Journal of Applied Engineering Education(JAEE)

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nairobi, Kenya

Publications

• Research Article   
  A Novel Direct Tensile Test Method for Mortar and Its Experimental Validation
  Author(s): Ronald Okoth*, Venus Mungesa, Bill Teddy and Stephen Mutuli
  
  Tensile strength is a crucial property of mortar that needs to be addressed in order to withstand temperature stresses, flexure, shear, and shrinkage. Indirect tensile strength measurements are provided by currently available techniques such as split test but they does not provide high accuracy. More precise clamping and alignment are necessary for direct mortar tensile tests due to their complex setup. In order to ensure accuracy and simplicity, this study presents an improved mortar direct tensile strength test. Indirect tensile tests, as recommended by ASTM, are used to compare the results. Epoxy adhesive and prefabricated steel rigs were used to improve specimen alignment and clamping in the uniaxial direct tensile test. Before the tests were conducted, the specimens were cured in water for 28 days at a temperature of 24°C and a humidity level of over 95%. Under uniaxial tensi.. Read More»
  

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