Computational Methods in Engineering

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It is well known that the characteristics of concrete components greatly affect the durability of high strength/high performance (HS/HP) concrete against frost action. Undoubtedly, precise recognition of this relationship leads to appropriate selection of the type and proportions of concrete components in any particular project. In the current study, the aim is to investigate the possibility of developing some mathematical-experimental models to explain the frost resistance of high-performance concrete, regarding the role of some of its main components. To do so, the effects of four key elements, i.e. water, silica fume, coarse aggregate, and number of freeze-thawing cycles, were studied on the frost resistance of HS/HP concrete were studied. 24 concrete mix designs including 3 ratios of water to cementitious materials, i. e. 0.4, 0.3, and 0.25 4 ratios of silica fume to cementitious materials, i.e. 0, 5, 10, and 15 percent and 2 types of coarse aggregates, i. e. Limestone and Quartzite were utilized for HS/HP concrete. Overall, about 432 concrete cubes were cast, cured and tested under freeeze-thaw cycles. Finally, some models were proposed for describing the frost resistance of high strength concrete.

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In the present work, the effect of magnetic field, changes in the angle of inclination of the cavity and the shape of nanoparticles on the flow field and heat transfer of water-alumina with uniform heat generation/absorption is investigated by Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The curved wall and the diagonal walls of the cavity are at a constant temperature of hot and cold, respectively. Nanoparticle volume fraction  of 0, 0.02 and 0.04, Hartmann number of 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60, heat generation/absorption coefficient of -5, 0 and +5 and inclination angle of 45, 135 and 225 degrees are studied. The high accuracy of the results compared to previous studies confirmed the correctness of the code written in Fortran language. The results shows that in all cases, increasing the Hartmann number leads to a decrease in the maximum value of the streamlines and the average Nusselt number, with the lowest effect at 225 degrees. Also increasing the strength of the magnetic field leads to an average decrease of 28, 23 and 7% of the average Nusselt number for angles of 45, 135 and 225 degrees, respectively. Increasing the heat generation/absorption coefficient is a determining factor in the effectiveness of the magnetic field and adding nanoparticles, and increasing it reduces the amount of heat transfer. On average, heat generation reduces the average Nusselt number by 71, 98, and 145 percent for the angles of 45, 135, and 225 degrees, respectively. In general, the lowest value of the average Nusselt number is related to the angle of 225 degrees, but the effect of adding nanoparticles in increasing the average Nusselt number is the highest at this angle. Generally, an increase in the percentage of nanoparticles leads to an average increase of 12% in the average Nusselt number. The effect of nanoparticle shape is more apparent with increasing their volume fraction. The highest amount of heat transfer is related to the cylindrical nanoparticles, in which the average Nusselt number is on average about 6% higher than the spherical state.