Rajab Abousnina

Macquarie University · Department of Engineering

There is a global shift towards circular economies, which concentrate on reducing waste, extending the useful life of materials or transforming wastes into another useful material. Every year, Australia generates around 2.54 million tonnes (Mt) of waste plastics, 1.16 Mt of waste glass, and 0.45 Mt of end-of-life tires. Of these about 85% of the pl...

In this work, the electric–thermal effect of a carbon-fibre-reinforced epoxy composite (CFRE) panel was studied, as well as the influence of the electric heating treatment on the mechanical properties of the composite. It was observed that the temperature of the composite increased rapidly once the current was loaded, and the equilibrium surface te...

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study into the shear response of brick masonry triplet prisms under different levels of precompression, as well as samples reinforced with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips. Masonry triplets were constructed with two different mortar mix ratios (1:1:3 and 1:1:5). In this study, finite el...

Interest in the use of natural fibres as an alternative for artificial fibres in polymer composite manufacturing is increasing for various engineering applications. Their suitability for use in outdoor environments should be demonstrated due to their perceived hydrophilic behaviour. This study investigated the water absorption behaviour of hybrid f...

Progress in engineering research has shifted the interest from traditional monolithic materials to modern materials such as fibre reinforced composites (FRC). This paradigm shift can be attributed to the unique mechanical characteristics of FRCs such as high strength to weight ratio, good flexural strength, and fracture toughness. At present, synth...

Natural fibers are now becoming widely adopted as reinforcements for polymer matrices to produce biodegradable and renewable composites. These natural composites have mechanical properties acceptable for use in many industrial and structural applications under ambient temperatures. However, there is still limited understanding regarding the mechani...

Oil leakage during the exploration, production, and transportation of crude oil is a significant issue worldwide because crude oil spills severely impact the physical and chemical properties of the surrounding soil. A range of remediation methods for oil-contaminated soil is recommended, consisting of sand washing, bioremediation, electro-kinetic s...

Adding fibers to concrete helps enhance its tensile strength and ductility. Synthetic fibres are preferable to steel ones which suffer from corrosion that reduces their functionality with time. More consideration is given to synthetic fibres as they can be sourced from waste plastics and their incorporation in concrete is considered a new recycling...

Sand contaminated with crude oil is becoming a major environmental issue around the world, while at the same time, fly ash generated by coal-fired power stations is having a detrimental effect on the environment. Previous studies showed that combining these two waste materials can result in an environmentally sustainable geopolymer concrete. Incorp...

The low pull-out resistance and the limited understanding of how the sleeper materials affect the screw pull-out behaviour is one of the key reasons for the lack of confidence in the wide adoption of available composite railway sleepers. In this study, the pull-out strength and the failure analysis through hole microstructure of different sleeper t...

Alternative railway sleeper technologies for replacement of timber are made of materials possessing a wide range of bending and compressive moduli. This poses a great challenge to railway authorities and engineers in designing a railway track supported by different sleeper technologies. This study evaluates the static behaviour of a railway track s...

Crumb rubber and short fibres are introduced into the epoxy polymer core of composite railway sleepers to reduce cost and improve mechanical performance. The study investigates the effects of increasing content of crumb rubber, chopped glass fibres and polypropylene fibres. The experimental results including the microstructure of the polymer mixes...

Alternative sleeper technologies have been developed to address the significant need for the replacement of deteriorating timber railway sleepers. The review of the literature indicates that the railway sleepers might fail while in service, despite passing the evaluation tests of the current composite sleeper standards which indicated that these te...

A novel concept of polymer railway sleeper is proposed in this study that has the potential to meet static performance requirements within the cost of hardwood timber. The existing challenges of composite sleepers, such as low performance or high cost, can be overcome using this innovative concept. Such a proclamation is proven through limit state...

Fatigue loading is critical to fibre reinforced polymer composites due to their anisotropic and heterogenous nature. This study investigated the tensile fatigue behaviour of polyester and vinyl ester based GFRP laminates to understand the critical aspects of failure mode and fatigue life under cyclic loading. GFRP laminates with two different resin...

Fatigue loading is critical to fibre reinforced polymer composites due to their anisotropic and heterogenous nature. This study investigated the tensile fatigue behaviour of polyester and vinyl ester based GFRP laminates to understand the critical aspects of failure mode and fatigue life under cyclic loading. GFRP laminates with two different resin...

Prefabricated fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) repair systems are becoming popular for structural repair because FRPs superior resistance to corrosion and weathering. Several parameters impact the effectiveness of this type of repair, including the structural continuity provided by the joining system and grout properties. This study numerically inves...

Hollow concrete columns (HCCs) constitute a structurally efficient construction system for marine and offshore structures, including bridge piers and piles. Conventionally, HCCs reinforced with steel bars are vulnerable to corrosion and can lose functionality as a result, especially in harsh environments. Moreover, HCCs are subjected to brittle fai...

The application of oil-contaminated sand (OCS) in concrete is considered a highly sustainable solution and cost-effective recycling method for minimising its negative effect to the environment. The present study investigated the mechanical characteristics, strength development, hydration and microstructure of cement mortar containing oil-contaminat...

This present work is a study of the durability of green self-compacting concrete (SCC) that incorporates recycled cathode ray tube glass (CRTG) and metakaolin (MK). In these SCC mixtures natural sand has been replaced with CRTG at levels of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% by weight, and the cement has been partially replaced by MK at substitution ratios...

The effect of using calcined bentonite (CB) as a partial replacement for Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) in self-compacting mortar (SCM) is investigated. The pozzolanicity of this calcined clay is evaluated using the strength activity index and TG/ATD analysis. The cement in SCM has been replaced with CB at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30% by mass of ce...

The paper presents the experimental and numerical study of brick masonry walls reinforced with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite subjected to a shear load. In this analysis the Concrete Damaged Plasticity (CDP) constitutive laws are utilzed to simulate the non-linearities in the behavior of brick and mortar. These models are used for...

h i g h l i g h t s Optimal design for epoxy-based polymer concrete. Investigation of the resin-to-filler ratio and matrix-to-aggregate ratio. Mechanical and durability properties of epoxy-based polymer concrete. Empirical models for mechanical properties of epoxy-based polymer concrete. a b s t r a c t Polymer concrete has shown a number of promis...

Industrial waste causes a lot of pollution, particularly electrical and electronic waste (WEEE) such as glass cathode ray tubes (CRT) which create environmental pollution and health hazards. The field of civil engineering, like sectors in the world has leaned towards sustainable development by emphasizing environmental aspects as an important goal....

This research paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the axial compressive behaviour of 24 geopolymer concrete-filled glass fibre-reinforced polymer tubes. The test variables considered are the compressive strength of geopolymer concrete (30MPa and 35MPa) and the shape of the cross section (square, circular and rectangular)....

Mixing crude oil contaminated sand with cement and using this mix as an alternative construction material is considered an innovative and cost-effective approach to reduce its negative environmental impact. In this study, the compressive and splitting tensile strength of concrete with different levels of light crude oil contamination (0, 1, 2, 6, 1...

Fly ash and oil contaminated sand are considered as the two waste materials that may affect environment. This paper investigated the suitability of producing geopolymer cement mortar using oil contaminated sand. A comparison between physical and mechanical properties of mortar produced using geopolymer and Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), in terms of...

Oil contaminated sand resulting from oil leakage has continuously been a major environmental concern worldwide. This problem affects the physical and chemical properties of the surrounding soil. Due to prohibitive cost of the existing remediation methods for oil contaminated sand, mixing them with cement and using in construction is considered as a...

Using oil contaminated sand in engineering applications is considered a clever method in reducing its impact to the environment. In this study, the compressive strength and porosity of cement mortar with 0%, 1% and 10% of light crude oil contamination was evaluated at 28 days of hydration. Results showed that the hydration process was significantly...

Oil leakage is considered as one of the significant environmental issue worldwide, which affects the physical and chemical properties of the surrounding sand. A range of remediation methods for oil-contaminated sand was recommended but none are considered to be cost effective especially in developing countries. In order to find an alternative and c...

Crude oil spillage severely impacts the environment and affects the physical and chemical properties of the surrounding soil. Due to prohibitive cost of cleaning and disposing oil contaminated sand, mixing and stabilising them with cement and using them in construction is now considered as an alternative and cheap remediation method. In this paper,...

Oil leakage is considered as one of the significant environmental issue worldwide, which affects the physical and chemical properties of the surrounding sand. A range of remediation methods for oil-contaminated sand was recommended but none are considered to be cost effective especially in developing countries. In order to find an alternative and c...

The use of oil-contaminated sand in building and construction is now being considered as an alternative and cost effective way to minimise its adverse effect on the environment. To achieve this, the effect of oil contamination on the important mechanical properties of sand should be investigated first. This study investigated the effect of petroleu...

Shear strength is one of the most important soil properties in geotechnical engineering and design. This property can be affected by several pollution sources such as crude oil. To investigate the effects of oil contamination, fine sand mixed with various amounts of light crude oil, ranging from 0 to 20% by mass were prepared. Direct shear test was...

Oil and gas are significant sources of energy worldwide, and their importance increases due to the ever increasing global demand for energy. The production of conventional oil, atural gas, and unconventional gas, for example, of coal seam gas (CSG) or coal bed methane, is usually accompanied with contaminated water. This article reviews the similar...

This study investigated the performance of the forward osmosis (FO) process for treating produced water. Water permeate flux and reverse salt flux (RSF) were examined at different feed pH values and operating configurations (i.e. FO, pressure retarded osmosis (PRO), and reverse osmosis (RO) modes). Acetic acid was selected as a model organic acid t...