The aim of this research work is to study the effect of stabilizing gypseous soil, which covers vast areas in the middle, west and south parts of Iraq, using liquid asphalt on its strength properties to be used as a base course layer replacing the traditional materials of coarse aggregate and broken stones which are scarce at economical prices and hauling distances. Gypseous soil brought from Al-Ramadi City, west of Iraq, with gypsum content of 66.65%, medium curing cutback asphalt (MC-30), and hydrated lime are used in this study. The conducted tests on untreated and treated gypseous soil with different percentages of medium curing cutback asphalt (MC-30), water, and lime were: unconfined compression strength, and one dimensional confined compression under both dry and absorbed test conditions. The test results showed that stabilizing gypseous soil using the optimum fluid content of 16% (5% cutback asphalt+11% water) have improved the unconfined compressive strength, compressibility, rebound consolidation, and waterproofing of gypseous soil, but under absorbed condition the stabilized gypseous soil using cutback asphalt only did not satisfy the requirements for base course construction, therefore it was decided to use lime additive to improve the properties of soil-cutback mixture under absorbed condition.
Genetic algorithms (GA) are a helpful instrument for planning and controlling the activities of a project. It is based on the technique of survival of the fittest and natural selection. GA has been used in different sectors of construction and building however that is rarely documented. This research aimed to examine the utilisation of genetic algorithms in construction project management. For this purpose, the research focused on the benefits and challenges of genetic algorithms, and the extent to which genetic algorithms is utilised in construction project management. Results showed that GA provides an ability of generating near optimal solutions which can be adopted to reduce complexity in project management and resolve difficult problem
... Show MoreCommunication and media technologies have seen several changes in the last two decades. These changes put the basis for the emergence of communicative and media practices on several levels including political, economic, technological and artistic. And these, in turn, led to the emergence of new media trends and phenomena in various areas of media worthily to be studied and researched for example online advertisings. Online advert
... Show MoreThe construction sector is considered an important and influential pivot in the national economy of any country. Nations are working to develop this sector, receiving modern and developed techniques. So, this sector can be a carrier or a receiver of modern technologies. The cost of technology transfer between the international companies that sponsor this sector is a matter of great importance, especially since different factors affect the need for this advanced technology. The cost of technology transfer in construction is related to multiple factors presented by Knowledge, equipment, plant, hardware and software. The lack of distinguishing and evaluating the direct and indirect costs in the construction sector during
... Show MoreIn the present paper a low cost mechanical vibration shaker of rotating unbalanced type with uniaxial shaking table was designed and constructed in an attempt to provide opportunities for experimental testing and application of vibration in experimental modal analysis, stress relief of weldments, effect of vibration on heat transfer and seismic testing of civil engineering structures. Also, it provides unexpressive solution to enhance the knowledge and technical skills of students in mechanical vibration laboratory. The shaker consists of a five main parts shaker frame, shaker table, flexible support, drive motor, and eccentricity mechanism. The experimental results show that the amplitude of the shaker is increased with increasing the f
... Show MoreConstruction projects are complicated in nature and require many considerations in contractor selection. One of the complicated interactions is that between performance with the project size, and contractor financial status, and size of projects contracted. At the prequalification stage, the financial requirements restrict the contractors to meet minimum limits in financial criteria such as net worth, working capital and annual turnover, etc. In construction projects, however, there are cases when contractors meet these requirements but show low performance in practice. The model used in the study predicts the performance by training of a neural network. The data used in the study are 72 of the most recent roadw
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