The purpose of this study is to avoid delays and cost changes that occur in emergency reconstruction projects especially in post disaster circumstances. This study is aimed to identify the factors that affect the real construction period and the real cost of a project against the estimated period of construction and the estimated cost of the project. The case study is related to the construction projects in Iraq. Thirty projects in different areas of construction in Iraq were selected as a sample for this study. Project participants from the projects authorities provided data about the projects through a data collection distributed survey made by the authors. Mathematical data analysis was used to construct a model to predict change in time and cost of the projects before the start of the construction. The artificial neural networks analysis was selected as a mathematical approach. The most important factors identified leading to schedule delays and cost increase were contractor failure, redesigning of designs/plans and change orders, security issues, selection of low-price bids, weather factors, and owner failures. The use of the ANN model for such a problem is expected to be an effective method for modeling this complicated phenomenon.
In this study, a Hydroxyapatite (HA) coating was prepared on a titanium implant by an electrochemical deposition process. The titanium pre-treatment by anodizing in 1.65 mol/L sulfuric acid with (10V) at room temperature. The deposition was all conducted at a constant voltage of 6.0 V, for 1 h at room temperature. The coatings thus prepared were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thickness of the coated layer.The electrochemical deposition of HA occurred on the titanium as a cathode. Coated titanium by HA after anodizing revealed a good corrosion protection efficiency even at a temperature ranged (293-323) K in artificial saliva. Activation energy and pre-exponential factor (kinetic parameters) were calcul
... Show MoreThe main objective of this paper is to study the behavior of Non-Prismatic Reinforced Concrete (NPRC) beams with and without rectangular openings either when exposed to fire or not. The experimental program involves casting and testing 9 NPRC beams divided into 3 main groups. These groups were categorized according to heating temperature (ambient temperature, 400°C, and 700°C), with each group containing 3 NPRC beams (solid beams and beams with 6 and 8 trapezoidal openings). For beams with similar geometry, increasing the burning temperature results in their deterioration as reflected in their increasing mid-span deflection throughout the fire exposure period and their residual deflection after cooling. Meanwhile, the existing ope
... Show MoreThe main objective of this study is to characterize the main factors which may affect the behavior of segmental prestressed concrete beams comprised of multi segments. The 3-D finite element program ABAQUS was utilized. The experimental work was conducted on twelve simply supported segmental prestressed concrete beams divided into three groups depending on the precast segments number. They all had an identical total length of 3150mm, but each had different segment numbers (9, 7, and 5 segments), in other words, different segment lengths. To simulate the genuine fire disasters, nine beams were exposed to high-temperature flame for one hour, the selected temperatures were 300°C (572°F), 500°C (932°F) and 700°C (1292°F) as recomm
... Show MoreA d.c. magnetron sputtering system was designed and fabricated. The chamber of this system is consisted from two copper coaxial cylinders. The inner one used as the cathode and the outer one used as anode with magnetic coil located on the outer cylinder (anode). The axial behavior of the magnetic field strength along the cathode surface for various coil current (from 2A to 14A) are shown. The results of this work are investigated by three cylindrical Langmuir probes that have different diameters that are 2.2mm, 1mm, and 0.45mm. The results of these probes show that, there are two Maxwellian electron groups appear in the central region. As well as, the density of electron and ion decreases with increases of magnetic field strengths.
The main objective of this paper is to study the behavior of Non-Prismatic Reinforced Concrete (NPRC) beams with and without rectangular openings either when exposed to fire or not. The experimental program involves casting and testing 9 NPRC beams divided into 3 main groups. These groups were categorized according to heating temperature (ambient temperature, 400°C, and 700°C), with each group containing 3 NPRC beams (solid beams and beams with 6 and 8 trapezoidal openings). For beams with similar geometry, increasing the burning temperature results in their deterioration as reflected in their increasing mid-span deflection throughout the fire exposure period and their residual deflection after cooling. Meanwhile, the existing ope
... Show MoreThis study deals with the serviceability of reinforced concrete solid and perforated rafters with openings of different shapes and sizes based on an experimental study that includes 12 post-fire non-prismatic reinforced concrete beams (solid and perforated). Three groups were formed based on heating temperature (room temperature, 400 °C, and 700 °C), each group consisting of four rafters (solid, rafters with 6 and 8 trapezoidal openings, and rafter with eight circular openings) under static loading. A developed unified calculation technique for deflection and crack widths under static loading at the service stage has been provided, which comprises non-prismatic beams with or without opening exposed to flexure concentra
... Show MoreBackground: Menopause can bring oral health problems and also associated with significant adverse changes in the orofacial complex. After menopause, women become more susceptible to periodontal disease due to deficiency of estrogen hormone. Current study aimed to evaluate the periodontal health status in relation to salivary constituent including pH, flow rate and some elements (Magnesium, Calcium and inorganic phosphorus) of pre and post-menopause women. Materials and Methods: Periodontal health status of 52 women aged 48-50 years old (26 pre-menopause and 26 post-menopause) were examined including (gingival index, plaque index, calculus index, probing pocket depth and clinical attachment level). Salivary sample was collected for two women
... Show MorePurpose: the purpose of this study is to investigate how managers working for the General Authority for Irrigation and Reclamation Projects react to the impact of Emotional Intelligence (EI) on their performance. Theoretical framework: The current study includes an intellectual framework on two variables, namely EI and Manager Performance (MP), because it is essential to investigate the relationship between these two variables and the impact of EI on MP. Design/methodology/approach: The research problem is that a manager's capacity to make wise decisions about their work or interactions with subordinates is diminished when they have inadequate EI. The questionnaire is used as a tool for gathering data for the study, and the st
... Show MoreAbstract:
Most of the studies on this subject, small industrial projects, by researchers and scholars in the economic field show the great and increasing importance of doing this kind of projects, the extent of which can be determined by the contribution of these projects to indicators and macroeconomic and sectorial variables. So this research aims to show the extent of the economic contribution of projects in selected international experiences and in the Iraqi economy. As international experiences have provided the opportunity for the progress and growth of small projects in their economies, which led to an increase in the contribution of these projects in the recruitment of economically active manpower, in added
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