Yasmin Murad

• PhD DIC
• Professor at University of Jordan

An experimental program is conducted in this research to investigate the cyclic behavior of exterior reinforced concrete (RC) beam-to-column joints retrofitted with a fabric reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM). FRCM is a structural strengthening system made with a bidirectional polyparaphenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO) mesh and a stabilized inorgan...

Corner columns are subjected to bidirectional lateral loading in three-dimensional framed structures during seismic events, which can deteriorate their shear strength. The majority of the design codes do not consider the effect of biaxial lateral loading in the calculation of the column shear strength, and hence an accurate formulation that can pre...

Joint shear strength models available in the literature can predict the shear strength for reinforced concrete (RC) beam-column connections exposed to uniaxial cyclic loading, while an accurate biaxial joint shear strength model is still lacking. Gene expression programming (GEP) is used in this research to develop uniaxial and biaxial joint shear...

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a novel technique that has been recently used in producing printed composites for strengthening and rehabilitating complex structures. This research investigates the applicability of printed bars in strengthening and repairing unheated and heat-damaged reinforced concrete (RC) beams. The printed bars were made usi...

Experimental studies that investigate the cyclic behavior of interior heat-damaged RC beam-to-column joints are limited in the literature. This research experimentally investigates the cyclic behavior of eight heat-damaged interior RC beam-to-column joints subjected to a temperature of 900 • C for 3 h and then retrofitted using novel CFRP ropes. Tw...

The goal of this study is to propose a robust method for the analysis and design of recycled aggregate reinforced concrete (RAC) beams. For this purpose, a machine‐learning framework, named, GA‐XGBoost was designed. A comprehensive dataset of 276 tests of RAC beams was compiled from available literature for training, validating, and testing the mod...

Existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures in humid regions suffer from deterioration due to the corrosion of ordinary reinforcement bars damaging the whole system. The deterioration of the transverse reinforcement leads to shear failure, which is one of the most dangerous failure modes. Therefore, researchers suggested using fiber-reinforced pol...

The complex shear behavior of circular concrete-filled tube (CCFT) members has been a challenge for an adequate design equation. Collapses due to shear failure are primarily seen in shear links, pile foundations, and coupling beams in composite shear walls. The current design provisions are based on limited experimental data, leading to very conser...

Reinforced Concrete (RC) deep beams perform better structurally when steel fibers are added, as this reduces the need for web steel reinforcements, boosts shear strength, and helps to bridge cracks. The current ACI 318-19 code does not include predicting shear strength models to account for the added steel fibers in Steel Fibers Reinforced Concrete...

Existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures suffer from degradation in their structural capacity. These structures require strengthening and retrofitting to integrate sustainability and improve their serviceability and durability. RC members strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites usually suffer from FRP debonding; therefore, r...

This research uses gene expression programming (GEP) in the development of a model that considers the cone penetration (CPT) data and predicts the N60 value. Some 140 CPT-SPT pairs of data points for sand, sandy, silt, and silty sand soils were used in the GEP model. The results have revealed that the GEP model can predict the standard penetration...

An experimental program is conducted to investigate the torsional behavior of reinforced concrete beams transversely reinforced with different configurations of continuous stirrups using circular and rectangular schemes. All test specimens have a typical cross-sectional area of 250 × 250 mm, and a length of 1600 mm. The specimens are divided into f...

FPR reinforcing bars have emerged as a promising alternative to steel bars in construction, especially in corrosive environments. Literature includes several shear strength models proposed for FRP-RC members. This study presents a detailed evaluation of design shear models proposed by researchers and design codes. The evaluation was conducted throu...

The possibility of using the Jordanian oil shale ash (OSA) as a partial or complete replacement for cement is studied in this research. Cement was replaced by OSA using three different percentages, 30%, 50%, and 100%, by cement weight. Test specimens were subjected to a temperature of 720 ℃ for 2 h to study the influence of heat on the mechanical p...

This research proposes novel three-dimensional (3D) printed bars for seismic repairing RC beam-to-column joints subjected to elevated temperatures. A total of eight joint specimens were subjected to a high temperature of 900˚C for 3 h and then exposed to cyclic loading. An experimental program was conducted to retrofit the joints using near-surface...

This research is designed to check the potential of modifying concrete with nanomaterials to enhance the cyclic behavior of beam−column joints. It also studies the effect of heat on the cyclic behavior of beam−column joints modified with nanomaterials. Experimental and numerical programs are carried out to explore the cyclic behavior of the heat-da...

The effect of basalt and polypropylene fibers on the flexural behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams is investigated in this paper. The compressive and tensile behaviors of the basalt concrete and polypropylene concrete cylinders are also investigated. Eight beams and 28 cylinders were made with different percentages of basalt and polypropylene...

In this article, an experimental program was carried out to investigate the flexural behaviour of RC beams strengthened using side and bottom near-surface mounted (NSM) CFRP strip and rope. Thirteen reinforced concrete beams (150x250x1600mm) with flexural deficiency were cast. Different configurations have been used for strengthening RC beams, incl...

This research is designed to assess the durability characteristics of green concrete and its compressive and flexural behavior. It measures the possibility of using by product materials in the concrete mix as cement partial replacement. Thus, the experimental compressive stress-strain curves are measured for the cylinder specimens made with green c...

Predicting the axial capacity and behavior of concentrically, eccentrically, and slender loaded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)-RC columns is not completely established, and the current design codes lack design provisions for FRP-RC columns. Rather, it requires ignoring the contribution of FRP bars in compression conservatively. To bridge this knowl...

Existing analytical and numerical models available in the literature can predict the shear strength of CFRP in RC beams based on the FRP strains and this requires measuring the FRP strain values. This research aims to predict the shear strength of CFRP in RC beams without the need to calculate the strains in FRP. Therefore, Gene Expression Programm...

Basalt and polypropylene fibers are relatively cheap, durable, and corrosion-resistant materials, and they can increase the shear strength of reinforced concrete (RC) beams. Although recent studies investigated the mechanical behavior of fibrous concrete, limited research was conducted to explain the shear behavior of RC members prepared with ba...

The manufacture of electronic devices produces a lot of plastics wastes, mainly PVC. This type of waste is usually burned, producing harmful gases during incineration; therefore, recycling PVC waste is becoming a global concern. The prospective of using electric PVC wires in concrete and the influence of PVC waste on the flexural behavior of the RC...

CFRP ropes are relatively new and cheap materials that can be used in strengthening and rehabilitating RC elements. This research was designed to investigate the experimental behaviour of heat-damaged and unheated RC beams strengthened and retrofitted using near-surface mounted (NSM) carbon fiber polymer (CFRP) ropes. Ten RC beams were tested under...

FRP bars have been recently used as an alternative to the traditional steel bars in construction, especially in harsh environmental regions. Gene expression programming (GEP) is used in this research to develop a simplified model for predicting the flexural behavior of FRP reinforced concrete beams. An extensive and reliable database of 116 data po...

Concrete beams reinforced with rectangular spiral shear reinforcement instead of the ordinarily closed stirrups have been recently extended. However, this extension has never been addressed for light-weight concrete structural elements. An experimental program is conducted in this research to investigate the shear performance of light-weight concre...

Public agencies use pavement management systems to make objective decisions and maintain pavements above the minimum acceptable performance conditions at minimal costs. To achieve this goal, pavement condition is monitored, so its deterioration could be accurately predicted, in order to decide on any required maintenance and rehabilitation. The Pav...

The torsional behaviour of high-strength concrete beams that are transversely reinforced with continuous spiral reinforcement is experimentally investigated in this research. Seventeen specimens are divided into four groups according to their concrete strength: 25, 50, 60, and 70 MPa. Two types of transverse reinforcement, including closed and spir...

In this study the effectiveness of near surface mounted (NSM) rope and strip in shear strength of reinforced concrete beams was experimentally investigated. Fifteen reinforced concrete (RC) beams (150 mm × 250 mm × 1200 mm) (width × thickness × length) designed to fail in shear were constructed and tested. The following parameters were considered i...

The evolution of nanotechnology introduced novel materials that can be used to enhance the mechanical behaviour of concrete and other materials. The enhancement ratio depends on the type and percentage of the nanomaterial. A prediction model that can estimate the compressive strength of concrete made with nanomaterials is still lacking. Such models...

Plastic wires are commonly used in the production of electronic devices producing numerous plastic waste materials and hence recycling pvc waste is getting attention worldwide. The shear behaviour of RC beams made with steel and electric pvc plastic wire fibers is experimentally and numerically investigated in this research. It also studies the mec...

This paper experimentally investigate the structural performance of RC beams made with natural aggregate (NA), recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) and reclaimed asphalt pavement concrete (RAP) under normal and elevated temperature. The NA was replaced by RAC at two replacement ratios (20% and 40%). Also there was three mixes of 90%RAC-10%RAP, 80%RAC-...

Concrete can lose its alkalinity by concrete carbonation causing steel corrosion. Thus, the determination of the carbonation depth is necessary. An empirical model is proposed in this research to predict the carbonation depth of concrete using Gene expression programming (GEP). The GEP model was trained and validated using a large and reliable data...

An empirical model, which predicts the shear strength of interior reinforced concrete (RC) joints exposed to cyclic loading, is developed using gene expression programming (GEP). Five main parameters are used to develop the GEP model including concrete compressive strength, joint transverse reinforcement, beam reinforcement ratio, joint aspect rati...

An experimental and numerical program is carried out in this research to investigate the influence of CFRP sheets on the cyclic behavior of unconfined connections made with recycled concrete. Cement is partially replaced by silica fume, iron filling and pulverised fuel ash using two different percentages: 15% and 20%. Each specimen is partially loa...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop two empirical models that predict the shear strength of exterior beam-column joints exposed to monotonic and cyclic loading using Gene expression programming (GEP). Design/methodology/approach The GEP model developed for the monotonic loading case is trained and validated using 81 data test points and...

It has been argued recently that green growth is the only economic development pathway to secure a sustainable future. The Government of Jordan has launched a National Green Growth Plan aiming to facilitate the transition towards green growth in six priority sectors; amongst those is the solid waste management sector. Jordan Vision 2025 has set a 3...

The experimental behavior of reinforced concrete elements exposed to fire is limited in the literature. Although there are few experimental programs that investigate the behavior of lightweight short columns, there is still a lack of formulation that can accurately predict their ultimate load at elevated temperature. Thus, new equations are propose...

This research investigates the behavior of unconfined RC connections made with sustainable concrete under cyclic loading. Different types of sustainable concrete are used where cement is partially replaced by silica-fume, iron filing and pulverized fuel ash using two different percentages 15% and 20%. The numerical finite element model, which simul...

Researchers are seeking for improving the mechanical properties of concrete in order to produce sustainable concrete. Concrete is weak in tension and this has encouraged researchers to use fibrous concrete in order to improve its tensile behavior. An experimental program is conducted in this research to investigate the compressive and tensile stren...

An experimental program is conducted in this research to investigate the influence of basalt fibers and steel fibers on the flexural behavior of RC beams. Reinforced concrete beams are constructed using steel fiber concrete and basalt fiber concrete. Steel and basalt fibers are included in a percentage of 15% and 2.5% of the total cement weight, re...

Gene expression programming (GEP) is used in this research to develop an empirical model that predicts the bond strength between the concrete surface and carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets under direct pull out. Therefore, a large and reliable database containing 770 test specimens is collected from the literature. The gene expression pr...

This research investigates the potential use of waste white cement by pass dust (WCBPD) in producing roller-compacted concrete (RCC). Fifteen RCC mixes were casted in which cement was partially replaced by WCBPD at (10, 20, 30 and 40%) with addition of polypropylene fibre in two percents (0.25 and 0.5%). The mechanical properties of RCC mixes were...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop new predictive models using gene expression programming in order to estimate the compressive strength of green concrete, as accurate models that can predict the compressive strength of green concrete are still lacking. Design/methodology/approach To estimate the compressive strength of plain concrete...

The influence of carbon fiber sheets’ orientation angle in strengthened reinforced concrete beams is investigated in this research. Experimental and numerical programs are conducted in order to study the flexural behaviour of RC beams strengthened with carbon fiber sheets fixed to the beam surface inducing different orientation angles of 0°, 45°, 6...

Drought is one of the most unforgiving natural disasters that could leave severe environmental, economic, and societal impacts. Jordan has witnessed several droughts recently along with recurring summer heat waves, which could be a consequence of global warming, and due to the fact that freshwater resources in Jordan are scarce, it is vital to util...

An experimental study is carried out to test 25 reinforced concrete (RC) beams in order to investigate the torsional behavior of the beams using welded and unwelded transverse reinforcement. Four different transverse reinforcement configurations were considered: ordinary, continuous circular spiral, continuous rectangular spiral, and continuous adv...

A series of cyclic tests on unconfined beam–column connections with composite concrete materials are conducted. Cement is partially replaced by waste materials using two different percentages of 15% and 20%. The proper percentage of cement replacement is found to be 15% for the pulverized fuel ash, silica fume, and iron filings. Increasing the perc...

Background Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) sheets are widely used for strengthening and repairing reinforced concrete structures. Previous experimental studies have shown that strengthening Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams with CFRP sheet can be greatly influenced by the configuration, orientation and properties of the CFRP sheets. Objective...

The use of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets is becoming a widely accepted solution for strengthening and repairing rein-forced concrete (RC) structures. To date, the behavior of RC beams, strengthened with 60˚ and 45˚ inclined CFRP sheets, has not clearly explained. An experimental program is proposed in this paper to investigate the f...