Frequently, load associated mode of failure, rutting and fatigue, are the main failure types found in some newly constructed roads within Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, and some suburban areas. The use of excessive amount of natural sand in asphalt concrete mixes which is attractive to local contractors could be one of the possible causes to the lack of strength properties of the mixes resulting in frustration in the pavement performance. In this study, the performance properties of asphalt concrete mixes with two natural sand types, desert and river sands, were evaluated. Moreover, five replacement rates of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% by weight of the fine aggregate finer than 4.75 were used. The performance properties including moisture susceptibility, resilient modulus, permanent deformation, and fatigue characteristics were evaluated using indirect tensile strength, uniaxial repeated loading and repeated flexural beam tests. Also, as a part of the research objective, the laboratory tests result were used to predict the performance using VESYS computer software. Results showed that mixes with high natural sand content (NSC) are more susceptible to moisture damage and rutting, lower resilient modulus and some improvement in fatigue resistance. Based on the obtained results, the necessity has rise to revise the current local specification for asphalt concrete which specifies the limits of natural sand content in the mixes of wearing and binder courses with 25% whereas for base course mixes no limit exist yet.
Many stone tools were found on a hill south of the Hor Al-Dalmaj which is located in the central part of the alluvial plain of Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The types of rocks from which the studied stone tools were made are not found in the alluvial plain, because it consists of friable sand, silt, and clay. All existing sediments were precipitated in riverine environments such as point bar, over bank, and floodplain sediments. The collected stone tools were described with a magnifying glass (10 x) and a polarized microscope after they were thin sectioned. Microscopic analysis showed that these stone tools are made of sedimentary, volcanic igneous and metamorphic rocks, such as: sandstones, limestones, chert, con
... Show MoreUndesirable growth of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) crop under an excessive N fertilizer application is the main obstacle presently. This research was conducted to investigate the response of different potato cultivars; Russet Burbank, Shepody, and Superior, and its qualitative characteristics under a series of N rates. Six rates of N fertilization (0–280 kg ha−1) were applied on 11 sites in a randomized complete block design, with four replications. Sites with ≥30 g kg−1 of soil organic matter (OM) produced total tuber yield, marketable yield, and tuber weight per plant 39.5, 45.2, and 54.9%, respectively, higher than sites with ≤30 g kg−1 of OM. Tubers specific gravity increased by 0.18% in the sites with ≥30 g kg−1 of OM.
... Show MoreThis study was chosen because of the entry of our regions into the seismic zone recently, where Diyala governorate was hit by the Halabja earthquake in 2017 by 7.3Mw. Therefore, the impact of earthquakes will be studied on the AL-Mafraq bridge foundations piles located in Iraq- east of Baghdad in Diyala Governorate and the extent of its resistance to the Halabjah, EL-Centro, and Kobe earthquakes with acceleration 0.1g, 0.34g, and 0.58g respectively. After modeling and performing the analysis by using Midas Gts-Nx software, the settlement (mm) results at nine nodes (four nodes for the pile cap and five nodes for the piles) were obtained for each of Halabjah, EL-Centro, and Kobe earthquakes to know the resistance of the br
... Show MoreA steel-concrete composite structure (1) is described. The steel-concrete composite structure comprises a steel member (2) having an upper surface (5) and a plurality of shear connector elements (6) upstanding from the upper surface and a concrete slab (4) having upper and lower surfaces (7, 8). The slab is supported on its lower surface by the upper surface of the steel member. The slab comprises a plurality of through holes (9) between the upper and lower surfaces, each through hole tapering towards the lower surface so as to form an inverted frustally-shaped seating surface (10). The concrete slab is configured and positioned with respect to the steel member such that at least one shear connector element projects into each through hole.
... Show MoreRoller compacted concrete (RCC) is a material with no slumps and is made from the same raw materials as conventional concrete. The roller compacted dam method, the high paste technique, the corps of engineers method, and the maximum density method are all ways of designing RCC. The evolution of RCC has resulted in a substantial change in construction projects, most notably in dams, because of the sluggish pace of conventional placement, consolidation, and compacting. The construction process was accelerated by incorporating RCC into dams, resulting in a shorter construction period. Research shows that the dams that used RCC had completed one to two years sooner than the dams that used regular concrete (Bagheri an
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