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.
Many of researchers have written about social responsibility and business strategy and competitive advantage, and they have given particular attention to the relationship between economic and social responsibility , but what is missing in this aspect is how the economic units that use their core competencies to advance social responsibility initiatives so that they can achieve a significant competitive advantage and create value for it ?
The current research aims to verify the view that "the economic and social objectives in the long term is not contradictory in nature but complementary objectives essential", as well as make sure that the s
... Show MoreChilled ceilings systems offer potential for overall capital savings. The main aim of the present research is to investigate the thermal performance of the indirect contact closed circuit cooling tower, ICCCCT used with chilled ceiling, to gain a deeper knowledge in this important field of engineering which has been traditionally used in various industrial & HVAC systems. To achieve this study, experimental work were implemented for the ICCCCT use with chilled ceiling. In this study the thermal performances of closed wet cooling tower use with chilled ceiling is experimentally and theoretically investigated. Different experimental tests were conducted by varying the controlling parameters to investigate their effects
... Show MoreDetecting protein complexes in protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks is a challenging problem in computational biology. To uncover a PPI network into a complex structure, different meta-heuristic algorithms have been proposed in the literature. Unfortunately, many of such methods, including evolutionary algorithms (EAs), are based solely on the topological information of the network rather than on biological information. Despite the effectiveness of EAs over heuristic methods, more inherent biological properties of proteins are rarely investigated and exploited in these approaches. In this paper, we proposed an EA with a new mutation operator for complex detection problems. The proposed mutation operator is formulate
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This research aims to know the effect of job burnout in the worker’s performance. The researcher presented a theoretical basis for job burnout and the worker's performance. In order to achieve the objectives of the research, a hypothesis was drawn up that determines the nature of the relationship between the independent variable of job burnout and its dimensions (reduced personal accomplishment, depersonalization, Emotional Exhaustion) and variable dependent performance of workers dimensions (productivity, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, creativity), And to represent the volume of this community according to (de Morgan, D. Morgan) glo
... Show MoreIn this paper an atmometer apparatus were used in the greenhouses for estimating reference evapotranspiration values. Experimental work was conducted in the agriculture research center in the College of Agriculture-University of Baghdad west of the city of Baghdad. One atmometer was used in eggplant greenhouse and in cucumber greenhouse through the winter growing season 2013-2014. FAO Penman-Monteith equation was applied outside the greenhouse and used only 65% from the value of ETo in the greenhouses for estimating the reference evapotranspiration in the greenhouse. Moreover, Penman-Monteith equation was applied in greenhouses for the evaluating the performance of the atmometer. The results show that the erro
... Show MoreIn this research, the performance of asphalt mixtures modified with polyethylene polymer (PE) by adding 2%, 4%, and 6% percentages was evaluated. Two kinds of PE are employed: Low-Density PE (LDPE) and High-Density PE (HDPE). The semi-wet mixing technique (SWM) was conducted to avoid stability issue for PE-modified binder during storage condition. Many experimental tests were conducted to evaluate the ability of these mixtures to withstand the effects of loads and moisture. The hardness index of these mixtures was also measured to determine their resistance to the effects of high temperatures without causing permanent deformations. The results showed that adding PE led to a remarkable enhancement in the performance of PE-modified mixtures.
... Show MoreWith the recent growth of global populations, main roads in cities have witnessed an evident increase in the number of vehicles. This has led to unprecedented challenges for authorities in managing the traffic of ambulance vehicles to provide medical services in emergency cases. Despite the high technologies associated with medical tracks and advanced traffic management systems, there is still a current delay in ambulances’ attendance in times of emergency to provide patients with vital aid. Therefore, it is indispensable to introduce a new emergency service system that enables the ambulance to reach the patient in the least congested and shortest paths. However, designing an effici
Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) is a technology characterized mainly by the use of rollers for compaction; this technology achieves significant time and cost savings in the construction of dams and roads. The primary scope of this research is to study the durability and performance of roller compacted concrete that was constructed in the laboratory using roller compactor manufactured in local market. A total of (60) slab specimen of (38×38×10) cm was constructed using the roller device, cured for 28 days, then 180 sawed cubes and 180 beams are obtained from RCC slab. Then, the specimens are subjected to 60 cycles of freezing and thawing, sulfate attack test and wetting and drying. The degree of effect of the type of coarse aggregate (c
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