Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (200-210)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/200-210

Research Article By:

Hind Shabbani

Corresponding author E-mail:hind.shabbani@qu.edu.iq

ABSTRACT

Biogas is an emerging energy source. This work focuses on purifying biogas from CO₂ utilizing modeled dynamic and rapid pressure swing adsorption RPSA mediated by ZnO@ZIF-8 composite. The model was validated against published literature showing validity of R²=0.943. four parameters (Adsorption pressure, temperature, feed flowrate, and feed composition) were studied to investigate their effect on four responses (breakthrough time, adsorption capacity, asymmetry, and front velocities) across 30 simulative runs. Adsorption pressure was shown to be the most influential across the main studied responses. The breakthrough adsorption capacity and breakthrough time increased significantly from 5.76 to 29.79 mmol/g and from 218.4 to 1125.0 s, respectively, as the pressure increased from 1 to 8 bar. On the other hand, the saturation and stoichiometric front velocities dropped by 76.4 % and 78.5 %, respectively. Furthermore, the creation of sharper and more advantageous concentration fronts is suggested by the 44.7 % decrease in curve asymmetry, showing enhanced adsorption performance and mass-transfer characteristics at higher pressures. Minimal effect was shown by feed temperature on convective transport opposite to the feed flowrate. For the duration of 14 cycles the biogas showed enhanced purity of 76.76 % compared to the feed biogas purity of 50 %. This study shows the potential of breakthrough analysis as a useful tool for optimizing cycle conditions and pressure settings in RPSA and emphasizes the significance of balancing numerous response factors.

Keywords:

biogas; unit operation; adsorption column; adsorbent composite; metal organic frameworks.

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (180-200)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/180-200

Research Article By:

HAYDER QASIM SAMOR

Corresponding author E-mail:engineer_haider84@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

This study aims to improve the efficiency of renewable energy systems through an advanced Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) strategy. A hybrid control combining the Perturb & Observe (P&O) algorithm and the Super-Twisting Sliding Mode Control (STC) technique was developed to regulate the Boost converter. The approach focuses on enhancing DC-DC conversion efficiency and improving the quality of the DC-AC power signal injected into the grid. Simulations showed a decrease in voltage ripples, an increase in dynamic response speed, and a reduction in losses compared to conventional control. The proposed solution ensures system stability under different conditions, improves smart grid efficiency, reduces signal distortions, and speeds up high-precision optimal monitoring. By lowering the total voltage ripple (VR) to 18.4%, the super-twisting sliding mode algorithm has also demonstrated its capacity to reduce vibrations and maintain system stability under a variety of radiation conditions, improving the smart grid’s dependability and reducing thermal loss by 12%. The aim of this study is to maximize the performance of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) with the fewest possible sensors. Additionally, it fills important gaps in traditional solar control systems while improving tracking accuracy, dynamic stability, and grid power quality.

Keywords:

Electric Power Control, Perturb & Observe (P&O) Algorithms, Super-Twisting Sliding Mode Control (STC) Technique, Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT), DC-DC Boost Converter, DC-AC Inverter, Grid Power Efficiency.

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (165-179)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/165-179

Research Article By:

Munadhil Ali Hasan

Corresponding author E-mail:munadhilalihasan@gmail.com 

ABSTRACT

The conventional deterministic slope-stability analyses of earth dams cannot quantify failure probability arising from natural variability and measurement uncertainty in geotechnical parameters. In this study, a probabilistic framework is devised that combines Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) using limit-equilibrium analysis (GeoStudio SEEP/W-SLOPE/W) and machine-learning surrogate models to assess the reliability indices and failure probabilities for Mosul Dam and Dohuk Dam northern Iraq under their normal functioning rapid drawdown seismic loading and the maximum flood occurrence. Due to the absence of recent field investigations or laboratory tests, we compiled geotechnical parameters from published reports and technical sources. We derived statistical moments from reported ranges using the method of moments. Further, we justified probability distributions from geotechnical reliability literature and available goodness-of-fit checks. Ten thousand MCS realizations were generated for every dam and loading condition. The predictive accuracy for the XGBoost resulted in the highest score for the study with a computed R² = 0.984, MAE = 0.018 and RMSE = 0.024. Furthermore, the reliability update was fully achieved by enabling the model in only 6.5 s. The seismic reliability of Mosul Dam has been found to be critically low with a value of β = 1.95 and Pf = 2.56 × 10⁻². This low value is mainly controlled by variability in foun-dation hydraulic conductivity. Under all scenarios, the Dohuk Dam was still satisfactory but rapid drawdown β reduced from 4.85 to 3.05. The framework enables screening-level, risk-informed monitoring and prioritization of operations, but it calls for site-specific validation prior to design-level decision-making.

Keywords:

Earth dams; Geotechnical uncertainty; Machine learning surrogate models; Monte Carlo simulation; Probabilistic reliability.

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (156-164)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/156-164

Research Article By:

Ali Saeed Shanshool

Corresponding author E-mail: As1615983@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Large religious gatherings load regional infrastructure heavily for a short time. The load is predictable, yet how the systems that carry it actually behave is still poorly documented. This study uses the complete daily operating record of the Karbala fuel distribution branch over twenty-one consecutive days, 16 July to 5 August 2026, spanning the build-up, the Arbaeen day itself on 4 August and the first day of the return. The records cover 53 supply nodes and four petroleum products, and give for every node and day the closing stock, the volume sold, the quantity received and the orders placed. Surge factor, order fill rate, days of supply and demand amplification indicators show that system-wide days-of-supply fell to a low of 0.78 day at the peak of the load – with product-level cover as low as 0.60 day for gas oil – before recovering to 1.47 days on the Arbaeen day: the replenishment effort culminated after the demand it was meant to serve. Fitting the build-up trend and projecting it to the Arbaeen day, the usual procedure when the peak is not observed, overstates the measured requirement by 70.4% (95% prediction interval 4.45–5.48 million litres against 2.92 million actually recorded).

Keywords: Bullwhip effect; Days of supply; Fuel supply chain; Mass gathering logistics; Order fill rate

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (142-155)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/142-155

Research Article By:

Asmaa H. Al-Dabbagh

Corresponding author E-mail: asma.dabbagh@uomosul.edu.iq

ABSTRACT

Perspectives on the interpretation paradigms to architecture vary significantly, which is reflected in defining the nature of meaning and its alignments or contradictions within its diverse contexts. This variation can lead to the failure of certain designs and a separation from their recipients, a situation that has occurred, partly, with the new design of the Al-Nouri mosque in Mosul. This event served as a research topic to uncover the nature of the interpretation paradigm, its relationship with the intellectual stances of the recipients, and how these stances influence the position toward heritage preservation in similar cases.

The research aims to define interpretation paradigms and their relationship with both the interpreter and the designer. It also seeks to identify their aspects, indicators, and variables to enable their detection within critical texts and interpreters’ opinions through a more reliable, systematic, and highly replicable method. Based on the hypothesis that the interpretation paradigm adopted by experts was influenced by their position toward heritage interpretation.

The methodology relies on applying these indicators and variables to the case of the Al-Nouri mosque in Mosul. This is achieved by conducting a survey targeting academic experts to uncover interpretive evidence, followed by analyzing the results using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The results confirm that the paradigm of interpretation (adopted by experts in the practical study) is the structuralism based on coherent interpretations, where the literal definition was the most acceptable to them, and this relates to designing according to familiar conventional template, also considering mosque reconstruction as a national matter that must be formally unique within its context. It also implies similarity to previous buildings through the geometric shapes of the mosque’s main elements. Furthermore, considering it a national icon that evokes historical memory to preserve identity means the issue is falls within the realm of religiously symbolic matters, which justified the exclusion of post-structuralist and hybrid paradigms from the results.

The knowledge contribution is demonstrated in identifying indicators and variables that can be applied to analyze critical texts, or to conduct similar exploratory or empirical studies. This establishes a design approach to achieve the design objectives sought by the designer, the recipient, or the interpreters.

These discovered relationships define a design approach through which similar reconstruction projects can be programmed. Furthermore, the study recommends adopting alternative paradigms for the reconstruction of non-historic buildings, allowing for creative design proposals that support multiple/ open interpretation.

Keywords: Interpretation paradigms, Mosque Architecture, Structuralism, Post-Structuralism, Hybrid Paradigm, Al-Nouri Mosque

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (129-141)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/129-141

Research Article By:

Asmaa H. Al-Dabbagh, Luma A. Al-Dabbagh, and Russul Saad Mahmood

Corresponding author E-mail: russul.aloabidi@uomosul.edu.iq

ABSTRACT

Architecture stimulates all senses to reach comprehensive sensory experience within Immaterial Architecture, the problem emerges from the insufficiency of relying on a single sense to comprehend architecture. Assuming that Visually perceived materials characteristics function as a stimuli for the remaining senses, and based on the hypothesis; a statistically significant variance in cognitive perception levels (ranging from sensory response to behavioral outcomes) resulting from the differences in characteristics of finishing materials and their applications between modern and traditional environments, these characteristics manifest through contrasting values (material, pattern, color, texture, detail, area of appliance) within the two environments, to investigate the impact of changing finishing material characteristics (within interior design) on the user’s perceptual system. The methodology depends on many steps to reach the objective; applying characteristics to the lobby of the Architecture Engineering Department at the University of Mosul, within virtual simulation to produce two environments, using (Autodesk Revit 2021) software for modeling and (Lumin 12) software for rendering, and collecting perception data by a structured questionnaire alongside virtual tour, with exposure time tracking. The findings demonstrate that the modern environment possesses a higher degree of spatial intelligibility and a greater capacity to encourage prolonged stay (to some extent) compared to the traditional environment. In contrast, the traditional environment is (to some extent) more effective at evoking spatial memory than its in modern counterpart, confirming that altering characteristics of finishing materials in the environment generally leaves a distinct impact on the level of perception. The architects’ background and training in modern environment explain their perception of higher spatial intelligibility and inclination for prolonged stays in the modern environment. The sensory differences between the two environments did not translate into a significant variance in actual behavior. Future suggestions may deal with other environments related to different architectural styles or trends to be analyzed and tested, scientifically and practically.

Keywords: Immaterial Architecture, Five Senses, Sensory experience, perception levels, virtual simulation, Modern, Tradition.

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (118-128)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/118-128

Research Article By:

Hatem Oday Hanoosh

Corresponding author E-mail: hatem.oday@mu.edu.iq

ABSTRACT

In this paper, a compact circular microstrip patch antenna integrated with a metasurface superstrate is designed and analyzed for flexible 5G applications at 33 GHz. The proposed antenna is implemented on a thin FR-4 board with overall dimensions of 9 × 9 × 1.7 mm³. The antenna is excited by an inset-fed microstrip line, and a metasurface superstrate composed of 49 circular-ring elements arranged in a 7 × 7 array is employed to enhance the electromagnetic performance. The antenna was designed and simulated using CST Studio Suite, and its performance was evaluated in terms of reflection coefficient, −10 dB impedance bandwidth, directivity, realized gain, radiation pattern, and surface current distribution. The results show that the metasurface superstrate improves impedance matching, bandwidth, radiation characteristics, and gain compared with the conventional circular patch antenna. The conventional antenna achieves a −10 dB impedance bandwidth of 1.5 GHz, whereas the metasurface-integrated antenna achieves 3.7 GHz. The simulated metasurface-integrated antenna exhibits an S₁₁ of −47 dB, directivity of 8.7 dBi, and realized gain of 8.2 dBi. The fabricated prototype achieves a measured −10 dB impedance bandwidth of 2.9 GHz, S₁₁ of −40 dB, directivity of 8.1 dBi, and realized gain of 7.3 dBi. These results confirm the suitability of the proposed antenna for compact Ka-band 5G and IoT wireless communication applications.

Keywords: circular patch antenna; circular-ring metasurface; FR-4 substrate; 33 GHz; Ka-band; flexible 5G; realized gain.

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (103-117)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/103-117

Research Article By:

Ismael Badawi Dahash

Corresponding author E-mail: ismael@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Cement manufacture is among the most energy- and carbon-intensive industrial activities, yet much of its energy input leaves the kiln line as medium- and low-grade waste heat. This paper reports a plant-scale techno-environmental case study of a water-free, air-cooled cascaded dual-loop organic Rankine cycle (ORC) for a cement plant in Mazandaran, Iran, in which a pure-toluene topping loop recovers the suspension-preheater exhaust and an ultra-low-GWP R1233zd(E)/R1234ze(Z) bottoming loop (0.633/0.367 by mass) recovers the clinker-cooler air together with the topping-loop condensation duty. Fifteen candidate fluids are filtered against explicit numerical criteria and the survivors evaluated on the full cascade model under identical boundary conditions; the design is obtained by surrogate-assisted NSGA-II optimisation with entropy-weighted TOPSIS selection and assessed through five lenses — energy, exergy with avoidable/unavoidable and endogenous/exogenous decomposition, economic, environmental and exergoenvironmental — supported by a digital-twin-oriented operational layer. The cascade absorbs 28.60 MW and delivers 4.851 MW of net shaft power (17.0 % thermal, 33.3 % exergy efficiency) at a levelised cost of 0.0434 $ kWh⁻¹, a 3.6-year discounted payback at an avoided-outage valuation and 22.0 kt yr⁻¹ of avoided grid CO₂. Monte-Carlo propagation places the levelised cost at 0.031–0.071 $ kWh⁻¹ (P10–P90) and returns a 99.7 % probability of a positive net present value at that valuation against 0.05 % at the subsidised tariff, so bankability is governed by tariff treatment rather than by engineering. The direct refrigerant impact is 0.0011 % of the avoided emission and the 0.61 K zeotropic glide is worth under 1 %; replacing the optimistic loss assumptions lowers net power by 19.0 % without altering any conclusion.

Keywords:organic Rankine cycle; cement waste-heat recovery; cascaded dual-loop; ultra-low-GWP working fluids; exergoenvironmental analysis; digital twin

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (90-102)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/90-102

Research Article By:

Akeel Hussein Kadhim

Corresponding author E-mail: aqeel.hussien@qu.edu.iq

ABSTRACT

Niobium causes precipitation strengthening of Alloy 718 but also causes segregation during weld solidification. This research investigates the relationship between the filler-wire Nb content of 4.75–5.50 wt.% with interdendritic second-phase formation and cracking in gas tungsten arc welds. Thermo-Calc Scheil-Gulliver calculations, optical microscopy, image analysis, and Varestraint-type testing were used to compare five experimental filler wires using fixed nominal welding parameters. Increasing the calculated operational solidification interval, which is defined between liquidus and 99% solid, grows from 106 to 119 °C with the incorporation of more filler-wire Nb. The expected Laves fraction was predicted to change from 2.1 to 4.8 vol.%, while the measured interdendritic second-phase fraction increased from 2.5 ± 0.3 to 5.3 ± 0.6 area%. At 2% nominal augmented strain, the dimensionless cracking index typing went up from 0.05 ± 0.02 to 0.32 ± 0.06. The five composition means regressions showed that cracking was strongly associated with measured or predicted phase fractions. These links are consistent with cracking assisted by segregation but do not by themselves prove the attribution. The outcomes uncovered the lower-Nb fillers as competent candidates for follow-up weldability assessments. Before a qualified filler-composition recommendation can be defined, direct dilution measurements, verified phase identification and Post weld mechanical testing.

Keywords:

Alloy 718; filler-metal niobium; Laves phase; solidification cracking; GTAW; Varestraint

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (76-89)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/76-89

Research Article By:

Kais Abdulhusein Abbas

Corresponding author E-mail: Kais.A.Abbas@uotechnology.edu.iq

ABSTRACT

The urgent environmental challenges of resource depletion, waste generation, and climate change necessitate a paradigm shift in architecture from the conventional linear “take-make-dispose” model toward a regenerative circular economy. This study seeks to analytically investigate the key drivers and barriers to implementing sustainable circular architecture, with a specific focus on high rise residential buildings. Employing a qualitative case study methodology, this research analyzed the design, implementation, and ecological performance of Bosco Verticale in Milan against established circularity principles and LEED certification standards. According to the study’s results, Bosco Verticale exemplifies circularity because it combines biodiversity with many features, including: sequestration of 30 tons of CO₂; having more than 1,600 different species; features for reusing greywater; and the use of durable modular building materials. However, the study has identified many significant barriers to adopting these types of buildings more broadly: very high costs associated with construction; a need for intense, highly specialized maintenance; and structural complexity associated with each design. Moreover, it was found through the research that (BIM) and (AI) are two new technologies that may help reduce the roadblocks that have been encountered in the adoption of circular buildings. The result of this study is that the circular built environment can be adopted and implemented in an environmentally sustainable manner; however, it will take a concerted effort by architects, policymakers and urban designers to break down the legal, financial and social barriers that are preventing the sustainable construction of buildings with a circular design.

Keywords:

Circular architecture, Circular economy, Durability, Recycling, Sustainability, Vegetation, Waste reduction.

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (60-75)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/60-75

Research Article By:

Rasha Jamal Hindi

Corresponding author E-mail: rashajamal94@uomustansiriyah.edu.iq

ABSTRACT

Automated diabetic retinopathy grading using fundus images demands accurate, computationally efficient,  robust, and interpretable models. Although convolutional neural networks are effective at extracting local lesion patterns, they have limited ability to model long-range spatial relationships across the retina, while standard vision transformers provide global context at a substantially higher computational cost. To address this trade-off, this study proposes a lightweight hybrid CNN–Transformer framework that combines an EfficientNet-B0 backbone for local retinal feature extraction with a compact four-layer transformer branch for global contextual modeling. The final EfficientNet-B0 feature map is converted into spatial tokens and processed by the transformer, after which CNN and transformer representations are integrated through a learned feature-fusion module. The model contains only 6.2 million parameters and achieved strong five-class DR grading performance on APTOS 2019, with a quadratic weighted kappa of 0.920 under stratified five-fold cross-validation. External testing on MESSIDOR-2 further showed promising cross-dataset generalization, achieving 94.7% binary screening accuracy and a QWK of 0.891 without fine-tuning. In addition, Grad-CAM and attention rollout were used to provide complementary local and global explanations of model predictions. The results indicate that the proposed framework presents a concise and semantically meaningful method for DR grading and may facilitate future clinical decision-support assessments,  but future prospective validation with ophthalmologists re-mains required before its implementation in a real clinical setting.

Keywords:

diabetic retinopathy; lightweight deep learning; hybrid CNN-Transformer; feature fusion; explainable AI (XAI); generalizability validation

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (47-59)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/47-59

Research Article By:

Ali Qasim Abdul Wahid

Corresponding author E-mail: aliqasimwq1@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Thin-walled crash boxes are key energy-absorbing components whose geometry influences vehicle mass, impact-force transmission, and crash energy dissipation. Existing optimization approaches often rely on complex geometries or assess structural failure only indirectly, which limits their application to locally manufacturable steel components. In this study, an integrated framework that couples an ABAQUS/Explicit model with the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) is developed for a square steel crash box that can be produced with conventional manufacturing processes. Wall thickness, box length, trigger-hole diameter, and trigger-hole position were optimized to minimize mass and peak crushing force while maximizing specific energy absorption (SEA), subject to equivalent plastic-strain and connection-safety constraints. The baseline design had a mass of 4.25 kg, an SEA of 9.34 kJ/kg, and a peak force of 115.2 KN. The selected balanced Pareto-optimal design reduced the mass to 3.98 kg (6.4%), increased the SEA to 10.15 kJ/kg (8.7%), and lowered the peak force to 108.4 KN (5.9%). Its connection safety factor increased to 1.18, while the maximum equivalent plastic strain remained below the allowable limit of 0.35. Sensitivity analysis identified wall thickness and trigger-hole geometry as the dominant design variables. The proposed framework provides a practical route to improving crashworthiness using conventional steel and accessible manufacturing processes.

Keywords:

Crash box; Crashworthiness; Finite element analysis; Multi-objective optimization; NSGA-II; Specific energy absorption.

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (35-46)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/35-46

Research Article By:

Shaimaa Kareem Abdallah

Corresponding author E-mail: shaimaa.kareem@mu.edu.iq

ABSTRACT

This paper introduces a design of a 5G multi-sector antenna to work at 3.5 GHz, which is the most important band in 5G. The CST studio suite is used to simulate the design and extract the results. The main benefit of using this antenna structure is to get a 360-degree azimuth coverage suitable for macro-cell 5G base station deployment. The antenna operates inside the frequency band (n78 band: 3.3-3.8 GHz), which is used for 5G communications. The design technique involves parametric evaluation of patch dimensions, substrate selection, feed network optimization, and array configuration to reap the highest quality impedance matching and radiation overall performance. Simulation consequences display that the proposed antenna achieves an S11 of better than -18 dB, a gain of 9 dB, and a bandwidth of about 160 MHz, assembling the requirements for 5G base station packages. The multi-quarter configuration permits 360-degree coverage with beam steering abilities, making it a high-quality candidate for macro mobile deployment in 5G networks.

Keywords:

5G Antenna, Patch Array, Multi-Sector, CST Microwave Studio, 3.5 GHz, Sub-6 GHz, Base Station

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (26-34)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/26-34

Research Article By:

Yasser Abdul Karim Alramahi and Ayad Muslim Hamzah

Corresponding author E-mail: yasser.alramahi.ms7@student.atu.edu.iq

ABSTRACT

This work presents the design, simulation, fabrication, and experimental validation of scalable substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) slot antenna arrays operating at 26 GHz for 5G millimeter-wave applications. The proposed structure is developed progressively from a single SIW radiating element to 2×1 and 4×1 linear arrays, which enables a systematic evaluation of impedance matching, array scalability, corporate-feed performance, and radiation behavior. All configurations are implemented on a Rogers RT/duroid substrate with a relative permittivity of 2.2 and a thickness of 0.508 mm, and the numerical analysis is carried out using CST Microwave Studio. The fabricated prototypes are experimentally validated using a vector network analyzer. The measured return losses are approximately -20 dB, -25 dB, and -30 dB for the single element, 2×1 array, and 4×1 array, respectively, confirming stable resonance close to 26 GHz. The measured -10 dB impedance bandwidths are 1.4 GHz, 1.5 GHz, and 2.0 GHz, respectively; therefore, the 4×1 array satisfies the 2 GHz bandwidth criterion considered for the target 5G millimeter-wave operation. The simulated gains are 7.2, 8.5, and 10.2 dBi, while the measured gains are 7, 8.1, and 10 dBi for the same three configurations. These results show that the proposed SIW slot-array design provides compact geometry, stable resonance, improved gain with array scaling, and practical measured performance for 26 GHz 5G applications.

Keywords:

SIW antenna, Slot antenna, 26 GHz, 5G millimeter-wave, 4×1 antenna array, corporate feed network

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (13-25)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/13-25

Research Article By:

Mustafa Qasim Hameed

Corresponding author E-mail: altoanym@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

This study addresses the technical and economic challenges of integrating intermittent renewable energy sources (solar and wind) into electrical grids, using a case study of Iraqi governorates (Al-Anbar, Basra, Dhi Qar, Sulaymaniyah). It focuses on grid stability impacts (e.g., frequency deviation), power quality deterioration, and increased operational costs, which conventional ancillary service markets fail to model adequately. The methodology integrates quantitative techniques including vector autoregression (VAR) models, system simulation, and econometric modeling, adhering to IEEE 1547-2018 and IEC 61000 standards. Mitigation tools such as smart transformers and battery energy storage systems (BESS) are evaluated. Results show a significant positive correlation between wind power penetration and frequency variation. Smart transformer-based reactive power control improves distribution line hosting capacity by 23% at lower cost compared to active storage solutions. Power quality degrades with increased solar PV penetration, indicating the need for new measurement indices. Economically, the dynamic ancillary service market model reduces annual reserve operating costs by up to 60%, while storage system profitability heavily depends on forecasting accuracy. The study provides practical guidance for grid operators and policymakers to enhance reliability and efficiency under high renewable penetration.

Keywords:

Intermittent Renewable Energy, Grid Stability, Smart Transformers, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), Dynamic Economic Modeling

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (4), Year (2026), Pages (1-13)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-04-/1-13

Research Article By:

Fahad N. Nife  

Corresponding author E-mail: fahad.naim@mu.edu.iq

ABSTRACT

In Multi-principal Software-Defined Networks (SDNs), where multiple heterogeneous principals such as IoT devices, applications and administrators can issue potentially conflicting flow rules, decisions on which policy expression to enforce is guided by a hierarchy. Existing frameworks — most prominently Hierarchical Flow Tables (HFT) — disambiguate similarly conflicting characterizations using static, trust-agnostic operators, giving equal authority to every principal regardless of runtime behavioral integrity and allowing a single compromised IoT device to override an otherwise legitimate administrator policy. This paper proposes TDCR-SDN, a Trust-Driven Dynamic Conflict Resolution framework that builds upon the existing Policy-tree semantics of HFT by applying trust-parameterized conflict-resolution operators (⊕τ), in which each conflict outcome is weighted based on the dynamic trust score associated with the issuing principal. An example architecture uses a Trust Scoring Module (TSM) to repeatedly assess per-principal behavioral metrics and condition policy recompilation on the specific crossing of trust boundaries when policy on the RYU 4.34 controller is evoked. Evaluation across six experiments on a five-switch Mininet testbed against the HFT baseline reveals 21.8 percentage-point improvements in conflict resolution accuracy, ten-fold recovery throughput under UDP-flood DoS attack, and an 87% relative improvement in guaranteed minimum bandwidth preservation, at reasonable (33%) policy compilation overhead.

Keywords:

Hierarchical Flow Tables; IoT Security; Policy Conflict Resolution; Software-Defined Networking; Trust Management.

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (3), Year (2026), Pages (139-172)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-03-/139-172

Research Article By:

Corresponding author E-mail: amna.k.k.civil.msc@mu.edu.iq

ABSTRACT

Reinforced concrete (RC) columns are critical structural elements that may experience lateral impact loading during their service life, resulting in structural responses that differ significantly from static loading conditions. This review synthesizes experimental and numerical studies on steel reinforced concrete columns subjected to lateral impact, focusing on the effects of key parameters, including impact velocity, transverse reinforcement, axial compression ratio, concrete compressive strength, longitudinal reinforcement ratio, cross-sectional dimensions, and boundary conditions. By systematically analyzing findings from previous studies, this review identifies the dominant factors governing impact resistance and clarifies their influence on dynamic response, impact force, displacement, and failure mechanisms. The results indicate that increasing impact velocity leads to higher peak impact forces, faster damage evolution, and a transition from flexural behavior to brittle shear failure. The axial compression ratio significantly affects lateral deflection, contact duration, and plateau impact force, while insufficient transverse reinforcement promotes premature shear failure. Conversely, increased stirrup reinforcement enhances confinement efficiency, delays crack propagation, and improves energy dissipation capacity. The review contributes to the current understanding of RC column behavior under lateral impact by consolidating existing knowledge and emphasizing the need for further experimental and finite element studies to support more reliable impact resistant design approaches.

.

Keywords:

Concrete columns; Failure mechanisms; Impact response; Lateral impact loading; Numerical simulations; Vehicle collision.

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (3), Year (2026), Pages (118-138)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-03-/117-138

Research Article By:

Oras Nasef Jasim

Corresponding author E-mail: oraskhn83@utq.edu.iq

ABSTRACT

Cybersecurity threats from phishing attacks have remained persistent. Currently, three distinct types of detection methods are available, each with several limitations. Phishing websites are commonly detected via URL blacklists, although they generally have very little ability to detect zero-day attacks, high latency in terms of identification, and require significant amounts of training or time before they can be used effectively to prevent phishing attacks. The resulting design (HEURISTIC-PHISH) consists of a set of 13 heuristic algorithms based on the lexical, domain name, and structural characteristics of URL’s to identify whether phishing attacks are occurring at specific locations or are coming from valid (non-phishing) locations from a particular URL. With regard to the performance metrics reported in this research study, HEURISTIC-PHISH produced 86.53% accuracy, 98.90% precision, 73.89% recall, F1-score of 0.8459, 0.82% false positive rate (FPR), 15,320/FPS throughput of performance, and 5.4MB of peak RAM consumption from a balanced corpus of 200,000 URLs (100,000 benign, 100,000 malicious), split into training/calibration (120,000), validation (40,000), and test (40,000) sets. The high precision found from the results of this study produces only a few false positives, thus HEURISTIC-PHISH can be considered usable for browser extensions and edge gateway implementations, but the moderate level of recall indicates that HEURISTIC-PHISH must be used in conjunction with other detection methods before it should be used as the final stop in phishing detection. Additionally, the sole use of internal indicators for detecting phishing and the exclusion of external APIs, Deep Packet Inspection, and other methods for identifying fraud indicate that HEURISTIC-PHISH provides good performance for resource-limited, real-time, and air-gapped environments.

Keywords:

Feature Engineering, Heuristic Analysis, Lightweight Framework, Malicious URL Detection, Phishing Detection.

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (3), Year (2026), Pages (106-117)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-03-/106-117

Research Article By:

Barakat Saad Ibrahim and Tabarek Alwan Tuib

Corresponding author E-mail: tabarik.alwan@mu.edu.iq

ABSTRACT

Fine-grained car classification based on car type and model is crucial for intelligent transportation systems, traffic surveillance, smart parking and automated vehicle monitoring. However, the accurate classification still remains challenging because many car models have similar attributes in visual structure and scenes of the image samples may vary in viewpoint, illumination, size or even background information or occlusion. To correct the issues that could be remedied, .This paper proposed a PSO-optimized BiLSTM image-to-sequence system based on image (car) appearance for fine-grained car type and model classification. Developed through three components – ordered generation of image-patches sequence, bidirectional recurrent feature learning and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) hyperparameter optimization combined in a single classification pipeline. Conventional CNN classifiers typically focus on learning local spatial filters than model the spatial order, but the proposed approach represents each resized RGB vehicle image as a sequence of non-overlapping visual patches, enabling the BiLSTM to model the spatial order of the discriminative vehicle parts like the grille, headlights, roofline, wheels, and body contour. The model uses PSO to select the learning rate, dropout rate, number of BiLSTM units, number of recursive depths, dense-layer size, and batch size, providing less manual tuning of hyperparameters. The model was tested for performance on a hyper-cosine balanced 7 class vehicle image dataset which includes Hyundai Creta, Toyota Innova, Mahindra Scorpio, Audi, Swift, BMW and Mercedes Benz class. The accuracy of the proposed PSO-BiLSTM is 96.4%, precision 95.9%, recall 95.6%, and F1-score 95.7% compared to CPU baseline models CNN, RNN, BiLSTM, PSO-RNN, ResNet-50, MobileNetV2, EfficientNet-B0, ViT-B/16, and attention-based BiLSTM. The results found that it is possible to increase the discriminative power of similar vehicle categories for a bidirectional sequence learning task, while preserving accurate validation performance, through a swarm-based hyperparameter optimization.

Keywords: Fine-grained vehicle classification; car model detection ; image-to-sequence learning; BiLSTM; Particle Swarm Optimization; PSO; intelligent transportation systems. 

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Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology

Volume (14), Issue (3), Year (2026), Pages (91-105)

DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2026-14-03-/92-105

Research Article By:

Amal Oliwie  

Corresponding author E-mail: amalhusseinaliwie@wrec.uoqasim.edu.iq

ABSTRACT

Heat transfer enhancement in double heat exchangers contains to be a significant challenge in thermal engineering. This paper investigates how varying the number of dimples (4, 6, and 8) in cross-sectional dimpled channels influences forced convection phenomena and the friction factor. A numerical study was conducted featuring a three-dimensional analysis of the friction factor, enhanced heat transfer, and thermal performance criteria (PEC) within a dimpled channel with water flow. To simulate the flow within a circular channel, a commercial software application, ANSYS FLUENT, was utilized. The simulation employed governing equations, include continuity, momentum, and energy equations, as well as the RNG k-ε turbulence model. This model was used to assess the impact of varying the number of dimples on turbulent flow and heat transfer enhancement. The research focused on Reynolds number (Re) range of 2500 to 12000, especially targeting turbulent flow. The findings indicate that the existence of dimples on the channel wall significantly influences both heat transfer and friction factor when compared to a smooth channel. Numerical analysis notified that the Nu for the three cases of dimples in cross-sectional area (4,6, and 8) was 30.2% ,41.3% and 49.06% larger respectively, than that of the conventical channel. Additionally, the channel with 8-dimples exhibited the highest (f) in comparison to the other configurations. The design featuring 4-dimples in cross sectional area achieved the highest value of the performance evaluation criteria (PEC) across all Re values. These findings offer significant scientific insights for the optimizing thermo-hydraulic performance through varying dimple numbers, providing practical design guidelines for advanced and energy-efficient heat exchange systems.

Keywords: Heat transfer enhancement, dimpled channel, turbulent flow, pressure drop, thermal performance criteria. 

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