THE MEDIATING ROLE OF ORGANIZATION CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR BETWEEN ISLAMIC WORK ETHICS AND JOB PERFORMANCE IN THE COMMERCIAL BANKS OF PAKISTAN

This study investigates the mediation role of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) between Islamic work ethics (IWE) and Job Performance (JP) in commercial banks of Pakistan. Data was collected from 336 respondents with the help of an adapted questionnaire with sound validity and reliability. Collected data was analyzed with the help of Smart PLS4. Findings of the study show that IWE positively and significantly affect OCB and JP. Results also confirmed the complementary partial mediating role of OCB such that for higher IWE and OCB the higher the JP. The findings of the study are believed to have a number of implications for the organizations, practitioners and academicians to foster IWE and OCB to maximize JP. In addition, the study improved our knowledge that how IWE affect OCB and job performance in the context of Pakistani’s commercial banks. The limitation of the study is that its conclusions are limited to the Pakistani’s commercial banks in its own distinct style of functioning, culture and environment. Further research may be carried out on the variables of workforce deviant behavior, organization politics, job engagement, organization culture, emotional well-being, organizational performance and locus of control in relationship with IWE. It is highly suggested to provide frequent training and seminars on IWE in order to improve OCB and job Performance

Conversion of Waste Marble Powder into a Binding Material

In the marble industry, a lot of marble is wasted in the form of odd blocks of various sizes and slurry consisting of water and micro-fine particles. The slurry on drying converts into powder. Both slurry and powder have adverse effects on the environment. This research is focused on the gainful utilization of waste marble powder (WMP) by converting it into a valuable binding material. For this purpose, WMP and clay were collected, and their physical and chemical properties were determined. A mix of WMP and clay was prepared and burnt at a temperature around 1300 oC. The burnt mix was ground to powder form to get marble cement (MC). The MC was then used in mortar. The compressive and flexural strengths of mortar cubes and prisms were determined. Apart from this, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis were also carried out. The chemical composition showed that the MC has 52.5% di-calcium silicate (C2S) and 3.5% tri-calcium silicate (C3S).The  compressive strength of MC mortar after 28 days curing is 6.03 MPa, which is higher than M1 mortar of building code of Pakistan (5 MPa). The compressive strength of MC mortar after one year is 20.67 MPa, which is only 17% less than OPC mortar

Development of Environment-Friendly Concrete through Partial Addition of Waste Glass Powder (WGP) as Cement Replacement

This paper presents the study carried out on the utilization of Waste Glass Powder (WGP) as supplementary cementitious material in concrete. The evaluation of the influence of WGP on the mechanical properties of concrete was carried out by casting and testing of concrete samples as per ASTM standards (cylinders and beam elements). The control samples were designed to represent field conditions with a target compressive strength of 20,000 kPa. The Portland cement in concrete was substituted with WGP in proportions of 0%-35% by weight, in increments of 5%. Two curing domains were adopted in the preparation of the test samples to evaluate the effect of pozzolanic material wherein the tested samples were cured for 28, 56, and 84 days. The study results indicated a reduction in compressive strength of concrete up to 10% with partial replacement of cement with 25% of WGP when standard curing of 28 days was adopted. Furthermore, with the same replacement proportion and prolonged curing for 84 days, the gap in strength reduction was reduced by 5%. However, a significant decrease in workability was noted between the control concrete samples and glass powder infused concrete. Furthermore, the Waste Glass Powder Concrete (WGPC) exhibited an improved flexural strength with the modulus of rupture for WGPC being 2% higher than control concrete at the age of 84 days. Based on the results of this study it was concluded that 25% replacement of cement with WGP provides an optimum replacement ratio. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2020-03091620 Full Text: PD

Evaluation of Bentonite Mixed Indigenous Clays for Development of Clay Liners

This study presents experimental investigation of indigenous clays mixed with Bentonite to assess their suitability in potential use as clay liners. Soil samples with 0, 4, 8, and 12% Bentonite content from three different sites in Peshawar region were tested for various geotechnical properties. Grain size distribution, specific gravity, Atterberg limits and free swell were found through laboratory tests using appropriate ASTM procedures. Maximum dry density and optimum moisture content were calculated using Atterberg limits in available relationships. Finally, one dimensional consolidation tests were conducted to find relevant parameters for calculating hydraulic conductivity. A decrease in specific gravity, increase in free swell, and in optimum moisture content, decline in maximum dry density and hydraulic conductivity was observed with increase in Bentonite content across all three soil samples. During free swell, the soil clusters become larger leading to formation of floccules resulting in the narrowing of inter-particle space and thus blocking of permeable paths. It is concluded that 8% Bentonite content by weight yields a suitable mixture for a clay liner that has hydraulic conductivity in the range of recommended limits

Experimental Study on the Structural Behavior of Cast in-situ Hollow Core Concrete Slabs

An experimental work has been carried out to study the flexural behavior of cast in-situ hollow core reinforced concrete (HCRC) slabs constructed by using easy, cost effective and implementable techniques in field. The precast elements made of different easily available affordable material i.e. concrete, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and plaster of paris having voided cross- sections of circular, rectangular and triangular shapes were incorporated in one direction during pouring of concrete with minimum flexural reinforcement to construct HCRC slabs. A total of 14 slab specimens including 02 specimens per specification were tested with third point loading for the assessment of flexural behavior as per ASTM standards C78/C78M. The flexural behavior of HCRC slabs with polyvinyl and plaster of paris elements having hollow cross-sections was comparable with the control solid slabs, however, HCRC slab with concrete pipes showed 7 to 8 percent reduction in flexural strength with 19 to 20 percent reduction in self-weight. All the tested specimens performed well in shear as no shear failure was observed. This study reveals that HCRC slabs with locally available material having hollow cross section elements can be used for the construction of cast in-situ monolithic construction of one-way slabs with ordinary construction techniques. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2020-03091597 Full Text: PD

Flexural Performance of Composite RC Beams Having an ECC Layer at the Tension Face

This paper presents an experimental study on the flexural behavior of composite Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams having a monolithic Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) layer at the tension face. Due to the brittle nature of normal concrete, clear cover on the tension side of beam cracks results in spalling and corrosion of reinforcement. The proposed technique overcomes the inherent brittle behavior of normal concrete with the incorporation of ECC on the tension face. This also helps in reducing bond-splitting, cover-spalling, and buckling of reinforcement in RC flexural members. For testing purposes, six full-scale beam specimens (225 mm x 300 mm x 2400 mm) with the same reinforcement were cast and tested. Out of six, two specimens were made of conventional concrete, whereas the remaining four (two each) had an ECC layer of 75mm and 100mm thick at the tension face respectively. Each specimen was installed with three strain gauges (one each at the midspan top & bottom surface of concrete and one midspan rebar on the tension face) and one LVDT at midspan. The samples were then subjected to simple monotonic loading under a third-point bending test as per ASTM C78. The load-displacement, stress-strain and moment-curvature curves were obtained for all the tested specimens. It was found that ECC-strengthened beam samples displayed an increased flexural performance at first crack, yield, and ultimate load-carrying capacity as compared to conventional RC specimens. Whereas a better crack arrest with even distribution of cracks and improvement in ductility was observed for the ECC-strengthened composite beams

Numerical Modeling for Engineering Analysis and Designing of Optimum Support Systems for Headrace Tunnel

The empirical and numerical design approaches are considered very important in the viable and efficient design of support systems, stability analysis for tunnel, and underground excavations. In the present research work, the rock mass rating (RMR) and tunneling quality index (Q-system) were used as empirical methods for characterization of rock mass based on real-time geological and site geotechnical data and physical and strength properties of rock samples collected from the alignment of tunnel. The rock mass along the tunnel axis was classified into three geotechnical units (GU-1, GU-2, and GU-3). The support systems for each geotechnical unit were designed. The 2D elastoplastic finite-element method (FEM) was used for the analysis of rock mass behavior, in situ and redistribution stresses, plastic thickness around the tunnel, and performance of the design supports for the selection of optimum support system among RMR and Q supports for each geotechnical unit of tunnel. Based on results, Q support systems were found more effective for GU-1 and GU-2 as compared to RMR support systems and RMR support systems for GU-3 as compared to Q support systems