The current study involves placing 135 boreholes drilled to a depth of 10 m below the existing ground level. Three standard penetration tests (SPT) are performed at depths of 1.5, 6, and 9.5 m for each borehole. To produce thematic maps with coordinates and depths for the bearing capacity variation of the soil, a numerical analysis was conducted using MATLAB software. Despite several-order interpolation polynomials being used to estimate the bearing capacity of soil, the first-order polynomial was the best among the other trials due to its simplicity and fast calculations. Additionally, the root mean squared error (RMSE) was almost the same for the all of the tried models. The results of the study can be summarized by the production of thematic maps showing the variation of the bearing capacity of the soil over the whole area of Al-Basrah city correlated with several depths. The bearing capacity of soil obtained from the suggested first-order polynomial matches well with those calculated from the results of SPTs with a deviation of ±30% at a 95% confidence interval.
In this study, concentrations of radon and uranium were measured for twenty six samples of soil. The radon concentrations in soil samples measured by registrant alpha-emitting radon (222Rn) by using CR-39 track detector. The uranium concentrations in soil samples measured by using registrar fission fragments tracks in CR-39 track detector that caused by the bombardment of U with thermal neutrons from 241 Am-Be neutron source that has flux of 5 ×103n cm-2 s-1.
The concentrations values were calculated by a comparison with standard samples The results show that the radon concentrations are between (91.931-30.645Bq/m3).
The results show that also the uranium concentrat
The activity concentration of natural radioactivity levels, of artificial cesium and transfer factor from soil to plants in agricultural areas at Al- Yusiefya region were determined by using NaI (Tl) detector spectrometer. Ten species of leafy plants have been selected: Spinach, Parsley, Watercress, Lettuce, Rashad, Radish, Green onion, Turnip green, Green beet and Mint. The mean activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs in leafy vegetable samples were 12.4±3.8, 14.8±4.7, 283±93 and 1.06±0.99 Bg/kg, and in soil samples were 15.9±4.3, 16.1±5.2, 298.5±3.9, and 1.11±0.37 Bq/kg. The radiation hazard indices were evaluated (radium
... Show MoreThe Dynamic Load Factor (DLF) is defined as the ratio between the maximum dynamic and static responses in terms of stress, strain, deflection, reaction, etc. DLF adopted by different design codes is based on parameters such as bridge span length, traffic load models, and bridge natural frequency. During the last decades, a lot of researches have been made to study the DLF of simply supported bridges due to vehicle loading. On the other hand, fewer works have been reported on continuous bridges especially with skew supports. This paper focuses on the investigation of the DLF for a highly skewed steel I-girder bridge, namely the US13 Bridge in Delaware State, USA. Field testing under various load passes of a weighed load vehicle was u
... Show MoreCO2 geo-storage efficiency is strongly influenced by the wettability of the CO2-brine-mineral system. With decreasing water-wetness, both, structural and residual trapping capacities are substantially reduced. This constitutes a serious limitation for CO2 storage particularly in oil-wet formations (which are CO2-wet). To overcome this, we treated CO2-wet calcite surfaces with nanofluids (nanoparticles dispersed in base fluid) and found that the systems turned strongly water-wet state, indicating a significant wettability alteration and thus a drastic improvement in storage potential. We thus conclude that CO2 storage capacity can be significantly enhanced by nanofluid priming.
Influence of metal nanoparticles synthesized by microorganisms upon soil-borne microscopic fungus Aspergillus terreus K-8 was studied. It was established that the metal nanoparticles synthesized by microorganisms affect the enzymatic activity of the studied culture. Silver nanoparticles lead to a decrease in cellulase activity and completely suppress the amylase activity of the fungus, while copper nanoparticles completely inhibit the activity of both the cellulase complex and amylase. The obtained results imply that the large-scale use of silver and copper nanoparticles may disrupt biological processes in the soil and cause change in the physiological and biochemical state of soil-borne microorganisms as well.
Euphrates River extends about 125 km within the study area located in Annassiriyah City, Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq. The impact of the seven hydraulic structures on the discharge capacity of the Euphrates River needs to be considered. The main objectives of this research are to increase the discharge capacity of Euphrates River within Annassiriyah City during flood seasons and study the impact of these hydraulic structures on the river capacity by using HEC-RAS 5.0.3 software. Five scenarios were simulated to study the different current condition of Euphrates River within Annassiriyah City. Other additional four scenarios were implemented through river training to increase the river capacity to 1300 m³/s; it is the flood
... Show MoreThe gypseous soil may be one of the problems that face the engineers especially when it used as a foundation for hydraulic structures, roads, and other structures. Gypseous soil is strong soil and has good properties when it is dry, but the problem arises when building hydraulic installations or heavy buildings on this soil after wetting the water to the soil by raising the water table level from any source or from rainfall which leads to dissolve the gypsum content. Cement-stabilized soil has been successfully used as a facing or lining for earth channel, highway embankments and drainage ditches to reduce the risk of erosion and collapsibility of soil. This study is deliberate the treatment of gypseous soil by using a mixture
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