Journal of Brilliant Engineering (BEN)

M. Vefa Topçu Orhan Yıldırım Şendoğan Karagöz Sadık Erdoğan Mine Gürsaç Çelik

Low body temperature during surgery continues to be a common medical issue, often tied to poor blood clotting and slower tissue recovery. Instead of using conventional forced-air devices, this research examines a heat delivery method integrated into the surgical bed itself. A controlled system was created, circulating warm water through pathways inside the table surface to preserve normal body temperature without disturbing airflow patterns around the procedure area. Wooden models were shaped to test two different internal layouts: one followed a classic spiral pattern (Plate 1), while the other used an irregular, branching route ( Plate 2 ). Trials covered flow conditions from 4000 to 25000 Reynolds numbers, applying input heat ranging from 42 to 50 °C. Results indicated Plate 2 surpassed the conventional model, delivering an 18% higher mean Nusselt number under maximum flow. Despite fluctuations, thermal scans revealed consistent performance - surface temperatures varied only ±0.4°C on average. Throughout trials, readings stayed safely between 37 and 40°C, meeting required medical thresholds. Behind the improvement: carefully shaped channels likely trigger swirling motions that boost heat exchange. Rather than relying solely on external power, built-in conduction pathways offer a simpler path toward effective patient warming.

https://doi.org/10.36937/ben.2026.41110

Abdulkadir Özer

Zn₀.₉₅₋ₓCo₀.₀₅CuₓO (0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.05) nanocomposites were synthesized using a co-precipitation method to explore the influence of Cu on the structural and optical properties of Co-doped ZnO. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that all samples preserve the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO, while minor secondary Cu₂O and Co₃O₄ phases were observed due to incomplete substitution of Cu⁺ and Co³⁺ ions. The crystallite size decreased from 34.53 nm to 22.00 nm with increasing Cu dopant concentration. SEM images revealed nearly spherical nanoparticles, consistent with XRD results. XPS analysis confirmed the presence of Zn²⁺, Cu⁺, Co²⁺, Co³⁺, lattice oxygen, oxygen vacancies, and chemisorbed oxygen species. Raman spectroscopy verified the structural stability of ZnO and revealed dopant-induced defect modes. UV–Vis diffuse reflectance measurements showed a gradual increase in the optical band gap from 3.26 eV to 3.57 eV. These findings demonstrate that Cu doping effectively tunes the optical properties of Co-doped ZnO nanocomposites, making them promising for optoelectronic applications.

https://doi.org/10.36937/ben.2026.41129

Ferhat Sungur Ayşenur Eren Erinç Başar Canbaz Beste Kunt

This study establishes the baseline physical and mechanical behavior of expanded-perlite-filled waste tile/glass geopolymer composites without fiber reinforcement. This study aims to develop sustainable lightweight geopolymer composites obtained from 100% waste materials. Waste tile dust and waste glass dust were used as alumina silicate sources. These were activated with varying sodium concentrations. To ensure lightness, expanded perlite was added as a filler at 2% and 4% weight of the binder. Experiments on the produced specimens evaluated the physical and mechanical performance of these lightweight composites. The results showed that the addition of 4% EP reduced the unit weight by up to 28.4% (in the range of 1275-1362 kg/m³), thus obtaining a lightweight building material. Increased internal porosity led to an increase in water absorption rate (up to 196%) and capillarity coefficients. When mechanical tests were evaluated, the addition of EP caused a decrease in strength. Here, a 6% Na concentration was determined as the activator dosage that showed better mechanical performance compared to other Na levels. At this concentration, a compressive strength of approximately 6.51 MPa was obtained in specimens containing 4% EP. Based on these results, it has been shown that these waste-based binders, which can be used instead of cement, are applicable for the production of lightweight insulation composite blocks together with expanded perlite. Thus, in addition to obtaining an environmentally friendly product, a contribution has been made to reducing the carbon footprint. The findings provide reference data for future studies involving reinforcement, durability enhancement, or thermal-performance optimization.

https://doi.org/10.36937/ben.2026.41141

Oğuzhan Çelebi Akın Yalçın

In this study, the dynamic response and seismic performance of RC buildings with hollow block slab and flat beam system have been investigated. Six different building models with 10 stories have been designed to investigate the effect of factors such as the existence of shear walls, the ratio of b/d for beams, and the cross-sectional area of columns (square vs. rectangle). All of the buildings have been modeled in ETABS software according to the rules of Turkish Building Earthquake Code (TBEC-2018), using the seismic loads corresponding to Erzurum region and ZD soil type. The linear time history analysis has been conducted to study inter-story drift, acceleration amplification, frequency shifting, and comparative energy response characteristics. It has been observed that due to the flexibility nature of hollow blocks, a whiplash effect is created, causing up to ten times amplification of accelerations at the top stories. The use of square columns and shear walls has reduced the inter-story drift ratio about 25-30 percent and peak story acceleration about 15 percent. FFT analyses have revealed that square columns provided more stable and symmetric dynamic response characteristics within the investigated structural configurations. creating a stable mode shape in their dynamic response. Moreover, comparative energy response analyses (Ed/Ein) have shown that using square columns and shear walls can increase the damping factor by up to 5.42 percent. The results indicated that the combined use of square columns and shear walls improved the seismic response characteristics of the investigated structural systems.

https://doi.org/10.36937/ben.2026.41142