In-situ measurements of ultraviolet (UV) and solar irradiance is very sparse in Nigeria because of cost; it is estimated using meteorological parameters. In this work, a low-cost UV and pyranometer device, using locally sourced materials, was developed. The instrument consists of a UV sensor (ML8511), a photodiode (BPW34) housed in a carefully sealed vacuumed glass bulb, the UV and solar irradiance sensor amplifiers, a 16-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADS1115), Arduino mega 2560, liquid crystal display (LCD) and microSD card for data logging. The designed amplifier has an offset voltage of 0.8676 mV. The sensitivity of the irradiance device is 86.819 Wm-2/mV with a correcting factor of 27.77 Wm-2 and a maximum range of 1200 Wm-2. The instrument validation error is 9.67% and a correlation coefficient of 0.89 when compared with a standard SRS100 pyranometer. The UV sensor showed a close response with a correlation of 0.99 in comparison with a standard Skye instrument. From 08:00 to 16:00 local time (LT), there is a very close agreement between the standard device and the developed counterpart, with marginal differences of about 9.6% observed at the two extremes.
In the field of construction project management, time and cost are the most important factors to be considered in planning every project, and their relationship is complex. The total cost for each project is the sum of the direct and indirect cost. Direct cost commonly represents labor, materials, equipment, etc.
Indirect cost generally represents overhead cost such as supervision, administration, consultants, and interests. Direct cost grows at an increasing rate as the project time is reduced from its original planned time. However, indirect cost continues for the life of the project and any reduction in project time means a reduction in indirect cost. Therefore, there is a trade-off between the time and cost for completing construc
Construction is a complicated process that takes place in an almost uncontrollable environment. Although projects can be carefully planned in advance in principle, there is a chance that unforeseen events and crises can disrupt these plans, affecting project development. Because the initial investment expenditures in construction projects are so large, they may be quickly influenced by crises, resulting in significant financial losses. The 2014 financial crisis was one of the most prominent crises that Iraq faced, which significantly impacted various activities in general and the construction industry in particular. Despite the importance of crisis management systems, the researchers found a great lack of local studies l
... Show MoreWhen industrial and constructional renaissance started in the world, the great interest was going on towards the equipment’s, which was the first mean for production. After industry was settled the interest was going on towards the men ship which manpower on which the production depends. It was approved that it represents the basic part in all of the processes and the protection of those individuals against dangers of these equipment’s, industry and its accidents was the basic things which was studied in many researches until it crystallized in general principles for all industries and other take care in each industry.
The professional safety is concerned as restrict which
... Show MoreAZ Khalaf, M kassim Haidir, LK Jasim, Iraqi Journal of Science, 2012
Controlling cost in construction projects is an essential issue. This study investigates the most critical problems that cause weakness in cost control in Iraqi construction projects. The quantitative technique was used by conducting a survey directed to professionals who work on construction projects. One hundred and sixty-four questionnaire forms were distributed to private sector companies, government companies, and government institutions, and the responses were subjected to the required statistical analysis. The results indicate that the most influential factors are the weakness in keeping up with the use of modern concepts, methods, and technologies, the delay in receiving the amounts due for work done from the owner, fluctuat
... Show MoreWith the development of computer architecture and its technologies in recent years, applications like e-commerce, e-government, e-governance and e-finance are widely used, and they act as active research areas. In addition, in order to increase the quality and quantity of the ordinary everyday transactions, it is desired to migrate from the paper-based environment to a digital-based computerized environment. Such migration increases efficiency, saves time, eliminates paperwork, increases safety and reduces the cost in an organization. Digital signatures are playing an essential role in many electronic and automatic based systems and facilitate this migration. The digital signatures are used to provide many services and s
... Show MoreGypseous soil is considered as a problematic soil for embankment construction, however, implementation of emulsified asphalt as a stabilization agent could be a proper solution for enhancing its properties as a subgrade soil. In this work, the sustainability of asphalt stabilized soil has been assessed in terms of its resistance to cyclic (freezing-thawing) and (heating-cooling) processes. Specimens have been prepared at optimum fluid content (moisture and emulsion) and tested under direct shear stresses while subjected to 30 cycles of (freezing-thawing) and (heating-cooling). Both of dry and soaked testing conditions have been implemented. Data have been observed after each 10 cycles, and compared with that of reference mix. It was conclud
... 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 one dimensional confine
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