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Go to Editorial ManagerThe objective of this paper is find the effect of using iron oxide as a filler on the Marshall stability, flow and the volumetric properties of HMA and compared the results with conventional HMA using limestone dust. Three blends were used: coarse, mid and fine with neat bitumen (AC 40-50). One aggregate type (crushed) with two types of fillers: limestone and iron oxide III (?- ) with three different filler content 6%, 8% and 10%. The Marshall mix design was conducted on the three blends and the optimum binder content is computed for each blend. The Marshall stability test results and the volumetric properties analysis showed that increasing the iron oxide content from 6% to 10% increases the stability about 28%, 17% , 16% for the coarse , mid and fine mixtures respectively. This increment in stability of mixtures using iron oxide related to the increment in specific gravity of the mix (Gmb) by (1.3% to 1.5% about 30 to 50 kg/m3). On the other hand, the flow of mixtures is decreased about (5%) for mixes using iron oxide than the ones that used limestone as filler. The fine blend with 10% iron oxide exhibit the highest stability of 13.3 kN. While the coarse blend stability was 10 kN for the same filler type and content. Generally, the Marshall Test results of HMA using iron oxide as filler showed better resistance to plastic deformation, also produce denser HMA with higher stiffness. On the other hand, the volumetric properties analysis showed lesser values as compared with conventional mixture where the void in mineral aggregates and void filled with asphalt has decreased but within the acceptable limits.
Chemical additives and polymeric materials, selected for their compatibility and ability to improve asphalt's performance in demanding environments. Key additives, including Polyphosphoric Acid (PPA), Polyvinyl Acetate (PVAC) beads, Maleic Anhydride (MA), and Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) resin, were mixed in precise ratios with the asphalt binder. These additives were chosen to evaluate their effects on crucial performance indicators, such as the Penetration Index (PI) and activation energy, which measure the material’s thermal stability, flexibility, and resistance to deformation. Results demonstrated that the addition of these materials significantly increased the asphalt’s activation energy by up to 45.44%, enhancing its resistance to temperature fluctuations and providing better stability under various environmental stresses. The Penetration Index (PI) also improved notably, indicating that modified asphalt exhibits greater durability and reduced susceptibility to cracking or deformation under thermal changes. These enhancements contribute to lower road maintenance requirements and support greater energy efficiency in asphalt production and application processes. Compared to neat asphalt, the modified asphalt exhibited superior thermal stability, mechanical resilience, and overall performance, making it suitable for use in diverse climatic conditions. This study provides valuable insights into sustainable asphalt modification techniques, emphasizing the role of polymer and chemical additives in extending pavement lifespan and reducing environmental impact through improved material properties.
A new robust control algorithm is proposed for a class of nonlinear systems represented by a Single Link Manipulator (SLM) system. This algorithm is based on new techniques and methods in order to obtain a controller for the SLM system. First of all, the system is simplified using Variable Transformation Technique (VTT) in order to fit the analysis procedure. Then, a new idea of designing a model reference for the multiple states (n=4) system is presented to correspond the control design. Next, the Lyapunov Stability Analysis (LSA) is used to figure out a proper controller that can compensate the stability and the performance of the SLM system. After that, the Most Valuable Player Algorithm (MVPA) is applied to find the optimal parameters of the proposed controller to accomplish the optimum performance improvement. Finally, it can be concluded that the proposed control algorithm has improved the stability and the performance of the SLM system. In addition, the simulation results show the remarkable effects of the proposed nonlinear controller on the SLM system.
Utilization of additives can be an effective way to improve the durability and performance of HMA, making them more resistant to Moisture and deformation. Plus, they can reduce the need for maintenance and repairs, saving you time and money in the long run. In this study, CKD was used in place of limestone as a filler in the asphalt mixture in proportions of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, and polymer SBS 4%by weight of asphalt. According to the findings, replacement-content CKD had the highest asphalt content. When the CKD is between 25% and 50%, Stability, Flow, and Indirect Tensile Strength are improved, while the density of the asphalt mixture decreases and the amount of air voids increases at higher ratios. While SBS leads to an increase in the hardness of the adhesives. As a consequence, the stability of the SBS-containing mixes resulted in higher values than the control and additive-containing mixtures (CKD), as well as a decrease in the number of air voids. According to the results, CKD should not constitute more than half of the filler weight in the asphalt mixture.
Rutting is the most common distress that most Iraqi asphalt pavements suffer from it. Asphalt binders are modified by using additives and polymers to enhance their physical qualities and fulfill the performance demands. Polyphosphoric acid (PPA) has been used in many countries to enhance the physical and mechanical characteristics of asphalt binders and mixtures that can improve the performance of asphalt pavements. In this paper, evaluation of the Iraqi asphalt binder and mixtures performance by using three percentages of Polyphosphoric acid (PPA) (0.4, 0.8, and 1.2) percent by asphalt binder weight and added to (60-70) penetration grade asphalt binder to show the applicability and suitability of using PPA in asphalt pavement in Iraq. Original asphalt binder and modified are subjected to traditional tests which are penetration, ductility, softening point, and viscosity. Results show better performance and enhancement of the physical properties of the modified binder. Other tests are Marshall Stability and wheel track tests. The results of the addition of PPA to the asphalt mixture show increases in the Marshall Stability and enhance the performance of the asphalt pavement mixtures. The wheel track test is applied to the original and modified mixture at two test temperatures 40 ?C and 50 ?C and the results show a decrease in the rut depth when the percentages of PPA increase. It is concluded that %PPA addition will enhance the performance of the Iraqi asphalt pavement and the mixture will be more rutting resistant, especially in high-temperature weather.
Open graded asphalt mixture is becoming more widespread where it is applied for various purposes, e.g. drainage of rainwater effectivity, traffic safety (high skid resistance), and controlling pollution noise. However, it has many other disadvantages, of which low stability, high stripping, and moisture sensitivity. The research aims to study the effect of styrene butadiene styrene SBS addition on the volumetric and mechanical properties of open graded mixture. In this research one type of aggregate with gradation (12.5 mm NMAS), asphalt of penetration grade (40/50), and cement as filler were used. Optimum asphalt content was selected based on the criteria of air voids content, asphalt drain down, permeability, and abrasion resistance (for aged and un-aged) samples. Other properties of open-graded mixtures, such as indirect tensile strength (ITS), moisture susceptibility, Marshall stability and flow were evaluated. The results show that addition of polymer (SBS) leads to an enhancement in the properties of the modified mixtures. There is an improvement in Marshall parameters. Also, a slight decreasing is noticed for permeability and air voids. For Cantabro abrasion loss (aging and un-aging condition), the abrasion resistance is increased, the drain down of asphalt is decreased from original mixture by addition of SBS. Finally, the moisture sensitivity is improved indicating that modified mixes becomes more resistant to water damage.
Platinum, copper, and nickel were founded the best metals used in resistance temperature detectors RTDs. They commonly used in laboratory and industrial applications because they provide accurate and reliable measurements in a wide temperature range from (- 200 to 850 °C). They have high conductivity, sensitivity, and hardness to resist strain shock, pressure, and vibration. The accuracy level of them depends on reliability, stability, repeatability, linearity, and response to time. This study aims to determine and compare the accuracy of these three metals in regarding to their features which include stability, repeatability, and response time. The study has gathered and analyzed the data of these suitable and precise metals and compared with each other. The results showed that platinum is widely needed for RTDs due to its precision, stability, higher accuracy, and linearity output, while copper and nickel are not stable or repeatable as platinum. It was indicated that temperature coefficient of resistance TCR for nickel is bigger and for copper is medium, but for platinum is lower.
The Ilizarov system is a form of external fixation device utilized by medical professionals to aid patients who have sustained injuries from accidents, bone shortening, or nonunion of the bone. The device is fixed onto the long bone of the patient and is adjusted according to the nature of the injury. Ilizarov's techniques are minimal invasiveness, not aggressive, spare tissues and involve little blood loss. It consists of wires that are secured to a modular circular frame and then tightened. The Ilizarov fixator is a valuable tool for treating acute fractures, especially in cases where there is bone loss and compromised soft tissue. Several studies have aimed to improve the effectiveness of Ilizarov fixation through modifications to its frame components, such as ring diameter, transosseous element diameter, ring separation, transosseous element count in each ring, and number of rings, as well as the type of transosseous element employed, including wires, full-pins, or half-pins. Furthermore, positioning of transosseous elements at the correct crossing angle without damaging the nerves and vessels while considering the intricacy of bone deformities. Recent advancements in Ilizarov fixation will be thoroughly reviewed in this manuscript, with a particular focus on improving the stiffness of the entire frame. The main objective of this review is to pinpoint the optimal configurations, with a particular focus on stiffness, in order to foster stability and ensure a successful recuperation.
Catalytic isomerization is a process used to increase the octane number of light naphtha fraction and thus aids in extending the life of automobile engines. Researchers are still working to prepare more effective and less expensive isomerization catalysts to replace the costly previous catalysts. Ongoing challenges in this field seek to design highly active isomerization catalysts operated under moderate conditions while keeping high branched-isomer selectivity. Heteropolyacids (HPA) have been presented as the most capable substitutes to fulfill the requirements. They are considered bifunctional catalysts that perform dehydrogenation /isomerization followed by hydrogenation because of their firm acidity and redox properties. Some catalytic-isomerization studies were started utilizing HPA in combination with platinum, which significantly improves the selectivity and stability. Thus, HPA-based bifunctional catalysts can provide enough acid and hydrogenation–dehydrogenation sites sufficiently. However, the most ongoing challenge in this field is the poor thermal stability of HPAs, which limits their use at higher temperatures for vapour-phase reactions. This review aims to highlight the recent progress in catalytic isomerization of alkanes using heteropolyacids supported on different carriers, with and without noble metals.
This paper proposes robust control for three models of the linear inverted pendulum (one mass linear inverted pendulum model, two masses linear inverted pendulum model and three masses linear inverted pendulum model) which represents the upper, middle and lower body of a bipedal walking robot. The bipedal walking robot is built of light-weight and hard Aluminum sheets with 2 mm thickness. The minimum phase system and non-minimum phase system are studied and investigated for inverted pendulum models. The bipedal walking robot is programmed by Arduino microcontroller UNO. A MATLAB Simulink system is built to embrace the theoretical work. The results showed that one linear inverted pendulum is the worst performance, worst noise rejection and the worst set point tracking to the zero moment point. But two masses linear inverted pendulum models and three masses linear inverted pendulum model have a better performance, a better high-frequency noise rejection characteristic and better set-point tracking to the zero moment point.
Hot mix asphalt embedded on "Reclaimed asphalt pavement"(RAP) has the advantages of high technology. Moisture damage is a concern in these mixtures at all service temperatures. Therefore, the performance of this mixture against moisture at all service temperatures was considered a target of this research study. In this way, the effects of humidity on the performance of varieties were investigated using experimental methods including tensile strength ratio (TSR). In the framework of this study, Four different ratios of RAP for each of the surface and bonding layers (10%, 15%, 20%, 25%) and (30,40,50,60)% were added to the hot asphalt mix (HMA) for the two layers respectively to study and find the content Optimal RAP for both layers RAP through Marshall stability and hygroscopic resistance of asphalt mixtures through moisture damage is examined. The ratio (TSR) of the mixtures containing the optimal RAP content is compared with the asphalt mixture without RAP for three fillers and for both layers. The results showed a slight decrease in the tensile strength of the (HMA) that does not contain RAP compared to the asphalt control mixtures containing the reclaimed pavement, where it was found that the percentages were slightly higher and still higher than 80%. The results indicate that in general, Although there are old materials in the hot asphalt mix (HMA) produced from RAP, which include aggregates and bitumen binder surrounding the aggregate particles, the performance of these mixtures and integrations against moisture damage. Because it contains this, it can have results with “hot asphalt mixtures” containing RAP for areas with damage without worry in addition to good natural curbs.
This study evaluates the performance and efficiency of four deep learning models—VGG-16, ResNet-50, Inception-V3, and DenseNet-121—in detecting pneumonia from chest X-rays, addressing the critical need for balanced accuracy and computational efficiency in clinical diagnostics. Methods: A dataset of 5,234 chest X-rays (3,875 pneumonia, 1,341 normal) was augmented via rotation, flipping, and zooming to mitigate class imbalance. Models were trained on an RTX 2060 GPU for 40 epochs, with performance assessed using accuracy, F1 score, sensitivity, specificity, precision, and computational metrics (training time, memory usage). Statistical significance was validated via paired t-tests (p < 0.05). Results: DenseNet-121 achieved the highest accuracy (95.2% ± 0.8), F1 score (95.1% ± 0.7), and throughput (400 images/sec) with minimal memory usage (33MB). ResNet-50 and Inception-V3 showed moderate performance, while VGG-16 exhibited overfitting tendencies. In conclusion, DenseNet-121 showed strong performance compared to other models, both in terms of accuracy and processing speed, which is essential for use in real-time clinical settings. However, the small size of the validation set and limited population diversity are important limitations that should be addressed in future studies. Moreover, more testing on larger datasets is needed to confirm the stability of the model and see how the model will work in different settings. Future work should address ethical considerations in AI-driven diagnostics and validate findings across multi-institutional datasets.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) ventilation remains a mainstay treatment for different respiratory disorders. Good pressure stability and pressure reduction during exhalation are of major importance condition to ensure the clinical efficacy and comfort of CPAP therapy. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and today coronavirus (COVID-19) are the main two diseases mitigated by the CPAP. This paper introduced a systematic review of the CPAP design in terms of the hardware design, Simulation-based CPAP system, control algorithm, and the measured performance. The accuracy is used as measurement of performance and calculated from the pressure value. The accuracy was compared to the predefined U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-based threshold value in which it considers this value as a reference. The results related to the modern CPAP devices introduced in this study to explain the accuracy of experimental CPAP. These were compared with a commercial CPAP devices. Also, it was revealed how the results coincide with the error ratio defined by the FDA as an evaluation measurement. The FDA error ratio determines the performance of the optimized CPAP device. This work is the first review that presented the knowledge about engineering design of the CPAP system, so it will be the first in the literature.
One of the health issues that many people encounter on a daily basis is bone fracture, which can happen for a number of reasons, such as arthritis, sprains, or external trauma . The patient experiences instability as a result of these issues . Internal fixation is a type of surgery used to support and mend a damaged bone Treatment options include ankle joint fixation, a surgical procedure employing pins, plates, rods, or screws. This study uses gait analysis methods to assess lower limb biomechanics . Gait analysis is vital for understanding walking patterns and intervention effectiveness. The impact of different shoe designs on ankle mechanics, using the finite element method and ANSYS, is investigated The results of the EMG and the GRF were discussed._x000D_ This research deepens our understanding of lower limb biomechanics and ankle joint health. By evaluating stress effects and designing custom shoes, it enhances ankle injury treatment and management strategies._x000D_ The patient, a 70-year-old woman with an internal fixation on her ankle joint, underwent a CT scan of her ankle. The patient underwent a number of experiments to evaluate her stability. EMG was used to determine the muscle stress for a brief period of time, and ground reaction force was then used to determine the pressure of walking. Both EMG and GRF have two walking speeds of1.5and 2 km/h while wearing four different types of shoes. The behavior of the EMG demonstrates that the stress on the muscle increases as walking speed increases, and the results varies depending on the shoe. The patient is afraid to apply pressure to the injured foot, so the health foot has better pressure over the entire foot_x000D_
Power outages are a common and persistent problem in Iraq, significantly impacting various aspects of life and business. These interruptions disrupt routine household tasks and hinder more complex technical operations in industries and services. Emphasizing the need for careful management and proactive solutions. This paper introduces a real-world time series dataset for Baghdad city, including historical outages, weather conditions (such as temperature), and power overloads, and analyzes the correlation among these parameters in different seasons. The research uses this dataset to train one-dimensional Convolutional Neural Networks (1D CNN) to find patterns and relationships that can accurately predict when power outages can happen in the long term and short term to improve the management of the Baghdad electricity grid through data-driven networks. This model was evaluated using performance metrics, and the results show that CNN is accurate in predicting outages in the short term with a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of (0.0077), whereas, in the long term, it has achieved an MAE of (0.0775). These predictive models have the potential to facilitate the development of proactive measures aimed at reducing the impact of power outages by anticipating potential outages in advance. This research focuses on enhancing the reliability and efficiency of Baghdad's electricity supply, ultimately contributing to economic growth and stability.
The main purpose of this paper is to design a robust second order sliding mode controller that can deal with uncertain nonlinear systems. This controller can keep the main advantages of the first order sliding mode controller, such as the ability to make the system asymptotically stable by forcing the error and its derivatives to have a zero value, the simplicity in the operation, and the robustness in the existence of perturbations. In spite of the features that characterize the first order sliding mode controller (1 SMC), it still suffers from the unwanted phenomenon “chattering”, which originates from a discontinuous control part (sign function). In this context, saturation function can be used instead of sign function to reduce this problematic chattering. Different from the saturation function method, the second order sliding mode controller can be used to overcome the chattering; suffered by the first order sliding mode controller and to retain the stability and performance of the system. In this paper, the twisting and the super twisting second-order algorithms of the sliding mode controller were used, and their results were compared with the first order sliding mode controller. So, this subject focused on the chattering problem who suffers from it the 1 SMC and try to reduce it by using the 2 SMC, the uncertain pendulum system was adopted in this work for the purpose of checking the three controllers. The simulations results showed that the second order sliding mode controller has the ability to reduce both the chattering magnitude and the steady state error and achieve an asymptotically stable system. The results were obtained by using MATLAB programming.
Throughout the flight, aircraft wings continuously struggle against various forces: the forward thrust from the engine, the drag pulling them backward, and sudden turbulence from storms. In contrast, these forces are essential for maintaining aircraft stability. With time, the cyclic stresses can result in the formation and propagation of minuscule cracks in the wings. Cracks growing on the aircraft wing surface manufactured from alloy AL7075-T6, have been investigated when subjected to non-preoperational multi-axial cyclic loading. The results have been evaluated using two methods, numerical simulations and theoretical calculation to evaluate dynamic crack propagation crack growth per cycle (da/dN) at angles of attack 5° and 10°. The results showed that the dynamic crack propagation increases with an increase in the crack length. It was found that the values of the dynamic crack propagation rate at the angle of attack 5⁰ are smaller than the values at the angle of attack 10⁰.
Super-hydrophobic is the tendency of a surface to spit out water droplets. Only a surface with high apparent contact angle (>1500), low contact angle hysteresis (<100), low sliding angle (<50), and strong Cassie model state stability is considered a super-hydrophobic surface. In an attempt to create highly hydrophobic synthetic surfaces suitable for a range of uses, attempts have been made to mimic the super-hydrophobicity found in natural materials (such as lotus leaves). Due to its wide range of applications including waterproof, anti-fog, anti-ice and anti-corrosion surface, the laser processing process achieved the use of process parameters which had a significant impact on the roughness factor. High roughness factor F. At constant values of p = 3 mW and ω = 10 μm, at scanning speeds of 6000 mm/s.
The aim of this work is to optimize EPD variables (voltage, time, and focus) using alternating current through the Taguchi Design of Experiment (DOE). Coating Nano hydroxyapatite (Nano-HA) on a Ti6Al4V substrate depends on thickness and roughness, then characterization of a coating layer to determine the optimum state. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) powder was deposited on a Ti-6Al-4V alloy substrate by electro-deposition with ethanol as a solvent under AC current, to improve the alloy surface quality based on coating thickness and maximum coating mass meeting the requirements of a biological orthopedics application. Ethanol was used as a solvent to precipitate ketazone and HAp on the base alloy. Taguchi's approach was used in order to determine the optimal conditions for EPD and subsequently to apply various criteria for depositing the biochemical coating. The surface and cross-section composition of the paint is described by characterization. Numerous tests and inspections; Zeta, XRD and SEM stability test, water contact angle and optical microscopes were used to describe the surface morphology of the HAp layer. The value of the optimum conditions for deposition of the HAp layer which is a simultaneous thickness and maximum coating mass, was predicted at a sedimentation voltage of 40 V, 2 min sedimentation time and 1 g / L for the concentration of the suspended solution at room temperature. The validity of the model resulting from the response surface methodology was assessed by comparing the expected results with the experimental results. In addition, close agreement was observed between the experimental results and the expected results. For the solution at room temperature, the results obtained with the highest value of the coating thickness of 41at the surface roughness of 0.94 and the contact angle of the alloy before coating is 67.489º reduced to. 38.132º after plating, which indicates an increase in the harmony of the metal implant and biocompatibility.
This study aims to review flow-induced vibration one of the repercussions of vibrations is caused by fluid movement. In general, the investigation of the structure of the systems affects the efficiency of the components that construct those systems. This review examined the influence of generated vibrations and internal pressure on fluid transport pipes using theoretical calculations, practical tests, and numerical analysis to identify and test the dynamic behavior of static fluid transport pipes. The experimental study considered the natural frequencies caused by the fluid pressure effect under various stability situations. The flow of all liquids, such as oil, water, gas, air, and vapors, through the pipes, was tested, and the mathematical models were correctly adjusted. All empirical, theoretical, numerical, and analytical research agrees that several approaches exist to develop, modify, and improve these metrics. However, one factor affecting rheological measurements is vibration, which was addressed as needed in the middle of the 20th century due to major discoveries that damage could be rooted in vibration. Established on the determinations, they provided mathematical models paired with pressure and velocity measurements of moving fluids and the influence of produced or uninduced vibration. This study demonstrates that additional empirical investigations, particularly more detailed analytical methodologies, are urgently required to produce better findings.
The indemnification of uncertainty and disturbance which is added to non-linear systems by an Integral Sliding Mode Controller (ISMC) design. the key target of this paper is designing a sturdy controller to observe the performance of a 2-link robot. The nonlinearity in mechanical systems is a shared issue that the researchers are facing in formulating control systems for it. The best solution to this problem is a design Sliding Mode Controller (SMC) for controlling a nonlinear system. In the current paper, 2-link robot is studied which suffering from disturbances and parameter uncertainty and coulomb friction as additional to friction inertia of the system for each link. firstly, Classical Sliding Mode Controller (CSMC) is designed and then Integral Sliding Mode Controller (ISMC). As known, CSMC includes two phases: reaching phase and sliding phase. SMC is suffering from the known phenomenon as "chattering" which is supposed as a critical case and unsuitable characteristic. chattering is described as a curvy movement span the switching surface. In the current study, the chattering is attenuated by employing a saturation function alternative of a sign function. Although SMC can be considered as a good way of controlling nonlinear systems. Where it continues to suffer from the long settling time as undesired features. ISMC is a good method can be employed for reducing the settling time and controlling a nonlinear system. ISMC is easy, robust execution and supposes as an active and strong technique. The most significant advantage in ISMC designing, the reaching phase is canceled that considered a major part of designing classical SMC. The 2 link Robot system was used for proving the performance of CSMC and ISMC algorithms. The outcomes received from the simulations utilizing the ISMC and CSMC which fulfilled asymptotic stability for the system. In comparative between CSMC and ISMC. ISMC is better than CSMC in the good performance of tracking the desired position with less time. Finally, MATLAB2019a software package has relied upon this work.