Zaid A. Al-Sadoon

• Ph.D. Civil Engineering, P.Eng.
• Professor (Associate) at University of Sharjah

Steel beams and girders with corrugated webs have found many applications, especially in industrial structures and bridges. This choice is backed by the many features, this class of structural members can offer, such as the high load carrying capacity before failure due to the web geometry. The failure of a corrugated web may occur due to material...

Concrete is widely used in construction due to its remarkable compressive strength and durability. However, its performance can deteriorate when exposed to harsh environmental conditions, such as acidic or alkaline surroundings. There has been considerable interest in incorporating both basalt and steel fibers (B&SFs) to enhance the resilience of c...

Base isolation technology has significantly advanced infrastructure protection against moderate and severe seismic activities. Consequently, it gained considerable attention over the past with new systems and approaches developed to improve its applications. Nevertheless, the literature still lacks a new literature review paper that summarizes and...

This study examines machine learning to estimate the stiffness modifiers of rectangular reinforced concrete columns. It involves training and validating these models on experimental data. The extremely randomized trees model outcomes are utilized as the optimal case results to evaluate their influence on the earthquake response of single-degree-of-...

The utilization of regression models for the prediction of construction material properties is well-established, yet their performance when applied to small datasets is still unclear. This study investigates the performance of different regression models combined with various data preprocessing techniques in contexts where data is limited. Specific...

This study addresses the pressing issue of chloride-induced corrosion in post-tensioned (PT) concrete structures, known for their strength and flexibility yet vulnerable to durability issues in extreme climates. The objective is to evaluate corrosion mechanisms in a PT building in the United Arab Emirates and develop a robust restoration strategy....

Integrating Buckling Restrained Braces (BRBs) into seismic-resistant structural frameworks presents a sophisticated approach to improving seismic performance. Despite the breadth of research conducted in this area, a noticeable gap persists in comprehending the optimal deployment of BRBs within steel frames that exhibit deficiencies to attain maxim...

This research explores the impact of earthquake directionality and orientation on the seismic performance of reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures, an area previously overlooked in seismic design. The multi-directional component of ground motion was not taken into consideration during the seismic performance design of the majority of RC frame s...

Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely adopted in the design and analysis of passively controlled structures. This study provides a comprehensive overview of AI-based methodologies aimed at enhancing the resilience and efficiency of buildings and infrastructures against environmental stresses and natural disasters. Despite extensive...

Beam-like members use corrugated webs to increase their shear strength, stability, and efficiency. The corrugation positively affects the members' structural characteristics, especially those governed by the web parameters, such as the shear strength, while reducing the total weight. Existing code and analytical models for predicting the shear stre...

The increasing utilization of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (FRC) within the construction industry signifies a pivotal shift towards enhancing structural integrity and durability. Despite the predominant use of steel fibers, exploring macro synthetic fibers has gained momentum due to their potential to address critical challenges, such as workability r...

This paper presents a novel approach for predicting the behavior of buckling restrained braces (BRBs) using long short-term memory (LSTM) and residual neural network (ResNet) models. Nonlinear finite element analysis (NLFEA) usually requires 3D modeling of complex parts and assigning various material and simulation properties before conducting the...

Corrugated web steel systems, such as corrugated web girders (CWG) and beams (CWSB), have the potential to influence the modern construction industry due to their unique properties, including enhanced shear strength and reduced necessity for transverse stiffeners. Nevertheless, the lack of a rapid and accurate design approach still limits its wide...

There is a growing trend toward employing sustainable materials to address the drawbacks of traditional construction materials. This experimental study explores the utilization of basalt and steel fibers, both independently and in combination, alongside fly ash and desert sand. The findings reveal that the introduction of further basalt fibers led...

The accurate and precise prediction of shear and flexural strengths in reinforced concrete (RC) and fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) beams necessitates advanced computational techniques. This study pioneers the application of an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to model these strengths and to classify failure modes in beams. Leveraging a dataset of 1...

Understanding tunneling-induced ground deformation, particularly squeezing behavior, is crucial for safe and efficient underground construction. This study employs Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) models to predict tunneling squeezing behavior using various rock classification systems, namely rock...

Researchers have developed many passive damping devices to dissipate seismic energy using steel’s yielding property. Some proposed thick curved steel plates, while others proposed complex-shaped steel dampers. For instance, some have developed Shear Yielding Panel Devices (SYPD) and Triangular-plate Added Damping and Stiffness (TADAS) dampers for m...

In this study, results of an experimental program are presented to validate the performance of a novel energy dissipation device (EDD) designed for use in moment-resisting steel frame structures with flexible beam-column connections. The EDD, composed of a curved steel plate, stiffeners, and flanges on both ends, was tested in laboratory conditions...

The rapid population growth has caused an increase in energy consumption and the construction of new buildings. This has raised environmental concerns, such as the depletion of raw materials and the release of significant CO2 emissions due to the widespread use of cement. Consequently, researchers and scientists have begun exploring alternative mat...

Industrial applications of fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC) in structures require extensive experimental and analytical investigations of the FRC material properties. For design purposes and applications involving the flexural loading of the member, it is essential to have a predictive model for the flexural strength of the FRC material. In the pres...

This article presents experimental data and nonlinear finite element analysis (NLFEA) modeling for an innovative buckling restrained bracing (BRB) system. The data were collected from qualification testing of introduced BRBs per the AISC 341 test provision and finite element modeling. The BRB is made of three parts: core bar, restraining unit, and...

Seismic energy dissipation devices are used in buildings to dissipate seismic energy in the event of an earthquake. These devices use steel and its yielding properties to dissipate the input seismic energy and protect the building’s structure from damage and failure. There are many types of seismic energy dissipation devices, but all share the same...

The shear capacity of beams is an essential parameter in designing beams carrying shear loads. Precise estimation of the ultimate shear capacity typically requires comprehensive calculation methods. For steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams, traditional design methods may not accurately predict the interaction between different parameters af...

This paper presents the results of an investigation of the dynamic behavior of a reinforced concrete frame that was strengthened by a buckling-restrained brace (BRB). The behavior of this frame was benchmarked against a control frame without strengthening. Both frames were tested concurrently on a shake table using the acceleration time-history rec...

Reinforced concrete buildings designed and built before enacting modern seismic codes are considered seismically vulnerable, particularly when subjected to strong ground motions. These buildings require retrofitting to increase building strength, stiffness, and energy dissipation. Among the practical retrofitting methods is Buckling Restrained Brac...

Building in seismically active regions subjected to lateral forces requires adequate strength and stiffness to resist such forces. Numerous studies have shown that braces perform better against axial loads than conventional braces if inhibited from buckling with a restraining mechanism. This system is called Buckling Restrained Braces (BRBs), enhan...

This paper demonstrates the evaluation of the energy dissipation capacity of a steel damper made from mild steel plates through performing a finite element analysis simulating cyclic loading. Results aimed to obtain the damper characteristics incorporated in retrofitting frames to increase their seismic resistance and energy dissipation. The analys...

The strength reduction factors ( ϕ ) adopted by ACI-440.1R-15 standard code for the flexure design of Fiber Reinforced Polymers Reinforced Concrete (FRP-RC) beams are calibrated in this study. The code calibration process aims to achieve a particular target reliability index ( β T ) for the selected FRP-RC rectangular beams. An extensive experiment...

This study used innovative computational design tools to improve a corridor's visual and environmental conditions, such as solar radiation exposure and optimal daylighting, at the University of Sharjah's (UoS) campus in the United Arab Emirates. The research methodology used computational design software to develop two sets of codes. The first set...

The main objective of this paper was to study the concrete-to-concrete shear friction behavior under cyclic loading and different test rates. Eight dynamic push-pull tests were performed on concrete specimens with as-cast surface roughness type applying four different test rates. The test results include the hysteresis loops of the friction force-d...

The University of Sharjah is a leading educational and research institution in the Gulf region. To stimulate the different aspects of sustainability in education and research as well as to ensure the implementation of sustainability concepts throughout the University campus operations, the concept of sustainability circles is implemented. The Unive...

An experimental investigation was conducted to assess the performance of a new buckling-restrained brace (BRB) system for retrofitting seismically deficient reinforced concrete frames. The BRB consists of a ductile inner steel core bar designed to yield in tension and compression without buckling while controlling the response to seismic forces. Th...

This research study is conducted to investigate the flexural behaviour of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) prisms incorporating different types and volume fractions of steel fibers, various grades of concrete, and different specimen depths, all tested under displacement control mode using four-point loading configuration. Two types of steel f...

Prediction of allowable bearing capacity of granular soil requires an intensive field investigation program. This research proposes empirical correlations to predict the allowable bearing capacity and elastic settlement of shallow foundation on granular soils. The current correlation using only standard penetration blow count number and soil unit w...

This experimental work presents results on the effect of different concrete types on the flexural behavior and deflection of beams reinforced with Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP)bars. Four different types of concretes namely; ordinary Portland concrete (OPCC), fiber reinforced concrete (FRC), geopolymer concrete (GPC), and fiber reinforced ge...

This paper highlights research to assess and upgrade seismically deficient reinforced concrete frames using Buckling Restrained Braces (BRBs). A new BRB was developed by the authors at the University of Ottawa, Canada, and has been verified experimentally by testing two 2/3 rd scale, single-storey reinforced concrete frames that were designed as re...

The Ph.D. thesis could be downloaded from the following URL Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-5884 http://hdl.handle.net/10393/34755 Reinforced concrete frame buildings designed and built prior to the enactment of modern seismic codes of the pre-1970’s era are considered seismically vulnerable, particularly when they are subjected to strong g...

Reinforced concrete frame buildings designed and built prior to the enactment of modern seismic codes of the post-1970 era are seismically vulnerable, particularly when they are subjected to strong ground motions. An experimental investigation was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of retrofitting seismically deficient reinforced concrete f...

Many reinforced concrete frame structures built before the 1970's can be classified as non-ductile and seismically deficient. The objective of the current research project is to investigate innovative, yet cost effective seismic retrofit methodologies for seismic upgrading of non-ductile reinforced concrete frame buildings. A 10-storey reinforced c...