Moisture damage is described as a reduction in stiffness and strength durability in asphalt mixtures due to moisture. This study investigated the influence of adding nano silica (NS) to the Asphalt on the moisture susceptibility of hot-mix-asphalt (HMA) mixtures under different aging conditions. NS was mixed with asphalt binder at concentrations of 2%, 4%, and 6% by weight of the binder. To detect the microstructure changes of modified Asphalt and estimate the dispersion of NS within the Asphalt, the field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) was used. To examine the performance of Asphalt mixed with NS at different aging stages (short-term and long-term aging), asphalt mixture tests such as Marshall stability, flow, and Tensile Strength Ratio Test (TSR) were performed. According to the FESEM images, the NS particles in the mixture were sufficiently dispersed. The findings demonstrate that the NS enhances pavement performance by enhancing stability and volumetric characteristics and reducing susceptibility to moisture damage. Furthermore, TSR values of aged specimens show that increasing the NS content significantly reduces susceptibility to moisture and oxidative aging.
Under-reamed piles are piles with enlarged bases, which may be single bulb or multi bulbs. Such piles are suitable for resisting considerable soil movement of filed up ground, soft clay, and loose sand and have the advantages of increasing the soil strength and decreasing the displacement. In the present study, the finite element method was used to analyse the performance of a single pile with under-reamed bulbs of different shapes, that is, single cone, double cone, and half and full sphere, embedded in homogeneous, poorly graded sandy soil. The model of under-reamed pile was made of reinforced concrete and the bulb located at the middle of the embedded length of the pile. The dynami
A case-control study was performed to examine age, gender, and ABO blood groups in 1014 Iraqi hospitalized cases with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 901 blood donors (control group). The infection was molecularly diagnosed by detecting coronavirus RNA in nasal swabs of patients.
Mean age was significantly elevated in cases compared to controls (48.2 ± 13.8
Strengthening of the existing structures is an important task that civil engineers continuously face. Compression members, especially columns, being the most important members of any structure, are the most important members to strengthen if the need ever arise. The method of strengthening compression members by direct wrapping by Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) was adopted in this research. Since the concrete material is a heterogeneous and complex in behavior, thus, the behavior of the confined compression members subjected to uniaxial stress is investigated by finite element (FE) models created using Abaqus CAE 2017 software.
The aim of this research is to study experime
... Show MoreStrengthening of the existing structures is an important task that civil engineers continuously face. Compression members, especially columns, being the most important members of any structure, are the most important members to strengthen if the need ever arise. The method of strengthening compression members by direct wrapping by Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) was adopted in this research. Since the concrete material is a heterogeneous and complex in behavior, thus, the behavior of the confined compression members subjected to uniaxial stress is investigated by finite element (FE) models created using Abaqus CAE 2017 software. The aim of this research is to study experimentally and numerically, the beha
... Show MoreThe proposal of nonlinear models is one of the most important methods in time series analysis, which has a wide potential for predicting various phenomena, including physical, engineering and economic, by studying the characteristics of random disturbances in order to arrive at accurate predictions.
In this, the autoregressive model with exogenous variable was built using a threshold as the first method, using two proposed approaches that were used to determine the best cutting point of [the predictability forward (forecasting) and the predictability in the time series (prediction), through the threshold point indicator]. B-J seasonal models are used as a second method based on the principle of the two proposed approaches in dete
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Paraffin wax is utilized for the heat storage applications taking advantage from the high stored latent heat during the phase change (from solid to fluid) period. What isn't right with this procedure is that the wax has a little heat transfer rate because of its low thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity improvement of the paraffin wax has been examined utilizing nano-material with high thermal conductivity. In the recent study, (Al2O3) nanoparticles with weights of 1, 2, and 3% of the paraffin wax were added to the paraffin wax. The Iraqi paraffin wax accessible at the local markets was utilized as a phase change material (PCM).
Many properties of the
... Show MoreDesigning machines and equipment for post-harvest operations of agricultural products requires information about their physical properties. The aim of the work was to evaluate the possibility of introducing a new approach to predict the moisture content in bean and corn seeds based on measuring their dimensions using image analysis using artificial neural networks (ANN). Experimental tests were carried out at three levels of wet basis moisture content of seeds: 9, 13 and 17%. The analysis of the results showed a direct relationship between the wet basis moisture content and the main dimensions of the seeds. Based on the statistical analysis of the seed material, it was shown that the characteristics
This work deals with thermal cracking of slack wax produced as a byproduct from solvent dewaxing process of medium lubricating oil fraction in AL-Dura refinery. The thermal cracking process was carried out at a temperature ranges 480-540 ºC and atmospheric pressure. The liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) for thermal cracking was varied between 1.0-2.5 . It was found that the conversion increased (61 - 83) with the increasing of reaction temperature (480 - 540) and decreased (83 - 63) with the increasing of liquid hourly space velocity (1.0 - 2.5).
The maximum gasoline yield obtained by thermal cracking process (48.52 wt. % of feed) was obtained at 500 ºC and liquid hour space velocity 1 . The obtaining liquid product at the best op
The design of reinforced concrete spread foundations mainly depends on soil bearing capacity, loading value, and column size. So for each design case, tiresome calculations and time consumption are needed. In this paper, generalized design charts are presented and plotted according to derivations based on the ACI 318 M-2019 Code. These charts could be used directly by the structural designers to estimate the column size, foundation thickness, and dimensions as well as the foundation reinforcement under a certain given concentric load assuming a uniformly distributed contact pressure underneath the foundation. Of noteworthy, these charts are oriented to deal with square isolated footings with a square concentric column, covering reasonable r
... Show MoreIn real conditions of structures, foundations like retaining walls, industrial machines and platforms in offshore areas are commonly subjected to eccentrically inclined loads. This type of loading significantly affects the overall stability of shallow foundations due to exposing the foundation into two components of loads (horizontal and vertical) and consequently reduces the bearing capacity.
Based on a numerical analysis performed using finite element software (Plaxis 3D Foundation), the behavior of model strip foundation rested on dry sand under the effect of eccentric inclined loads with different embedment ratios (D/B) ranging from (0-1) has been explored. The results display that, the bearing capacity of st
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