular for solving complex engineering problems and developing models for evaluating structural material properties. There are limitations to the available methods, including semi-empirical equations, such as overestimating or underestimating outputs, and, more importantly, they do not provide predictive mathe...

The unsymmetrical configurations in buildings lead to non-uniform distributions in their strength, mass, and stiffness, and they are consequently prone to damage during seismic hazards. In this study, the seismic performance of multi-story buildings with 5, 8, 10, and 12 stories of square, ‘L’, ‘T’, and ‘U’-shaped buildings have been investigated....

Currently, foamed concrete (FC) is widely employed in building construction and civil engineering works, and by using abundant natural fibers in FC, significant environmental benefits can be obtained. The durability properties of the essential materials acting independently could well be enhanced if the appropriate proportion of natural fiber-stren...

In the pursuit of greener and sustainable materials for developimg cementitious composites, several agricultural and undustrial wastes are continually explored for use in the process. The current study focused on the use of 20%, 25% and 30% Oyster shell powder (OSP) as a partial substitute for Ordinary Portland cement, and 100% Oyster shell aggrega...

In the earthquake-resistant design of overhead tanks, this research dealt with the determination of the response reduction factor applicable to overhead water tanks performing beyond the elastic limit. Eight existing water tanks were selected for the investigation and 127 ground accelerations due to 10 Indian earthquakes were selected. The magnitud...

One environment that hinders the performance of reinforced concrete is fire. In most cases, this results in the affected part or the entire structure being rendered useless or completely collapsing. When fire mishaps happen in structures, this is the case. This study reviews green structural retrofitting materials for reinforced concrete buildings...

Given their numerous functional and architectural benefits, such as improved bearing capacity and increased resistance to elastic instability modes, cold-formed steel (CFS) built-up sections have become increasingly developed and used in recent years, particularly in the construction industry. This paper presents an analytical and numerical study o...

Fire-induced damage is a serious threat to the structural integrity of reinforced concrete (RC) beams, necessitating an effective retrofitting strategy to restore and improve their performance. This study investigates the structural performance of fire-damaged RC beams retrofitted with bamboo fiber laminates. A comprehensive analysis was performed,...

Enhancing the durability of structural elements is a viable approach to promote sustainability in civil engineering. Research has shown that well-maintained slabs outperform degraded ones, which deteriorate rapidly due to insufficient upkeep. The occurrence of cracking and deformation in slabs subjected to sustained loads significantly impacts thei...

Aim of the chapter is to present carbon-neutral process for self-compacting concrete (SCC) containing fly ash (FA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). For that aim, the SCC was prepared along with fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag in various supplement ratios. To measure the effect of the supplement on carbon-neutral pr...

The objective of this study is to evaluate the flexural behaviour of stainless-steel fibre-reinforced concrete beam-column (BC) joints under reverse cyclic loading. Based on the properties of concrete with various percentages of fibre, the optimized volume fraction was obtained as 0.75% of stainless-steel fibre. In the present work, two sets of bea...

The exposure of concrete to elevated temperatures is known to cause diverse severe damages in concrete composites. Hence, measures to improve the performance of concrete during exposure to fire are continually proposed. The present study investigated the postfire residual strength and morphology of concrete incorporating natural rubber latex expose...

The improvement of cement mortar's thermal and mechanical properties has been greatly impacted by the addition of polymeric materials. However, polymers added to mortar shouldn't impair either its mechanical or thermal conductivity properties. The main idea of this project is to insulate buildings by reinforcing their constituent mix with natural r...

The environment has been greatly impacted by the increase in cement consumption. However, a huge quantity of energy is consumed and large amount of poisonous gases releases into the atmosphere during the cement production, which harms the environment. In order to decrease not only cement manufacturing but also energy usage and to aid in environment...

The utilization of natural fibres for the invention of building materials has increased significantly in recent years in the construction industry. Hemp fibre-reinforced concrete, according to research, can provide low-cost building materials for residential and low-rise buildings while achieving sustainable construction and meeting future environm...

Fibres have long been used as an additive in the fabrication of building elements and materials. A combination of natural and synthetic fibres has shown promise in preliminary research and testing, with the added benefit of greatly improved strengths of the composites. Compared to traditional reinforcement bars, natural fibre reinforcement's ratio...

In this study, new steel material classes were added to the OpenSees 3.0.0 library to model their behavior within cold-formed profiles under high temperatures. The new material classes that were added are capable of modeling G-450 and G-550 grade galvanized steels under mechanical and thermal loads. Gypsum panel, a nonstructural material within wal...

The focus of this study is to forecast the 28-day compressive strength and split tensile strength of concrete with various percentages of jute and coconut fibres mixed with quarry dust. The response surface methodology (RSM) and the artificial neural networks (ANN) methods were adopted for 3 variable process modelling (coconut fibres of 0% to 2.5%,...

Because the envelope accounts for 50–60% of total heat gain/loss in a building, building envelope insulation is critical for an energy-efficient and comfortable inside environment. The importance of building insulation materials in our daily construction of structures is critically examined in this study. This research compares various building ins...

Concrete use as a building component is already associated with the global construction sector. Since extensive research on concrete has been conducted for many years, there is a growing interest among researchers to conduct studies to increase the capacity of concrete for use in the building sector. Lightweight foamed concrete is one of the cuttin...

The demand for lightweight building materials that are easy to work with, self-compacting, and environmentally friendly has been acknowledged by the construction industry globally. Given this demand, it has been discovered that a recent innovative material, lightweight foamed concrete (LFC), may be able to reduce the weight of ordinary concrete. Be...

Development of concrete using alternative materials has become very important in the quest to achieve sustainable development in the built environment. However, it is critical to continually modify concrete mixtures to correct deficiencies of fresh and long-term properties. In this study, natural rubber latex and bamboo fiber were added as constitu...

High-rise residential and commercial development in developing countries like Nigeria has been spurred by both the rapid growth of the population and the pressing need to protect the country's limited land supply in areas of commercial development. However, recent years have seen an increase in the number of building collapses in Nigeria, which is...

Cementitious materials, irrespective of their sources, play a vital role in cement hydration reaction in concrete. Hence, it is critical to understand how each supplement affects the early and later age properties of concrete. Maize Straw Ash (MSA), being a material with minimal consideration as a pozzolan for partial replacement of cement, was eva...

Developments in material testing have brought about the invention of some durability assessment methodologies for alkali-activated materials. This study reported advances in accelerated and long-term durability assessment and methodologies for alkali-activated composites (AAC). For both alkali-activated materials (AAM) and ordinary Portland cement...

Globally, as human population and industries grow, so does the creation of agricultural, industrial, and demolition waste. When these wastes are not properly recycled, reused, or disposed of, they pose a threat to the environment. The importance of this study lies in the beneficial use of coconut fibre and mineral wool in the form of fibres in ceme...

The use of soft computing techniques is becoming more common in providing solutions to complex engineering problems such as the concrete breakout strength of anchor. Available techniques include semi-empirical equations that are known to over or underpredict and some soft computing techniques that is incapable of generating predictive equations. Th...

Nowadays, researchers have been on the lookout for eco-sustainable additives such as agro/industrial waste in concrete in order to o set the carbon footprint created by cement manufacturing. However, it has been said that the use of agro/industrial-waste-based cementitious materials in concrete improves its quality. However, this study compared the...

Induction furnace slag (IFS) and quarry dust (QD) were reported as good materials in making ordinary concrete. Studies were not done on utilizing IFS and QD as constituents of high-performance-self-compacting-concrete (HPSCC). This study aims at assessing the effects of induction furnace slag and quarry dust on the strength and durability of high-p...

Building insulation is an essential requirement for buildings located in areas of varying temperature conditions. However, the conventional building insulation techniques accrue high cost and consume resources. This work aimed to evaluate the use of mineral wool and rice straw to improve Portland cement mortar's thermal insulating properties. Sampl...

Fibres have long been utilized in the construction sector to improve the mechanical qualities of structural elements such as beams, columns, and slabs. This study aims to review the torsional behaviour of various forms of fibre reinforced concrete to identify possible enhancements and the practicability of concrete structural beams. Concrete reinfo...

Eccentrically braced frames (EBFs) are typically employed in seismic design because they integrate the benefits of concentrically braced frames and moment-resisting frames, providing both high elastic stiffness and high ductility. However, the effect of fire on the structural stability of EBFs has not been well documented. Object-oriented technique...

The development of self-compacting concrete using alternative materials is expanding in recent years due to the technical and economic benefits of the mixture. This study focuses on the structural and compositional behavior of sodium hydroxide (NaOH)-activated fly ash based self-compacting concrete (SCC). Fly ash was partially replaced with Ordinar...

The reuse of demolished concrete as recycled aggregate (RA) in concrete has been in consideration over the years, but to take care of RA limitations, such as porosity, interparticle bonding, and strength features, pozzolanic constituents are added to the mix. The procedure enhances the intrinsic features of the matrix. However, the resulting enviro...

The intrinsic features of cementitious composites depend largely on the constituent materials compositions. The former is also known to be responsible for the overall mechanical performance of the composite materials. This chapter reported the mineralogy of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) as affected by the concrete compositions. The processes in...

Recycled aggregates have been increasingly considered for use in concrete, owing to the limited supply of natural aggregates coupled with the corresponding carbon footprint. However, despite the sustainability benefits of using recycled aggregates in concrete, its use in concrete is plagued with lower performance due to the physical properties of t...

As a result of different composition or structural limitations of material, which are also responsible for the various failures in construction works, the application of nanomaterials to enhance the performance of cementitious composite has become imminent. Thus this chapter discusses recycled nanomaterials for construction and building. Various ty...

The quest for cost-effective development of sustainable infrastructure systems has motivated the utilization of construction waste materials as a main concrete ingredient. As the use of recycled concrete aggregates (RCAs) has gained increasing acceptance, a need has emerged to investigate and quantify the mechanical properties of RCA. While major r...

There have been several attempts made to ensure sustainability in the material used during construction. Considering environmental pollution resulting from waste disposal and landfilling issues, consequently, the new development has involved the use of wastes from industry and construction sites for new applications. This chapter reports the use of...

Over several decades ago, the use of nanomaterials has become attractive, as it has provided solutions to numerous engineering problems. For instance, biomaterials (optoelectrical materials, tissue-engineering scaffolds, and supercapacitors), have been developed from algal cells, which are subsequently used in medicine, heavy metal absorbents, and...

A sizeable amount of tire rubber waste is generated due to the increasing number of road automobile users all over the world. The accumulation of this waste in the open area poses environmental threats and therefore requires suitable treatments. The use of waste obtained from tire rubber as a construction material could contribute to a circular eco...

This chapter discusses CO2 upcycling for enhancing the performance of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) and also presents statistical models for estimating the strength properties of RAC. Tests on treated concrete have revealed that the strength and durability properties of the RAC, following rapid and complete carbonation, are enhanced from the CO...

When evaluating the structural performance of steel moment-resisting frames, significant consideration is given to the flexural behavior of steel beams. This analysis focuses on the primary response parameters, such as the ultimate flexural resistance and rotation capacity that dictate the behavior of the steel beam. In practice, the flexural behav...

The sustainable development goal (SDG) 14 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development aims at protection, conservation, and management of coastal ecosystems and resources, including by strengthening their resilience, to avoid significant adverse impacts. Coastal/marine structures are exposed to aggressive environmental conditions, such as chlori...

Over the last decade, there has been a surge in research into possible cement substitute materials in concrete that are environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and socially beneficial. The alternatives include industrial and agricultural wastes, and their potential advantages can be achieved through recycling, repurposing, and renewing processes....

The effects of corrosion on the reinforced concrete structure due to carbonation affect its operation life. The research work considers a major critical component causing global warming as it studies the links between reinforced concrete deterioration mechanisms and anthropogenic carbon aerosol (black carbon soot) emissions in the atmosphere. Exper...

Corrosion creates a significant degradation mechanism in reinforced concrete (RC) structures, which would require a high cost of maintenance and repair in affected buildings. However, as the cost of repairing corrosion-damaged structures is high, it is therefore pertinent to develop alternative eco-friendly and sustainable methods. In this study, s...

The sustainable self-compacting geopolymer concrete (SCGC) production is an eco-efficient concrete with a lower carbon footprint than conventional concrete. This experimental work was performed on the fly ash based SCGC mixtures which blended metakaolin and groundnut shell ash individually and combined them into 5-20% with an increment of 5% as rep...

It is a daunting task to ascertain the level of deterioration in structural concrete and embedded reinforcing steel after fire damage. Thus, this study focuses on modelling the temperature of fire-damaged reinforced concrete buildings based on nondestructive and Gene algorithm techniques. The study employed nondestructive data (rebound hammer numbe...

Finding an effective framework for the consumption of municipal and construction/demolition wastes has been the main research consideration for decades. For different categories of wastes, there is a need for the development of working systems for cleaner utilization of the materials. This study is focused on the review of composite development usi...

The use of synthetic fiber and natural fiber for concrete production has been continuously investigated. Most of the materials have become popular for their higher flexibility, durability, and strength. However, the current study explores the engineering properties of cement concrete reinforced with nylon and jute fibers together. Varying proportio...

Process optimization using metaheuristic algorithms is rapidly gaining interest from engineering practitioners and researchers. This study uses the cuckoo search algorithm (CSA) to find the optimum parameters of a novel smart damper under seismic excitations. For this purpose, seismic responses of four-story and nine-story building configurations u...

This experimental work explored the synergic effect of millet husk ash (MHA) and wheat straw ash (WSA) on the fresh and hardened properties of metakaolin-based self-compacting geopolymer concrete. An equal amount of MHA and WSA contents at 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10% were utilized as a partial replacement of metakaolin in the mixes. The filling ability...

This paper deals with a study conducted on flexural behavior of cold-formed steel built-up I-beams with hollow tubular flange sections. There were two types of test sections, namely, built-up sections that were assembled with either stiffened or unstiffened channels coupling back-to-back at the web and a hollow tubular rectangular flange at the top...

Cementitious and recycled materials that have the potential to improve various properties of concrete have attracted the attention of many researchers recently. Different types of cementitious and recycled materials seem to possess certain unique properties to change cement concrete. This experimental study aims to investigate the impact of ground...

In this study, performance comparison for steel and biaxial geogrid reinforced concrete samples is explored. The basic properties of geosynthetics and concrete ingredients were studied. Formulae and derivations of limiting moment, maximum load, and area of geogrid reinforcements for flexural slab were obtained by limit state design methodology. Thr...

This study determines the suitability of using shredded waste plastic and waste ceramic powder (WCP) to produce interlocking concrete blocks (ICB). The study adopted a concrete mix ratio of 1:2 containing 20% partial replacement of sand with ceramic waste. The compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and water absorption of the interlockin...

In general, most highway bridges are constructed using prestressed concrete or steel girders. Mechanical joints are provided at the end of each span, to allow for the expansion of the bridge deck due to shrinkage of concrete, thermal effects, and deflections, among others. Smooth riding ability, low noise, wear resistance, and water tightness shoul...

This study evaluated the durability properties of self-compacting concrete made with recycled aggregate for pavement application. The developed mixture was subjected to permeability, water absorption, and chloride penetration tests, and obtained results were compared with those of normal pavement concrete. Three recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) r...

Sustainability issues have been a major concern in the construction field, owing to the overexploration of natural raw material sources. The high demand of natural materials is traceble to increasing urbanization and industrialization. Various landmark research achievement has been made in the production of self-compacting concrete in recent years....

This paper proposes novel concrete interlocking blocks made of fly ash and GGBS which are an alternative for the conventional concrete blocks. The artificial neural network (ANN) technique is used to estimate the mechanical strength of interlocking blocks and is verified with experimental investigation. The ANN model is based on the Levenberg–Marqu...

In recent years, recycled materials mostly available in abundant quantities in local agricultural fields are considered as potential constituent material for concrete production. Also, cement production emits many toxic gases in the atmosphere, which causes environmental pollution and greenhouse gases. Thus, recyc;ed materials, such as fly ash (FA)...

The quest for the development of sustainable and eco-friendly construction materials, to solve problem of material scarcity and higher cost, has led to the persistent use of discarded and local materials for producing cementitious composites. This study developed plastic fiber-strengthened interlocking bricks suitable for load bearing applications....

This study presents a review of residual strength properties of normal and high strength concrete exposed elevated temperatures: the implication of natural and recycled aggregates, the addition of mineral admixtures, and fibre. The influence of supplementary cementing materials such as fly ash, blast furnace slag, silica fume, metakaolin, and commo...

The book related to potential usage of the recycled concrete aggregate in concrete by aid of by-product and pozzolan in terms of structural integrity.

Steel slag, an industrial reject from the steel rolling process, has been identified as one of the suitable, environmentally friendly materials for concrete production. Given that the coarse aggregate portion represents about 70% of concrete constituents, other economic approaches have been found in the use of alternative materials such as steel sl...

The performance of gene expression programming (GEP) in predicting the compressive strength of bacteriaincorporated geopolymer concrete (GPC) was examined in this study. Ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), new bacterial strains, fly ash (FA), silica fume (SF), metakaolin (MK), and manufactured sand were used as ingredients in the concrete...

With the rapid rise in our needs and requirements, the amount of waste generated by modern cities is also increasing at an unprecedented rate. This problem is global in nature and most countries around the world need appropriate waste management strategies. These measures include disposal and the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle). Each of these stra...

Despite several studies focusing on producing sustainable concrete with nonconventional materials, there are short-term and long-term lapses in behavior of some of the concretes. This study, with a main focus on durability performance, explores strength and behavior of manufactured sand concrete containing alcofine and zinc oxide in severe environm...