A compact microstrip six-port reflectometer (SPR) with extended bandwidth is proposed in this paper. The design is based on using 16-dB multi-section coupled line directional couplers and a multi-section 3-dB Wilkinson power divider operating from 1 to 6 GHz. The proposed SPR employs only two calibration standards: a matched load and an open load. As compared to other dielectric substrates, fabricating the proposed SPR involves using a low-cost (FR4) substrate. A novel algorithm is also proposed to estimate the complex reflection coefficient over the frequency ranges at which the standard performance of the circuit components is not fully satisfied. The new algorithm is based on the circles’ intersection points, which have been derived from basic SPR equations, to estimate the complex reflection coefficient. To validate the SPR performance, a multiband microstrip patch antenna has been measured and the resulted reflection coefficient is compared with those obtained using a vector network analyzer (VNA). Results show that the proposed SPR provides a good estimation of the complex reflection coefficient within the frequency range of 1 GHz to 8 GHz. Owing to its compact size and ease of fabrication, the proposed reflectometer is suitable for various microwave broadband applications.
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 confine
... Show MoreThe 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 o
This work deals with the preparation of a zeolite/polymer flat sheet membrane with hierarchical porosity and ion-exchange properties. The performance of the prepared membrane was examined by the removal of chromium ions from simulated wastewater. A NaY zeolite (crystal size of 745.8 nm) was prepared by conventional hydrothermal treatment and fabricated with polyethersulfone (15% PES) in dimethylformamide (DMF) to obtain an ion-exchange ultrafiltration membrane. The permeate flux was enhanced by increasing the zeolite content within the membrane texture indicating increasing the hydrophilicity of the prepared membranes and constructing a hierarchically porous system. A membrane contain
This paper describes the problem of online autonomous mobile robot path planning, which is consisted of finding optimal paths or trajectories for an autonomous mobile robot from a starting point to a destination across a flat map of a terrain, represented by a 2-D workspace. An enhanced algorithm for solving the problem of path planning using Bacterial Foraging Optimization algorithm is presented. This nature-inspired metaheuristic algorithm, which imitates the foraging behavior of E-coli bacteria, was used to find the optimal path from a starting point to a target point. The proposed algorithm was demonstrated by simulations in both static and dynamic different environments. A comparative study was evaluated between the developed algori
... Show More This paper describes the application of consensus optimization for Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) system. Consensus algorithm is usually conducted within a certain number of iterations for a given graph topology. Nevertheless, the best Number of Iterations (NOI) to reach consensus is varied in accordance with any change in number of nodes or other parameters of . graph topology. As a result, a time consuming trial and error procedure will necessary be applied
to obtain best NOI. The implementation of an intellig ent optimization can effectively help to get the optimal NOI. The performance of the consensus algorithm has considerably been improved by the inclusion of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). As a case s
This study synthesized nanocomposite photocatalyst materials from a mixture of Cu2O nanoparticles, ZnO nanoparticles, and graphene oxide (GO) through coprecipitation and hydrothermal methods. This study aims to determine the optimum composition of Cu2O/ZnO/GO nanocomposites in degrading methylene blue. The nanocomposite was synthesized in two steps: 1 the synthesis of Cu2O and ZnO nanoparticles through the coprecipitation method and the preparation of GO through the modified Hummer method. 2 The preparation of Cu2O and ZnO nanoparticles mixtures with GO through the hydrothermal method to form Cu2O/ZnO/GO nanocomposites. The adsorption-photocatalysis process of methylene blue
... Show MoreThe main problem of this research is the delay of implementation of the investment plan projects for the period (2013-2016) and the weakness of the staff ability in the ministries and they don’t have the sufficient experience to carry out the implementation process.
Therefore, the research aims to evaluate the implementation of programs and projects of the investment plan in a manner consistent with the objectives set for them without any wasteful of efforts, time and money. And then identify the problems and obstacles to determine the deviations of the implementation of the specific for each sector according to the criteria of evaluation and the form of cost, quality, time and implementation.<
... Show MoreIn this paper a new structure for the AVR of the power system exciter is proposed and designed using digital-based LQR. With two weighting matrices R and Q, this method produces an optimal regulator that is used to generate the feedback control law. These matrices are called state and control weighting matrices and are used to balance between the relative importance of the input and the states in the cost function that is being optimized. A sample power system composed of single machine connected to an infinite- bus bar (SMIB) with both a conventional and a proposed Digital AVR (DAVR) is simulated. Evaluation results show that the DAVR damps well the oscillations of the terminal voltage and presents a faster respo
... Show MoreThis paper proposes a new structure for a Fractional Order Sliding Mode Controller (FOSMC) to control a Twin Rotor Aerodynamic System (TRAS). The new structure is composed by defining two 3-dimensional sliding mode surfaces for the TRAS model and introducing fractional order derivative integral in the state variables as well as in the control action. The parameters of the controller are determined so as to minimize the Integral of Time multiplied by Absolute Error (ITAE) performance index. Through comparison, this controller outperforms its integer counterpart in many specifications, such as reducing the delay time, rise time, percentage overshoot, settling time, time to reach the sliding surface, and amplitude of chattering in control inpu
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