The College of Engineering at the University of Baghdad held the public defense of PhD candidate Muataz Ibrahim Ali from the Civil Engineering Department on November 28, 2024, in Professor Khaled Shaker Hall. His thesis, titled “Effect of Elevated Temperature and Impact Load on Performance of Composite Concrete-GFRP Beams,” was supervised by Prof. Dr. Abbas Abdull-Majeed Allawi.
The research focused on studying the flexural behavior of composite beams made of concrete slabs and pultruded glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) I-sections, particularly under elevated temperatures. It also assessed the post-fire residual strength of these beams under ultimate loads.
The thesis presented key recommendations:
- Protect GFRP sections from direct fire using suitable protective materials.
- Static loads improved parameters like failure load, ductility, stiffness, and toughness while reducing deflection at failure compared to reference beams.
- Elevated temperature tests showed a 26.6% reduction in mid-span deflection for normal-strength composite beams compared to ambient conditions.
- High-strength composite beams demonstrated a 47% higher residual post-fire peak load than conventional composite beams.
Following a thorough discussion, the committee granted Muataz Ibrahim Ali a PhD in Structural Engineering.
