This study was set out to investigate factors affecting labor productivity on construction in the north of Iraq (Kurdistan) and to rank all the factors based on engineers, contractors, and designer’s opinions. 76 factors were analyzed based on previous literature and a pilot study. Next, by using online Google Form, a questionnaire form was created and sent to people who have experience in the construction industry. Afterward, the questionnaire form was sent to targeted people by email and social media apps. Factors were divided into nine groups “Management, Technical and Technology, Human and Workforce, Leadership, Motivation, Safety, Time, Material and Equipment, and External”. However, 202 respondents participated in this study,

Seepage under earthen dams is considered a major factor in their stability. Statistics showed that 40% of dam failures are caused by foundation seepage. In this study, the finite element method was used to calculate the amount of seepage under (Haditha Dam, located on the Euphrates River. A simulation model was created for each decade, and the seepage amount was calculated for three decades. The results showed a match in the values and that the amount of seepage between the first and second decades increased by (0.000022 m³/s) or (7.62%). Seepage increased between the second and third decades by (0.000056 m³/s) or (17.89%). This increase is considered small for thr

There is a continuous demand in geotechnical engineering to find more economical footing. Screw piles provide acceptable or even much more bearing against tensile, compression, lateral, and overturning moment loads with less impact on the environment and surrounding buildings. Screw piles may be utilized either as shallow footing or deep footing, and can be installed in various types of soils except the soils that contain gravel or stiff clay. A screw pile is generally made of high-quality steel shaft with a single helix plate or multiple helixes plates attached to the lower end of the shaft at specified spacing utilized by the designer. The current study highlighted the various theoretical and field methods that were ut

Innovative structural supports, known as skirted foundations, are primarily employed in offshore engineering. Skirted foundations extend below the footing like conventional shallow foundations and carry loads to deeper soil layers. A "skirt" is a wall that surrounds the foundation from one side or more, is connected to the foundation, and functions as a single unit. These skirts are essential for improving overall stability and transferring loads to more stable subsurface layers, which improves the foundation's performance.  Significant features of skirted foundations make them promising for economics and appropriate for use in constructions with large loads and poor soil conditions. It has been demonstrated that skirted foundations are

Reducing friction between orthodontic components, such as archwires and brackets, is crucial in contemporary orthodontic treatments. Coating these components is a significant method to achieve this goal. This research is aimed To investigate the tribological performance of nanocoated 316L stainless steel (SS)—one of the most widely used alloys in orthodontic archwire manufacturing—coated with vanadium (V), tantalum (Ta), and niobium (Nb) via plasma sputtering at varying time intervals (1, 2, and 3 hours) under wet conditions simulating an oral in-service environment, which is unexplored previously in the existing literature. Using a computerized tribo-system applying 1 N for 20 minutes on coated SS substrates, the co

There are numerous real-world applications for delay differential equations, including engineering model systems with time delays, such as control systems and communication networks, time-limited meals, blood pressure, hemopoiesis, and others, especially when the oscillation in these equations is exploited. To fulfill the goal of this study, certain of the coefficients in the first-order logistic equation must be piecewise continuous. This can only be accomplished by using the delay differential equations with the piecewise constant argument to investigate the oscillation or nonoscillation property of all first-order logistic equation solutions. The solution's piecewise constant is the largest integer fu

Metal foam has recently been used in many engineering applications, such as solar collectors, heat exchangers, and cooling of electronic devices, which calls for studying different cases of using metal foam in these applications. The current study conducts a numerical analysis of heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics for air in a rectangular channel filled with high-porosity copper foam. The study examined the thermal performance for two cases of gradient pore density, which are arranged as (10-20-40) PPI and (40-20-10) PPI. These cases were compared with two other cases for constant pore density, 10 and 40 PPI, and empty cases. The ANSYS FLUENT 20.0 employed the Darcy-Forchheimer extended Brickman model in the tw

Physical Layer Key Generation (PLKG) provides a promising approach for establishing secure cryptographic keys between legitimate parties. However, in static and quasi-static environments, the key generation rate is significantly limited due to the low entropy of the wireless channel. To overcome this, Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) have been proposed to enhance the channel entropy by altering the phase of incident electromagnetic waves. This paper addresses this challenge by proposing a security architecture that integrates a Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) base station with a Beyond-Diagonal Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (BD-RIS) in multi-user scenarios, in the presence of an eavesdropper. Unlike convent

Reservoir quality assessment is important for detecting hydrocarbon-bearing zones and guiding future enhancement strategies. This study presents a detailed petrophysical evaluation of the Mishrif Formation in the Buzurgan Oilfield, which was selected due to its strategic value through its significant remaining reserves which making it an ideal candidate for advanced evaluation techniques. This study aims for shale content, porosity, permeability, water saturation, net to gross, and lithology determination. Well log and core data were used together to establish accurate property estimations. Permeability prediction through conventional methods, like core permeability-porosity correlations, was highly dispersive due to the

It is well known that drilling challenges, in addition to fluctuating oil prices and increasing competition for production, can contribute to unscheduled field expenditures exceeding one billion U.S. dollars annually. This study emphasizes the importance of integrating geomechanical principles into petroleum engineering, which includes reservoir, drilling, and production operations. A case study was conducted on one well in Rumaila oilfield, located in southern Iraq, to determine the geomechanical properties of carbonate, sandstone, and shale formations. Stress regimes, elastic, and rock strength properties were analyzed. The results showed the stress regime is a strike-slip regime from the Sadi to Zubair formations. The

Thermal comfort in university outdoor spaces is a fundamental requirement for creating a sustainable environment that supports student activities and events, and it is linked to the physical characteristics of the campus. The research problem emerged from a knowledge gap regarding the impact of urban formation on achieving thermal comfort in these spaces. The research assumes that specific urban formation indicators effectively influence users' perceptions of thermal comfort. It aims to analyze the impact of these indicators on improving thermal comfort within the university environment, with a focus on identifying the most effective in achieving thermal balance. A comparative analytical methodology was adopted that incl

This study evaluates the hydraulic performance of Baghdad's water supply network by analysing pressure heads and velocities. In this work, Water-CAD hydraulic models integrated with QGIS were utilized.  The districts 821 and 835 were selected in partnership with Al-Rashid Municipality Water Department, two districts fed from a single source, with the construction period of the two networks differing. They were calibrated in Darwin calibration using field-measured pressure at five and three locations, respectively, achieving coefficient of determination (R²) = 0.99. In District 821, pressure analysis during peak demand revealed that most junctions operated under 7 m H₂O, with 14% exhibiting negative pressure and 84% b

The discarded construction waste materials can be re-used as a new source of aggregate. These wastes, such as clay bricks, can be managed by recycling them into new construction materials after being collected, dried, crushed, and ground for use in concrete production. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of using recycled brick waste as sand to produce sustainable reactive-powder-concrete (R-P-C), and to assess the influence of various curing techniques on its mechanical strength. In this study, two sustainable R-P-C mixtures (BM15 and BM30) were prepared, containing 15% and 30% brick waste as sand (BS), as a volume replacement for Sika sand in the reference mixture (RM). The mixtures were cured under three cu

Given the pivotal role that roads play in a nation's development, their construction often entails significant risks and challenges. Therefore, road construction projects must be successfully implemented. Numerous studies have been conducted to discover the key factors affecting road construction projects and their improvement. The aim of this study was to examine and pre-determine the factors affecting the success of road construction. Data was collected from experts in the field of road management to identify the factors influencing road construction projects in Iraq. Data was also used from interviews with road construction project managers. After analyzing this data, the study concluded that there are several externa

ظهر مفهوم التآزر الحضري كرد فعل لما تواجه مراكز المدن الحضرية في ظل التطور الحضري السريع والتحديات المعاصرة والتغيرات المستمرة للمدن من أهمها، إفتقاد مراكزها الحضرية لمعالمها المحددة التي كانت تضفي عليها المعنى الخاص بها كعنصر عمراني حيوي وعلاقة المفهوم بصناعة المكان.  وبذلك تحددت مشكلة البحث بنقص المعرفة حول التنوع الوظيفي للتآزر الحضري وعلاقته بصناعة المكان الابداعي في المراكز الحضرية وفق رؤية معاصرة

This study presents a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)-based scheme for optimal targeted load shedding and contingency severity assessment in the electric power grid (EPG). The IEEE 14 EPG was used as a testbed. The study identified critical branches and quantitatively evaluated the operational performance of an EPG under base case, outage without and with targeted load shedding schemes, utilizing convergence characteristics, voltage magnitudes and angles, and branch load flows as diagnostic metrics. The base case demonstrated excellent numerical stability, with convergence achieved in fewer than 5 iterations, and all bus voltages maintained within the IEEE standard range. A critical outage scenario caused severe diffic

In this work, a vertical pulsating heat pipe heat exchanger (PHPHE)  was designed for waste heat recovery, exchanging thermal energy between two air streams in a counterflow configuration. The heat exchanger consists of six rows, each row consists of one pulsating heat pipe (PHP), and each PHP has six turns. The working fluid used in the heat pipe was acetone with fill ratios of 50%, 60%, and 70%. The effect of evaporator inlet temperature at 40, 45, and 50°C and air velocity at 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 m/s on the pulsating heat pipes consisting of three sections- evaporator, condenser, and adiabatic, whose dimensions were 25 x 25 x 10 cm, was studied. At the same time, the condenser temperature was maintained at 26°C. The s

Solar energy is considered a sustainable and clean source of power. Even so, solar cells face challenges such as the low efficiency of some systems and the need for large installation areas. Therefore, efforts have been directed toward developing technologies like perovskite solar cells to improve efficiency and reduce the need for large spaces. The experimental work was conducted under outdoor exposure in Baghdad, Al-Jaderia. The readings were taken on selected days, where the atmospheric conditions of clear sky. To study the impacts of temperature variations on solar performance, solar irradiance must be kept constant and vice versa. Therefore, to have a temperature range and for more accuracy, the measurements were do

The quality of drinking water is considered among the most urgent issues worldwide nowadays. Ensuring safe water for human consumption remains the highest priority, while challenges also persist in meeting the water quality needs for industrial and agricultural uses. Most of the relevant studies lack accuracy in assessing water quality. Therefore, this study aims to forecast the quality of drinking water along the Tigris River in Iraq following a new approach. A developed forecasting model that utilizes the gravitational search algorithm (GSA) was deployed. The heuristic optimization tool was utilized for the prediction of the water quality index (WQI) in the research area. Out of twelve water stations, 575 samples

ZSM-5 zeolite was synthesis under hydrothermal conditions at 175^oC. The synthesis parameters have been investigated to find optimum synthesis method. Firstly, the crystallization time has been investigated to find the optimum crystallization time. Also, the ageing time was studied. The morphology, structure, and composition of the synthesized ZSM-5 zeolite were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), pH meter, viscometer, and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The bulk Si/Al ratio of ZSM-5 zeolite was in the range of 9.5—11.7. The synthesized ZSM-5 zeolite with appropriate ageing time could adjust crystal size and degree of the crystallinity. The crystal size of ZSM-5 zeolite obtained at an agei

As human societies grow, the problem of waste management becomes one of the pressing issues that need to be addressed. Recycling and reuse of waste are effective waste management measures that prevent pollution and conserve natural resources. In this study, the possibility of using glass waste as an alternative was used as a partial weight substitute for fine aggregates with replacement ratios of 10, 20, 30, and 40% by the weight, and formed into test models (15 cm * 15 cm ) cube and (15 cm * 30 cm) cylinder, then matured and tested their strength compression and tensile strength at the age of 7 and 28 days and compared with a reference or conventional concrete with a mixing ratio (1: 1.5: 3) as well as testing its worka

The parameters of resistance spot welding (RSW) performed on low strength commercial aluminum sheets are investigated experimentally, the performance requirements and weldability issues were driven the choice of a specific aluminum alloy that was AA1050. RSW aluminum alloys has a major problem of inconsistent quality from weld to weld comparing with welding steel
alloys sheet, due to the higher thermal conductivity, higher thermal expansion, narrow plastic temperature range, and lower electrical resistivity. Much effort has been devoted to the study of describing the relation between the parameters of the process (welding current, welding time, and electrode force) and weld strength. Shear-tensile strength tests were performed to ind

Numerical study is adapted to combine between piezoelectric fan as a turbulent air flow generator and perforated finned heat sinks. A single piezoelectric fan with different tip amplitudes placed eccentrically at the duct entrance. The problem of solid and perforated finned heat sinks is solved and analyzed numerically by using Ansys 17.2 fluent, and solving three dimensional energy and Navier–Stokes equations that set with RNG based k−ε scalable wall function turbulent model. Finite volume algorithm is used to solve both phases of solid and fluid. Calculations are done for three values of piezoelectric fan amplitudes 25 mm, 30 mm, and 40 mm, respectively. Results of this numerical study are compared with previous b

A large amount of thermal energy is generated from burning hazardous chemical wastes, and the temperature of the flue gases in hazardous waste incinerators reaches up to (1200 °C). The flue gases are cooled to (40°C) and are treated before emission. This thermal energy can be utilized to produce electrical power by designing a system suitable for dangerous flue gases in the future depending on the results of much research about using a proto-type small steam power plant that uses safe fuel to study and develop the electricity generation process with water tube boiler which is manufactured experimentally with theoretical development for some of its parts which are inefficient in experimental work. The studied system gen

هذه الرسالة هي دراسة للمتغيرات الاجتماعية الخاصة بالعائلة العراقية والمتغيرات المرتبطة بما يحصل في المجتمع واثرهما على انواع التغيرات
التصميمية الحاصلة للدور السكنية بعد انشائها. اذ يكون البحث معالجا لمشكلة عدم وضوح المعرفة الدقيقة عن نوع العلاقة بين الظواهر الاجتماعية من
جهة وظواهر التغير والتحوير الحاصلة على الدور السكنية المنشأة، عند إشغالها من قبل الأسرة وذلك في العراق عموما وبغداد على وجه الخصو

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,

The slurry infiltrated fiber concrete (SIFCON) is nowadays considered a special type of high fiber content concrete; it is high strength and high performance material. This paper investigates the effect of spread steel fiber into the slurry mortar on some properties of SIFCON. According to fiber distribution, two sets were used in this investigation. The first set consisted of randomly distributing fibers inside the slurry. The second set was by placing the fibers in an orderly manner inside the slurry. Crimped steel fibers with an aspect ratio of (60) were used. Two different volume fractions percentage of (7% and 9%) by volume of mold were used in both sets for this study. Also, a w/c ratio of (0.35) and superplasticiz

This study was done to investigate the impact of different nanoparticles on diesel fuel characteristics, Iraqi diesel fuel was supplied from al-Dura refinery and was treated to enhance performance by improving its characteristics. Two types of nanoparticles were mixed with Iraqi diesel fuel at various weight fractions of 30, 60, 90, and 120 ppm. The diesel engine was tested and run at a constant speed of 1600 rpm to examine and evaluate the engine's performance and determine emissions. In general, ZnO additives' performance analysis showed they are more efficient for diesel fuel engines than CeO. The performance of engine diesel fuel tests showed that the weight fraction of nanoparticles at 90 and 120 ppm give a similar

Interface bonding between asphalt layers has been a topic of international investigation over the last thirty years. In this condition, a number of researchers have made their own techniques and used them to examine the characteristics of pavement interfaces. It is obvious that test findings won't always be comparable to the lack of a globally standard methodology for interface bonding. Also, several kinds of research have shown that factors like temperature, loading conditions, materials, and others have an impact on surface qualities. This study aims to solve this problem by thoroughly investigating interface bond testing that might serve as a basis for a uniform strategy. First, a general explanation of how

Solar tracking systems used are to increase the efficiency of the solar cells have attracted the attention of
researchers recently due to the fact that the attention has been directed to the renewable energy sources. Solar tracking systems are of two types, Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) and sun path tracking. Both types are studied briefly in this paper and a simple low cost sun path tracking system is designed using simple commercially available component. Measurements have been made for comparison between fixed and tracking system. The results have shown that the tracking system is effective in the sense of relatively high output power increase and low cost.