The aim of this work is to make an evaluation to the reliability and availability of an electrical power plant as special kind of production systems to assess its ability in providing power with acceptable quality at a given period of time. Markov model was used as an analytical tool in assessment of the reliability and availability of a production power plant in Iraq, and especially for its four new steam-power units, which considered as basic power units of this plant This model (Markov) was used for the first once in assessment of power production system in Iraq. and prove its ability to provide a general evaluation for the performance of the power plant during a period of time Since the method has too extensișe mathematical operatio

The finite element method has been used in this paper to investigate the behavior of precast reinforced concrete dapped-ends beams (DEBs) numerically. A parametric investigation was performed on an experimental specimen tested by a previous researcher to show the effect of numerous parameters on the strength and behavior of RC dapped-end beams. Reinforcement details and steel arrangement, the influence of concrete compressive strength, the effect of inclined load, and the effect of support settlement on the strength of dapped-ends beams are examples of such parameters. The results revealed that the dapped-end reinforcement arrangement greatly affects the behavior of dapped end beam. The failure load decreases by 25% when

The aim of this study is to propose mathematical expressions for estimation of the flexural strength of plain concrete members from ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) measurements. More than two hundred
pieces of precast concrete kerb units were subjected to a scheduled test program. The tests were divided into two categories; non-destructive ultrasonic and bending or rupture tests. For each precast unit, direct and indirect (surface) ultrasonic pulses were subjected to the concrete media to measure their travel velocities. The results of the tests were mointered in two graphs so that two mathematical relationships can be drawn. Direct pulse velocity versus the flexural strength was given in the first relationship while the second equati

The present work covers the analytical design process of three dimensional (3-D) hip joint prosthesis with numerical fatigue stress analysis. The analytical generation equations describing the different stem constructive parts (ball, neck, tour, cone, lower ball) have been presented to reform the stem model in a mathematical feature. The generated surface has been introduced to FE solver (Ansys version 11) in order to simulate the induced dynamic stresses and investigate the effect of every design parameter (ball radius, angle of neck, radius of neck, neck ratio, main tour radius, and outer tour radius) on the max. equivalent stresses for hip prosthesis made from titanium alloy. The dynamic loading case has been studied to a stumbling ca

This research is concerned with performance of different shapes (parallel plate, grid, corrugated) and materials (polystyrene, polypropylene, P.V.C, and steel) of packing for an air -water- cooling tower. A Mechanical forced draught counter current flow cooling tower of 300 mm x 300 mm, cross-sectional area and 1.65m height was constructed and studied theoretically and experimentally Air flow rates of 0.533,1.035, and 1.774 kg/m2.s were used in conjunction with water flow rates of 1.686, 2.218, and 2.66 kg/m2.s, and water temperature of 40,45,50 °C. The tower characteristics (KG a Z/L) and the volumetric mass and heat transfer coefficients (Kça, hoa and ha) are found to be a function of the water and air flow rates simultaneo

Uncoupled behaviour of a dam undd, earthquake loading is investigated. Three constitutive models are used:. The linear-elastic model where soil properties; shear modulus and damping ratio are strains ar d cycle independent.-The equivalent linear model where soil properties are strain dependent but cycle independert. The shear modulus tends to decrease as the shear strain increases, while the damping ratio tends to increase as the shear strain increases. - A non-linear model where soil properties tend to change not only with shear strain but also with the progression of cycles. In this work, the bounding surface model is used.For these studies, three kinds of umerical integration methods in the time domain are usel. namely, Newmark, Wilso

This investigation presents an extensive experimental study on the behaviour and strength of reinforced concrete T-beams before and after strengthening by using reinforced concrete jacket. Four full scale beams were first loaded to certain levels of ultimate capacity (0, 60%, 77%, 100% of failure load). Then, after formation of cracks or failure, they were repaired by reinforced concrete jacketing method and tested again up to failure. The main objective of this study is to restore the full ultimate capacity beams failed by flexure and to strengthen the cracked beam. Also, it is aimed to investigate the effect of loading condition on beam before repair on the ultimate capacity after repair. Extensive measurements of deformations, cr

Series compensation is frequently found on long transmission lines used to improve voltage stability. Due to the long transmission lines, voltage begins to decay as the line moves further from the source. Series compensation devices placed strategically on the line to increase the voltage profile of the line to levels near 1.0 p.u.. This paper presents a novel optimum location and optimum percentage compensation value of a series capacitor as a compensation method to enhance the voltage stability and loss reduction. The proposed method is applied to a 11-bus power system.The load flow analysis using Newton-Raphson approach for the 11-bus test system was designed and tested using MATLAB 7 programming language.

This study deals with the serviceability of reinforced concrete solid and perforated rafters with openings of different shapes and sizes based on an experimental study that includes 12 post-fire non-prismatic reinforced concrete beams (solid and perforated). Three groups were formed based on heating temperature (room temperature, 400 °C, and 700 °C), each group consisting of four rafters (solid, rafters with 6 and 8 trapezoidal openings, and rafter with eight circular openings) under static loading. A developed unified calculation technique for deflection and crack widths under static loading at the service stage has been provided, which comprises non-prismatic beams with or without opening exposed to flexure concentra

Some of the newly constructed highway pavements in Iraq have shown premature failures with consequential negative impacts on both roadway safety and economy. Major types of these failures are permanent deformation (rutting) and cracking. Fillers were suspected to be a major contributor to these failures. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of new different fillers extracted from different local sources on the performance of asphalt mixtures. The effect of filler type and content on the failures potential of asphalt concrete as well as other mixes properties was investigated. A detailed laboratory study is carried out by preparing asphalt mixtures specimens using aggregate from Al-Taji quarry, (40-50) grade asphalt fr

An investigation has been made into the effect of residual stresses on the vibration, characteristics of thin rectangular plates clastically restrained against rotation along three edges and free on the fourth edge .General frequency equation with and without including the effect of residual stresses has been obtained. Exact frequency expressions including the eflect of residual stresses for the cascs: S-S-S-F,S-S-C-F.C-C-S-F.C-S-S-F. C-S-C-F.C-C-C-F were also obtained. The eflect of the position of welding along the width of the plate for all cases was also included. Actual plate models were testea and the results were compared with the theoretical predictions giving good agreement

Thermal buckling analysis of symmetric and antisymmetric cross-ply laminated hybrid composite plates with an inclined crack subjected to a uniform temperature rise are presented in this paper. The first-order shear deformation theory in conjunction with variational energy method is employed in the mathematical formulation. The eight-node Lagrangian finite element technique is used for obtaining the thermal buckling temperatures of hybrid composite laminates. The effects of crack size and lay-up sequences on the thermal buckling temperatures for symmetric and a antisymmetric plates are investigated. The results are shown in graphical form for various boundary conditions. Finally, from this paper, the following main results have been found

An iterative solution procedure necessarily involves pre- specified convergence criteria to stop teration. The Discrete Differential Dynamic Programming procedure to solve optimization problems formulated by the Dynamic Programming is an iterative solution procedure which, in its traditional form, involves two convergence criteria, namely, (a) and (B). The research used the optimum operation of an existing complex water resources system as a case study. The objective function was formulated as the maximum real monetary return. The formulated optimization model was run for a total of (194) different operation cases. Beside the traditional (a) and (B), seven new styles for a unique convergence criterion were examined in the solution. Consi

In this study, polymeric ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were prepared by phase inversion method to obtain both antibacterial and organic antifouling properties. The membranes were cast from a solution of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and formative silver (Ag) nanoparticles were successfully immobilized on a polymer. This was done using a solvent N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) which is a solvent for the PVDF polymer meanwhile it is a reducing agent for silver ion. The effect of silver nanoparticles additives on the performance of polymeric ultrafiltration membrane was verified. Chemical composition and morphology of the surfaces of the membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

The efficiency of internal combustion engines (ICE) is usually about thirty percent of the total energy of the fuel. The residual energy is lost in the exhaust gas, the lubrication, and the cooling water in the radiators. Recently much of the researcher’s efforts have focused on taking advantage of wasted energy of the exhaust gas. Using a thermoelectric generator (TEG) is one of the promising ways. However, TEG depends entirely on the temperature difference, which may be offered by the exhaust muffler. An experimental test has been conducted to study the thermal performance of a different muffler internal design. The researchers resort to the use of lost energy in an ICE using TEG, which is one of the ways to take adv

The current study presents an experimental investigation of heat transfer and flow characteristic for subcooled flow boiling of deionized water in the microchannel heat sink. The test section consisted of a single microchannel having 300μm wide nominal dimensions and 300μm height (hydraulic diameter of 300μm). The test section formed of oxygen-free copper with 72mm length and 12mm width. Experimental operation conditions spanned the heat flux (78-800) kW/m², mass flux (1700 and 2100) kg/m².s at 31˚C subcooled inlet temperature. The boiling heat transfer coefficient is measured and compared with existing correlations. Also, the experimental pressure drop is measured and compared with microscale p

Diyala River is one of the important rivers that provide water for the Governorate of Diyala. In this research, the morphology and sediment transport of this river were studied using HEC-Ras software. The selected length of the river in the present study is 193 km and extended from Diyala Weir to the confluence of Tigris River and Diyala River. The fieldwork period extended from June 2020 till August 2020, where suspended-load and bed-load samples were collected and surveyed some cross-sections. The one-dimensional sediment transport model has been calibrated for five years, from 2014 to 2019. The results were compared with the measured cross-sections in 2019,  and the suitable value of (maximum depth

In this paper, numerical and experimental studies on the elastic behavior of glass fiber reinforced ‎polymer (GFRP) with stiffeners in the GFRP section's web (to prevent local buckling) are presented. ‎The GFRP profiles‎ were connected to the concrete deck slab by shear connectors. Two full-scale simply supported ‎composite beams (with and without stiffeners) were tested under impact load (three-point load) to ‎assess its structural response. The results ‎proved that the maximum impact force, maximum ‎deflection, damping time, and ‎damping ratio of the composite beam were affected by the GFRP ‎stiffeners‎. The experimental results indicated that the damping ratio and deflection were diminished compare

Enhancement of heat transfer in the tube heat exchanger is studied experimentally by using discrete twisted tapes. Three different positions were selected for inserting turbulators along tube section (horizontal position by α= 0⁰, inclined position by α= 45 ⁰ and vertical position by α= 90⁰). The space between turbulators was fixed by distributing 5 pieces of these turbulators with pitch ratio    PR = (0.44). Also, the factor of constant heat flux was applied as a boundary condition around the tube test section for all experiments of this investigation, while the flow rates were selected as a variable factor (Reynolds number values vary from 5000 to 15000). The results s

This work presents the modeling of the electrical response of monocrystalline photovoltaic module by using five parameters model based on manufacture data-sheet of a solar module that measured in stander test conditions (STC) at radiation 1000W/m² and cell temperature 25 . The model takes into account the series and parallel (shunt) resistance of the module. This paper considers the details of Matlab modeling of the solar module by a developed Simulink model using the basic equations, the first approach was to estimate the parameters: photocurrent I_ph, saturation current I_s, shunt resistance R_sh, series resistance R_s, ideality factor A at stander test condition (STC) by an ite

In this study, the modified Rayleigh-Ritz method and Fourier series are used to determine the thermal buckling behavior of laminated composite thin plates with a general elastic boundary condition applied to in-plane uniform temperature distribution depending upon classical laminated plate theory(CLPT). A generalized procedure solution is developed for the Rayleigh-Ritz method combined with the synthetic spring technique. The transverse displacement of the orthotropic rectangular plates is not a different term as a new shape expansion of trigonometric series. In this solution approach, the plate transverse deflection and rotation due to bending are developed into principle Fourier series with a sufficient smoothness auxi

         The world's population growth and the increasing demand for new infrastructure facilities and buildings , present us with the vision of a higher resources consumption, specially in the form of more durable concrete such as High Performance Concrete (HPC) . Moreover , the growth of the world pollution by plastic waste has been tremendous. The aim of this research is to investigate the change in mechanical properties of HPC with added waste plastics in concrete. For this purpose 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% in volume of natural fine aggregate in the HPC mixes were replaced by an equal volume of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) waste , got by shredded PET bottles. The mechanical propert

The aim of this research is to adopt a close range photogrammetric approach to evaluate the pavement surface condition, and compare the results with visual measurements. This research is carried out on the road of Baghdad University campus in AL-Jaderiyiah for evaluating the scaling, surface texture for Portland cement concrete and rutting, surface texture for asphalt concrete pavement. Eighty five stereo images of pavement distresses were captured perpendicular to the surface using a DSLR camera. Photogrammetric process was carried out by using ERDAS IMAGINE V.8.4.  The results were modeled by using a relationship between the photogrammetric and visual techniques and selected the highest coefficient of determinatio

Construction projects are characterized as projects with multi phases and activities, complex, unique, and have many different parties and stakeholders. Risks could appear at one or more of the construction project stages and may affect the achievement of project objectives. Therefore, one of the key elements in the planning phase of any project is the risk management process (RMP). This study attempts to understand the terminology of risk in general, risk management, and response to risk in particular. This study is mainly a review of thirty-eight studies that have been published between 1997 and 2020 that demonstrate the importance of the crucial phase of risk response from the risk management process and its impact on

Productivity estimating of a construction operation is an essential tool for the successful completion of the construction process. Productivity of a construction operation is defined as output of the system per unit of time. In this research Artificial Neural Networks approaches are presented. The main reason for using neural nerworks for construction productivity estimation is the requirement of performing complex mapping of environment and management factors to productivity. A generic description of the artificial neural networks model is provided, followed by summarized factors that affect ceramic labor productivity, then neural-network model are developed for Estimating ceramic walls productivity, the input data for the model based

Dr. Qahtan Al-Madfa’i’s architecture has been characterized by a particular characteristic that may be unique and extreme at the same time, that is the use of the distinctive three-dimensional structural coverings and the exploitation of structural construction to give an extra aesthetic touch to the composition of the building, to achieve the application of his universal ideas, which he strongly believed and defended.

      In the period of the marked urban decline that the country undergoes now, which urges us toward making a comparison between the beginning of the modern Iraqi architecture and its ascending path up to its peak and the periods of its decline until it reached a very

Bearing capacity of soil is one of the important matters that occupies the minds of geotechnical engineers, especially in weak soils. In the field of geotechnical engineering, soil improvement is one of the most commonly used techniques. However, difficulties in implementation and increased costs have also caused scientists to look for more efficient and effective techniques. Many researchers as one of the innovative and promising alternatives have identified using skirts beneath shallow foundations in recent years. Their research has demonstrated the effectiveness of this method in treating the condition of the soil beneath the foundation, including enhancing bearing capacity vertically and laterally by 470% and 6.6 tim

A photovoltaic modules convert only a fraction of incident solar energy into electricity, with the remainder dissipated as heat through various loss mechanisms. This study makes an attempt to quantify the recoverable thermal energy from multicrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules under varying irradiance conditions for arid climates. Experimental measurements were conducted over six months in Baghdad, Iraq. Data were filtered to maintain 25°C module temperature across four irradiance levels (250, 500, 750, 1000 W/m²). Results demonstrate thermal losses increasing from 10.33% to 19.02% with rising irradiance, while recoverable thermal energy fraction (ξ_u) ranges from 29.72% to 35.06%. Module efficiency dec

This study numerically investigates the effect of different welding steel plate shapes on the behavior of expanded open web asymmetrical steel composite beams. Increased web depth of asymmetrical steel beams in composite concrete results in increased stiffness and strength. Expanding the web's depth enhances the composite concrete steel beam's strength and performance in specific design scenarios, such as expanded, cellular, or castellated steel composite concrete beams. A horizontal cut in the web in each asymmetrical section can create an expanded web of asymmetrical steel profiles. Two asymmetrical tees can then be assembled, and a plate known as a spacer plate with a constant area and different shapes can be added be

This study examines the concept of urban competition, focusing on the role of heritage urban places in enhancing urban competitiveness. Urban competition refers to a city's ability to possess economic, social, cultural, and security-related competitive advantages within its geographical region compared to other competing cities. Public places and urban landscapes—particularly heritage ones—attract tourists and institutions, thereby enhancing the city's image and interactively influencing the quality of urban life. A relatively rich cultural heritage and urban atmosphere in modern cities contribute to improving the quality of the place or attracting various stakeholders (such as institutions and professionals). Many c