International Journal of Integrated Engineering
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Enhancement of Cement Sand Brick Incorporating Spent Catalyst and Copper Slag as Sustainable Partial Sand Replacements
Full text linkThe use of waste materials in the manufacturing of cement sand brick constitutes a big step forward in sustainable building approaches. The partial sand replacement with waste materials, especially residual materials that can be reused in the field of construction such as spent catalyst and copper slag, has the potential to minimize environmental pollution and lead to more sustainable buildings. This study used spent catalyst and copper slag as a partial sand replacement material ranging 10% to 90% and examines the effect on the properties of cement sand bricks. Apart from that, the study used the Design Expert software approach to systematically analyzed the effect of various materials on the compressive strength and hardened density of cement sand brick. It was used to optimize the mix proportions and analyzed the correlations between four factors variables: targeted density, cement to sand ratio, proportion of sand and spent catalyst to copper slag ratio and the two responses: compressive strength and hardened density. The results show that spent catalyst and copper slag has greatly increases the compressive strength of the brick up to 26.98 MPa while hardened density reached the highest 2009.09kg/ . Hence, the replacement of 10% spent catalyst has greatly enhance the compressive strength of cement sand brick while 90% replacement of copper slag has increased the hardened density
Data-driven Impulse Excitation Technique via Statistical Signal Analysis for Determining Materials\u27 Elastic Properties
Full text linkCharacterising materials’ mechanical properties is vital in engineering applications to ensure the components\u27 performance. This study emphasised the Impulse Excitation Technique (IET), a non-destructive dynamic testing to determine the materials’ elastic properties. It comprised the standard resonant-frequency-measurement IET and alternative statistical signal data analytic method via Integrated Kurtosis-based Algorithm for Z-notch Filter (I-kazTM). The equipment included an impact hammer as an exciter, a piece of piezoelectric film patch as a sensor, a data acquisition device for signals recording, and six materials with the same geometry as samples. They comprised 6582 alloy steel, bronze, T250 cast iron, copper, P20 plastic mould steel and SKD-11 cold work tool steel. The experiment setup was designed based on ASTM E1876 standard for flexural test mode. Raw data were processed through MATLAB software, involving two different signals: impact nd vibration. I-kazTM was utilised to decrypt the data statistically and generate a relationship by correlating the vibration and impulse signals with tabulated Young’s Modulus of respective materials. The result indicated that the standard IET achieved a mean error value of 7.6%. In contrast, I-kaz is at 13.1% with approximately 5.5% differences. Although the latter was inferior, improvement could be done as it was driven and relied upon the exploited data. Obtain relevant features through multivariate analysis, adding more materials, and undergoing signal filtration in the pre-processed stage could remove irrelevancy and significantly boost the accuracy. Yet, this alternative method opens a new avenue to advance material characterisation and offering flexibility to researchers with an additional instrument for analysing data other than the standard IET
Impact of a Coarse Material Sandwich Approach on the Performance of Geotextile-Reinforced Clay
Full text linkIn many cases, the natural soil of the site does not have enough strength. Therefore, it is necessary to modify soil properties. In this regard, by adding one or more elements to the soil, its overall performance can be improved. The use of geotextile as an element in soil has attracted the attention of engineers, but investigating its performance in soil requires more study. Using a set of unconsolidated undrained (UU) triaxial tests, the behavior of geotextile-reinforced clay has been investigated in this research. Moreover, the impact of sandwiching nonwoven geotextile in a thin layer of sand (sandwich technique) on enhancing the shear strength of reinforced clay has been examined. Confining pressures (100, 200, 300, and 400 kPa), the number of geotextile layers (one, two, and three layers), and the thicknesses of the sand layers (zero, two, four, and six mm) are the variables considered for tests. The results revealed that the shear strength of clay rose as the number of geotextile layers increased. The efficiency of reinforcing clay with nonwoven geotextile can be related to a growth in the apparent cohesion of the reinforced sample. Considering the sandwich approach, it was found that with increasing the thickness of sand layers around the geotextile, the maximum deviatoric stress increased. For example, for the sample reinforced with two layers of geotextile under CP of 100 kPa, the increase rate of maximum deviatoric stress reached from 37 to 77% with increasing the thickness of the sand layer from 0 to 6 mm. Finally, the optimum thickness of the sand layer (4 mm) was identified, which led to the best enhancement in the performance of samples
Microstrip Filtenna with T-shaped stub Feedline for 5G Application
Full text linkIn this paper, a T-shaped stub-fed microstrip filtenna is proposed. A T-shaped stub-loaded bandpass filter is integrated with a microstrip patch antenna to form the filtenna. The selectivity of the designed filtenna is enhanced compared to the conventional microstrip patch antenna while maintaining the same bandwidth. This makes it a suitable candidate for applications requiring the same bandwidth with improved selectivity. The designs were carried out using CST Microwave Studio and validated through fabrication and measurement in the laboratory. The designed filtenna shows a rejection level improvement of 3 dB and 13 dB at the low and high frequency band edges of 3.4 GHz and 4.3 GHz, respectively. The filtenna operates at 3.6 GHz, making it suitable for 5G applications
Potential Utilization of Oil Palm Mesocarp and Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber Powder as Natural coagulant-flocculant for POME Treatment
Full text linkThe palm oil industry is one of the agro-based industries that has a high contribution to the global economy, including Malaysia. However, there is a negative impact on the environment caused by palm oil production, which results in high waste pollution known as palm oil mill effluent (POME). A common practice for the palm oil industry regarding the POME treatment is using conventional coagulant and flocculant agents due to their effectiveness and affordable cost. However, high usage of agents in wastewater treatment can threaten human and environmental health, such as air and soil pollution, water pollution, and disease transmission. The palm oil industry also produces other waste such as oil palm mesocarp (OPM) and oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) which have the potential to be utilized due to their existence of a hydroxyl group in cellulose and lignin. Therefore, this study provides a novel approach by utilizing naturally occurring functional groups in OPM-OPEFB to facilitate pollutant removal in POME as sustainable natural coagulants-flocculants. The effective treatment of POME is critical for reducing its environmental footprint, given the high organic content and large quantities generated by the palm oil industry. This study demonstrates the ability of these biopolymers to achieve significant reductions in turbidity and suspended solids, aligning with the principles of green chemistry. The effectiveness of lignocellulose biomass in enhancing coagulation-flocculation, offering a sustainability alternative to conventional chemical coagulants. For the coagulation-flocculation treatment of POME, jar tests were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the process. The parameters measured for the untreated and treated POME are pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity (TUR), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), and ammoniacal nitrogen (AN). Removal efficiencies of pH, TUR, BOD, TSS, and AN were 7.39%, 41.28%, 53.14%, 62.69%, and 30.56% respectively for OPM-OPEFB. Results obtained from characterization show that the coagulation–flocculation mechanism was ruled by the existence of a hydroxyl group and hydrogen bond in cellulose and lignin that increase the rate of absorption and bonding. OPM-OPEFB demonstrates the potential to lower the organic contaminants. Therefore, optimizing contact time and coagulant dosage may enhance the effectiveness of the removal of organic pollutant in the POME
CFD Investigation on the Influence of Roof Box Cargo Carrier Designs on Automobile Aerodynamics
Full text linkIn recent years, roof carrier boxes have become increasingly popular among travelers and larger families for their added luggage capacity. While these boxes address insufficient boot space, they also increase the vehicle\u27s frontal area, adversely affecting aerodynamics and increasing drag. Given that aerodynamics significantly impacts vehicle efficiency, the design of the roof box is critical in determining drag force. This study aims to minimize drag to enhance fuel economy by utilizing ANSYS, a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, to analyze the coefficient of drag (Cd) for a numerical car model equipped with three different roof box designs in three locations, as well as in the absence of a roof box. The simulation employs Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations in combining with the k-ε turbulence model. Concerning the stability of the vehicle influenced by the addition of the roof box, force coefficients, including drag and lift coefficients, were assessed. Results indicated that the drag and lift coefficients were highest at a speed of 25.5 m/s for all roof box configurations. The maximum Cd (0.4423) occurred with the XL model in the far backward position, while the highest Cl (0.4169) was observed with the Alpine model centrally positioned. Flow structure analysis highlighted vortex formation and wake turbulence at the vehicle\u27s rear. Among the designs, the XL model in the central position was the most aerodynamically efficient, closely matching the base car\u27s Cd and exhibiting the lowest Cl
Rainfall Characteristics Over Kenyir Dam Catchment Under AR5 Climate Change Scenarios
Full text linkIn this study, the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) dataset namely CanESM2, a Canadian Earth System Model was used to assess the potential changes of rainfall characteristics over the Kenyir dam catchment. The changes were computed for two future time slices (2025–2055 and 2056–2085) relative to the reference period (1988–2017) under three Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs; RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). For comparison purposes, climate change data was also obtained from National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM). NAHRIM climate data are based on GCMs adopting the Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRE) scenarios in the AR4. The three selected GCMs were CCSM3, ECHAM5 and MRI-CGCM2.3.2. The simulated rainfall patterns generally resemble those in the historical observations. However, the CCSM, ECHAM and MRI produce lower monthly rainfall, while generally CanESM2 simulations produce monthly rainfall that are more consistent with the historical observations for RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. The projected future climate rainfall by the CanESM2 suggest slightly decreasing of total rainfall over the Kenyir dam catchment due to the global warming. The largest decrement appears to be in January and February. The analysis of historical daily rainfall characteristic has suggested remarkable changes in the hydroclimatic regimes over this catchment. Understanding of such changes allow better risk assessment and mitigation planning for water security
Environmental Impacts of Commercial Haulage Operations on Air Quality in Nigeria
Full text linkThe operation of large haulage vehicle parks in Nigeria significantly contributes to ambient air pollution, posing serious environmental and health risks. This study investigates the adverse environmental consequences of air pollutants released by haulage vehicles in a major highway park connecting Osun state to other parts of Nigeria. Focusing on Oke Ese, Ilesha, Nigeria, the research identifies primary pollutants, measures concentrations, and analyzes air quality impacts. Total Suspended Particulates (TSP) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyses were conducted across various sample sites, including the truck park and surrounding residential areas. Findings reveal that Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) concentrations range from 83.14 μg/m3 to 720.59 μg/m3, exceeding Nigerian air quality standards and posing health risks to nearby residents. Average ambient sampling values were 404.86 μg/m3, significantly higher than the FEPA standard of 250 μg/m3. Source Sampling and residential sampling averages were 990.2μg/m3 and 235.29 μg/m3, respectively. XRF analysis detected high levels of magnesium in truck exhaust, with a maximum value of 189.25106 ×106 (µg/m³), far exceeding the US National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 100 µg/m³. The study concludes that stricter emission regulations and alternative energy solutions are necessary to mitigate environmental and public health impacts. Achieving recommended air quality guidelines could save millions of lives globally, emphasizing the importance of addressing air pollution. The research underscores the need for urgent action to protect the health and well-being of communities surrounding haulage vehicle parks in Nigeria
Assessing Fire Resistance Through One-Dimensional Charring Rates of Solid Malaysian Light Hardwoods Using The Reduced Cross-Section Method
Full text linkIn recent decades, timber structures have become popular for their environmental benefits and support of sustainable development goals. They reduce energy demands and pollution hence making the construction sector greener. However, timber is a combustible material, make its use in structural applications is limited by building regulations, especially for taller and larger buildings due to fire safety concerns. Therefore, studying the fire resistance and structural integrity of timber during and after a fire is crucial. This paper presents a study examining the fire performance of timber beams made from Malaysian tropical light hardwoods. To assess the performance in detail, the char depth of timber beams was determined by using the reduced cross-section method for various species, ranging from light hardwoods with densities varying from 450 kg/m³ to 700 kg/m³. The beams were tested under one-dimensional fire conditions for varying durations (45 min, 60 min, and 70 min) using standard fire exposure. The charring rate value, ßo also been evaluated for these species. The findings show that certain species have shown charring rates of 0.5 mm/min, which align with the guidelines set out in Eurocode 5 for solid hardwoods with timber densities above 450 kg/m³
Enhancing Security Using ECDSA-Based Hardware Security Module with DS28E38 Secure Data Authentication IC
Full text linkThe increasing integration of technology across diverse sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and smart infrastructure has enhanced operational efficiency and introduced significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities due to open networks and automatic technology. This research addresses these risks by developing a verification system using the integrated circuit (IC) security DS28E38, which employs Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) to keep data integrity. The key innovation lies in combining physically unclonable function (PUF)-based authentication with the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA), providing a resilient mechanism for device identity verification and protection against cyber threats. The research also includes a comprehensive performance evaluation, considering metrics such as time efficiency, memory utilization, power consumption, and resilience against simulated cyberattacks, demonstrating that the proposed system significantly enhances cybersecurity while preserving operational performance