Moisture-induced damage is one of the primary causes of premature distress in asphalt pavements, leading to reduced service life and increased maintenance costs. Although nanomaterials have shown potential in enhancing asphalt performance, the underlying composite interaction mechanisms among nanomaterials, asphalt binder, and aggregate phases under moisture exposure are still not fully understood. In addition, comparative evaluations under consistent experimental conditions remain limited. This study investigates the influence of five nanomaterials: nano-silica (NS), nano-alumina (NA), nano-titanium dioxide (NT), nano-zinc oxide (NZ), and carbon nanotubes (CNT) on the physical and mechanical properties of asphalt binders and mixtures, with particular emphasis on moisture damage resistance. The nanomaterials were incorporated at dosages of 1.5%, 3.0%, 4.5%, and 6.0% by binder weight. Binder performance was evaluated using conventional and performance grading (PG) tests, while mixture performance was assessed through Marshall properties and moisture susceptibility indicators, including the tensile strength ratio (TSR) and the index of retained strength (IRS). Fluorescence microscopy (FM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were employed to investigate nanomaterial dispersion characteristics, microstructural morphology, and physicochemical interactions within the asphalt composite system. The results indicate that nanomaterial modification reduced penetration and increased softening point and Marshall stability, reflecting enhanced stiffness and thermal resistance, although ductility decreased at higher dosages. Significant improvements in moisture resistance were observed, particularly under conditioned states. The TSR increased from 81.2% for the control mixture to 92.4% for NS and 91.7% for NA, while the IRS improved from 72.7% to 88.5% for NS. Statistical analysis indicated that both nanomaterial type and dosage significantly affected TSR and IRS performance, with dosage exhibiting comparatively greater influence on moisture resistance improvement. FM and SEM analyses revealed comparatively better dispersion and lower agglomeration tendency for NS and NA, which corresponded to their superior moisture resistance performance. FTIR analysis indicated that the modification process was predominantly physical, with no major formation of new chemical functional groups. Among the investigated nano materials, NS at 6% dosage exhibited the most pronounced improvement, followed by NA at similar dosage levels. Overall, the findings suggest that nanomaterial modification can considerably improve the moisture resistance and mechanical performance of asphalt mixtures under laboratory conditions. However, higher nanomaterial dosages may adversely affect binder workability due to increased viscosity, particularly in CNT-modified binders.
Baghdad city has been faced numerous issues related to freshwater environment deteriorations due to many reasons, mainly was the discharge of wastewater without adequate treatment. Al-Rustamiya Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) have been constructed among many plants in Baghdad city to reduce the amount of wastewater discharged into natural environment and its subsequent adverse effects. This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the plant which consist of a conventional activated sludge (CAS) and sequencing batch reactors (SBR) systems as secondary treatment units and its ability to meet Iraqi specifications. A reliability level determination and analysis also were conducted to find the plant's stability an
... 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
Abstract
This research aims to the relationship and the effect of concurrent engineering dimensions analyze (product design, process design, and supply chain design) on the dimensions of strategic performance (efficiency, and effectiveness) The research was conducted in public Zora Electrical Industries Company, on a sample of departments and officials, engineers, managers and people in the company amounted to (45) . A questionnaire was used for the purpose of data collection which has been adopted, with the use of statistical methods via computerized system (spss) for processing data , identifying them and testing the research hypotheses. The research
... Show MoreA novel demountable shear connector is proposed to link a concrete slab to steel sections in a way that resulting steel-concrete composite floor is demountable, i.e. it can be easily dismantled at the end of its service life. The proposed connectors consist of two parts: the first part is a hollow steel tube with internal threads at its lower end. The second part is a compatible partially threaded bolted stud. After linking the stud to the steel section, the hollow steel tube can be fastened over the threaded stud, which create a complete demountable shear connector. The connector is suitable for use in both composite bridges and buildings, and using cast in-situ slabs, precast solid slabs, or hollow-core precast slabs. A series of push-off
... Show MoreMobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) is a wireless technology that plays an important role in several modern applications which include military, civil, health and real-time applications. Providing Quality of Service (QoS) for this application with network characterized by node mobility, infrastructure-less, limitation resource is a critical issue and takes greater attention. However, transport protocols effected influential on the performance of MANET application. This study provides an analysis and evaluation of the performance for TFRC, UDP and TCP transport protocols in MANET environment. In order to achieve high accuracy results, the three transport protocols are implemented and simulated with four different network topology which are 5, 10
... Show MoreArtificial roughness applied to a Solar Air Heater (SAH) absorber plate is a popular technique for increasing its total thermal efficiency (ηt−th). In this paper, the influence of geometrical parameters of V-down ribs attached below the corrugated absorbing plate of a SAH on the ηt−th was examined. The impacts of key roughness parameters, including relative pitch p/e (6–12), relative height e/D (0.019–0.043), angles of attack α (30–75°), and Re (1000–20,000), were examined under real weather conditions. The SAH ηt−th roughened by V-down ribs was predicted using an in-house developed conjugate heat-transfer numerical model. The maximum SAH ηt−th was shown to be 78.8% as predicted under the steady-state condition
... Show MoreImproving the ability of asphalt pavement to survive the heavily repeated axle loads and weathering challenges in Iraq has been the subject of research for many years. The critical need for such data in the design and construction of more durable flexible pavement in bridge deck material is paramount. One of new possible steps is the epoxy asphalt concrete, which is classified as a superior asphalt concrete in roads and greatly imparts the level of design and construction. This paper describes a study on 40-50 penetration graded asphalt cement mixed with epoxy to produce asphalt concrete mixtures. The tests carried out are the Marshall properties, permanent deformation, flexural fatigue cracking and moisture damage. Epoxy asphalt mixes perf
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