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Go to Editorial ManagerThe research proposed a developed methodology for evaluation the system performance in uncertainty associated with traditional modelling methodology is focused on either load L or resistance R variability, but not both. A two-dimensional (2D) fuzzy set (traditional model), represent with the one dimension for universe of discourse (in x-direction) and the second dimension of his membership degree (in y-direction), is not full sufficient to handle both, load and resistance variation of system performance. The theoretical principle basis of this research is based on development of the three dimensional (3D) of fuzzy set that includes system performance variability in load and resistance from two dimensional. The proposed methodology (traditional model) extends the acceptance level of partial performance of system concept to a 3D-dimantion representation. This representation allows to capturing the changing of preferences of decision makers in load and resistance. The major objective of the research is to proposed the original methodology for evaluate system performance and management that is capable of; (a) addressing uncertainty caused by load and resistance variability and ambiguity; (b) integrating objective and subjective evaluation; and (c) assisting system performance management decision making based on a more detailed certainty evaluation of load and resistance variability. The study proposed two models for fuzzy reliability performance indexes: first traditional model included (I) 2D fuzzy reliability-vulnerability Rv index, (II) 2D fuzzy robustness Ro index; the second developed model (i) 3D fuzzy reliability-vulnerability Rv index, (ii) 3D fuzzy robustness Ro index; and comparing between them. These indexes have the capability of evaluating the operational performance of complex systems. Proposed methodology is illustrated by using the Al-Wathba Water Supply System (WWSS) as a case study.
In Republic of Iraq, ready-mix concrete production plants have been adversely affected by the lack of modern and advanced technology to assess their performance in line with technological advancements. Current evaluation methods rely on traditional approaches and financial measures, yielding unrealistic performance results. To address this problem, there is a need to utilize modern models and methods for performance evaluation. The study's main objective This was achieved by employing a literature survey methodology and utilizing digital databases such as the Iraqi Scientific Journals website, virtual libraries, and scientific platforms like ScienceDirect, Springer, Google Scholar, and Gate Research between 2015 and 2023. The research study provided a comprehensive overview of performance evaluation, including its definitions, importance, and an introduction to modern models and evaluation methods. The study found that no previous studies have been conducted in Iraq to evaluate ready-mix concrete production plants. However, four studies were found in Egypt, Sudan, and India. The previous similar relevant studies discussed various topics and related studies. Firstly, they discussed the classification, advantages, and disadvantages of concrete mixing plants. Additionally, the previous studies analyzed the factors that most influence the performance of concrete production plants, including laboratory manager efficiency, work team efficiency, communication and relationships within work teams, plant operator, material transportation method, and time and courses. Furthermore, the previous research studies present a comprehensive analysis of all variable data simultaneously using the statistical package for Social Science (SPSS) input stage. The evaluation also extends to the evaluation of laboratories, encompassing plant arrangement, internal quality control systems, and final product quality. The overall evaluation results of previous studies. Indicate that 75% of the concrete production plants failed to meet the required criteria, while only 25% demonstrated satisfactory performance. The study proposed improvements to enhance the performance rate of ready-mix concrete production plants by leveraging the most influential variables, which will be considered in the study.
This study evaluates the performance of bridge projects in Iraq using international performance evaluation standards set by USAID. The assessment focuses on two major bridge projects in Baghdad: the Bridge Project over the Army Canal and the Design and Implementation Project for developing the Shaljia and Tobji Intersection. The evaluation standards include relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability. Data collected from these projects were analyzed to measure performance against these standards. The results revealed significant gaps between both projects' expected and actual performance. The Bridge Project over the Army Canal showed moderate performance in relevance and sustainability but had substantial weaknesses in effectiveness. The Shaljia and Tobji, Intersection Development project, exhibited major weaknesses across all standards. The study concludes a critical need for better planning, improved resource utilization, enhanced stakeholder communication, and more effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to address these performance gaps and achieve desired project outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of adopting comprehensive and adaptable evaluation standards to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of infrastructure projects in Iraq. The research provides valuable insights for stakeholders involved in bridge projects, emphasizing the need for ongoing improvement in project management practices to ensure infrastructure reliability and safety.
This research aims to develop and validate a smart PMS. The PMS will create a foundation for PMSs that will be used by organizations in the digital era. A three-step methodology was used in the current research. First, the archival literature analysis was used to identify the features and elements of the robust PMSs. Second, a generic PMS was constructed based on the results of the first step. Third, the generic PMS was amended, implemented in the workshop, and validated by discussing the results with a focus group of experts. The academic and technical contribution can be seen in proposing a generic Virtual Organizational Deoxyribonucleic Acid (V-DNA) concept and smart PMS (Performance Management Dashboard (PMD) and Decision-Making Tool (DMT)) based on the features and elements of the robust PMSs. The generic V-DNA and PMS were amended and implemented in the stated workshop. Then, the validation process was done by presenting the implementation results to a focus group of academic experts and taking their feedback. Applying the PMD and the DMT to monitor, analyze, and manage workshop performance was successful. The PMD proved a useful tool that can provide a holistic view of the workshop performance areas instead of focusing on isolated business aspects such as workshop productivity or efficiency. The decision-makers directly identified the low-performing and highly performing KPIs/processes/sub-processes and identified the root causes of low and high performance. The DMT proved a useful tool. The decision-makers could evaluate all sub-processes and rank them based on the values and weights of the decision-making criteria, highlighting the areas that need improvement. The originality and novelty of the proposed PMS and the V-DNA were proved through a systematic literature review process. The implications of the research can be seen in the possibility of testing the generic V-DNA and the PMS templates in organizations of different sizes and sectors to check their applicability. Moreover, other layers of the organizational V-DNA can be proposed. The current research assists the practitioners and managers in constructing the PMSs they need for their workshops/factories/companies.
Rutting is the most common distress that most Iraqi asphalt pavements suffer from it. Asphalt binders are modified by using additives and polymers to enhance their physical qualities and fulfill the performance demands. Polyphosphoric acid (PPA) has been used in many countries to enhance the physical and mechanical characteristics of asphalt binders and mixtures that can improve the performance of asphalt pavements. In this paper, evaluation of the Iraqi asphalt binder and mixtures performance by using three percentages of Polyphosphoric acid (PPA) (0.4, 0.8, and 1.2) percent by asphalt binder weight and added to (60-70) penetration grade asphalt binder to show the applicability and suitability of using PPA in asphalt pavement in Iraq. Original asphalt binder and modified are subjected to traditional tests which are penetration, ductility, softening point, and viscosity. Results show better performance and enhancement of the physical properties of the modified binder. Other tests are Marshall Stability and wheel track tests. The results of the addition of PPA to the asphalt mixture show increases in the Marshall Stability and enhance the performance of the asphalt pavement mixtures. The wheel track test is applied to the original and modified mixture at two test temperatures 40 ?C and 50 ?C and the results show a decrease in the rut depth when the percentages of PPA increase. It is concluded that %PPA addition will enhance the performance of the Iraqi asphalt pavement and the mixture will be more rutting resistant, especially in high-temperature weather.
Primary healthcare institutions are highly important socio-technical systems, where infrastructure, digital technologies, and service delivery processes collaborate to establish service resilience and performance. Digital systems and sustainable infrastructure may not be integrated as well in a limited environment with resources, which may lead to reduced system robustness and efficiency. This paper is a systematic digital systems and infrastructure evaluation of the process of providing primary healthcare in Paschim Bardhaman District, India, through an engineering-based, multi-criteria analysis framework._x000D_ Cross-sectional engineering analysis was carried out on 25 Primary Health Centers (PHCs) chosen based on the rural and semi-urban settings. They have developed a composite system performance index by incorporating five domains of engineering, namely infrastructure robustness, operational workflow efficiency, outcome performance, digital systems readiness (ICT), and environmental sustainability systems. Information was gathered based on formal auditing of facilities, check of readiness of ICT equipment and software, field observation of operations and review of documents. Domain-specific scores were also summed up to create a Composite Quality and Resilience Index (CQRI). Statistical analyses were made to provide measures of description, correlation analysis and comparative testing between rural and semi-urban facilities._x000D_ Findings showed that there was moderate system performance (mean CQRI = 1.21 ± 0.24) and there was high inter-facility difference. The positive correlation of infrastructure robustness and the efficiency of operational workflow were found to be strong with composite system performance (r = 0.67 and r = 0.74, respectively). The readiness to digital systems, and environmental sustainability scored relatively low, which points out to the underutilization of ICT infrastructure, lack of telemedicine adoption, and the integration of renewable energy sources. The composite performance of semi-urban PHCs was much better than that of rural facilities (p < 0.05), which highlights the importance of infrastructure accessibility and digital connectivity to system resilience._x000D_ The results show that integration of digital systems and infrastructure design that is sustainable are important engineering determinants of resilient primary healthcare delivery. The suggested composite assessment framework can be used as a scalable engineering-based tool to estimate and optimize the performance of low-resource healthcare infrastructure in supporting the resilience of the system and its long-term sustainability and efficiency in delivering the services.
Real-life strategies are applied to assess pavement functionality, high-quality performance, and durability throughout its service life. Estimating pavement maintenance and sustainability is difficult. High-performance continuous reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) structural design and Jordanian natural zeolite (JNZ) as a sustainable supplementary cementitious material (SCM) and unique mixed cement for green manufacturing are researched in this paper. The results obtained from this study showed that replacing cement with JNZ powder at 0%, 10%, 15%, and 20% improved concrete performance. Natural zeolite-mixed cement preserved concrete quality and reduced the need for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and sulfate-resistant cement (SRC) clinker. After that, slab universal testing equipment and Jordanian zeolite-blended cement-reinforced concrete slabs were developed for CRCP performance. Therefore, fresh concrete was tested for partial cement substitution and standard mixture workability. Compressive, tensile, and flexural strength tests on 7 and 28 days and durability test (water absorption) were utilized to assess concrete strength and natural zeolite's potential to reduce resource consumption and carbon footprint while maintaining structural integrity using Open LCA. Sustainable CRCP structure development improved performance, resource conservation, and carbon footprint over the prior mix, according to EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) software and chemical tests. This research improves materials and supports global sustainability goals.
Photovoltaic (PV) systems have gained importance as one of the major renewable energy technologies because of its clean and sustainable characteristics; however, PV nonlinear current-voltage and power-voltage characteristics are a significant factor in limiting the maximum available power determined by the amount of available power under different environmental and load conditions. Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithms are one of the most important performance enhancements to help make PV energy conversion systems more efficient and reliable. Conventional MPPT techniques such as Perturb and Observe (P&O) have been widely used due to their simple and easy implementation in terms of control strategies, however, they exhibit steady-state oscillations, slow convergence, and poor dynamic performance under fast changing conditions of irradiation and load. To overcome these limitations, validation of intelligent and bio-inspired optimization and MPPT algorithms have attracted a great deal of interest. This paper includes a comprehensive comparative analysis of three MPPT techniques that are: conventional P&O algorithm, Grey Wolf Optimization algorithm (GWO), and Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization algorithm (TLBO). A detailed model of PV system coupled with dc-dc boost converter is built in Matlab/Simulink and the algorithms are tested with a constant irradiation and variable load and with simultaneous irradiation and load variation. Performance criteria like tracking performance, speed of convergence, steady state oscillations and robustness under dynamic conditions are analyzed. Based on the simulation results it is proven that both GWO and TLBO clearly outperforms the conventional P&O algorithm. Amongst all the optimization-based approaches, TLBO provides good performance with near-instantaneous convergence, minimum oscillations and consistent tracking efficiency is close to 100% for all the tested scenarios. The results prove that TLBO-based MPPT offers solid and computationally efficient solution for real world applications of PV systems especially in those with frequent and random operating condition variation environment.
In this study, previous researches were reviewed in relation to the seismic evaluation and retrofitting of an existing building. In recent years, a considerable number of researches has been undertaken to determine the performance of buildings during the seismic events. Performance based seismic design is a modern approach to earthquake resistant design of reinforcement concrete buildings. Performance based design of building structures requires rigorous non-linear static analysis. In general, nonlinear static analysis or pushover analysis was conducted as an efficient instrument for performance-based design. Pushover analysis came into practice after 1970 year. During the seismic event, a nonlinear static analysis or pushover analysis is used to analyze building under gravity loads and monotonically increasing lateral forces. These building were evaluated until a target displacement reached. Pushover analysis provides a better understanding of buildings seismic performance, also it traces the progression of damage and failure of structural components of buildings.
The properties related to Synthetic fibers such as significant strength, ductility, and durability lead the fibers to be adequate in enhancing the mechanical properties of asphalt concrete mixtures and that indicated by several studies. This paper aims to deliver an overview about the reinforcing influence of synthetic fibers on the mechanical and performance properties of asphalt concrete mixture. This paper surveys the literature on synthetic fibers and their applications in enhancing the mechanical features of asphaltic mixtures. It could serve as a reference for prospective modification and development of asphalt pavement by synthetic fibres. The characteristics of prevalent synthetic fibers are introduced, and their usage in asphalt mixtures is evaluated. A review of fiber surface treatment techniques demonstrates that they can enhance the performance of synthetic fibers in asphalt concrete mixtures, especially on the chemical surface. The article debates how synthetic fibre inclusion influences asphalt concrete mechanical performance, including rutting resistance, tensile strength, water susceptibility, and cracking resistance. The review indicates that using fibers such as aramid, glass, polyester, polyamide, and carbon improves asphalt pavement resistance to permanent deformation.
An investigation of performance response of two types of bearings such as Cylindrical Roller Bearing and bush bearing on evaporative cooler driven by DC motor of 1500 r.p.m, through studying many parameters like vibration response, temperature raise, humidity, sound level and total performance. high quality 3D positions X, Y and Z, vibration sensors type (ADXL335 accelerometers) with Arduino mega 2560 that interfaced with Lab-View program were used to measure changes in vibration amplitude and frequency. Two temperature sensors of type (LM35) were used to investigate the temperature raise in the bearings also with Arduino mega 2560 that interfaced with Lab-View program. For humidity a sensor of type DHT22 was used, also, a portable device was used to measure electricity consumption, rotary speed and sound level in the bearings of evaporative cooler. By replacing bearings all the parameters above wear measured then a comparison between them were made to find the best performance and operation of these bearings. The obtained results from the experimental work have clarified and explained by tables and figures. It has been found that the vibration of evaporative cooler in X, Y and Z-directions increased by using two cylindrical roller bearings than using two of bush bearings. The temperature of cylindrical roller bearings increased When running the evaporative cooler more than bush bearings. the noise of Evaporative Cooler by using both types of Bearings was almost same but with a little Reduce by using cylindrical roller Bearings. Which means the Evaporative Cooler has better Performance by using bush bearings than using cylindrical roller bearings.
The present investigation looked at whether the Bailey approach to aggregate gradation could be used to construct Superpave HMA blends. It also looked at how this approach influenced the rutting performance associated with these mixes and compared it to mixes of asphalt created by Superpave gradations. The current research included four aggregate gradations: both fine and coarse gradations for the Superpave and Bailey gradation procedures. The repeated loading test was utilized to assess the rutting performance. The findings indicated that temperature, stress level, and aggregate gradation all had a significant impact on rutting performance. In contrast to the other three gradations, the third mixture gradation exhibited the least amount of non-reversible deformation. It translates to pavement that is more resistant to rutting and less susceptible to it.
This study evaluates the performance and efficiency of four deep learning models—VGG-16, ResNet-50, Inception-V3, and DenseNet-121—in detecting pneumonia from chest X-rays, addressing the critical need for balanced accuracy and computational efficiency in clinical diagnostics. Methods: A dataset of 5,234 chest X-rays (3,875 pneumonia, 1,341 normal) was augmented via rotation, flipping, and zooming to mitigate class imbalance. Models were trained on an RTX 2060 GPU for 40 epochs, with performance assessed using accuracy, F1 score, sensitivity, specificity, precision, and computational metrics (training time, memory usage). Statistical significance was validated via paired t-tests (p < 0.05). Results: DenseNet-121 achieved the highest accuracy (95.2% ± 0.8), F1 score (95.1% ± 0.7), and throughput (400 images/sec) with minimal memory usage (33MB). ResNet-50 and Inception-V3 showed moderate performance, while VGG-16 exhibited overfitting tendencies. In conclusion, DenseNet-121 showed strong performance compared to other models, both in terms of accuracy and processing speed, which is essential for use in real-time clinical settings. However, the small size of the validation set and limited population diversity are important limitations that should be addressed in future studies. Moreover, more testing on larger datasets is needed to confirm the stability of the model and see how the model will work in different settings. Future work should address ethical considerations in AI-driven diagnostics and validate findings across multi-institutional datasets.
The 3-D numerical simulations of the thermal collectors in solar heating systems were conducted to simulate the conventional solar heating system, multipurpose solar water heater (MPSWH), and multipurpose solar air heater (MPSAH). The commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD), AVL Fire ver. 2009.2 was used to solve and investigate the temperature distributions in the absorber plate and riser tube of both solar water and air heater during summer and winter seasons. The RNG k -turbulence model was employed for this CFD study. The present paper was to provide a good understanding of thermal performance for the solar collector at different operating conditions. The experimental setup and physical data of Venkatesh, R. and Christraj, W. [15] were employed as geometric parameters and initial boundary conditions to model and to validate the predicted numerical values. Comparing to the values of temperatures for the conventional SWH and SAH, the predicted results of the MPSWH and the MPSAH showed a good improvement on the thermal performance. These enhancements on the temperature may have been due to the new design adopted in the multipurpose solar heating systems by using riser tubes and headers to the original design of the thermal systems. Additionally, the thermal performance of solar collectors increases with increasing the mass flow rates and thermal conductivity of absorber plate. For validation aspect, the predicted results of all cases examined showed a good agreement against the measured results in terms of temperature distribution levels and thermal efficiencies.
Mobile robots use simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) techniques for generating maps of unknown environments through navigating its. In this work, firstly SLAM technique was considered based on extended Kalman filter (EKF) which it was implemented and evaluated at unknown environments with different number of landmarks to estimate mobile robot’s position and build a map for navigated environment at the same time. Then, the detectable landmarks will play an important role in controlling the overall navigation process as well EKF-SLAM technique’s performance. After that, three intelligent optimization algorithms are proposed to enhance the performance of the EKF-SLAM trajectory for the mobile robot, these algorithms are: particle swarm optimization (PSO), chaotic particle swarm optimization (CPSO) and genetic optimization (GA). MATLAB simulation results show that CPSO algorithm outperforms PSO and GA algorithms in terms of minimizing the mean square error (MSE1) with increasing the number of landmarks, where MSE1 is the mean square error of EKF-SLAM according to the actual trajectory. The simulation results show also the performance of EKF-SLAM trajectory is better than the performance of the Odometry trajectory and becomes best with using intelligent optimization algorithms.
Functionally graded materials were created using laser-directed energy deposition technology. This work examines how different mixing ratios of Stainless Steel 316L and Inconel 625 affect the relative density and porosity of these materials. Twelve samples were created using a constant laser power of 600 W, three different laser scan speeds (20, 25, and 30 mm/s), and four different SS316L/IN625 transition ratios (85%/15%, 60%/40%, 40%/60%, and 15%/85%). To determine the volumetric distribution across the compositional gradients, the porosity and relative density measurements were taken. Optical and scanning electron microscopy were used for microstructural analytical characterization to differentiate between compositional gradients in grain shape and phase distribution. The mechanical performance was examined using microhardness measures, namely the Vickers method. This study applied to prove the process parameters and compositional transformations to the resulting microstructural features and mechanical properties, providing insight into optimizing the laser-directed energy deposition-manufactured functionally graded materials for advanced performance. The best graded composition was found that gives the best overall performance based on experimental data.
Millimeter Wave (mmWave) Massive Multiple Input Multiple Out (MIMO) system is a key technology for future wireless transmission. The system's architecture can differ based on the type of Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) used at the receiver, whether they are all low-resolution or a mix of different resolutions (Mixed-ADCs). Mixed-ADCs is a promising solution to achieve better performance than low-resolution ADC-only architectures by leveraging high-resolution ADCs to capture critical signal components while maintaining energy efficiency through low-resolution ADCs. In this paper, the problem of channel estimation for this system architecture is taken into consideration. A novel compressive-sensing based algorithm, that is called Approximate Conjugate Gradient Pursuit (ACGP), is proposed to estimate the channel coefficients. The performance of the proposed algorithm is investigated under varying system parameters, including different Signal-to-Noise Ratios (SNR), Radio Frequency (RF) chains, ADC resolutions, and numbers of observation frames. Matlab software was used to perform numerical simulations. The results demonstrated that mixed-ADCs architecture outperforms low resolutions only in performance. It was found that ACGP achieves lower Minimum Mean Squared Error (MMSE) compared to Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) and Least Square (LS), particularly in low SNR conditions showcasing its robustness and efficiency in signal reconstruction, achieving an average enhancement of 30% to 50% at moderate SNR levels. While OMP exhibited faster computation times under various number of observation frames, ACGP maintained stable computational performance, with a slight increase in computation time. For applications where accurate channel estimation is required under noisy environment, the proposed algorithm is an effective choice to meet such requirements.
The objective of this study is determining the mixing and compaction temperature of the modified asphalt mixture. Results of binder tests showed that the addition of 3% SBS to control asphalt (PG 64-16) would achieve the desired performance level (PG 76-16) a performance grade that fits our climate with traffic loads. When using 5% SBS the performance grade of binder increased three grades (PG 82-16) and when increasing SBS content to 8% the performance grade increased four grades (PG 88-16). At shear rate of 500 (s-1), the modified asphalt viscosity can be obtained at different temperatures and the viscosity temperature curve can be achieved. As a result, the mixing and compaction temperature of modified asphalt can be determined to reach 0.17 ± 0.02 Pa.s and 0.28 ± 0.03 Pa.s for mixing and compaction, respectively. It is noted that SBS modified reached a viscosity of 3 Pa.s when 8 % additive. Additive contents above these values may not be suitable for good workability and pump ability according to Superpave specifications. While addition of 5% SBS with control asphalt, more than 3.7times at 135°C Increase the viscosity. Marshall Stability test indicated that the strength for the SBS specimens increases as compared to the conventional specimens. An increase of about 39%, 74%, 102%, was observed with 3%SBS 5%SBS 8%SBS modified binders, respectively. The Marshall test results for 8%SBS binders required compaction temperatures above 175°C need to keep up quality of HMA item while limiting natural effect amid development, these proposals are unsatisfactory Modified mixtures the 5% SBS modification was determined to be the maximum useful content. The Superpave method to estimate mixing and compaction temperatures show are not practical for use with modified binders. Also, it is observed that good agreement values between the average Marshall compaction temperature and the High Shear Viscosity Method (HSRV) and lower than Superpave methods Where the decline ranges from 15 ºC to 17 ºC.
This study evaluates the performance of cement mortar incorporating micro silica (MS) and thermally treated date seed ash (DS) as sustainable partial cement replacements, in line with the demand for improved construction materials that utilize available resources. In the absence of an understanding of the behavior resulting from combining MS and DS within a hybrid replacement system particularly regarding how different blending ratios influence mortar performance and mix integrity. To achieve this, five mixtures were prepared with a total replacement level of 20% including three hybrid blends and were assessed through flowability, compressive strength, sorptivity, dry density, water absorption, and Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) tests. Predictive models have also been developed to estimate chloride and sulfate penetration based on physical and non-destructive indicators. The results showed that the hybrid mixture MS15–DS5 demonstrated the most notable enhancement compared to the control mix, achieving a 6% increase in compressive strength a 42% reduction in sorptivity and clear increases in dry density and pulse velocity indicating a more compact internal structure. The MS10–DS10 mixture also exhibited improved behavior, though to a lesser degree. In contrast, increasing the DS content led to performance deterioration, where MS5–DS15 showed reduced strength and higher sorptivity and DS20 presented the weakest response, with an 8% reduction in compressive strength and a 32% increase in sorptivity. The predictive models also demonstrated high accuracy achieving R2 of 0.989 and 0.983 for chloride and sulfate penetration, respectively, supporting their ability to estimate future behavior based on physical properties. These results provide a clearer understanding of how combining MS and DS influences mortar behavior and mix integrity, and they contribute to the development of sustainable cementitious mixtures with improved performance when appropriate replacement levels are selected.
Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology has so many striking characteristics which includes low sensitivity to fading, superior performance, low interference, easy to penetrate in walls as well as in floor. The main motive of this work is to analyze the capability of UWB technology as various aspects and improve its performance, since the main drawback of this system is that the power spectral density of the transmitted signal is rather limited. The MIMO technology may provide a solution by increasing the received SNR for the same transmission power, but the problem in this case is the spatial correlation resulted. To solve the problem two technologies are integrated along with the UWB using Time Reverse (TR) by TR-MIMO and TR-SIMO. Among these integrations, the robust performance of the UWB is analyzed by comparing the transmission rates for a given outage probability. In the last step, the (SIMO/MIMO)-UWB and TR-(SIMO/MIMO)-UWB were compared in terms of BER values to create the way of applying the UWB in so many applications.
This paper provides a theoretical framework for analysis of consensus algorithm for multi-agent networked systems considering the role of directed information flow. Improvement of the performance of the implemented consensus algorithm has been achieved by using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). Concepts of information consensus in networks and methods of convergence are applied as well. Our analysis framework is based on tools algebraic Graph Theory (GT). Simulation of multi-agent system and the performance of a consensus algorithm have been discussed. Acceleration the network while approaching the required goal has been accomplished and elimination of undesired swing that appears during the acceleration was proved.
Many researchers have applied several experiments and research studies by developing criteria's design of drainage to improve the drainage process, and to show that the filters plays an important role to improve and maintain the drainage system from being blocked due to siltation. There are several types of filters, including granular mineral materials and organic materials, the other filter that was used is made from a special fabric material such as paper, burlap, or special fabric textile material. The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of textile filters, and if it is desirable and suitable for Iraqi soil using statistical analysis. This study was conducted in the laboratory using sand tank model and two types of filters (graded crushed gravel and textile) with two types of soil (sandy soil and loamy soil) to compare and evaluate the hydraulic performance and the efficiency of utilizing textile filter instead of graded crushed gravel filter in drainage systems using statistical analysis methods. These statistical analysis show that there was a good agreement between measured and theoretical values of entrance resistance when using the two filters in sandy soil. On the other hand, the results showed that there was a weak performance when textile filters in were used in heavy soil (loamy soil) due to the high value of root mean square error (RMSE) and low value of agreement index (d). The results of statistical analysis show that the textile filter is desirable and suitable for Iraqi soil especially for sandy soil due to low entrance resistance of flow compared to loamy soil.
Plastic pollution represents a significant global environmental challenge, with millions of tons of plastic waste accumulated annually in landfills and natural ecosystems. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified this issue due to the widespread use of single-use personal protective equipment. As a response to this problem, this study examines the use of recycled polyethylene terephthalate and single-use face masks as additives in porous asphalt mixtures to improve the mixtures’ properties and promote sustainability in pavement engineering. The research aimed to evaluate the combined effect of incorporating recycled polymers into a hybrid system, rather than separately modified mixtures of polyethylene terephthalate and single-use face mask fibers. Laboratory tests indicated that the hybrid mixture exhibited optimal performance, achieving a 34% increase in Marshall stability, a 19% decrease in flow, and a 20% reduction in air-void content. Additionally, permeability decreased by 36%, while remaining within the accepted limit, improving moisture susceptibility, and cantabro abrasion losses decreased by up to 11%, suggesting improvements in cohesion, structure, and durability. The findings demonstrate that hybrid polymer modification offers an environmentally sustainable and high-performance approach for future porous asphalt pavements.
This study establishes a risk aware, multi objective methodology to select diesel plastic fuel α-terpineol blends that deliver robust engine performance across operating loads in a common rail direct injection diesel engine. Heterogeneous responses brake thermal efficiency, brake specific fuel consumption, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, smoke, and exhaust gas temperature are mapped to a unitless desirability scale and aggregated by load. Conditional Value at Risk across loads then prioritizes worst case behavior. By Conditional Value at Risk at level 0.20, the ranking is: diesel 0.242, diesel plastic fuel with 15% α-terpineol 0.197, 10% α-terpineol is 0.177, 5% α-terpineol is 0.157, diesel plastic fuel is 0.141, waste plastic fuel is 0.081. Relative to neat diesel plastic fuel, worst-case performance improves by 11% at 5% α-terpineol, 26% at 10% α-terpineol, and 40% at 15% α-terpineol, with the 100% load consistently governing the tail. Average brake specific fuel consumption decreases from 0.4553 to 0.4217 kg/kWh at 15% α-terpineol, average exhaust gas temperature falls from 321.4 to 293.0°C. Duty map mean oxides of nitrogen reduce from 512 to 474 ppm, hydrocarbons fall from 42.67 to 35.73 ppm. At full load, carbon monoxide declines from 0.52 to 0.46 %vol., and smoke opacity decreases from 52.28 to 49.71%. Within the tested window, 15% α-terpineol in diesel plastic fuel is the risk aware first choice, with 10% α-terpineol a near optimal alternative. The methodology remains stable under risk aversion and weighting changes at high-load calibration.
Rutting is considered as the most generated distress in Iraqi roads as a result of the high temperature and excessive traffic load. So, it is essential to utilize polymer modified binder to increase the performance of pavements. The objective of this paper is to assess the effect of aggregate gradation and filler content on the rutting formation of Colored Hot Mix Asphalt CHMA. The HMA was colored by using iron oxide as filler to produce red HMA. Two blends were used: fine and coarse with two different types of filler iron oxide for CHMA and limestone for conventional HMA with two filler content 6% and 10%. Neat (AC 40-50) and modified asphalt (AC 40-50 + 4%SBS) were used. Tests are held on adding 4% Styrene Butadiene Styrene )SBS( by the weight of neat asphalt (AC 40-50) to raise the performance grade by two grades from PG (64-16) to PG (76-16) [1] and [2]. The wheel tracking test is used to assess the rut depth of the CHMA. The test results showed that the using iron oxide with neat asphalt increase the rut depth resistance by 200 and 400 failure load cycles than mixtures using limestone (cycles that mix reach 25 mm rut depth) for fine and coarse mix respectively. Also, the effect of gradation shows that the fine mixture fails at 4000 cycles while the coarse mixture fails at 1800 cycles for 6% limestone mixtures. Increasing the iron oxide content from 6% to 10% leads to increase the failure load cycles by 2200 and 1200 cycles for fine and coarse mixture respectively using modified asphalt. The fine mixture with 10% iron oxide using modified asphalt gives the best performance with 7000 cycles than the coarse mixture with 10% filler content and modified asphalt with 4000 cycles. irrespective the filler and type of binder, the dense mixtures using iron oxide as filler exhibit better resistance to rutting formation than coarse mixtures.
Chemical additives and polymeric materials, selected for their compatibility and ability to improve asphalt's performance in demanding environments. Key additives, including Polyphosphoric Acid (PPA), Polyvinyl Acetate (PVAC) beads, Maleic Anhydride (MA), and Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) resin, were mixed in precise ratios with the asphalt binder. These additives were chosen to evaluate their effects on crucial performance indicators, such as the Penetration Index (PI) and activation energy, which measure the material’s thermal stability, flexibility, and resistance to deformation. Results demonstrated that the addition of these materials significantly increased the asphalt’s activation energy by up to 45.44%, enhancing its resistance to temperature fluctuations and providing better stability under various environmental stresses. The Penetration Index (PI) also improved notably, indicating that modified asphalt exhibits greater durability and reduced susceptibility to cracking or deformation under thermal changes. These enhancements contribute to lower road maintenance requirements and support greater energy efficiency in asphalt production and application processes. Compared to neat asphalt, the modified asphalt exhibited superior thermal stability, mechanical resilience, and overall performance, making it suitable for use in diverse climatic conditions. This study provides valuable insights into sustainable asphalt modification techniques, emphasizing the role of polymer and chemical additives in extending pavement lifespan and reducing environmental impact through improved material properties.
Hot mix asphalt embedded on "Reclaimed asphalt pavement"(RAP) has the advantages of high technology. Moisture damage is a concern in these mixtures at all service temperatures. Therefore, the performance of this mixture against moisture at all service temperatures was considered a target of this research study. In this way, the effects of humidity on the performance of varieties were investigated using experimental methods including tensile strength ratio (TSR). In the framework of this study, Four different ratios of RAP for each of the surface and bonding layers (10%, 15%, 20%, 25%) and (30,40,50,60)% were added to the hot asphalt mix (HMA) for the two layers respectively to study and find the content Optimal RAP for both layers RAP through Marshall stability and hygroscopic resistance of asphalt mixtures through moisture damage is examined. The ratio (TSR) of the mixtures containing the optimal RAP content is compared with the asphalt mixture without RAP for three fillers and for both layers. The results showed a slight decrease in the tensile strength of the (HMA) that does not contain RAP compared to the asphalt control mixtures containing the reclaimed pavement, where it was found that the percentages were slightly higher and still higher than 80%. The results indicate that in general, Although there are old materials in the hot asphalt mix (HMA) produced from RAP, which include aggregates and bitumen binder surrounding the aggregate particles, the performance of these mixtures and integrations against moisture damage. Because it contains this, it can have results with “hot asphalt mixtures” containing RAP for areas with damage without worry in addition to good natural curbs.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) ventilation remains a mainstay treatment for different respiratory disorders. Good pressure stability and pressure reduction during exhalation are of major importance condition to ensure the clinical efficacy and comfort of CPAP therapy. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and today coronavirus (COVID-19) are the main two diseases mitigated by the CPAP. This paper introduced a systematic review of the CPAP design in terms of the hardware design, Simulation-based CPAP system, control algorithm, and the measured performance. The accuracy is used as measurement of performance and calculated from the pressure value. The accuracy was compared to the predefined U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-based threshold value in which it considers this value as a reference. The results related to the modern CPAP devices introduced in this study to explain the accuracy of experimental CPAP. These were compared with a commercial CPAP devices. Also, it was revealed how the results coincide with the error ratio defined by the FDA as an evaluation measurement. The FDA error ratio determines the performance of the optimized CPAP device. This work is the first review that presented the knowledge about engineering design of the CPAP system, so it will be the first in the literature.
The current study focuses on utilizing machine learning (ML) models in optimizing and predicting laser-induced surface cold hardening in aluminum alloy 6061-O using a pulsed fiber laser. Three input features were utilized: power density (Pd), frequency (f), and pulse overlap (OV), with surface hardness as the matching aim. A set of ML models, including XGBoost and Adaptive Ensemble, was employed. The dataset was preprocessed for normalization and outlier handling, hyperparameter tuning, and assessment through the grid search and cross-validation, and model performance was evaluated using the coefficient of determination (R²) and mean square error (MSE) metrics. The Linear regression and Random Forest regression models were excluded due to their weakness in performance, exhibiting noticeable enhancement in performance of the ensemble. After excluding weak models, the results of XGBoost and Adaptive Ensemble models demonstrated great results of R2/MSE of 0.970/0.774 and 0.949/1.319, respectively. The XGBoost model occupied the first order, followed by the Adaptive Ensemble model, in improving the predictive accuracy to around 96% compared to other models.
This paper presents an investigation to the performance of quantized direct-sequence spread spectrum system (DSSS) in mobile wireless communications systems. To obtain a real world value (RWV), the DSSS received signal is quantized to different levels of fixed-point values. These modes of quantization are evaluated by calculating BER under different channels environments (AWGN, Rayleigh, and Rician multipath fading). The effect of range of the represented values, the number precision and increasing in quantization noise on the performance of quantized DS in mobile wireless communications is also investigated. Based on simulation results, it is observed that quantized direct-sequence offers a trade-off between complexity and noise rejection compared to non-quantized DSSS and making a good representation of the digitized signals to implement the required DSSS in mobile wireless communications.
In this paper, the experimental thermal performance for a parabolic trough solar concentrator (PTSC) combined with helical tube receiver and directed by two axes solar tracking system at different amount of water flow rates has been analyzed. The experimental test results of thermal performance with regard to temperature rise of water, useful heat gain and collector thermal efficiency for the PTSC prototype at controlled water flow rates (2.3, 22.5 and 29.4 L/h) are collected. The results show that the increase of water mass flow rates causes decrease in the average water output temperature as (120.8, 63.82 and 46.08oC), respectively, the maximum outlet temperature becomes (160.5, 76, 47) oC, respectively, and thus, the average useful heat gain will be (1249.4, 732, 732.5W), respectively and the average thermal efficiency decreases as (73.021, 49.51 and 44.31 %), respectively. The experimental results show that decrease the water mass flow rate by 74.4%, causes an increase in the thermal efficiency of the PTSC by 64.7%.
The fifth generation (5G) and beyond mobile networks support increasing number of users with increasing bit rate per users. This has encouraged researchers to propose coherent digital subcarrier multiplexing (SCM) point-to-multipoint (P2MP) architectures to reduce the cost and complexity of optical transport networks, particularly in the metro aggregation scenario. However, coherent optical receiver is relatively costly and complexity compared with a direct-detection (DD) counterpart due to the use of a synchronized local laser. This paper addresses design issues and performance investigation of intensity modulation/direct-detection (IM/DD) P2MP optical networks. P2MP architectures are designed using digital RF multisubcarrier (MSC) waveform embedded on the intensity of continuous-wave (CW) laser beside direct-detection scheme. The design covers C- and O-band operation using a wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) architecture. Further single- and double-polarization (SP and DP) versions are reported for each type of the networks. All the architectures are built in Optisystem version 15 environment and simulated for different network parameters, under the assumption of 25 Gbps per subcarrier data rate. The main performance measures are maximum route reach and bit rate-distance product (BDP). The simulation results indicate that DD networks can replaced the coherent counterpart when number of subcarriers per optical channel is 4. Further, the O-band P2MP networks offer high values of maximum reach and BDP than C-band counterparts.
Three-dimensional reconstruction of real objects comprises capturing the appearance and the shape for these objects and determining the three-dimensional coordinates for their profiles. This reconstruction process can be accomplished either by using active or passive techniques. In this paper, a new fusion method is proposed for 3D reconstruction. This method exploits the advantages of both stereo-based passive and laser-based active techniques and overcomes their limitations to improve the performance of 3D reconstruction. With this method, a hybrid laser-based structured light scanning system is designed and implemented. This system captures the required information using passive and active techniques and uses the proposed fusion method for 3D reconstruction. The performance of the proposed method and its scanning system were experimentally evaluated. The evaluation results show high reconstruction performance for the proposed fusion method over the traditional 3D reconstruction techniques. The results also show the effectiveness of the hybrid laser scanning system and its ability to scan and reconstruct the shape and the appearance for real objects using the proposed fusion method.
The goal of this paper is to present a study of tuning the Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller for control the position of a DC motor by using the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique as well as the Ziegler & Nichols (ZN) technique. The conventional Ziegler & Nichols (ZN) method for tuning the PID controller gives a big overshoot and large settling time, so for this reason a modern control approach such as particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used to overcome this disadvantage. In this work, a third order system is considered to be the model of a DC motor. Four types of performance indices are used when using the particle swarm optimization technique. These indices are ISE, IAE, ITAE and ITSE. Also study the effect of each one of these performance indices by obtaining the percentage overshoot and settling time when a unit step input is applied to a DC motor. A comparison is made between the two methods for tuning the parameters of PID controller for control the position of a DC motor is considered. The first one is tuning the controller by using the Particle Swarm Optimization technique where the second is tuning by using the Ziegler & Nichols method. The proposed PID parameters adjustment by the Particle Swarm Optimization technique showed better results than the Ziegler & Nichols’ method. The obtained simulation results showed good validity of the proposed method. MATLAB programming and Simulink were adopted in this work.
Recently, major part of convection heat transfer researches focus on increasing fins efficiency by increasing thermal performance for the same fin volume. Metal foam is a promising way to achieve this aim. Performance analysis has been carried out to investigate the heat transfer characteristics of copper fin foam samples. The samples have been compared with the solid metal fin heat transfer. A forced convection heat transfer had been applied to a four specimens. An electrical heater heats up the fins, which are subjected to a stream of the ambient air driven by a blower fan as heat dissipated. The heat flux had been fixed along the tests with three different air velocity used; the forced heat convection had been simulated. The pores density of copper fin foam is varied in the range of 10, 20 & 40 pores per inches (PPI). Thermal performance of copper fin foam has been evaluated in terms of average Nusselt number and thermal resistance of heat sinks. The increasing in the heat transfer rate and average Nusselt number when used metal foam has been found in the range of 36-133 % compare to solid copper. Furthermore, it has been proven that this increment reaches the maximum value for a given PPI even when raise the air velocity.
A new robust control algorithm is proposed for a class of nonlinear systems represented by a Single Link Manipulator (SLM) system. This algorithm is based on new techniques and methods in order to obtain a controller for the SLM system. First of all, the system is simplified using Variable Transformation Technique (VTT) in order to fit the analysis procedure. Then, a new idea of designing a model reference for the multiple states (n=4) system is presented to correspond the control design. Next, the Lyapunov Stability Analysis (LSA) is used to figure out a proper controller that can compensate the stability and the performance of the SLM system. After that, the Most Valuable Player Algorithm (MVPA) is applied to find the optimal parameters of the proposed controller to accomplish the optimum performance improvement. Finally, it can be concluded that the proposed control algorithm has improved the stability and the performance of the SLM system. In addition, the simulation results show the remarkable effects of the proposed nonlinear controller on the SLM system.
The process of increasing the heat transfer coefficient, resulting in enhancing system efficiency, is known as heat transfer enhancement. Enhancing heat transport is both economically beneficial and a considerable energy conservation problem. To improve heat transfer, many passive components are utilized within tubes, including wire plugs, enhanced surfaces, rough edges, twisted tape inserts, and liquid additives. This study evaluated twisted tape inserts, which are highly effective passive devices. Considering its numerous advantages, such as effortless maintenance, uncomplicated operation, and straightforward production. The twisted tape inserts within the tube generated a vortex and swirling flow. The interior convective heat transfer process is significantly improved. A summary of various twisting tape additives that can boost performance.
In this work, for ultra-wideband (UWB) applications, a passive filter antenna with edge chamfering is investigated in this paper. The performance of an optimized UWB antenna design that achieves an advanced fractional impedance bandwidth of 102% is confirmed by simulation and experimentation. The performance of the antenna is improved by integrating a lowpass filter (LPF) into the fed line, which suppresses high-frequency radiation with a central frequency of 3.5 GHz (WiMAX), the UWB antenna has been transformed into a narrowband antenna, offering a 43.7% fractional bandwidth that spans the frequency range from 2.7 GHz to 3.9 GHz. A stepped impedance transmission line and an extended fractal H-shaped structure integrated in the microstrip feedline make up the filtering network. Using CST Microwave Studio (CST MWS), key performance parameters such as the radiation patterns, efficiency, gain, and reflection coefficient (S11) were examined. In its prototype, the antenna reduces its size by 5% and is made on a FR4 substrate with a permittivity coefficient of 4.3 and a loss tangent of 0.02. A maximum gain of 1.7 dBi and a peak efficiency of 78% at the center frequency were verified experimentally. The center frequency was verified experimentally. The tiny antenna, which measures 0.30λ₀ × 0.37λ₀ × 0.008λ₀, performs well and is appropriate for UWB applications. The design makes a significant addition to the realm of UWB technology by incorporating elements that improve its ability to adapt.
The indemnification of uncertainty and disturbance which is added to non-linear systems by an Integral Sliding Mode Controller (ISMC) design. the key target of this paper is designing a sturdy controller to observe the performance of a 2-link robot. The nonlinearity in mechanical systems is a shared issue that the researchers are facing in formulating control systems for it. The best solution to this problem is a design Sliding Mode Controller (SMC) for controlling a nonlinear system. In the current paper, 2-link robot is studied which suffering from disturbances and parameter uncertainty and coulomb friction as additional to friction inertia of the system for each link. firstly, Classical Sliding Mode Controller (CSMC) is designed and then Integral Sliding Mode Controller (ISMC). As known, CSMC includes two phases: reaching phase and sliding phase. SMC is suffering from the known phenomenon as "chattering" which is supposed as a critical case and unsuitable characteristic. chattering is described as a curvy movement span the switching surface. In the current study, the chattering is attenuated by employing a saturation function alternative of a sign function. Although SMC can be considered as a good way of controlling nonlinear systems. Where it continues to suffer from the long settling time as undesired features. ISMC is a good method can be employed for reducing the settling time and controlling a nonlinear system. ISMC is easy, robust execution and supposes as an active and strong technique. The most significant advantage in ISMC designing, the reaching phase is canceled that considered a major part of designing classical SMC. The 2 link Robot system was used for proving the performance of CSMC and ISMC algorithms. The outcomes received from the simulations utilizing the ISMC and CSMC which fulfilled asymptotic stability for the system. In comparative between CSMC and ISMC. ISMC is better than CSMC in the good performance of tracking the desired position with less time. Finally, MATLAB2019a software package has relied upon this work.
In the present work the worn journal bearing is simulated to discuss the effect of adding TiO2 nanoparticles to the base oil on its thermal performance. An extensive numerical investigation is carried out to study the effect of different parameters affecting thermal performance of worn journal bearing such as the eccentricity ratio (?), the wear depth parameter (?), and the nanoparticle concentration (?). The computational approach is provided by using finite difference method for solving the governing equations, namely, the modified Reynolds equation, energy and heat conduction equations with suitable equation to include the variation of the oil film thickness due to the bearing wear in order to estimate the benefits of using nanolubricant in worn journal bearings. Oil viscosity dependence on nanoparticle concentrations is considered by using Krieger Dougherty model. The mathematical model as well as the computer program prepared to solve the governing equations were validated by comparing the oil film pressure distribution obtained in the present work for a worn journal bearing with that obtained numerically by Hashimoto et.al [2](1986) with 3% maximum deviation between the results. The maximum oil film pressure obtained in this work was compared with that obtained experimentally by Roy [12] (2009) for intact journal bearing with 3% as a maximum error between the results. The results obtained show that the nanoparticles addition by 0.5% and 1% to the base oil increases the load carrying capacity of the worn journal bearing by 20% and 40% respectively while decreases the oil side leakage by 5% and 10% and friction coefficient by 2.75% and 5.7% as compared to that lubricated with pure oil. This is happen with the expense of power losses. Calculations also shows that adding a higher percentage of nanoparticles (2%) has a harmful effect on the performance of a worn journal bearing since the power losses is highly increased.
The standardization and preprocessing decisions determine the performance, reproducibility and generalizability of Artificial Intelligence (AI) models in cervical spine Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). In this research, the author suggests a six-step standardized preprocessing pipeline that can help with the reliable analysis of heterogeneous MRI data using AI. It is obtained by the pipeline based on recurrent methodological patterns found in the literature, focusing on the operations reported to stabilize image intensity distribution and reduce unwanted sources of variability. A systematic literature review was screened on 2,882 records, and 43 articles were included per the inclusion criteria. Due to the large variability of imaging procedures, preprocessing plans, and reported outcomes metrics, no quantitative meta-analysis was performed and a qualitative synthesis was done. Basic methods such as segmentation, denoising, intensity normalization, augmentation, bias-field correction were consistently reported to improve AI performance. Studies evaluating tasks such as normalization and automated segmentation reported accuracies of 94% to 99.95%. Moreover, less-specific harmonization methods like Combatting Batch Effects (ComBat), z-score normalization and histogram matching, and Generative Adversarial Network (GAN)-based ones were also often attributed with lower scanner- and site-based variations. Regardless of these improvements, the AI workflow remains unstable because of the irregularity of predefined parameters, unequal standards of acquisition, and lack of methodological reporting. In efforts to deal with such challenges, the current work proposes a methodical six-stage preprocessing model that consists of quality control, noise removal, intensity normalization, anatomical segmentation, harmonization and validation. The suggested workflow model offers a practical and transparent basis of clinically translatable AI usage in cervical spine MRI based on conventional mathematical equations and clear documentation.
Hybrid metal composite materials, combining diverse metal components, have emerged as promising alternatives in engineering applications, offering a unique synergy of mechanical properties. This review comprehensively examines the fatigue life of hybrid metal composites, delving into the intricate interplay of materials, manufacturing processes, and environmental factors. Drawing from a rich array of literature, the review explores the evolution of hybridization strategies, emphasizing their impact on fatigue resistance. Key factors influencing fatigue behavior, including material selection, manufacturing techniques, and environmental conditions, are systematically analyzed. The article highlights the significance of strategic hybridization in enhancing fatigue characteristics, reducing costs, and optimizing the overall performance of metal composites. The insights presented contribute to advancing the understanding of fatigue mechanisms in hybrid metal composite materials, offering valuable guidance for future research and engineering applications. Hybrid metal composite materials, characterized by the combination of diverse metal components, have garnered significant attention in engineering applications due to their potential to provide a unique synergy of mechanical properties. This comprehensive review delves into the intricate aspects of the fatigue life of hybrid metal composites, offering a thorough analysis of the interplay between materials, manufacturing processes, and environmental factors.
The robot manipulator output feedback problem points out to the controlled system in which the measurements of the joint position are available. In this study, all kinematic and dynamic parameters of robot manipulator are supposed unknown and the manipulator have to follow the desired trajectory. Therefore, the adaptive control problem for robot manipulators based on velocity estimation is investigated. According to the practical robot actuator power limitation, the bounded torque input is also considered in this study. The control algorithm is applied for 2-link manipulator to evaluate controller effectiveness. The design parameters that guaranteed the control performance of closed loop system are chosen by using optimization output constrained method. The proposed controller performances are provided by numerical simulations.
Recently, there is increasing interest in using the 18 THz bandwidth offered by S+C+L band to increase the transmission capacity of fiber communication systems. This leads to the generation of ultra-wideband (UWB) wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) optical communication systems. In these advanced systems, stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) causes a power transfer from high-frequency channels to low-frequency channels. This effect leads to an increase in the nonlinear interference (NLI) between the UWB-WDM channels. Power optimization techniques are required to balance transfer power between band channels, thus increasing the maximum transmission reach (MTR) along with increasing system capacity. In this paper, the transmission performance of S+C+L band system operating with dual-polarization 16-QAM signaling is investigated using enhanced Gaussian noise model. The transmitter and receiver for each DP channel use a -polarized laser and incorporate two identical configurations, one for x- and the other for y-state of polarization (SOP). The results are presented for two values of symbol rate, 40 and 80 GBaud, where the system carries 360 (=160+80+120) and 180 (=80+40+60) channels, respectively. The results revel that the MTR of both cases is equal to 12 100 km-spans when the channel lunch power equals to -4 and -2 dBm, respectively. This work also shows the effect of NLI components as a function of the number of spans, channel spacing, and channel launch power. The results show that the cross-phase modulation component of the NLI has high accumulated value with transmission distance, while the self-phase modulation component is almost constant.
This paper presents a study of a nonholonomic differential drive wheeled mobile robot (WMR) of the type (BOE-Bot). In this paper, two aims are presented: the first is the study of the WMR movement on a specific trajectories to get the desired goals positions and the second is the evaluation of the kinematic performance factor of the WMR movement. The kinematic model of the robot movement in terms of the robot wheels velocity is studied by making the robot to move on the desired trajectories. The determination of the actual robot centre position in two dimensions (X) and (Y) is done by tracking the movement of a red point located above the robot by using a fixed camera attached to the ceiling. The position error between the theoretical and actual WMR position vectors is studied and calculated in global and local coordinates' frames. The values of the position error percentage ratios when the robot moved on a (S-shape) trajectory were higher than its values when the robot moved on a (straight-line) trajectory because of the existence of a gyroscopic torque resulted from the WMR circular movement around an axis perpendicular to the axis of the WMR wheels rotation. Finally, the kinematic performance factor of the WMR movement is evaluated depending on the position error in the global coordinate.
ESAR feet are prosthetic feet with carbon fiber parts that store mechanical energy while standing and release it during propulsion. It is believed to reduce the metabolic energy needed for walking, and to promote the economy of walking. However, there is little scientific evidence to support this claim. This study aimed to compare the energy storage properties of two prosthetic feet made of carbon fiber using the P-Walk, G-Walk, and Podium devices developed for gait analysis, which is a systematic examination of human movement, enabling phasing, estimation of musculoskeletal performance, and determination of kinematic and motor parameters. The amount of energy was calculated for each of the feet using the load deflection test, and the results showed that the new artificial foot with an energy of 6.186 joules showed a great improvement in the results of the tests compared to the old artificial foot with an energy of 3.403 joules. The Podium device tests showed a significant improvement in walking patterns and pressure distribution after using a new foot. The pressure distribution became almost equal on both sides, and the angular deviation of COP decreased from -7 to 1.3 degrees. Ground reaction force vector tilt results also improved, with a body angle of 0 degrees and inclination varying slightly depending on the tibiofemoral angle for males. P-Walk results reveal left-sided static test pressure distribution, exposing amputees to osteoarthritis risk and revealing lack of confidence in prosthetic foot. After use the new prosthetic foot, amputees press more on right foot, indicating balance restoration. The G-Walk device shows the effectiveness of both healthy left and prosthetic foot when walking on an amputated right leg when use the new prosthetic foot. The amputated side's performance is similar to a healthy limb, with minimal difference and within normal limits. Walking cadence and speed values are within normal ranges, while stride length and step length are outside normal ranges for both sides. Obliquity results show a small difference in pelvic angles due to weak pelvic muscles, but these are close to standard values for prosthetic foot use. The amputee's opinions about the evaluation of the new prosthetic foot were good when using the T-score by 61.0 with a rate of 86.4%. It was a significant improvement compared to the old foot with an evaluation of 53.6 by 63.9%.
The effect of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) on the electric field strength and distribution for improvement solar cell performance is investigated and simulated. By manipulating the properties of nanoparticles, distribution of the electric field was altered. In this paper, classical solar cell (p-n junction) and improved structure (add an extra layer of SiO2 and gold nanoparticles on the top of p-n junction) is simulated. Different sizes of NPs, thickness of SiO2 sublayer, and spacing distance between NPs is done to improving the electric field and showing plamonic effect. Gold NPs deposition on single crystalline silicon solar cell is modelled by COMSOL 5.2 2D, Electromagnetic wave propagation in the frequency domain with periodic boundary conditions. The best wavelength found in our work is 550 nm. The electric field enhances when the size of NPs increases but it must be limited. When gold NPs are deposited on the SiO2 sublayer, the plasmonic effect appears due to decreasing the refractive index. Moreover, separation distance between NPs affect the electric field enhancement by manipulating the number of NPs, the distance decreases and the plasmonic interaction appears.
Flexible and rigid pavements are commonly built for airport pavements to support the moving loads of aircraft during the pavement design life. Airport pavements represent a cornerstone of the aviation world. Their condition profoundly impacts safety, operational efficiency, airport capacity, and financial well-being. These meticulously engineered surfaces must withstand the immense stresses generated by aircraft during takeoff, landing, and taxiing. At the planning stage, the pavement structure, materials, aircraft loads, environmental conditions, and pavement damage models should be evaluated. Comparing with road pavement design, airport pavement structural design is unique in terms of the traffic loads supported by pavements with high load magnitude, significant tire pressure, and dynamic traffic conditions. Over time, deterioration stemming from environmental exposure, aircraft loading, and other factors becomes inevitable. This study aims to explore the various factors influencing airport pavement performance, review the existing methodologies for pavement design and maintenance, and propose enhancements to current practices to ensure long-term durability and safety of airport pavements. This study aims to explore the various factors influencing airport pavement performance, review the existing methodologies for pavement design and maintenance, and propose enhancements to current practices to ensure long-term durability and safety of airport pavements.
Whispering Gallery Mode Micro-Resonators (WGMRs) have received significant interest due to their great sensitivity to environmental changes, compact size, and ability to operate over a wide spectral range because their low optical losses produce high-quality factors so that they can be used in various sensing applications. This work investigates the design and implementation of cylindrical WGMRs for Refractive Index (RI) sensing for different delivery fiber diameters. Single Mode Fiber with different waist diameters (80,67.1,18) µm were used as delivery fibers. At the same time, the sensor (resonator) fiber is SMF with a diameter (125 µm). Quality factors and Free Spectral Range (FSR) were calculated and analyzed for each diameter. The quality factor for all diameters was in power of 104, which is considered good. The FSR is inversely proportional to fiber diameter. FSR values were (0.678,1.75,2.03) nm for (80,67.1,18) µm delivery fiber diameters respectively. An analyte prepared by NaCl with different refractive indices is used to investigate the RI sensor performance. Higher sensitivity is obtained from the WGMR with a smaller waist diameter, which is (-)74 nm/RIU. While for the delivery fiber diameters (80,67.1) µm were (-0.28, -9.27) nm/RIU respectively. The submitted sensor will have a good contribution in the field of chemical, biological and medical applications.
Porosity is one of the most important reservoir characteristics because it indicates to fluid collection. Several techniques used to get good porosity prediction, so, in this study we employed seismic attributes and well log data in a genetic algorithm to get the best porosity prediction. The study attempt to enhance the performance of genetic algorithm for attribute selection and therefore porosity prediction by applying genetic algorithm on different types of fitness functions like average mean square error fitness, average correlation coefficients fitness and performance index fitness. Also, used two methods to represent attributes in genetic algorithm. Different witnesses applied to choose the appropriate fitness function that gives high porosity prediction.
In this paper an experimental works conducted to study the behavior of R.C. beam with large web opening at different locations and fortified with reactive powder composite (RPC) at the extreme tension zone (bottom edge of opening) and/or extreme compression zone (Top edge of opening). The experimental study is investigate the behavior of twelve beams and study the ability of using normal strength concrete together with RPC in the same section to exploit the advantages of these two materials in optimal way. The main variables are RPC layers locations in tension zone and/or in compression zone and the locations of openings. The ultimate loads, load mid-span deflection behavior and strain for steel and concrete were discussed. The experimental results showed that the ultimate strength was decreased with increasing number of opening about 4% for beams with two openings located in shear zone and 21% for beams with three openings, thus indicating that the stiffness decreases accordingly. The using RPC layers effectively enhanced performance of hybrid beams when compared with using the normal strength concrete layers only. The using RPC layers in compression and tension zones increased the ultimate load about 47 % for beams with two opening located in shear zone, when using RPC in the tension zone and normal strength concrete in the compression zone the ultimate flexural load and ultimate deflection increase little compared with normal concrete.
In Iraq some pavements of the newly constructed highway appear precocious distresses with unfavorable implications especially on the safety and the frugality. Cracking and permanent deformation are main types of these failures. The filler is doubtful to be a master contributor to these failures where its content has a significance effect on the mixture stiffness, and thereby affect the HMA pavement performance. The main objective of this research is to appreciate the influence of different contents of filler on the volumetric properties of asphaltic mixtures thus performance of asphalt mixtures through Comparative Evaluation between conventional Marshall Method and Super pave system. The implementation of a detailed experimental work is carried out to achieve the study objectives through the preparation of asphalt concrete samples using aggregate from Al-Nebaie quarry, (40-50) asphalt cement from Dourah refinery and limestone dust filler with four different contents of (0%, 4%, 8%, and 12%) by weight of the total aggregate. The volumetric properties for each mix design method are evaluated using Marshall Test and the Super pave Gyratory Compacter. The influence of filler contents on the rendering of these mixtures was evaluated.
As a result of the tremendous development taking place in modern systems and technologies in the field of electronic monitoring. Intelligent monitoring, decision making, and automated response systems have become common subjects at this time, especially after the development of machines responsible for these processes. Traffic surveillance is a trend goal nowadays using different techniques and equipment. In this article, real-time Object detection and tracking techniques were proposed for traffic surveillance using image processing techniques. A state was specifically examined for its ability to detect and count passing motorcycles on a highway in a specific area. The results showed good reliability, with a frame processing time of approximately about (30 ms) and the achievement of real-time performance. The main contribution of this article is reaching the best result implemented by the performance the real-time process using image process technique and tracking the object by depending on the sequencing of frames and can stands with rationally not so powerful machines. Several tools have been used for different types of necessary tasks that will be part of the required application such as Python 3.7; which was used to build the basic algorithms,Visual studio code (VSC) as an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), and Anaconda navigator for downloading many useful libraries. The specifications of the used device were Intel(R) Core (TM) i7- 10750H CPU @ 2.60GHz 2.59 GHz, RAM 16.0 GB, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU, 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor.
Numerical analysis of the performance of reinforced concrete (RC) deep beam subjected to static and fixed-point pulsating loading at the midpoint has been investigated. Three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model using the Strut and Tie approach was adopted. The damage level under the influence of the applied fixed pulsating loading is higher than the static applied loading, hence early crack was observed because of the stepwise loading in the form of vibration. Although the Strut and Tie approach gave a good estimation of the resistance capacity of the beam, the beam undergo high shear damage when subjected to these two types of loading. Material strength properties, applied loadings and cross-sections adopted are some of the factors that affect the performance of the deep beam.
In this paper, we suppose a method for reducing the dispersion in the plastic optical fiber (POF) Bragg gratings based on optimizing the grating coupling-strength (?) using genetic algorithms. The effects of average refractive index (?n) and temperature (T) change on the dispersion properties are investigated numerically. It is found that the amplitude of the ?n for low dispersion performance needs to be reduced at the cost of the design complexity of the POF Bragg gratings. Owing to the unusually large and negative thermo-optic coefficient of the POF, the dispersion due to the wavelength shift induced by the temperature variation will be reduced by operating at high ? value. Results showed that by optimizing the ? value a very large dispersion reduction range has been obtained, from 1178 to 11.5 ps/nm at 30 mm grating length.
The improvement in solar chimneys' thermal performance and thermal behavior that can be achieved by adding metal foam has been tested in computational work. The flow and heat transfer governing equations for solar chimney models were solved using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). It was solved using the control volume numerical method in ANSYS FLUENT 14.5. It is used to construct a finite volume modeling technique for solving the governing equations and the radiation heat transfer equations. With standard flat absorber plates, the results showed that heat transmission was increased by the inclusion of metal foam (10 PPI), leading to an increase in air velocity at the solar chimney of around 13.3%. The highest average air velocity with 10 PPI drops by 54.4% as the height of the absorber plate changes from 5 cm to 25 cm respectively.
The solar vortex engine (SVE) has been investigated to generate power using renewable energy. The SVE was constructed from a vortex generation engine (VGE) and solar air collector (SAC). The SVE system primarily utilizes vertical air movement. However, the airflow entering the VGE experiences an obstruction. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new design for the VGE that creates a swirling updraft capable of overcoming air obstruction and reducing energy losses. A 3D numerical model of VGE was developed to visualize vortex generation. The modeling of the VGE is carried using SOLIDWORKS software and ANSYS-FLUENT 18. The improved VGE has six vertical twisted convergence blades connected to six guide vanes to direct updraft air in an anticlockwise swirl. All blades and vanes are housed in a VGE cylinder with a diameter of 20cm and a height of 30cm. The simulation results were validated by comparing with the results obtained from the present experimental model. The simulation results match with a mean difference of less than 5% with the experimental measurements. The results of the current CFD investigation indicate that there is a gradient in air temperature and pressure within the VGE, ranging from the highest values of 314 K and 3.85 Pa to the lowest values of 308 K and 2.42 Pa, respectively. The CFD visualization shows a threefold increase in axial velocity and a fivefold increase in tangential velocity within an artificial vortex. Therefore, it can be concluded that the new VGE construction is highly efficient in generating a vortex.
This paper proposes a design for a network connected over public networks using Virtual Private Network (VPN) technique. The network consists of five sites; center server and four customer service sites, each site consists of a number of LANs depending on the user services requirements. This work aims to measure the effect of VPN on the performance of a network. Four approaches are implements: Network design without using VPN, network design using VPN with centralized servers, network design using VPN with distributed servers, and network design using server load balance.The OPNET and BOSON simulation results show higher response time for packet transmission due to effect of VPN tunneling. The concurrent activation of application execution is used as a solution to the delay problem of the initial timing period while the application proceeds. The results dealing with QoS are E-mail, FTP, voice services traffic and IP traffic dropped. The VPN Tunnels is in the range of (0.01 to 0.02) sec.; along with this simulator there are four VPN tunnels in the network. Also, a special server’s load balance is used to manage distribution of the server processing load across all other network servers to achieve the best response
The phenomenon of climate change resulting from the increase of global warming has become one of the main problems facing the world. Where researchers and specialists have worked for many years to find a solution that reduces this phenomenon and limits its risks. It is likely that clean energy is an alternative to fossil fuel sources, which are the main source of global warming. One of the clean energy sources is ocean wave energy, which is a huge and untapped energy source, despite the possibility of extracting large energy from waves. This paper focuses on the study of deep-sea turbines and their results. A study was conducted on the capture chamber. Where this paper presents an experimental model of a water tank with certain dimensions in the university laboratories to describe the dynamic behavior of the capture chamber. The Froude number scale was used to model the dimensions and depth of the water as well as the wave properties. Through experimental work and its results show, and it was found that the power generated by the motion of the wave strength is related to the height and frequency of the wave.
Mathematical and numerical study of finned tube air cooled condenser for air conditioning unit with two ton refrigeration capacity using R22 as a base fluid and R407C an alternative fluid was investigated. Different parameters were considered in this work, such as condensing pressure, ambient temperature and refrigerant mass flow. A comparison of performance between two condensers when using R22 and R407C were performed. A redesign the condenser operates with the R407C to operate with the same system that operates with R22. The result showed the same behavior for the two refrigerants, the condensers are possible to work with R407C for the same geometry and some modifications in the structure of heat exchange with the same air velocity. The proposed model was validated with the outputs from the test data given in literature papers, derived from air cooled condensers with different dimensions. The results exhibited an agreement with the experimental results with a percentage of compatibility ± 10%.
This paper proposes robust control for three models of the linear inverted pendulum (one mass linear inverted pendulum model, two masses linear inverted pendulum model and three masses linear inverted pendulum model) which represents the upper, middle and lower body of a bipedal walking robot. The bipedal walking robot is built of light-weight and hard Aluminum sheets with 2 mm thickness. The minimum phase system and non-minimum phase system are studied and investigated for inverted pendulum models. The bipedal walking robot is programmed by Arduino microcontroller UNO. A MATLAB Simulink system is built to embrace the theoretical work. The results showed that one linear inverted pendulum is the worst performance, worst noise rejection and the worst set point tracking to the zero moment point. But two masses linear inverted pendulum models and three masses linear inverted pendulum model have a better performance, a better high-frequency noise rejection characteristic and better set-point tracking to the zero moment point.
The experimental analysis is conducted under the Iraqi climate conditions to investigate the performance enhancement of a solar updraft tower system (SUTS) using the porous copper foam as an absorber plate and conventional absorber plate with absorber inclination angle of 18°. In the present work, a semicircular collector is divided into two identical quarter thermal collectors to become two identical SUTS. One of the quarter circular thermal collectors contains on the metal foam as an absorber plate, while the other quarter collector on the conventional flat copper absorber plate. In this study the air inlet height is changed of (3, 5, and 8) cm. The experimental tests carried out in Baghdad city (latitude 33.3° N). Results showed that the air inlet height variation caused to enhance the solar updraft tower performance. The highest values was recorded when the air inlet height is 3 cm using porous absorber compared to flat absorber plate. Copper material foam as an endothermic surface causes a marked decrease in average surface temperature of the plate. The maximum hourly thermal efficiency of solar collector was increased to about 41.6 % and the maximum enhancement of the power output to about 45.2 % compared with flat absorber plate.
This research is based on developing a flexible strain sensor from graphite-treated fabric using knife coating technology. Three sensors were formed, differing in the number of coating layers (2, 4, 6). The results of studying their properties had shown that with increasing a number of coating layers, the electrical conductivity value of the treated samples increased, reaching a value of (21.8×10-3 S/cm). The treated layer was superficial, as the penetration of the coating into the structure did not increase significantly. It was also shown that the treatment did not affect the fabric properties such as hardness and tear strength. When studying the sensor's performance, it was found that the sensor's resistance value changes with the change in its bending angle. The change rate was higher for the six-layer sample, and the response time was shorter, faster (0.8s), than the other samples. Then, a working system was applied to the sensor to give a command to turn the LED on or off by bending the sensor and it showed good performance. This, in turn, confirms the effectiveness of applying this sensor in smart wearable textiles.
An orthogonal chaotic vectors based differential chaos shift keying (OCV-DCSK) digital communication system is presented. In this system the data transmission rates are increased by sending M bits in the same frame without needing for synchronization and channel state information since it use the benefit of non-coherent modulation of the DCSK and the orthogonality of chaotic vectors in the same scenario as QCSK system but instead of using Hilbert transform to create two orthogonal signals in QCSK, Gram Schmidt process is used to create M orthogonal chaotic signals from the M non-orthogonal chaotic signal. In the proposed system the analytical expression for OCV-DCSK are derived in AWGN and multipath fading channels. The simulation results show that the derived analytical expression have matched the Monte-Carlo simulation of the proposed system. Furthermore, comparison between orthogonal chaotic vectors and non-orthogonal, that are generated either as different initial conditions with the same chaotic generator or as different types of chaotic maps, reveals its superior BER performance in multipath fading channel.
In the last two decades, underwater acoustic sensor networks have begun to be used for commercial and non-commercial purposes. In this paper, the focus will be on improving the monitoring performance system of oil pipelines. Linear wireless sensor networks are a model of underwater applications for which many solutions have been developed through several research studies in previous years for data collection research. In underwater environments, there are certain inherent limitations, like large propagation delays, high error rate, limited bandwidth capacity, and communication with short-range. Many deployment algorithms and routing algorithms have been used in this field. In this work a new hierarchical network model proposed with improvement to Smart Redirect or Jump algorithm (SRJ). This improved algorithm is used in an underwater linear wireless sensor network for data transfer to reduce the complexity in routing algorithm for relay nodes which boost delay in communication. This work is implemented using OMNeT++ and MATLAB based on their integration. The results obtained based on throughput, energy consumption, and end to the end delay.
The depleting of the conventional sources of energy and the excess use of HCF components lead to the need for new techniques both for conservation of energy sources for the future and for decreasing the its harmful effects on the environment. This study investigated the adsorption capabilities of activated carbon. The adsorption of methanol on this substance was tested for their application in the adsorption refrigeration system based on solar energy._x000D_ Adsorption refrigeration system has been designed and manufactured with the energy source being solar energy. Methanol/activated carbon pairs have been used in experiments. The present work focused on the performance of the adsorption refrigeration system considering the temperature attained in the evaporator and the cooled spaced cabinet. The amounts of activated carbon used was (8 kg), while the amount of methanol were (1, 1.25, and 1.5) kg. The experiments were done in different days of the year. The amount of adsorption of methanol (as a result of decreasing the evaporator and cooled spaced temperature) was found to depend on the generator pressure and its increase as the primary generator pressure decreases. The best mass of methanol used was (1 kg) which give the lowest temperature obtained at the evaporative surface was ( 3.4 oC ) at the day ( 4/4/2017 ). The results shown that even in cloudy days there is a benefit from using such a system because the temperature attained is enough to start the adsorption process. The lowest temperature obtained at the evaporative surface was (3.4 oC) at the day (4/4/2017) for methanol mass of (1 kg) at an opening time of the valve between the evaporator and the generator (9:30am). The increase of methanol amount used in the experiment led to a good decrease in temperature attained in cooled spaced, but this is related to the time of connecting the evaporator and generator.
High-performance polymer nanocomposites utilizing different-sized nanofillers had a lot of interest recently. Due to their distinct structural, and thermal characteristics. Multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and nanoclay (NC) have the most interest among the numerous types of reinforcing as filler elements for a polymer. The formation of hybrid from MWCNT and NC at various loadings (0.5%, 1%, and 2wt%) on the characteristics of epoxy polymer have been assessed in this work. The specimens have been created using solution blending procedures with the addition of solvent ethanol at a ratio of 1:1 for dispersed nanofillers, and then they have been re-mixed with epoxy. Tests like X-Ray diffraction (XRD), and thermal conductivity were used to identify properties of epoxy. According to the test results, the thermal conductivity rise as the filler content rises at 1wt%, then start to decrease after 1wt%. The sample with the hybrid filler loading of 1 wt% produced the best performance. Since hybrid epoxy exhibits the best result of the thermal conductivity 135% over MWNT and NC nanocomposites of 1 wt.% reached 0.3568 W/m.K in the increased thermal conductivity property. By examining the EP nanocomposites XRD pattern. The hybrid of epoxy nanocomposites exhibits all of the NC and MWCNT characteristic peaks. Since interactions between the filler and the epoxy cause a shift in the peak location of 1wt%. Due to the homogeneity of the nanofillers entire epoxy matrix, there may be changes in the intensity or location of the peaks at 1% for 2θ= 20.13°, which corresponds to an interlayer distance of d=0.461nm.
Free Space Optics (FSO) plays a vital role in modern wireless communications due to its advantages over fiber optics and RF techniques where a transmission of huge bandwidth and access to remote places become possible._x000D_ The specific aim of this research is to analyze the Bit-Error Rate (BER) for FSO communication system when the signal is sent the over medium of turbulence channel, where the fading channel is described by the Gamma-Gamma model. The signal quality is improved by using Optical Space-Time Block- Code (OSTBC) and then the BER will be reduced. Optical 2×2 Alamouti scheme required 14 dB bit energy to noise ratio (Eb/N0) at 10-5 bit error rate (BER) which gives 3.5 dB gain as compared to no diversity scheme._x000D_ The results show that using Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) technique represented by Alamouti scheme gives the improved BER performance as compared with no diversity (Single-Input-Single-Output (SISO)) technique.
The problem of filtering medical images is regarded one of the most important challenges that researchers are competing to solve it, where the filtered image helps to get the correct diagnosis of the diseases. This paper introduces an effective approach for filtering the medical ultrasound images. The main type of noise which corrupts the ultrasound images is the speckle noise. There are many methods for de-speckling this type of images addressed by the researchers including classical filters such as Weiner, Kuan, and Lee and adaptive filters such as shock filter. The performance of the proposed approach of this paper is compared with these filters using three performance evaluation metrics: "Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR)", "Mean Square Error (MSE)", and "Universal Image Quality Index (UIQ)". The empirical results illustrate that the proposed approach outperforms better than the others in term of these evaluation criteria. The proposed approach at noise variance=0.5 achieved the following values: (PSNR=32.0847db, MSE= 0.0962, and UIQ= 0.9829).
Reflective cracking is a serious issue that Adversely influences the performance and longevity of asphalt overlays over deteriorated pavements. This review Looks for the Technologies which used to reduce the reflection cracks propagation by insert a new Strategies and different design materials. This research dealt with many treatments such as: increasing the layer thickness of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA), creating modified asphalt by adding polymers to asphalt, rubberizing asphalt, carbon black, sulfur and other different materials. Geosynthetic materials were studied and analyzed to evaluate their ability to increase the layer tensile strength and minimize the effect of reflection cracks such as geotextiles, geogrids, and Stress Absorbing Membrane Interlayers (SAMI). The research shows that the increasing of overlay asphalt layer thickness leads to durability development. On the other hand, using developed materials like Polymer-Modified Asphalt and Stress Absorbing Membrane Interlayers (SAMI) Strategies leads to increasing the service life of the repaired pavement. The conclusion indicated that the development of overlay asphalt layer thickness and layer reinforcement and applying advanced environmental systems can be improving the pavement performance. These Strategies can produce a perfect solution to prevent or reduce the reflection cracks in rigid and flexible pavement.
The partial shading conditions have a significant effect on the performance of Photovoltaic system and the ability of delivering energy. In this study, the impact of different partial shading on the mono crystalline (88W) PV module performance was investigated in this study. Horizontal string, vertical string, and single cell shading at different percentage of shading area have been studied. It is found that the horizontal string shading is more severe on the efficiency of the PV panel. In contrast, the efficiency of PV panel with cellular and vertical cell shading was less during the tests. The experimental results showed that the power losses were 99.8%, 66% and 56.8 % for horizontal, cellular and vertical shading respectively via applied non transparent material as shading element by 100% of shading area at 500 W/m2. Moreover, transparent material used to shade whole module horizontally, different shading area and different radiation level applied to find electrical characteristics of the module under these conditions. The results show that at 800W/m2 of irradiation levels and no shading condition the power was 68.6W, by increase shading area by 20% in each step, the power reducing by 44.94, 47.58, 49.42, 50.57 and 52.4% in compared with their initial value at no shading condition.
The mixing technique was applied in this study to enhance the strength performance of the cement. The addition of 3% by weight of hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles were mixed with 97% polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) acrylic polymer, which has a nano size to serve as the matrix material. The surface roughness and continuous porosity of the bone cement were found to be slightly increased by the incorporation of nanoparticles, which enhanced bone-implant osseointegration and ingrowth. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis revealed that the addition of hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles resulted in a surface roughness value (Sa) of 16.25 nm, which is similar to that of natural bone. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) mapping results discover precentor material and uniform distribution. The Sample exhibited promising results in the antibacterial test, showing efficacy against bacteria both with and without sterilization, confirming its antibacterial properties. The mechanical tests conducted on the sample, including tensile, compression, bending and Vickers hardness tests, yielded favorable results and indicated that the sample is suitable for its intended application. In the theoretical works the design of the bone, screw, and bone plate was conducted using SolidWorks, followed by an analysis using ANSYS under both axial and bending load conditions. The theoretical analysis revealed that the safety factor was less than 1 when an axial load of 13 N was applied and a bending load of 2 N was applied, indicating that the structure may not be able to withstand these loads safely. Under both ambient and physiologically relevant conditions in the human body, HA and PMMA have demonstrated to be excellent choices for enhancing the clinical performance of bone cement. This, in turn, can lead to increased longevity of implants, decreased patient risk, and lower healthcare costs
Numerical and experimental investigations were carried out on the effect of the vortex generators on the flow field and heat transfer from duct heaters. The flow Reynolds number ranging from 32000<Re<83000 with a constant heat flux of 43.09426._x000D_ In the numerical investigation, Fluent package (6.3) was used to solve the steady, (3-D), continuity, momentum and energy equations where the standard (k-?) model was used to remedy the turbulent effects. Theoretical results show that the presence of VGs would save 27% of heaters power. The effects of two areas of VGs were looked at a small circle cross section vortex generator (SCCSVG) and a big circle cross section vortex generator (BCCSVG) of similar shapes (where)._x000D_ The experimental results showed that there were an enhancement in heat transfer with the presence of VGs and heat transfer depends on VGs’ areas. The BCCSVG was the better one of enhancing heat transfer by (2.76%-4.11%). Additionally, the increase of area of VGs, number of rows for VGs and the distance between each two rows of VGs and the heaters are the most effective parameters in improving the performance of heat transfer.
Recent scholarly efforts have extensively explored the efficacy of solar dish concentrators through both numerical simulations and empirical investigations. These studies predominantly scrutinize the interplay between solar receiver geometry and the dual objectives of minimizing heat loss while amplifying thermal efficiency. This comprehensive review synthesizes the spectrum of research dedicated to examining various cavity receiver geometries alongside their optimization techniques when integrated with parabolic dish collectors. We systematically assess configurations, including flat-sided, cylindrical, conical, and hemispherical designs. Our findings highlight that for an inlet temperature set at 200oC, the conical cavity receiver is distinguished by an exergy efficiency of 30%, a thermal efficiency approximating 70%, and an optical efficiency nearing 87%, maintaining a working fluid temperature range of 650°C to 750°C. The elevated operational temperatures, coupled with the inherent geometry of the cavity, accentuate the significance of mitigating heat losses attributed to convection, conduction, and radiation, as these factors critically impinge on system performance. Additional variables such as cavity inclination angle, diameter-to-depth ratio, tubing contour, and material selection are identified as instrumental in influencing cavity heat losses. Consequently, the pursuit of an optimized cavity receiver geometry emerges as a pivotal area of study. Drawing upon the issues analyzed, we propose strategic recommendations and conclude with insightful remarks poised to guide future research endeavors.
Bio-cement built on microbial induced carbonate precipitation MICP, be able to consolidate the loose grains and can applied for soil reinforcement. In this study, the performing of an ureolytic Sporosarcina Pasteurii for sand stabilization was estimated. The S. Pasteurii Could effectively consolidates sand particles through urea hydrolysis and the successive production of calcite. The bio improved sands had relative great compressive strength after 60 days exposure to bacterial cells injections cycles. The compressive strength of bio stabilized sands was reliant on the utilized cell concentrations and density of urea and CaCl2. High bacteria cell masses decreased the compressive strength. The optimal density of cell, was OD600 0.5, when cost and performance were taken into account. The study shows that bio cementation of sand built on microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) has ability for the reduction of sand permeability through pore clogging with precipitated carbonate.
In term of sustainable practices, recycling plays a crucial role, particularly in the construction industry where the disposal of old structures generates significant waste. Recycling old concrete not only reduces the need for new natural resources but also eliminate waste accumulation. Numerous research study the behaviors of recycled aggregate concretes, practically focusing on the long term behaviours. A large number of studies have demonstrated that concrete made from recycled aggregate exhibits poorer long-term characteristics in comparison to aggregate from nature concrete. The long-term behaviour can be affected by three factor which is creep, shrinkage and tension stiffening. Greater management of these variables can enhance the RAC's long-term properties. The review will specifically focus on the influence of time dependent parameters i.e., creep, shrinkage, and loss of tension stiffening with time. Furthermore, it will explore the long-term deflection predicted from code used for deflection prediction, considering three codes: ACI, EC2, and the CSA code. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of long-term deflection of recycled aggregate concrete beam and evaluate the effectiveness of various factors that impact their structural performance.
In this work, the control of Translational Oscillations with a Rotational Actuator (TORA) system is presented in this paper. The optimal sliding mode controller is proposed to control the two DOF underactuated mechanical system. The nonlinear coupling from the rotational to the translational motion is the main problem that faces the controller design. The H2 sliding mode controller is designed to give a better performance if only sliding mode control is used. The results illustrate that the proposed H2 sliding mode controller can achieve the stabilization of the system with the variation in system parameters and disturbance.
An investigation of thermal conductivity enhancement, melting and solidification processes of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) by using metal foams has been carried out. Two models have been used in the experiments, model I for measuring the effective thermal conductivity of metal foam embedded in paraffin wax, and model II used as a small scale thermal energy storage device with and without metal foam for investigating melting and solidification processes of the PCM under different cooling conditions (natural and forced convection). The theoretical investigation involves analytical solution of two models, the semi-infinite medium for calculating the thermal conductivity, and the thermal energy storage system TESS has been analyzed including several assumptions for determining the convective heat transfer coefficient and the factors that controlling forced convection and solidification of the PCM. The experimental results show that the thermal conductivity of wax with 10 PPI metal foam increased by (37-39) times that of pure wax. Effects of pore density (10 and 40 PPI), metal foam, and mass flow rate on solidification process have been studied and the effects of pore density and metal foam on the melting process have also been investigated. The present experimental results have been compared with the available previous studies and gave a good agreement.
Deep learning modeling could provide to detected Corona Virus 2019 (COVID-19) which is a critical task these days to make a treatment decision according to the diagnostic results. On the other hand, advances in the areas of artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, and medical imaging techniques allow demonstrating impressive performance, especially in problems of detection, classification, and segmentation. These innovations enabled physicians to see the human body with high accuracy, which led to an increase in the accuracy of diagnosis and non-surgical examination of patients. There are many imaging models used to detect COVID-19, but we use computerized tomography (CT) because is commonly used. Moreover, we use for detection a deep learning model based on convolutional neural network (CNN) for COVID-19 detection. The dataset has been used is 544 slice of CT scan which is not sufficient for high accuracy, but we can say that it is acceptable because of the few datasets available in these days. The proposed model achieves validation and test accuracy 84.4% and 90.09%, respectively. The proposed model has been compared with other models to prove superiority of our model over the other models.
Improvements in the thermo-physical properties of Phase Change Materials (PCM) caused by nanoparticle dissipation are critical for a wide range of technologies. The current study describes numerically the investigation of the charging and discharging process of paraffin wax dispersed with different concentrations (1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, and 10% ) of Alumina nanoparticles (Al2O3), in a Single Thermal Energy Storage (STES) system. For this study, a time-dependent, two-dimensional simulation of the solidification and melting process was performed numerically for different velocities. The study is realized using the CFD ANSYS FLUENT software package (Version 18) that employs the phase-change phenomenon using the enthalpy technique. The results show that adding alumina nanoparticles to paraffin wax reduces the melting and solidification process, and raising nanoparticle concentration accelerated the melting and solidification process even more when compared to pure paraffin wax. The greatest improvement was obtained with the maximum concentration of nanoparticles with total time saving between (12% - 11.76% ) in the charging process and between ( 15.71% - 19.60% ) in the discharging process depending on velocity. Furthermore, other important findings were that the presence of nanoparticles makes a little effect in the early stages of the solidification and melting processes, but as time passes, the rate of solidification and melting rises. Comparison with previous works gave good agreement of about 34%.
The efficiency of the solar PV panel decreases significantly as the PV panel’s operating temperature increases. There are many cooling techniques might be suitably deal with this problem to enhance the solar panel efficiency. The presented cooling technique used for solving the PV panel’s temperature elevation is an active close loop cooling system, accomplished using two water glazing chambers made from acrylic glass placed at the PV panel surfaces (rear and front). These champers are utilized for cooling down the PV cell’s temperature, as well as filtering the useful sunlight spectrum. The results show that the PV cell’s temperature reduction by 50.06% with using the cooling system, this leads to an average increase in the maximum output power and consequently electrical efficiency of the PV panel by about 12.69% and 14.2%, respectively.
The evaluation of the behavior of bridge piers with soils surrounding them during earthquakes became necessary in Iraq especially after the influential earthquakes hit middle and south of Iraq during the last few years. A three dimensional finite element model for the bridge substructure and soil surrounding the bored piles with the actual dimensions and actual properties corresponding to "Sheikh Sa'ad Bridge" in Sheikh Sa'ad district at Wasit Governorate 37km south east of Kut city is presented. The model loaded with earthquake ground motion applied as lateral forces at one side of piles cap. The Earthquake hit 11 km from Ali-Al Gharbee in Maysan Province in 2012 with a magnitude of ML = 4.9 is used as the input ground motion. The response of the pier was investigated and the performance of piles and the soil surrounding them was examined. Then these typical piers and surrounding soils were checked weather they can bear the stresses induced due to these earthquake forces. From this work, it was found that typical piers used in bridges in Iraq can sustain earthquakes up to those with a magnitude of ML = 6.8 maximum.
Reinforced concrete slab with plastic voids (Bubbled Deck system) is a new type of slabs which has two-dimensional arrangement of voids within the slab that is developed to decrease the slab self-weight while maintaining approximately the same load carrying capacity as compared with the solid slabs. Plastic voided slabs have the ability to reduce concrete amount by about 30 percent and this reduction is so important in terms of cost saving and enhancement the structural performance. In this research paper investigation is carried out to study the shear strength behavior of one-way bubble deck slab using self-compacting reinforced concrete. The experimental program consists of testing thirteen one-way slabs with dimensions of (1700 length, 700 width and 150 thick) mm. One of the tested slabs is a solid slab (without balls) is used as a reference, the remaining twelve bubbled slabs with ball diameter (73, 60) mm are divided into five groups according to the parameters of the experimental work, the parameters of the experimental work include: type of slab (bubble and solid slabs), ball diameter (73, 60) mm, shear reinforcement and spacing between balls. The experimental results showed that the bubbled slabs without shear reinforcement have a decrease in the ultimate load as compared to solid slab by about 3.7% to 14.3% and an increase in the deflection at ultimate load by about 10% to 22%, at the same time the first crack load decreases by about 15.3% to 42.4% as compared to solid slab due to decreases of moment of inertia of bubble slab compared to solid slab. Also, the results showed that the bubbled slabs withe shear reinforcement (multi-leg) have an increase in the ultimate load as compared to solid slab by about 35.4% to 57.3% and an increase in the deflection at ultimate load by about 1% to 15%, at the same time the first crack load decreases by about 2.8% to 27.4% as compared to solid slab.
Square patch antennas (SPA) are widely used today's in wireless communication systems, mainly with popular frequency of 1.575 GHz. Wireless devices are the main source of propagation and radiation for the Electromagnetic (EM) rays. The waves penetrate tissues of the human beings and cause health danger. A fractal Sausage Minkowski square patch antenna is proposed, designed and simulated. A Fractal antenna is designed and simulated at 1.575 GHz for GPS application using CST MW studio 2014. Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) is the term which measures the exposure of human to electromagnetic waves radiation for communication antenna. SAR values are calculated over tissues mass with respect to the IEEE and (ICNIRP) standards for head safety. The SPA antenna presents the smallest SAR levels in adult head tissues at 2nd iteration Sausage Minkowski fractal antenna. The results show that the SAR levels for the three different fractal iteration are the highest in (ICNIRP) standard as compared to (IEEE) standard.
Moisture damage in terms of stripping; and aging surface in terms of raveling and abrasion are among the primary distresses that lead to the deterioration of asphalt pavement, diminishing the overall quality and functionality of road surfaces. This study investigates the impact of using low-cost and locally available waste aluminum scrape powder (WASP) with a particle size ranging from sieves No.8 to No.200. WASP exhibits a high bulk specific gravity and melting point temperature on HMA mixtures, which could also potentially enhance the density and stiffness of modified mixtures. Five quantities of additives 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5% have been used to enhance the mechanical-durability features. The aggregate sources of AlDoz and AlNibaa'e were chosen, and different mixtures were produced utilizing Marshall and Roller compaction methods. The study's findings indicated that WASP enhanced mechanical-durability characteristics and reduced the asphalt mixture's sensitivity to abrasion, moisture damage, and aging. The optimal amount of WASP was determined to be 1.5%. In addition, based on the influence of the aggregate source and compaction technique, it is visible that the AlNibaa'e source and roller compaction mode provide superior outcomes compared to the AlDoz aggregate source and the Marshall method.
The present work is a numerical study of thermal performance of modified flat plate solar water collectors. Numerical simulations have been done by solving the governing equations (Continuity, Momentum and Energy) equations in the laminar regime , three dimensions by using the FLUENT software version (14.5). The effect of flow on temperature distribution of flat plate water collectors by inserting (twist strip with twist ratio (3), helical spring surrounding the solid shaft) inside riser pipes is numerically simulated and compared with solar collector without inserting device inside its riser pipes at flow rates of (100)?/h . The numerical simulation results show that the flat plate water, solar collectors with the inserted, twist strip and helical spring that’s surround the solid shaft were higher enhancement of heat transfer than without inserted devices. The useful energy in case of twist strip is (10%) higher than the case of flat plate solar collector without enhancement device. Also, the case of helical spring is increased (6.8 %) than the twist strip, and (16.2%) than collector without enhancement device for the same mass flow rate.
Computed tomography (CT) imaging is an important diagnostic tool. CT imaging facilitates the internal rendering of a scanned object by measuring the attenuation of beams of X-ray radiation. CT employs a mathematical technique of image reconstruction; those techniques are classified as; analytical and iterative. The iterative reconstruction (IR) methods have been proven to be superior over the analytical methods, but due to their prolonged reconstruction time, those methods are excluded from routine use in clinical applications. In this paper the reconstruction time of an IR algorithm is minimized through the employment of an adaptive region growing segmentation method that focuses the image reconstruction process on a specified region, thus ignoring unwanted pixels that increase the computation time. This method is tested on the iterative algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) algorithm. Some phantom images are used in this paper to demonstrate the effects of the segmentation process. The simulation results are executed using MATLAB (version R2018b) programming language, and a computer system with the following specifications: CPU core i7 (2.40 GHz) for processing. Simulation results indicate that this method will reduce the reconstruction time of the iterative algorithms, and will enhance the quality of the reconstructed image.
The control of quenching process has been investigated in this study by developing a quench system design to simulate the quenching process and measure the time – temperature history inside the sample during the cooling stage. The main purpose of this quench system is to evaluate the quench power of different quenchant at different conditions (type, temperature and agitation).A stainless steel sample was used with a suitable measurement as a probe in designing this quench system.The performance of two of quenchants (water and brine) with different conditions was investigated, and the designed probe was used to illustrate the effect of quenching parameters (quenchant type, temperature and its agitation) on cooling curves and cooling rate.The quenching system has proven its ability to work effectively and the results showed that heat transfer properties were significantly affected by quenchant parameters.
The mechanical behavior of multilayer FRCMs was tested, and the effects of fibers, types of fiber, and laminates on the tensile, flexural, and impact properties were discussed. The vacuum bagging method is a composite manufacturing process that uses atmospheric pressure to consolidate laminate layers, remove excess resin, and get rid of air bubbles. This makes high-quality, void-free composites. Four composite systems were made using this method: natural fiber composites reinforced with sheep wool and goat hair fibers, and synthetic fiber composites reinforced with carbon and glass fibers, all with an epoxy resin (LR620) and hardener (LH620) system. All composite assemblies have been systematically characterized at different layer configurations (3-6 layers considered) for the best structural response. The tensile, flexural, and impact properties were tested by following the corresponding ASTM (D638, D790, D6110) standards, respectively. The tensile and flexural results of the carbon fiber composite (GCT, GCB series) showed excellent mechanical performance (maximum tensile strength of 283 MPa for GCT4 and flexural strength of 164 MPa for GCB5) with high load-carrying capacity, but the failure was brittle. Goat hair composites exhibited excellent impact resistance (GHI4: 1.255 J) and moderate tensile strength (36 MPa), which indicated superior energy absorption capacity. The glass fiber composites showed a good balance of mechanical properties with increased ductility, where the tensile strength was 245 MPa, and a large deflection capacity was reached (14.683 mm). The study demonstrates that 4-layer setups usually result in the highest tensile properties, while 5–6-layer setups improve the flexural strength. These results add to the knowledge of optimization of multilayer composite design, and they are very useful for materials selection in aerospace, automotive, and structural applications.
In this paper, the derivation of optimal control using state derivative feedback to obtain a new control approach is presented. A control approach similar to linear quadratic regulator (LQR) is applied to find the optimal gain matrices that achieve the desired performance. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed controller can be shown using the uncertain and under-actuated overhead crane system. The results show that the proposed controller can robustly stabilize the system in the presence of system parameters uncertainty. Further, a more desirable time response specifications can be obtained using state derivative feedback control in comparison to the state feedback control.
In this research, polymer polymethyl methacrylate PMMA composite with nano ceramic Zr and HAp material were used to manufacture one part of the implant system (femoral ball head of hip implant). Three set of hybrid materials were fabricated and tested for this study; the first mixtures which contains 100% (PMMA), the second mixtures which contains (90% (PMMA) + 8% (Zr) + 2% (HAp)), and the third mixtures which contains (80% (PMMA) + 18% (Zr) + 2% (HAp)) were investigated. The mechanical properties for these mixtures increased with the increasing of nano ceramic concentration (Zr and HAp) composite material in the polymer compared to pure polymer PMMA sample. However, an increase in the concentration of Zr from 8% to 18% content cause a considerable decrease of the hardness where a drop of homogeneity in Zr- matrix PMMA contact occurred, V Hardness value are (68 ,80 and 70) Kg.mm for three mixture respectively. The wear test was in agreement with results of the hardness test. The weight loss of the above samples of the wear test were (0.041, 0.035 and 0.037) respectively. According to mechanical properties, the best sample contains (90% (PMMA) + 8% (Zr) + 2% (HAp)). The Scanning electron microscopy resolute showed the particles forming semi-continuous network along grain boundaries polymer for second sample mixtures containing (90% (PMMA) + 8% (Zr) + 2% (HAp)), provides a low atomic packing and high energy. This will make the grain boundaries more reactive and strengthen mechanical performance. The Optical microscopy, Scanning electron microscopy and Xray spectroscopy analysis for In vitro test using SBF shows the growth of HAp layer with an increase in concentration of Ca and P elements formed on the surface of the second sample. This display of good results is a proof of the biocompatibility of the polymer sample.
The heat exchanger is a device used to transfer heat energy between two fluids, hot and cold. In this work, an output feedback adaptive sliding mode controller is designed to control the temperature of the outlet cold water for plate heat exchanger. The discontinuous gain value of the sliding mode controller is adapted according to a certain adaptation law, where the only information required is the measurement of the outlet cold temperature. A sliding mode differentiator was design to estimate time derivative of outlet hot water temperature. Two constraints which imposed on the volumetric flow rate of the hot water (control input) were considered within the rules of the proposed adaptation law in this work. These are the control input is positive only and has a maximum value. For constructing the sliding variable, the outlet hot water temperature and its time derivative are required. The maximum allowable desired outlet cold water has been estimated as function of heat exchanger parameters and maximum control input. The simulation results demonstrate the performance of the proposed adaptive sliding mode control where the outlet cold water was forced to follow desired temperature equal to . Additionally, the robustness of the proposed controller was tested for the case where the cold inlet temperature is not constant. The results reveal the robustness of the proposed controller.
This paper presents a numerical investigation to study the effect of variations in displacement history sequence and magnitude on cyclic response of RC tapered (haunched) beams (RCHBs).Five simply supported RCHBs (four haunched and one prismatic) were selected from experimental work carried out by Aranda et al. The selected variables included were five loading history types. The first part of this study focused to verify the finite element analysis with selected experimental work and the second part of this study focused too studying the effect of varying in loading history to the response of RCHBs. The finite element code Abaqus was used in the modeling. The adopted cyclic simulation performance of the selected beams using the plastic- damage model for concrete developed by Lubliner and Lee & Fenves. The constitutive model of plain concrete describing the uniaxial compression response under cyclic loading proposed by Thorenfeldt, and the uniaxial tension response follows the softening law proposed by Hordijk was used in the modeling. Menegotto-Pinto model was used to simulate the steel response. Model verification has shown A good agreement to the selected experimental work. The variations in loading history will decrease the ultimate load and corresponding deflection with increase in the number of cycles at ultimate load.
This study was devoted in investigating the optimum geometric parameters for underactuated linkage three phalanges robotic finger. New kinematic and kinetic equations of grasping were derived in this research taking into account the angle for the ternary solid links of the four-bar linkages. To obtain the target of optimization, a gradient descent method was used which consists of three stages to find the optimal geometric parameters with high accuracy. Five criteria were selected to find the optimal solution by using multi objectives function algorithm, these are percentage of the grasping stability, the grasp forces, squeezing force, Mimic function for grasping task, and transmission angle for grasping operation. Gradient descent method starts by detecting the optimal geometric parameters for each criterion and choosing the best geometric parameters from the five criteria functions. At the optimum solution, the underactuated robotic finger prototype was built from hard Polylactic acid (PLA) plastic using rapid prototyping and was tested performance by grasping objects. Finally, the results have been shown that the robotic finger adapts to the wanted configurations.
This paper presents a dual wide-band band pass filter (DWB-BPF) by using two parallel, symmetrical micro-strip lines loaded by a centered resonator, consisting of a T- and a triangle-shaped geometry, attached at the lower and upper ends, respectively. The filter reveals good performance and both the passbands can be independently controlled by adjusting specific parts of the filter. The proposed BPF is simulated by using CST microwave studio package and the simulated result is verified experimentally with good agreement between the two results. The fabricated prototype BPF demonstrates two passbands located at 2.3 GHz and 6.35 GHz center frequencies with 39% and 23.6% of 3-dB fractional bandwidth (FBW), respectively and a good insertion and return losses. The designed BPF can be targeted for wireless local area network (WLAN), WIFI and satellite communication systems.
A high-performance Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based all-optical switch using graphene on silicon nitride (Si3N4) is proposed and simulated. Graphene absorbs pump power (λ = 980 nm) on Si3N4 waveguide, generating heat. The heat affects the Si3N4 waveguide, causing a change in its refractive index due to thermo-optic effect. By tuning the probe phase (λ = 1550 nm) in the Si3N4 arm with graphene on top, all optical switching can then be carried out. An extinction ratio ranges of 13-25 dB and pump power range 20-270 mW. These findings demonstrate that our suggested configuration offers a useful integrated part for the creation of effective all-optical control devices on the insulator platform with a quick switching rate. Moreover, the suggested design might be able to achieve a wide bandwidth by utilizing an integrated MZI structure.
The technique of recording muscle signals is crucial in determining how effectively they can be utilized for individual benefit. This study focuses on hand movements recognized by using the Myo armband and Motion Processing Unit (MPU) 6050 sensors. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), K-nearest neighbors (k-NN), and Support Vector Machine (SVM) were employed for classification. sEMG signals using the Myo armband for 7 hand gestures and 2 elbow movements were recorded from 10 healthy subjects. Results showed that SVM outperforms LDA and k-NN in accuracy in both cases, the sensor is worn once on the arm and again on the forearm. regions. The window size and choice of features significantly influence system accuracy, with SVM achieving an average accuracy of 89.84%. Besides that, the fusion of Myo Armband sensor and gyroscope sensor through OR rule makes significant enhancement in recognition accuracy with which is reached to 97.0135%. In conclusion, the Myo armband, when worn on the forearm, proves practical for hand gesture recognition, with SVM offering superior recognition accuracy. Furthermore, the combination of the Myo Armband sensor and the gyroscope sensor showed higher recognition accuracy.
This paper proposes a new load balancing algorithm for data center networks by means of exploiting the characteristics of Software Defined Networks. Mininet was utilized as an emulation tool for the purpose of emulating and evaluating the proposed design, Miniedit was utilized as a GUI tool for the same purpose. In order to obtain a realistic environment to the data center network, Fat-Tree topology was utilized with the following parameters; 4 pods, 16 edge switches, 16 aggregation switches, 4 core switches, and 16 hosts. Different scenarios and traffic distributions were applied in order to cover as much possible cases of the real traffic. POX controller was chosen as an SDN controller.The suggested design showed outperformance when compared to the traditional scheme in term of throughput and loss rate for all the evaluated scenarios. The first scenario assumes joining of new hosts while in the second scenario; there was an increase in the demand of the already established connections. The proposed algorithm showed a loss free performance in the first scenarios, whereas, the traditional scheme presented 15% to 31% loss rate for the same scenario. In the second scenario, the proposed algorithm recorded up to 81% improvement in the loss rate when compared to the traditional scheme. Moreover, the proposed algorithm showed a superiority over the traditional scheme in term of throughput, where it maintained the throughput intact without any reduction in the first scenario in contrast to the traditional scheme that underwent from a considerable degradation in the throughput value. The traditional scheme underwent from an average throughput reduction of 5Mbps in the case of joining of new hosts (first scenario). In the second scenario, both schemes underwent from a throughput reduction, however, the proposed scheme always showed superiority over the traditional scheme, whereas, it recorded up to 16.6% improvement in the throughput average value.
This paper discusses the development of a seven-band coherent wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) system covering the T to U systems, aiming to enhance the capacity and system efficiency. Seven multiband systems (C+L, S+C+L, S+C+L+U, E+S+C+L, E+S+C+L+U, O+E+S+C+L+U, and T+O+E+S+C+L+U) are designed with 40 GBaud symbol rate, 50 GHz channel spacing, and dual-polarization (DP)-16QAM signaling. The analysis adopted the enhanced Gaussian noise model, considering the amplified spontaneous emission of inline optical amplifiers and nonlinear interference (NLI) from fiber nonlinear optics, including Kerr effect and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) which it implemented using Matlab (Ver. 2020b) program. The results show that the optimal powers are -4, -5, -5, -4.5, -3.5, -6, and -4.5 dBm for the seven WDM systems, respectively. Further, with a fiber span length of 100 km, the C+L system has the longest transmission reach of 20 span. However, using S+C+L+U system gives the highest bit rate-distance product of 1619 Tbps.km. The O+E+S+C+L+U and T+O+E+S+C+L+U systems are designed with 50 km-span length to reduce the effect of NLI caused by the large numbers of channels (1060 and 1200, respectively).
This research focuses on studying the importance of quality management system ISO 9001: 2015 and its impact on machinery breakdowns in the general company for the manufacture of wool and carpets in Hama for reducing the machines stops and thus increasing production quantities in the company. We did a field study in the company which a random sample of workers was interviewed in, taking into consideration the characteristics of the categories of workers.We analyzedthe dataobtainedfromthe workersby usingstatistical analysis program (SPSS19).The statistical results have shown that there is a strong correlation between the quality management system ISO 9001: 2015 and machinery breakdowns, which necessitates giving greater attention to the ISO 9001standard by the company's management and seeking ISO 9001 certification to achieve high performance for the company under study.