Journal of Engineering and Sustainable Development (JEASD)

The decision-making theory has become essential for providing real-time solutions to uncertainty problems, particularly in sustainable engineering and environmental challenges in engineering processes. This work uses decision-making techniques to address water resource problems using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The AHP can be used properly as a decision-making technique to weigh and rank for effective allocation of water resources (alternatives) with maximum priority and sustainable utilization in Egypt. To accomplish our objective, Egypt was divided into five zones based on natural factors and population concentration to identify the best water resource for each zone. It was found that the Nile River is the best alternative for the Upper Nile zone, while desalination is the least favorable option. The Nile River is the optimal choice in the Nile Delta zone, and desalination is the least preferred option. In the Western Desert, groundwater emerges as the top choice, while desalination is considered the least favorable alternative. Desalination is the best alternative for the Red Sea zone, while Agriculture Drainage is deemed the least suitable option. In the North Coast zone, desalination is preferred, and agriculture drainage is the least favorable option.

Despite the extended lifespan of concrete structures under ideal circumstances, the service life is significantly reduced due to the cracks created by various loads. Unwanted crack treatments are effective only on the exterior side of the accessible concrete constructions. Therefore, there is a great need to incorporate a self-healing (S-H) mechanism within the concrete matrix. This review discusses a general trend in developing S-H concrete in the construction industry. It consists of two parts: Part I introduces an overview of S-H concrete by describing the basic concepts and available S-H techniques (agents/materials) and analyzing their applications, critiques, and performance in various published studies. Part II critically discusses the conceptual life cycle cost, the maturity level of S-H concrete, the commercial situation, potential applications, field behavior, and challenges to be addressed in future years. The most important outcome of this review is a deeper understanding of the self-healing phenomenon and its potential applications. It is shown that self-healing technologies can give concrete power to heal and prepare itself, which reduces the need for regular maintenance, substantial cost savings, and environmental protection.

This work compared the chemical and thermal properties of Malaysian and Thai rice cultivars. Malaysian rice was obtained from Terengganu, Malaysia, while Thai rice samples were Khao Hom Mali from Royal Umbrella Thailand. The paired-T statistic was employed to examine the chemical and thermal parameters. While there were no statistically significant differences in the amylose, moisture, and fat composition between the two samples (p>0.05), there were notable disparities in the protein, ash, carbohydrate, and fiber composition (p<0.05). Malaysian rice cultivars exhibited higher levels of protein (7.8%), ash (53%), and carbohydrate content (25.88%), whereas Thai rice possessed a fiber content that was five times greater. Regarding thermal characteristics, Malaysian rice exhibited higher values for onset (21.5%), conclusion (6.5%), and peak (8.7%), although Thai rice had a gelatinization range that was three times higher. These findings indicate that Malaysian rice yields firmer textures, rendering it appropriate for certain grain cuisines where separated grain is required. In contrast, Thai rice's softer, more adaptable texture might be suited to different culinary applications, improving consumer tastes and industrial utilization.

The increased exploration of wireless communication networks in various fields has significant implications for automating daily human tasks and creating smart environments. However, to make such implementations successful, it is essential to investigate the characteristics of wireless channels. Path loss is a fundamental factor in wireless network communications and measures signal strength. The main objective of this proposal is to identify the criteria to be considered when designing and developing wireless sensor network WSN applications for indoor hotspot (InH) and indoor factory (InF) environments. This research investigates the 3GPP Indoor model in (InH) and (InF) environments. It considers the impact of Line-of-Sight (LOS), Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS), and human blockage on path loss. Further, the InH scenario has been compared to the InF scenario. The results show that path loss in NLOS conditions is more variable than in LOS conditions, regardless of the human obstruction. In general, the results demonstrate the difference in path loss between InH and InF scenarios falls within a range of 9.1275–7.175 dB.

High-strength steel plates are commonly employed in civil and military vehicles to provide ballistic protection against various threat levels. In this work, experimental tests involved shooting a 2 mm steel target (150×150 mm) with a Parabellum 9 × 19 full metal jacket projectiles moving at a ballistic velocity of 370 m/s. On the other hand, numerical work was conducted to simulate the same event using LS-DYNA, an explicit finite element code. The objective of this work was to demonstrate the capability of LS-DYNA software in simulating the effects of ballistic impact and analyzing the performance of steel plate armor. The numerical analysis demonstrated that all constitutive relations effectively predicted the qualitative behavior of the physical mechanisms during perforation. The influence of fracture criteria on numerical simulations of the perforation process was investigated. Detailed discussions were provided regarding the reasons behind these findings. For practical applications, the suitable selection of the type of constitutive model and criterion of fracture employing the finite element method (FEM) leads to an excellent agreement with the experimental results of projectile impacts on steel targets under the same conditions.

This paper comprehensively summarizes the Ku-band composite left-handed/right-handed (CRLH) resonator based on a 50 Ω two-ports network. A parametric simulation was provided based on CST MWS to reach the optimal design within the Ku-band. This design invokes two fractals based on Minkowski and Hilbert curves to realize the desired specifications. The proposed resonator performance was optimized according to the invoked fractal curves. After reaching the desired performance, the achieved results are validated. It is found that the resonator occupies an area of 35 × 30 mm2 when printed on Roger RT5880 of 0.8 mm thickness with a complete ground plane. The resonator shows an excellent resonance near 15.45 GHz with an excellent quality factor. The evaluated S-parameters of the proposed resonator show minimum losses of about zero with a 30% reflection coefficient and 70% transmission coefficient. The numerical demonstration based on different numerical approaches, including HFSS, is mainly highlighted to quantify the efficiency of CRLH structures. In the end, it stated the present difficulties and the future work perspectives of the field, which explains the necessity of using complex applications and innovative design techniques to take advantage of all opportunists presented by CRLH in the Ku-band applications.

Osseointegration is a medical metal implant into the residual bone of an amputated limb. The prosthesis can be connected to this implant. Different prosthetic components were thoroughly assessed using a mix of experimental testing and simulation results. The prosthetic foot's outstanding mechanical qualities were revealed during tensile testing on composite materials made of carbon and glass fibers. The mechanical properties of these materials yield stress Ϭy =70MPa, ultimate tensile strength Ϭult =162 MPa, and Young's modulus =2 GPa. For osseointegrated prosthetic components, the implant material yield stress Ϭy =470MPa, ultimate tensile strength Ϭult =558 MPa, and Young's modulus =2.7 GPa, Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy, demonstrated excellent tensile and compression capabilities. Important information on both metallic and composite materials' durability under cyclic loads was obtained via fatigue testing. The numerical simulations were carried out utilizing the ANSYS 17.2 program. The analysis shows the safety factor for a prosthetic model with below knee osseointegration is 1.563. So that the Von-Mises stress and total deformation were acceptable. The integration of actual data, such as the results of tensile, compression, and fatigue tests, with numerical simulations, highlights the significance of materials and mechanical analysis in developing prosthetic technology, promising improved mobility and quality of life for amputees.

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the maintenance strategies applied to the Latifiya-Musayib highway section to improve the pavement condition that significantly deteriorated due to military operations during and after the third Gulf War. The functional evaluation measured the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) every five years. The measurement relied on a visual survey of the pavement surface by examining different types of distress that varied in severity. PCI values measured from 2005 to 2015 indicated that the pavement surface could be considered satisfactory according to standard and custom PCI rating scales, while results measured in 2020 indicated that PCI values had declined to a critical stage requiring maintenance. PCI was 63% for the Latifiya-Musayib direction and 65.5% for the opposite direction. Therefore, preventive maintenance was carried out to stop this decline, which improved PCI values by 18.5% and 19.4%, respectively. The pavement performance curve created to evaluate the effectiveness of preventive maintenance showed that the pavement life would be extended by 4 years in the Latifiya-Musayib direction and 9 years in the opposite direction. Finally, measuring the PCI at the end of the assumed pavement's design life is recommended to make the best decision.

The thermal conductivity of polyurethane foams may be sensitive to many pronounced parameters related to their components and conditions of formation. This study aims to investigate the effect of maximum reaction temperature during forming the foam on the resultant thermal conductivity value. The study used samples from different cases and conditions to monitor the reaction. The cases include standard, with n-pentane or water as blowing agents and ethylene glycol as activation agents. Two conditions have been selected: with and without post-heating. The results have shown that thermal conductivity increases with the increase in the maximum reaction temperature for certain cases (1 g and 2 g). However, for 4 g, there is a decrease in the k-value. In general, the lowest k-value has been noticed for the case of using 1 g of n-pentane (0.033 W/m.K) compared to the reference case that does not use further addition of agents (0.043 W/m.K). The variation of the k-values due to the increasing mass of the agents shows an increment behavior.

This paper introduces torque analysis of a 4-phase, 8/6 poles, 550W, switched Reluctance motor. In this regard, the influence of varying loads on torque performance is introduced. For the modeling and analysis of this motor's torque, RMXprt (an analytical software) was used in conjunction with Maxwell2D (a finite element method). Because the rotor and stator pole are salient, singly excited, and have nonlinear magnetic characteristics, which creates torque ripple in the motor and complicates analytical procedures. Motor results obtained, such as estimated starting torque, output torque versus speed, torque versus angle versus current, flux linkage versus current versus angle, and torque versus time, were determined by RMXprt and Maxweel2D software. In addition, the simulation results demonstrate that the torque ripple and torque values are greater as the load increases and lower when the load decreases. Finally, the finite element analysis results of torque ripple and torque were compared with the results of the Matlab/Simulink with good agreement.

Textile Reinforced Mortars (TRM) materials have been carefully investigated as an effective and innovative way of retrofitting structural strength. This study provides a concise summary of the structural behavior of TRM-reinforced structures. The article is broken into five sections. The first branch consists of examinations of the TRM's long-term viability. In contrast, the TRM's behavior under tension levels is described in the second branch. At the same time, the flexural strengthening and bonding features of TRM are discussed in the third and fourth branches, respectively. A comprehensive review of the seismic upgrading technique and its application is provided in the fifth branch, which includes the efficiency of TRM jackets in seismic retrofitting of reinforced concrete (RC). Overall, based on all the research and conclusions that were considered, where the TRM system demonstrated adequate effectiveness in the service load, yield stages, and the confinement of reinforced concrete, vastly improves strengths and deformability, increases ductility, and changes the mode of failure by flexural instead of shearing. With enhancements to energy dissipation and a secure bonding capacity at elevated temperatures, it was characterized by its great durability in a chemically hostile environment Compared to its epoxy-resin equivalents. Therefore, (TRM) is an appropriate replacement for (FRP) in some significant applications.

This study investigates the steady-state creep behaviour of functionally graded silicone rubber with cellulose addition. Functionally graded materials (FGMs) have a composition that gradually changes based on their volume, resulting in properties such as strength, thermal conductivity, and stiffness that vary from point to point. This work aims to examine the creep and thermal behaviour of silicone rubber with cellulose and determine the effect of cellulose content on the properties of this FGM. Different amounts (by weight) of cellulose (0%, 3%, 6%, 9%, and 12%) were added to a silicone rubber matrix, and creep tests were conducted on FGM samples. The results showed that as the amount of cellulose increased, creep resistance and heat conductivity improved. It follows that FGMs with a higher cellulose content are better able to withstand high temperatures and deformation when subjected to load, as opposed to those with a lower cellulose concentration. The viscoelastic behavior of the FGM samples was characterized using the Kelvin-Voigt model. This study shows that adding cellulose to silicone rubber increases its creep resistance but decreases its ultimate strength, making it more brittle and prone to cracking under abrupt loads. FGMs whose composition changes gradually

The existing energy grid faces challenges in meeting the escalating energy demands driven by annual population growth and the proliferation of energy-consuming devices in the contemporary era. This research proposes an optimum multi-objective pelican optimization method for smart grid load control. The proposed algorithm effectively explores diverse solutions by minimizing customer energy costs and reducing peak loads for utility companies, identifying a Pareto front that represents optimal trade-offs among the three objectives: energy cost minimization, peak load reduction, and a third objective (user inconvenience). An ELimination ET Choix Traduisant la REalite (ELECTRE) method then rigorously ranks the Pareto-optimal solutions, guiding the selection of the most advantageous alternative that harmonizes the competing objectives. Energy bills are reduced by more than 42.66% using the proposed method. Additionally, the reduction in peak energy consumption by 20.66% has benefited the power suppliers for a sampling time of (30 minutes). When applied (60 minutes) sampling time, energy bills are reduced to 40.74 % and peak load to 30% with acceptable levels of inconvenience. Furthermore, the proposed load management provides 42.66 % and 20.66% cost and peak savings compared to other work in the state of the arts.

A theoretical-based experimental approach has been presented as a simplified tool for investigating the charging of insulators. Throughout this work, the Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) material is chosen as a case study. The experiment is carried out using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) with a primary energy of 30 keV, an electron current of 1.3 nA, and a working distance of 15 mm. The suggested approach has been initiated by the spacemen-current as the first step. Keeping in mind that this parameter is by default recorded by the SEM machine itself. The total electron yield emission is then determined during the irradiating time in accordance with this. Subsequently, the consuming time, electron-trapped lifetime, trapped electrons, leakage, and displacement currents are evaluated. Results have clearly shown that the knowledge of the spacemen current can be used to provide excellent information to SEM users. Indeed, many of the characteristics factors that define the insulators can be evaluated with no more complicated experimental setup.

The load transfer ability of rigid pavement degrades over time due to repeated vehicular loads and environmental factors, such as temperature. The temperature disparity between a slab's upper and lower layers has more impact on the development of stresses on a rigid pavement. Failing of it occurs when the developed stresses exceed the critical stress. This work examines fluctuating surface temperatures' impact on the maximum tensile stress within a single slab system. The pavement was modeled and analyzed using the finite element software EverFE2.26. It was observed that varying surface temperature affects the maximum tensile stress. A regression model was developed to estimate the maximum tensile stress for any surface temperature (0°C-50°C), temperature differential, and other slab and axle parameters. The R2 value of the regression model was obtained as 0.888. The regression model was validated with another set of maximum tensile stress data obtained from EverFE2.26. The model resulted in less than 10% difference. This model allows for directly estimating the maximum tensile stress in the rigid pavement, accommodating parameter changes. However, further model refinement may be carried out for multiple slabs.