Engineering and Technology Journal

Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) represent innovative construction
materials that exhibit established mechanical properties and strength features. The
exceptional characteristics of this substance render it a compelling option for
various kinds of facilities. However, the increased implementation of ECCs
necessitates monitoring the structural integrity of the systems that utilize them.
This paper focuses on developing this concept by employing the traditional matrix
after incorporating it with conductive fillers. These fillers transform the matrix into
a functional state to sense the damage caused by various loads. Such loads include
indirect tensile loads and compressive strength of mortar samples composed of
cementitious matrix injected with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and
reinforced once with polyvinyl alcohol fibers (PVA) and with nylon fibers (NF) at
another time, with different study ages of 28, 56, 90, and 180 days of curing with
water at room temperature. In order to develop previous works and fill part of the
gap, the traditional matrix was injected with carbon nanotubes at a dose of 0.5 by
weight of cementitious materials with one of the reinforcement fibers of (PVA) or
(NF) at a rate of 2% by the total volume of the mixture, which is a constant ratio
throughout the study. In addition, a control mix free of additives was created for
comparison. The results indicate that clever matrices have excellent mechanical
properties. The PVA fiber-reinforced matrix performed better than the other
matrices under applied loads. The electrical properties of the matrices were
recorded from the start of load application and increased with increasing load. The
CNT0.5PVA2 matrix had more gains under compressive loading, with a selfsensing ratio reaching about 200%. In split tensile loading, the CNT0.5NF2 matrix
had a higher electrical resistance by about 20% than the CNT0.5PVA2 matrix,
which had a resistance of less than 10%

A concrete-filled steel tube surrounded by external concrete is a composite element
known as a concrete-encased concrete-filled steel tube (CFST). This composite
element is used in multi-story buildings, large-span constructions, bridges, and
underground transit stations. This research examined the curvature behavior of fiberreinforced concrete-encased CFST beams. Eight concrete-encased CFST beams and
one conventional beam were subjected to four-point loads during testing. The factors
examined were shear connection, section size, CFST ratio, outer concrete
compressive strength, compressive strength of concrete inside the steel tube, steel
fiber content, and unfilled steel tubes. Curvature is an important factor that
determines the adequacy of reinforced concrete beams because it depends on the
deflections, which are considered the major factor for accepting or rejecting the
structural members in buildings. The test results showed that the conventional beam's
ultimate moment is 141.9% greater than that of the concrete-encased CFST. Also,
the curvature of the conventional beam is 30.4% lower than that of a reference beam
constructed from concrete-encased CFST. Furthermore, increasing the CFST ratio
from 2.7% to 5.4% resulted in a 62.4% enhancement in the ultimate moment,
accompanied by an 11.3% reduction in beam curvature. Increasing the outer
compressive strength of concrete from 25 MPa to 45 MPa resulted in a 13.8% rise in
the ultimate moment and a 19.03% reduction in the beam's curvature. When the
compressive strength of the concrete inside the inner steel tubes was raised from 35
MPa to 55 MPa, the ultimate moment went up by 6.7%, and the beam's curvature
went down by 11.3% compared to the reference beam. The absence of steel fiber in
concrete-encased CFST reduces the ultimate moment by 6.1% and diminishes the
curvature by 22.3%. The unfilled steel tube inside concrete-encased CFST reduces
the ultimate moment by 13.97%, while the curvature rises by 3.6%. The results show
that section size, CFST ratio, outer concrete compressive strength, shear connection,
and compressive strength of concrete inside the steel tube are the best results. In
contrast, steel fiber content and unfilled steel tubes have the worst results compared
to the reference beam.

Plastic pollution has become a global environmental crisis, with millions of tons of
polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste accumulating in landfills and ecosystems. One
promising solution is the integration of waste PET into hot-mix asphalt (HMA),
offering the dual benefits of sustainable waste management and enhanced pavement
performance. This review critically examines the mechanical, environmental, and
economic impacts of PET-modified asphalt. Studies indicate that PET improves rutting
resistance, durability, and flexibility, with optimal performance observed at moderate
PET dosages (4– 6%). However, excessive PET content (> 6%) can lead to stiffening
and premature cracking, while very high PET concentrations (> 20%) may reduce loadbearing capacity. Beyond mechanical benefits, the incorporation of PET significantly
reduces carbon emissions and energy consumption, with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
studies reporting a 47.4% reduction in Global Warming Potential (GWP). Economic
analyses indicate that PET-modified asphalt can reduce bitumen consumption,
resulting in potential cost savings; however, processing and collection costs remain
significant barriers to the large-scale adoption of this technology. Despite promising
laboratory results, long-term field trials remain limited, and concerns about phase
separation, regulatory approval, and large-scale feasibility hinder widespread
implementation. Future research should focus on long-term field evaluations,
optimization of PET processing methods, and the development of standardized industry
guidelines. Additionally, hybrid polymer modifications and multi-polymer blends
should be explored to enhance performance and sustainability. With continued
innovation and policy support, PET-modified asphalt presents a viable pathway toward
greener and more durable road infrastructure.

The increasing demand for sustainable building materials has spurred interest in
using natural fibers for construction. This study evaluates the performance of
henequen and sisal fibers in mortar to enhance their tensile properties and provide
alternatives to synthetic fibers. Mortar samples were prepared using a 1:3 mix
ratio, with fibers introduced at 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% by weight. The
particle size distribution, setting times, consistency, and water ab-sorption and
tensile strength of mortar constituents and fibers were determined. Compressive
and splitting tensile strength tests were conducted on samples of 75 mm cubes and
50 × 100 mm cylinders at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days, respectively. Data were analyzed
using ANOVA at α = 0.05 and a validated Artificial Neural Network (ANN)
model. Henequen fiber exhibited lower water absorption and higher tensile
strength. The 1% mixture recorded the highest com-pressive strength of 15.08
MPa and 15.41 MPa, and the split tensile strength at 0.5% mixture was 3.43 MPa
and 3.51 MPa at 28 days, respectively. ANOVA confirmed significant dif-ference

Drought is a natural disaster characterized by its intensity, duration, and spatial
extent. This research investigates meteorological drought in Babylon Province,
Iraq, highlighting its significance in the local context, particularly given the
region's vulnerability to climatic changes. Employing the Drought Index
Calculator (Drin C), we evaluate drought indices, namely the Reconnaissance
Drought Index (RDI) and the Standard Precipitation Index (SPI), from 1991 to
2021. This study underscores the imperative of assessing the accuracy of
commonly used drought monitoring techniques due to their inherent uncertainties.
This work highlights the importance of integrating advanced modelling tools, such
as the integration of advanced modeling tools, such as Random Forest and
ARIMA, alongside comprehensive meteorological assessments to enhance
drought preparedness and response strategies. The project aims to deepen the
understanding of drought conditions in Babylon Province by employing
sophisticated analytical models and evaluating their efficacy in forecasting
drought indicators, while providing data-driven recommendations for efficient
water resource management. The model utilizes monthly precipitation data from
six sites to calculate SPI and RDI values, with R-squared values of 0.95 for SPI12
and 0.818 for RDI12, clearly attributing these values to the ARIMA model. The
ARIMA model enhances predictive accuracy with increasing time scales, while
the Random Forest model offers complementary insights into drought patterns. A
hybrid model for drought forecasting is created, combining linear and nonlinear
approaches, which progressively enhances precision and provides significant
insights into local climate variability, thereby facilitating effective decisionmaking and resource management.

Recently, the worldwide drought situation has gotten worse and is posing a serious
threat to many nations, including Iraq. It is now unavoidable to use modern
technologies, including remote sensing, to lessen the effects of this catastrophe.
This paper aims to check the consistency of groundwater storage (GWS) derived
from multiple sources utilizing remote sensing data with direct measurements in
wells in the Dammam unconfined aquifer, which is situated in Al-Muthanna
Governorate, Iraq. This study utilizes the water-level readings from well records
from January 2008 to December 2014. The groundwater results from different
combinations of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) products,
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) mascon, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Downscaled (JPLD), and Catchment Land Surface Model (CLSM), are calibrated
and validated using statistical analysis. The findings illustrate large GWS
depletion rates of GWS_W, GWS_JPLD, and GWS_GSFC at -54∓10 mm/yr, -
11∓5 mm/yr, -6∓5 mm/yr, respectively. The Pearson, Spearman, and Kendall
correlation reaches 0.93, 0.96, and 0.90 with a P-value less than 0.05. The highest
coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.93 for GWS_GSFC, and the lowest was
0.42 for GWS_JPLD. The finding of classification of the GSFC and JPL data
indicated that the GWS agrees with the spatial and temporal distributions of the
highest depletion in the Dammam Aquifer. The study demonstrated that GRACE
estimations can accurately reflect monthly variations in groundwater stocks,
making them a valuable tool for resource managers to assess the water situation
and plan sustainable water u

Pile foundations play a crucial role in maintaining structural stability during
earthquakes. This study addresses the underexplored behavior of negative
battered piles under seismic loading. An experimental investigation was
conducted on 2×2 pile groups embedded in sandy soil with a relative density of
30%, using a shaking table to simulate seismic events. The study evaluated the
seismic response of front-row piles battered at -5°, 0°, and +5°, under input
motions from the El Centro and Kobe earthquakes. The aim was to assess the
comparative performance of negative battered piles relative to vertical and
positively battered piles in terms of lateral and vertical displacement. The
physical model tests revealed that negative battering significantly increases pile
displacements under seismic loading. Specifically, shifting the batter angle from
0° to -5° caused a 315.93% increase in maximum lateral displacement, whereas a
change from 0° to +5° resulted in only a 3.37% increase. Similarly, the
maximum vertical

Surface irrigation is a widely used method for agricultural practices; however, it
often suffers from low conveyance efficiency. The research investigates the
hydraulic performance of a specific reach of Al-Gharraf River near Al-Badaa
regulator located in Nasiriya city in southern Iraq. The primary objective of the
present study is to simulate the operational mechanism of Al-Badaa regulator and
evaluate its influence on upstream offtake operations. The research employs the
Simulation of an Irrigation Canal (SIC) model, which is carefully calibrated and
verified using values for the Manning coefficient and the discharge coefficient,
alongside real-world operating scenarios. Five distinct flow conditions (100, 90,
80, 70, and 60% of design flow, Qd) were simulated, with cross regulators, head
regulator gates, and offtakes fully opened. The findings indicate that Al-Badaa
regulatorsignificantly influences the hydraulic dynamics of Al-Gharraf River. Full
opening of the gates results in a decrease in upstream water levels, causing reduced
discharge at some water intake stations. This study provides critical insights into
the hydraulic dynamics interaction between Al-Badaa Regulator and the upstream
offtakes serving Al-Dawaya, Shatt Al-Shatra, and Al-Basra water projects, locat

Accurate building segmentation is essential for urban planning, monitoring, and
mapping. Most deep learning approaches rely on single-view images, limiting
segmentation accuracy due to the loss of spatial context. This re-search proposes
a multi-view deep learning framework that integrates features extracted from four
pre-trained CNN models—MobileNetV2, Res-Net50, VGG16, and
InceptionV3—to capture multi-angle and multi-scale details. A vision transformer
is employed to fuse and refine these features, enhancing global context and
boundary precision. The proposed method was evaluated using UAV imagery of
a multi-story garage at the University of Technology, captured by a DJI Mavic 2
Pro with a high-resolution Hasselblad L1D-20c camera. Experiments on the
augmented building dataset achieved a segmentation accuracy of 93%, with
notable improvements in Intersection over Union (IoU) and F1-score compared to
standard CNN-based approaches. These results demonstrate the robustness of the
model under varying lighting and occlusion conditions and highlight its potential
for high-precision urban building segmentation.

An urgent need to investigate the effects of the vehicles\' characteristics on city
infrastructure has arisen as a result of the development of roads and transportation,
including the construction of new roads and the rise in vehicle numbers brought
about by global population growth. In this research, an experimental study is
performed to examine the effect of vehicle velocity on the behavior of buried
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) pipe under traffic load (moving load). The movingwheel load has been exerted using a small-scale model with three velocities (5, 10,
and 15 km/hr) to compare the strains and deformations occurring at the apex of the
buried pipe. The pipe was instrumented with the data acquisition system, including
installing the strain gages to read the strains at the pipe circumference as well as
Linear Variable Differential Transformers (LVDTs) to read the displacement in
the same locations. It was revealed that as the velocity rises, the displacement and
strain fall. When the velocity increased from 5 to 10 km/hr and from 10 to 15
km/hr, the decrease percentage in the pipe’s apex strain was 26.9 and 3.3%
respectively, while the decrease percentage in the pipe’s apex displacement was
29.5 and 12% respectively. In addition, as the velocity rose from 5 to 10 km/hr and
from 10 to 15 km/hr the decrease percentage in the pipe’s spring line displacement
was 18.17 and 28.58% respectively, while the decrease percentage in the pipe’s
spring line strain was 11.36 and 2.05% respectively. As a result, it is not necessary
to restrict vehicle speed on roads including buried structures to prevent damage,
as occurs in traffic accidents caused by excessive speed.

The widespread use of cement in construction contributes significantly to carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions, creating an urgent need for environmentally friendly
alternatives. Geopolymer concrete (GPC), which contains no cement, offers a
sustainable solution. The focus is on developing a modified metakaolin-based
GPC that incorporates recycled materials to improve sustainability while assessing
its mechanical and durability properties. The research involved enhancing the
binder by replacing 5% of metakaolin with calcium oxide and silica fume by
weight. Additionally, to reduce environmental impact, 10% of the natural coarse
aggregate volume was substituted with crumb rubber and shredded plastic waste.
A detailed mix design was conducted using specific proportions of materials,
including metakaolin, coarse aggregates, fine aggregate, sodium hydroxide,
sodium silicate, water, and superplasticizer in particular proportions (372, 910,
603, 83, 192, 7, and 56 kg/m³, respectively). The study evaluated mechanical
properties, including compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and modulus
of elasticity, alongside durability metrics such as water absorption, permeability,
abrasion resistance, and shrinkage. The incorporation of recycled materials,
including 10% crumbed rubber and plastic waste aggregate, resulted in

Sawdust-cement composites (SCC) are sustainable alternatives to conventional
building materials, but they are underutilized by grassroots artisans due to the
limited availability of reproducible methods in low-resource settings. This study
develops a standardized, field-tested protocol for producing ceiling boards using
mixed-species sawdust, cement, and mineral fillers with minimal technical
requirements and without reliance on industrial infrastructure. The workflow from
sourcing to manual hydraulic compaction was documented and validated under
artisanal conditions to assess feasibility, consistency, and performance. Results
showed consistent physical properties across batches: density (1620 ± 15 kg/m³),
water absorption (11.2 ± 0.3%), and thickness swelling (5.6 ± 0.2%). Low
variability confirms reliability and suitability for decentralized production. By
emphasizing accessibility and adaptability over optimization, this work provides a
replicable framework for community-led construct

Flexible pavements constructed over weak subgrades are subjected to premature
failure due to excessive stress and deformation. Actual Tire contact pressure
significantly affects the performance of flexible pavement. Geosynthetic
reinforcement is used to overcome these issues. In this study, physical models with
a (1/3) scale were used to investigate the effect of tire contact pressure on
geotextile-reinforced flexible pavements over weak subgrades. Three pavement
sections were studied: Control (unreinforced), Base-Surface reinforced with a nonwoven geotextile, reinforced at the middle depth of the asphalt layer. Repeated
axle loads were applied at three contact tire pressures of 480, 560, and 690 kPa,
with vertical stresses measured at the bottom of the asphalt layer and at the top of
the subgrade. Increasing tire pressure from 480 to 690 kPa raised vertical stresses
at the asphalt bottom from 70.9% for the control section to 71.4 and 74.4% for
sections 2 and 3, respectively. At the top of the subgrade, the same increase
resulted in vertical stress rises from 58.9% for the control section to 73.7% and
83.6% for sections 2 and 3, respectively. Geotextile reinforcement effectively
reduced subgrade stress at lower pressures, with middle depth reinforcement
showing slightly better performance than surface–base interface reinforcement.
However, the reinforcement benefits diminished under high contact tire pressures.
The results revealed that tire pressure constitutes a fundamental factor that affects
pavement performance, especially when built over weak subgrades, while
optimized geotextile placement further contributes to performance gain

Lightweight sandwich panels are mainly utilized in the aerospace and automobile
industries, and are increasingly explored for sustainable construction. This study
investigates the mechanical performance of sandwich panels composed of mortar
and concrete facings with expanded polystyrene (EPS) and particle board (PB)
cores. Mortar facings were a 1:3 mix of cement and sand, a 0.65 water-cement
ratio, and a 1:2:4 mix of cement, sand, and granite for the concrete, with a 0.5
water-cement ratio. Cube (75 × 75 × 75 mm3
) and prism (100 × 100 × 400 mm3
)
samples were fabricated with 15 mm facings and 45 mm cores, then cured and
tested for compressive and flexural strength at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days in line with
BS EN 12390-3:2019 and ASTM C293. At 28 days, concrete-faced PB-core
panels achieved a compressive strength of 8.18 N/mm², approximately 17% higher
than 6.96 N/mm2 of EPS-core. Mortar-faced PB-core panels reached 6.44 N/mm²,
64.13% compared to 4.13 N/mm² for mortar-faced EPS panels. Flexural strength
followed similar patterns: concrete-faced PB-core panels increased by 96% from
9.18 N/mm² at 7 days to 9.48 N/mm² at 28 days, while EPS-core panels improved
by 87.9% from 6.56 N/mm² to 7.46 N/mm². ANOVA (α = 0.05) confirmed
statistically significant differences between core types, with PB consistently
outperforming EPS due to higher stiffness and improved core–facing bonding.
EPS and PB core panels remain suited for non-load-bearing applications

Ring footings are a crucial foundation type for supporting large and tall structures,
as they enhance structural stability, mitigate the risk of overturning, and resist
lateral forces. Compared with conventional circular foundations, ring footings also
provide savings in construction materials and overall cost. This study examines
the behavior of ring footings with radius ratios of n = 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75. The
models consist of steel footings with a thickness of 50 mm and an area of 2200
mm², placed on granular sandy soil with a dried unit weight of 16 kN/m³ and a
relative density of 50%. The footings were positioned at a distance of b/Do=1 from
the slope crest to assess the influence of inclined surfaces. Centrifuge modeling
was employed to simulate realistic field stresses, while numerical analyses were
performed using PLAXIS 3D to verify and supplement the experimental data. The
results show that the bearing capacity of ring foundations decreases as the surface
inclination increases from 10° to 20°. On average, this reduction is about 10–15%,
indicating the significant effect of slope angle on foundation performance.
Furthermore, increasing the radius ratio of the footing leads to an additional
decrease in bearing capacity, which aligns with previous studies. The combined
experimental and numerical approach highlights the importance of considering
slope inclination and geometry in the design of ring footings. These findings offer
practical guidance for enhancing foundation stability and cost efficiency in
geotechnical engineering applications involving sloping sandy soils

The paper herein shows modeling and optimization of a continuous-flow
ultraviolet/hydrogen peroxide (UV/H2O2) AOP to degrade chemical oxygen
demand (COD) in simulated dairy wastewater. The common conventional
treatment procedures, such as biological and physicochemical processes, may be
limited by the high amount of sludge formation, high costs, and poor removal of
recalcitrant organic contaminants that form. This research, therefore, aims to
design a more effective photochemical treatment alternative by conducting
experimental studies and developing a more accurate model. A tailor-made cubic
photoreactor with double 6 W low-pressure UV lamps (254 nm) was used to
investigate the effect of three parameters: the flow rate (10,20, and 30 mL/min),
hydraulic retention time (HRT; 10 to 240 min), and initial COD concentration (250
to 1000 mg/L). The studies used 1.2 mL/L H2O2, pH 7.5, at a temperature of 25
ºC. Box-Behnken Design (BBD) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) were
employed, and their optimization of the process and predictive modeling yielded
a second-order polynomial regression model. The regression model displayed a
high degree of statistical significance (R² = 0.954, Adjusted R² = 0.917; p <
0.0001), while the low root-mean-square error (RMSE = 5.41%) further
supports the model’s precision and predictive robustness, accounting for
95.4% of the total variance. At optimal conditions (flow rate 10 mL/min, HRT 240
min, and initial COD 250 mg/L), there was a maximum COD removal efficiency
of 82.8% as compared to the standard deviation of 0.37. This increased
performance was attributed to the prolonged exposure to oxidation and the
elevated availability of hydroxyl radicals in the reduced, low-flow, high-retention
flow regimes. The system's operational stability was further indicated by the fact
that the values had a low standard deviation during steady-state phases.This work
demonstrates that it is viable to use UV/H2O2-based AOPs in continuous reactor
systems, which offer a sludge-free, scalable, and energy-efficient approach to
treating high-strength industrial effluents. The validated model can be effectively
used to predict and optimize real-life processe