Journal of Engineering

The utilization of recycled brick tile powder as a replacement for conventional filler in the
asphalt concrete mix has been studied in this research. This research evaluates the
effectiveness of recycled brick tile powder and determines its optimum replacement level.
Using recycled brick tile powder is significant from an environmental standpoint as it is a
waste product from construction activities. Sixteen asphalt concrete samples were
produced, and eight were soaked for a day. Samples contained 5% Bitumen, 2% to 5% brick
tile powder, and conventional stone dust filler. The properties of samples were evaluated
using the Marshall test. It was observed that the resistance to stiffness and deformation of
asphalt concrete was increased by 99% when the conventional filler was replaced with brick
tile powder. The resistance to deformation decreases as the percentage of brick tile powder
increases while Marshall stability values increase significantly. At an optimum content of 4%
recycled brick tile powder as filler, the Marshall stability is increased by 123%. Based on this
investigation, it is established that brick tile powder can be effectively used in asphaltic
concrete as a filler. This presents a sustainable solution to waste utilization and pavement
performance.

The ejector refrigeration system is a desirable choice to reduce energy consumption. A
Computational Fluid Dynamics CFD simulation using the ANSYS package was performed to
investigate the flow inside the ejector and determine the performance of a small-scale steam
ejector. The experimental results showed that at the nozzle throat diameter of 2.6 mm and
the evaporator temperature of 10oC, increasing boiler temperature from 110oC to 140oC
decreases the entrainment ratio by 66.25%. At the boiler temperature of 120oC, increasing
the evaporator temperature from 7.5 to 15 oC increases the entrainment ratio by 65.57%.
While at the boiler temperature of 120oC and the evaporator temperature of 10oC, increasing
the nozzle throat diameter from 2.4 to 2.8 mm decreases the entrainment ratio by 40%. The
numerical results showed that reducing the condenser back pressure or increasing the
primary fluid temperature, secondary fluid temperature, and nozzle throat diameter moves
the second shock waves in the downstream direction. It could be concluded that the second
shock series position detects the ejector operation mode. The ejector runs in critical mode if
the second shock series position is close to the diffuser. In contrast, if the second shock series
position moves toward the upstream, the ejector runs in subcritical mode.

The splicing design of the existing road and the new road in the expansion project is an
important part of the design work. Based on the analysis of the characteristics and the load
effect of pavement structure on splicing, this paper points out that tensile crack or shear
failure may occur at the splicing under the repeated action of the traffic load on the new/old
pavement. According to the current structure design code of asphalt pavement in China, it is
proposed that the horizontal tensile stress at the bottom of the splicing layer and the vertical
shear stress at other layers of the splicing line should be controlled by adjusting the position
and size of the excavated steps in addition to the conventional design index, and put forward
the corresponding technical requirements and design process. It can be used for reference
in the design of asphalt pavement reconstruction and expansion projects.

Institutions and companies are looking to reduce spending on buildings and services
according to scientific methods, provided they reach the same purpose but at a lower cost.
On this basis, this paper proposes a model to measure and reduce maintenance costs in one
of the public sector institutions in Iraq by using performance indicators that fit the nature of
the work of this institution and the available data. The paper relied on studying the nature
of the institution’s work in the maintenance field and looking at the type of data available to
know the type and number of appropriate indicators to create the model. Maintenance data
were collected for the previous six years by reviewing the maintenance and financial
department records. On this basis, three performance indicators are proposed in creating
the model. The result is a model to reduce maintenance costs based on three indicators; each
indicator contains a baseline value and a target value. If this model is applied, it will
significantly help measure, track, control, and reduce maintenance costs in government
institutions.

The accumulation of sediment in reservoirs poses a major challenge that impacts the
storage capacity, quality of water, and efficiency of hydroelectric power generation
systems. Geospatial methods, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and
Remote Sensing (RS), were used to assess Dukan Reservoir sediment quantities. Satellite
and reservoir water level data from 2010 to 2022 were used for sedimentation
assessment. The satellite data was used to analyze the water spread area, employing the
Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and Modified Normalized Difference Water
Index (MNDWI) to enhance the water surface in the satellite imagery of Dukan Reservoir.
The cone formula was employed to calculate the live storage capacity of the reservoir
within two elevations. According to the study results, the live storage capacity of Dukan
Reservoir at elevation 511.78 m had decreased from 8000 MCM to 7007.77MCM and
6923.53 MCM using NDWI and MNDWI respectively, due to sedimentation, resulting in a
capacity loss of 14.59% and 15.83% for NDWI and MNDWI respectively. The annual
sedimentation was 13.78 MCM and 14.95 MCM for NDWI and MNDWI, respectively.
Joglekar's equation and Khosla's formula have demonstrated that the sedimentation rate
in the Dukan reservoir exceeds the critical rate. The findings of this study will inform the
development of sediment management strategies aimed at preserving the reservoir's
capacity.

In Iraq, more than 1031 school projects have been halted due to disputes and claims
resulting from financial, contractual, or other issues. This research aims to identify,
prioritize, and allocate the most critical risk factors that threaten these projects’ success for
the duration (2017-2022). Based on a multi-step methodology developed through
systematic literature reviews, realistic case studies, and semi-structured interviews, 47 risk
factors were identified. Based on 153 verified responses, the survey reveals that the top
ranked risk factors are corruption and bribery, delaying the payments of the financial dues
to the contractors or sub-contractors, absence of risk management strategy, multiple change
orders due to changing designs and specifications during construction; inaccuracy in time
and budget estimation; construction material price; financial and economic crisis/financial
instability; selecting the contractor only based on the lowest bid, regardless of technical
competence; instability within the political system of the government/instability of the
government as a client; foreign exchange rates fluctuate against the Iraqi dinar. The study
also showed that the respondents recommended allocating four risks to the owner, eight risk
factors to the contractor, one risk to the consultant, and 32 factors allocated as shared. The
study concluded that the results could help identify the most critical risks facing this type of
project and the contracting party that can bear the risks and manage them efficiently.

Augmented Reality (AR) is one of the technological developments in recent years that uses
the real world as a basic pillar and enhances it by overlaying virtual objects created by
computers. The study provides an overview of the use of augmented reality technology in
meeting one of the most important requirements of cultural tourism: highlighting cultural
and historical heritage. Accordingly, the research problem concentrated on the lack of local
literature associated with the use of augmented reality in cultural tourism. It aimed to fill
this gap by building a knowledge base and demonstrating the potential of augmented reality
in this field. Hence, the importance of research in drawing the attention of tourism
practitioners to the importance of augmented reality and discovering its potential. The
research discusses the topics of cultural heritage, cultural tourism, augmented reality, and
the study of its potential and applications in tourism. Augmented reality capabilities from
the theoretical framework have been applied to Kirkuk Citadel -as a case of study- through
the application of a proposal by the researcher for Kirkuk Citadel. The research concludes
that augmented reality is an interactive scientific guide that supports the tourist, meets his
cultural needs, and positively impacts the quality of tourism and tourist attractions.
The study is part of an ongoing research project aimed at developing the tourism of historic
city centers through augmented reality technology.

Jet grouting, Grouted piles, Silica Fume, Chemical additive, W/C ratio.

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease in diabetic patients due to damage to the small blood
vessels in the retina due to high and low blood sugar levels. Accurate detection and
classification of Diabetic Retinopathy is an important task in computer-aided diagnosis,
especially when planning for diabetic retinopathy surgery. Therefore, this study aims to
design an automated model based on deep learning, which helps ophthalmologists detect
and classify diabetic retinopathy severity through fundus images. In this work, a deep
convolutional neural network (CNN) with transfer learning and fine tunes has been
proposed by using pre-trained networks known as Residual Network-50 (ResNet-50). The
overall framework of the proposed classification model is divided into three major phases,
including pre-processing, training the Resnet-50 network, and classification with evaluation.
In the first phase, pre-processing techniques are applied to the APTOS2019 fundus images
dataset to find the best features and highlight some fine details of these images. The resnet
50 network was trained in the second phase using the training set and saved the best model
obtained that gives high accuracy during the training process. Finally, this saved model has
been implemented on the testing dataset for classification DR grades. The proposed model
shows good and best classification performance, which was obtained with an accuracy of
98.3%, a precision of 98.4%, an F1-Score of 98.5 % and the recall of 98.4%.

Buildings begin to deteriorate gradually over time due to several factors, including
environmental influences, improper use of the building, and neglected repairs for damages
during the building's life span. Effective maintenance practices can minimize operational
costs, extend the life of building systems and components, improve energy efficiency, and
maintain property value. This paper aims to review articles related to building maintenance
to identify factors affecting maintenance practices. After conducting the review, the result
was that there were 33 factors affecting building maintenance categorized into six groups:
management-related factors, manpower-related factors, technical-related factors, financial
related factors, building user-related factors, and building characteristics-related factors.
Facility managers can enhance their understanding of building maintenance by examining
the various factors that affect maintenance. By doing so, they can assess how these factors
affect maintenance practices. This evaluation is crucial as it assists in creating efficient
maintenance plans while optimizing resource allocation and timely repairs. Moreover, this
approach enables facility managers to adopt proactive strategies toward maintenance,
ultimately leading to cost savings by addressing or managing potential obstacles hindering
optimal building maintenance.

This work investigates the effect of earthquakes on the stability of a collective pile subjected
to seismic loads in the soil layer. Plaxis 3D 2020 finite element software modeled pile
behavior in dry soils with sloping layers. The results showed a remarkable fluctuation
between the earthquakes, where the three earthquakes (Halabja, El Centro, and Kobe) and
the acceleration peak in the Kobe earthquake had a time of about 11 seconds. Different
settlement results were shown, as different values were recorded for the three types of
earthquakes. Settlement ratios were increased by increasing the seismic intensity; hence the
maximum settlement was observed with the model under the effect of the Kobe earthquake
(0.58 g), where subsidence values at the three tremors differed between the pile distribution
pattern. The highest drop recorded by the results was 60 mm in a distribution pattern 2×3.
In general, increasing the size of the cap leads to an additional drop due to the weight of the
cap.

The construction sector is considered an important and influential pivot in the national
economy of any country. Nations are working to develop this sector, receiving modern and
developed techniques. So, this sector can be a carrier or a receiver of modern technologies.
The cost of technology transfer between the international companies that sponsor this
sector is a matter of great importance, especially since different factors affect the need for
this advanced technology. The cost of technology transfer in construction is related to
multiple factors presented by Knowledge, equipment, plant, hardware and software. The
lack of distinguishing and evaluating the direct and indirect costs in the construction sector
during technology transfer may lead to infractions in the company's budget. This manuscript
aims to investigate the direct and indirect costs of transferring technology and the major
factors constrained by this process. This work adopted a theoretical study and investigated
the opinions of experts and engineers (by questionnaire) working in different construction
sites. This Manuscript showed that the largest weight of the cost for both modern equipment
and counsulant/designers is a direct cost and indirect cost, respectively, for transferring
technology in the construction sector.