This study investigates the influence of five nanomaterials nano-alumina (NA), nano-silica (NS), nano-titanium (NT), nano-zinc oxide (NZ), and carbon nanotubes (CNT)on enhancing the fatigue resistance of asphalt binders. NA, NS, and NT were incorporated at dosages of 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10%, while NZ and CNT were added at 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5%. A series of physical, rheological, and performance-based tests were conducted, including penetration, softening point, ductility, and rotational viscosity. Based on the outcomes of the overall desirability evaluation, the first three dosages of each nanomaterial were selected for further testing due to their superior workability and binder flexibility. Subsequent investigations included the high-temperature performance grade, fatigue parameter (G*.sin δ), Linear Amplitude Sweep (LAS), and IDEAL-CT test integrated with Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The results confirmed that nanomaterial modification significantly enhanced asphalt binder performance, though the effectiveness varied with type and dosage. Physical tests demonstrated improved stiffness, softening point, and reduced temperature susceptibility, with slight ductility losses at higher dosages. Rotational viscosity analysis indicated that low-to-moderate contents ensured workability excluding high CNT dosages which exceeded Superpave limits. High-temperature PG improved notably with NS, NZ, and CNT, while NA and NT showed limited gains. Fatigue parameter results (G*.sin δ) identified NA and NT as the most consistent in reducing cracking susceptibility. LAS testing confirmed superior fatigue lives at optimal dosages of 6% NA, 6% NT, 2% NS, 2% CNT, and 1% NZ, while higher concentrations often caused agglomeration and performance decline. IDEAL-CT and DIC analyses validated these findings by demonstrating increased fracture energy, CT index, and more uniform strain distributions in nano-modified mixtures compared to neat asphalt. FTIR spectra confirmed reduced oxidative aging most prominently with NT and NA while SEM revealed enhanced microstructural cohesion and reduced surface defects. The integration of the Overall Desirability (OD) framework confirmed NT-6 as the most effective dosage, followed by NZ-1 and NS-2, while higher dosages often led to poor compatibility and performance decline. Complementary cost–effectiveness analysis further demonstrated that lower dosages of NZ, NT, and NS achieved the best balance between technical performance and economic viability, whereas excessive CNT and NT contents were not recommended due to unfavorable cost-to-performance ratios. These findings highlight that dosage optimization is critical for translating nanomaterial benefits into practical pavement engineering applications, ensuring enhanced durability with rational investment of resources.
The research aims to identify the effect of applying administrative decentralization to an educational performance by assessing educational performance before and after the process of transferring powers from the federal government (the Iraqi Ministry of Education) to local governments (governorates) as well as identifying the appropriate central or decentralized administrative system to advance the educational reality and performance. To achieve the goal of the research, educational data was collected and analyzed, as well as the measurement of educational performance indicators and analysis during two phases, the first represents the stage of applying the central system and spanned between the academic year (2011-2012) and the
... Show MoreBackground: The mechanical and physical properties of Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) don’tfulfill the entire ideal requirements of denture base materials. The purpose of this study was to produce new modified polymer nanocomposite (PMMA /ZrO2-TiO2) andassess itsimpact strength, transverse strength and thermal conductivity in comparison to the conventionalheat polymerized acrylic resin. Materials and Methods: Both ZrO2 and TiO2nano fillers were silanized with TMSPM (trimethoxysilyl propyl methacrylate) silane coupling agent before beingdispersed by ultrasonication with the methylmethacrylate (monomer) and mixed with the polymer by means of 2% by weight in (1:1) ratio, 60 specimens were constructed by conventional water bath processing
... Show MoreThis in vitro study evaluated the influence of chemomechanical caries removal solution on the surface topography of metal-ceramic feldspar porcelain (MAJOR ceramic) and All-ceramic feldspar porcelain (Vita Alpha) using light polarizing microscope. Forty specimens of MAJOR ceramic and forty specimens of Vita Alpha ceramic of (12mm diameter & 3mm height) were prepared .All specimens were polished with silicon polishing burs, cleaned, autoglazed and stored in 37°C before exposure to Carisolv. Thirty specimens of each material randomly exposed to Carisolv gel for 5, 10 and 20 minutes respectively, other ten specimens were not, to act as control group. All specimens were subjected to surface roughness test by profilometer and evalua
... Show MoreAccelerates operating managements in the facilities contemporary business environment toward redefining processes and strategies that you need to perform tasks of guaranteeing them continue in an environment performance dominated by economic globalization and the circumstances of uncertainty attempt the creation of a new structure through multiple pages seek to improve profitability and sustainable growth in performance in a climatefocuses on the development of institutional processes, reduce costs and achieve customer satisfaction to meet their demands and expectations are constantly changing. The research was presented structural matrix performance combines methodology Alsigma in order to improve customer satisfaction significantly bet
... Show MoreObjective: The goal of this research is to load Doxorubicin (DOX) on silver nanoparticles coupled with folic acid and test their anticancer properties against breast cancer. Methods: Chitosan-Capped silver nanoparticles (CS-AgNPs) were manufactured and loaded with folic acid as well as an anticancer drug, Doxorubicin, to form CS-AgNPs-DOX-FA conjugate. AFM, FTIR, and SEM techniques were used to characterize the samples. The produced multifunctional nano-formulation served as an intrinsic drug delivery system, allowing for effective loading and targeting of chemotherapeutics on the Breast cancer (AMJ 13) cell line. Flowcytometry was used to assess therapy efficacy by measuring apoptotic induction. Results: DOX and CS-Ag
... Show MoreIn this research the results of applying Artificial Neural Networks with modified activation function to
perform the online and offline identification of four Degrees of Freedom (4-DOF) Selective Compliance
Assembly Robot Arm (SCARA) manipulator robot will be described. The proposed model of
identification strategy consists of a feed-forward neural network with a modified activation function that
operates in parallel with the SCARA robot model. Feed-Forward Neural Networks (FFNN) which have
been trained online and offline have been used, without requiring any previous knowledge about the
system to be identified. The activation function that is used in the hidden layer in FFNN is a modified
version of the wavelet func
In this research the results of applying Artificial Neural Networks with modified activation function to perform the online and offline identification of four Degrees of Freedom (4-DOF) Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm (SCARA) manipulator robot will be described. The proposed model of identification strategy consists of a feed-forward neural network with a modified activation function that operates in parallel with the SCARA robot model. Feed-Forward Neural Networks (FFNN) which have been trained online and offline have been used, without requiring any previous knowledge about the system to be identified. The activation function that is used in the hidden layer in FFNN is a modified version of the wavelet function. This approach ha
... Show MoreTi6Al4V alloy is widely used in aerospace and medical applications. It is classified as a difficult to machine material due to its low thermal conductivity and high chemical reactivity. In this study, hybrid intelligent models have been developed to predict surface roughness when end milling Ti6Al4V alloy with a Physical Vapor Deposition PVD coated tool under dry cutting conditions. Back propagation neural network (BPNN) has been hybridized with two heuristic optimization techniques, namely: gravitational search algorithm (GSA) and genetic algorithm (GA). Taguchi method was used with an L27 orthogonal array to generate 27 experiment runs. Design expert software was used to do analysis of variances (ANOVA). The experimental data were
... Show MoreThe behavior of externally prestressed composite beams under short term loading has been studied. A computer program developed originally by Oukaili to evaluate curvature is modified to evaluate the deflection of prestressed composite beam under flexural load. The analysis model based on the deformation compatibility of entire structure that allows to determine the full history of strain and stress distribution along cross section depth, deflection and stress increment in the external tendons .
The evaluation of curvatures for the composite beam involves iterations for computing the strains vectors at each node at any loading stage. The stress increment determined using equations depended on the member deflection at points of connecti
Jumping ability is a fundamental variable in many sports, as its execution requires an integration of muscular strength Q1 and certain biomechanical variables. This is particularly evident in gymnastics jumping events and jump shots in ball games, both of which rely on a high level of vertical resistance. Vertical resistance serves as an indicator of an athlete’s ability to overcome their body weight while counteracting gravitational force to achieve optimal performance. As such, it is considered one of the key factors in movements that demand explosive power and speed. The researchers believe that despite the significant relationship between vertical resistance, speed-strength of the arms and legs, and certain biomechanical varia
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