Sulaimania Journal for Engineering Sciences

Beam openings have been proven to reduce beam strength; therefore, Strengthening is necessary to enhance the beam’s load capacity, failure mode, ductility and first cracking load. This strengthening can be carried out using internal steel rebar and FRP; however, the use of metal straps has never been tested. Therefore, this study examines the application of heavy-duty metal straps (HDMS) to enhance the strength of RC beams with openings. For this purpose, seven reinforced concrete (RC) beams were tested, each with a depth of 250 mm, a width of 150 mm, and a clear span of 1200 mm. Six beams had an opening in the mid-span, and one was a solid control specimen. The shape of the opening (circular and square) and the method of HDMS application (vertically and horizontally) were the main parameters. The openings had equivalent areas, utilizing 110 mm diameter circular openings and 100 mm × 100 mm square openings. Horizontal HDMS around circular and square openings increased the load-carrying capacity of the beams by 10% and 16%, respectively, compared to the solid control beam. In contrast, the vertical HDMS around the opening increased the first cracking load of the specimens by 16% and 5% for circular and square openings, respectively, compared to the unstrengthened control beams with openings.

Openings in slabs are commonly implemented to facilitate mechanical and electrical services; however, they considerably reduce stiffness, load-carrying capacity, and ductility, potentially changing failure modes. This study conducts an experimental analysis of twelve two-way normal reinforced concrete (RC) slabs, including one solid control slab, three unstrengthened slabs with openings at various locations (Middle, Corner, and Edge) in the specimens, and eight strengthened slabs utilizing Heavy-Duty Metal Straps (HDMS) which are thin steel strapping bands used externally as a strengthening system. The findings indicated that unstrengthened slabs with openings demonstrated considerable decreases in ultimate load capacity (up to 20% lower than the solid control) and flexural stiffness, with failure modes primarily transitioning to punching shear. The strengthening of corner openings restored the ultimate strength to levels similar to those of the solid control slab and increased stiffness by over 40%, in addition to improving ductility performance. The strengthening for middle openings resulted in partial recovery of stiffness and ultimate load, alongside significant enhancements in ductility. The performance of HDMS at edge openings was dependent on configuration; in the optimal arrangement, the technique nearly restored ultimate stiffness to the control level, while other configurations exhibited limited advantages.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is increasingly recognized worldwide as a powerful tool that enhances productivity in the construction industry. By digitally representing building data, BIM helps reduce construction time and costs while improving project quality. This study investigates energy consumption in residential buildings located in rural areas of Iraq using BIM tools, specifically Revit and Insight 360°. In this study, three houses constructed with different materials were analyzed for their energy performance. Energy consumption was assessed using BIM simulations, and indoor temperature was measured manually over a 315-minute period using thermometers. The results showed that the average Energy Use Intensity (EUI) for house (01), house (02), and house (03) was found to be 145, 162, and 170 kWh/m²/year, respectively. These simulation results closely matched the recorded temperature data in terms of energy loss, supporting the accuracy of the software's predictions. Based on the findings, it is recommended that rural construction projects prioritize materials with better thermal insulation to significantly reduce energy consumption.

Traditional Kurdish architecture in the cities of Sulaymaniyah and Sanandaj represents a living mirror of social and cultural identity, with houses with main courtyards forming the heart of residential life, and the facades overlooking them becoming the most prominent symbolic and aesthetic elements.This research seeks to bridge this gap through an authentic analytical framework. The first phase relied on a descriptive analysis of the formative elements across the three levels (lower, middle, and upper), and led to the discovery of architectural elements without previous names, and the formulation of authentic Kurdish names for them for the first time. The second phase focused on transforming the elements of composition and facade materials from traditional descriptions to measurable quantitative-compositional indicators, within an analytical system developed in the Python/Jupyter Notebook environment. This framework made it possible to encode formative elements in a digital "interface language" through automated mechanisms to recognize arcs, rhythms, and style consistency, while incorporating artificial intelligence as a supporting tool for both formative and cognitive reading of the interface. The results showed a structural and physical convergence between the interfaces, while the perceptual-visual reading revealed a gap between the computational and the perceptual, which led to the formulation of the concept of "false similarity" to explain the ambiguous relationship between the physical and the visual in traditional architecture.

Evaluating morphometric characteristics is the most efficient technique to depict the hydrologic and physiographic features of river basins. The current study focuses on investigating the morphological study of the Kasnazan basin, which is located 10 km east of Erbil city. The area of the basin is 20.39 km².To fulfill the current study goal, data from the Digital Elevation Model and geoinformation (GIS and remote sensing) methodologies were utilized to detect and assess morphometric properties (relief aspect). Various tools of the ArcGIS 10.8 software were used to prepare and produce maps, as well as to analyze and evaluate various parameter properties. Relief Aspects creates data on the river basin's erosion properties, which include the morphological aspects of the relief, entire slop, and degree of erosion. The slope of the catchment is 5% represents moderately erosion. Quantitative investigation of morphometric characteristics is extremely useful for watershed planning and management. These findings are useful for calculating watersheds for drainage management, planning for the environment, and development that is sustainable .

Unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings are among the most vulnerable structural types in seismic regions, particularly in developing cities where construction quality and material properties vary significantly. Although seismic vulnerability of URM buildings has been widely investigated worldwide, studies incorporating locally tested material properties and calibrated analytical fragility models at the city scale remain limited. The novelty of this research is to addresses this gap by developing a comprehensive seismic vulnerability assessment framework specifically for URM buildings in Sulaymaniyah City, Iraq. This study begins with a review of established empirical and analytical techniques used globally for seismic vulnerability assessment, outlining their strengths, limitations, and typical applications. In Sulaymaniyah City, a field survey of 4,724 buildings based on the EMS-98 classification showed that most buildings fall into vulnerability classes B and C under pessimistic and optimistic scenarios, respectively, and are predominantly constructed using hollow concrete blocks. A representative URM building was analyzed through nonlinear static analysis using the Equivalent Frame Method implemented in TREMURI, with material properties obtained from experimental tests (mean compressive strength ≈ 3.0 MPa and elastic modulus ≈ 2,400 MPa). The results revealed lower lateral strength and stiffness in the x-direction, leading to higher probabilities of slight damage at low PGA levels (around 0.05g) compared to the more resilient y-direction, highlighting the importance of considering directional behavior and local material properties in seismic risk mitigation.

This experimental study investigates the hydraulic performance of rectangular labyrinth weirs with rounded corners under both free-flow and submerged-flow conditions. Nine rectangular labyrinth weirs, varying in height and crest length, were constructed from High-Density Polyethylene Plastic (HDPE) and tested in a laboratory flume under a range of discharges (0.0028-0.034 m3/s). The effects of geometry and tailwater depth on discharge efficiency were evaluated. The results indicated that the discharge coefficient (CL) generally increases with the relative head ratio (HT/P) up to a certain point (0.12-0.26), after this point, the discharge coefficient declines. Additionally, the discharge efficiency of rectangular labyrinth weirs with rounded corners decreases as the degree of submergence increases. Models with greater weir height were less sensitive to submergence, while those with longer crest lengths exhibited greater efficiency losses. Overall, labyrinth weirs with rounded corners maintain favourable performance under a wide range of discharges. These findings provide new insight into the influence of crest geometry and submergence on labyrinth weir hydraulics.

This paper explores the spatial school layout to enhance students’ sense of belonging across mental, physical, social, economic and behavioral preferences. It identifies four key factors connected to the sense of belonging, including student traits, social interaction, school environment, and school support system.
The main role of school building gives the users movement, and this movement provides socialization, connection and amenities between students. The study employed a quantitative research design method; it is comparative study to analyze spatial connectivity from ten randomly chosen samples with different layout types in Erbil city high schools. Space syntax utilized visibility analysis maps by DepthmapX, emphasizes visibility, connectivity, and interaction between space components include entry, corridor, classroom, library, and social Space. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 303 students and included same grade level to ensure the reliability and validity of results. Used SPSS program by Spearman correlation, in which findings confirm statistically significant positive relationships between connectivity of school layout and students’ sense of belonging. The study presents different school layouts addresses in change of belonging. This study contributes new insights into how school layout can be intentionally designed and supported to increase belonging. Its implications extend beyond Erbil, offering useful guidance to educators, designers, and policymakers aiming to develop school layouts that nurture the sense of belonging of all students.

Improving visual characteristics in heritage areas enhances residents’ comfort, social engagement and overall urban livability. This study investigates how urban visual characteristics influence the perceived livability of the heritage area surrounding Qaysari Bazaar in Erbil City. The study employs a survey approach, incorporating a questionnaire. Findings reveal that urban visual characteristic shape residents’ and users’ perception of livability, with building façade characteristics and streetscape features showing the strongest influence. The regression result confirms that visual characteristics accounts for more than 70% of the variance in perceived livability, highlighting the critical role of architectural design, historical integrity, adequate greenery, and well-maintained public areas. The survey findings show that building façade characteristics play a larger role in livability compared to streetscape features and services. The study concludes that enhancing visual harmony, conserving heritage character, and improving pedestrian-friendly environments are essential strategies for sustaining livability of heritage areas. By empirically investigating the relationship between visual characteristics and perceived livability, the study critically highlights conservation methods and strategies that focus solely on material conservation and advocates for a transition to human-centered and visually-aware heritage management. The findings target planners, architects, and heritage authorities to adopt context-sensitive design guidelines to ensure sustainable urban conservation of Erbil.

The aim of this paper is to establish an empirically based, interdisciplinary framework that integrates vernacular urban morphology with climate-responsive technological interventions to enhance resilience, sustainability, and community engagement in developing urban centers, using Sulaymaniyah as a case study, using a mixed-methods approach, this study investigates Sulaymaniyah's urban fabric and climate resilience. Climate, social, and urban features were evaluated by field surveys in Sabwnkaran and Mallkandy, an expert input on resilience tactics was acquired using questionnaires. Traditional, contemporary, and integrated solutions were assessed, along with implementation challenges and adaption tactics, using descriptive-analytical techniques with Excel and SPSS. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis were assisted by visual and spatial technologies such as AutoCAD and Photoshop. Structured expert interviews supported conclusions and directed useful, situation-specific suggestions for resilient and sustainable urban development in Sulaymaniyah. This was achieved through a detailed study of selected neighborhoods within the Sabwnkran and Mallkandi districts, analyzing their key urban characteristics in terms of building materials, building orientation, height-to-street width ratio, ratio of open and built spaces, ratio of green spaces, winding and straight streets, and ratio of shade and trees. According to linear regression analysis, Green Space played a crucial role in the urban environment under study. It had a good explanatory power (R2 = 0.855) and a significant positive association with the dependent variable (B = 0.070, Beta = 0.924, t = 4.200, p = 0.025). While Straight Grid Streets neared significance (B = -0.047, Beta = -0.843, t = -2.711, p = 0.073), other indicators were not statistically significant (p > 0.05), and factors like Building Materials showed minimal explanatory power (R² = 0.008).

A numerical investigation of hydrodynamic and heat transfer characteristics in liquid-solid fluidized beds was conducted using a coupled CFD-DEM approach combined with a thermal model. Simulations were carried out for a range of particle and column diameters with varying inlet fluid velocities under isothermal wall boundary conditions. The model was capable of simulating the simultaneous effects of conductive particle-particle heat transfer and convective particle-fluid heat transfer. The accuracy of the coupled model was established by validating the results against experimental data in the literature on hydrodynamic characteristics and thermal behavior. It has been observed that the results obtained from the CFD-DEM simulation have a good agreement with the experimental data, and the average deviation is within the range of 6-8%. From the results, it was evident that the smaller particles improved the heat transfer performance. Enhancements of convective heat transfer and a decrease of temperature gradients in the bed with increasing inlet fluid velocity were found, especially in the column with the wider diameter. Results from the simulations elucidated the conductive heat transfer through contacts between particles as well as the convective heat transfer between fluid and particles, and showed that the interplay between particle size, column diameter, and fluid velocity determines the performance of heat transfer. The novelty in this research is the quantification of conduction and convection heat transfer interactions using a fully resolved CFD-DEM model for heat transfer. This research also gives practical guidelines on how to improve heat transfer in liquid-solid fluidized bed reactors by optimizing particle sizes and column diameters. The findings provide guidance for optimizing column geometry and particle size in fluidized bed reactors for enhanced thermal efficiency in chemical processing and thermal processing equipment.

This study investigates the influence of glass fiber-reinforced polymer reinforcement bars on the shear capacity of simply supported concrete beams without web reinforcement and to investigate the dowel effect of this reinforcement. To determine the effects of concrete compressive strength, type of reinforcement, and reinforcement ratio on shear behavior, an experimental program was conducted on 12 beam samples, comprising six conventionally steel-reinforced beams and six beams. reinforced with GFRP bars. There were three different tensile reinforcement ratios (low, medium, and high) in each subgroup. Both the beams that have reinforced with GFRP or steel bars were designed to have theoretically the same tension forces (A_s F_y its equivalent from the GFRP properties) which resulted in comparable flexural capacity and two concrete compressive strengths. The experimental findings revealed that the shear capacity of GFRP-reinforced beams was approximately 36% less than that of steel-reinforced beams at low reinforcement ratios, 28% at intermediate reinforcement ratios, and 16% at high reinforcement ratios. And the enhancement of concrete compressive strength from 40 MPa to 55 MPa (38%) increased the shear capacity of GFRP-reinforced beams more significantly than that of beams reinforced with conventional steel. Also, the ACI code-440.11-22 formulae significantly underestimates the shear capacity, with an average ratio of experimental to predicted shear capacity of approximately 2.0 for both concrete compressive strength values that were chosen.

This study aims to characterize and analyze the physical and chemical performance of CH clay soil stabilized independently and separately by fly ash and metakaolin based geopolymers activated by sodium hydroxide. Different percentages up to 18% of both geopolymers were considered to assess how they affect soil plasticity, compaction and volumetric stability. The X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis for soil and binders were conducted to assess aluminosilicate amounts necessary for geopolymer formation and to support the observed results. The results of Atterberg’s limits and compaction tests showed a decrease in soil plasticity and increase in maximum dry density of soil with increase in geopolymer content. Durability was evaluated through one-dimensional swelling-shrinkage cycles, where higher binder contents resulted in pronounced volume change reduction and hence improvement of dimensional stability due to moisture changes. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed a dense and compact matrix with continuous geopolymer gel formation and enhanced interparticle bonding. The findings of these tests show that sodium hydroxide activated geopolymer binders can alter the physio-chemical properties and matrix of clay soil to improve its dimensional stability and wetting-drying cycle durability.

This study evaluates the implementation and challenges of safety practices at construction sites in Sulaimani City, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, against the backdrop of rapid urbanization and rising workplace hazards. Despite adherence to local and international safety standards, high accident rates persist, revealing critical gaps between theoretical protocols and real-world applications. Using a mixed-methods approach, data from 217 participants (200 workers and 17 safety officers) were analyzed through statistical methods, including Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Spearman’s rank correlation tests. Results highlighted non-normal distributions in key safety metrics and significant variability in knowledge, training, and availability of personal protective equipment (PPE). A moderate positive correlation (r = 0.45, p < 0.01) was found between training adequacy and worker empowerment, emphasizing the role of structured training programs. Financial constraints, insufficient enforcement, and a lack of cohesive safety culture emerged as primary barriers to compliance. The findings underscore the need for integrated strategies combining enhanced training, financial investment, and management-driven safety initiatives to bridge the gap between policy and practice, ultimately reducing accidents and improving worker well-being.