Research Title: Wireless Sensor Network Based Real-Time Monitoring and Control for Factory Automation

Author: Kasim Mousa Al-Aubidy, Published Year: 2018

15th IEEE International Multi-Conference on Signals, Systems & Devices (SSD2018), Hammamet, Tunisia.

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: The main objective of this research is to design and implement a real-time monitoring and control system for factory automation based on wireless sensor networks. Flexible manufacturing systems with four load/unload stations for programmable machines, a manipulator, a conveyor belt, and a MATLAB Simulink model has been designed. Each unit in the proposed FMS is considered as a node in a wireless sensor network. A fuzzy-based algorithm has been developed as intelligent decision maker to obtain the destination load/unload station for the selected object. The obtained results from both real and simulated systems confirm that the implemented FMS perform the required tasks with acceptable accuracy and speed.

Keywords: Flexible manufacturing system, Real-time monitoring, Wireless sensor network, MATLAB Simulink, Fuzzy decision making.

Research Title: Wireless Control of a Human Replacement Robot: Design and Implementation

Author: Kasim Mousa Al-Aubidy, Published Year: 2017

14th IEEE International Multi-Conference on Signals, Systems & Devices (SSD2017), Marrakech, Morocco.

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to design and implement a human replacement robot that consists of a mobile robot holding two 6-DOF manipulator arms and two wireless cameras mounted on moving plate attached on top of the robot. The human operator can control the robot wirelessly via wearable suit and virtual reality glasses. Moreover, the operator can control robot movement by special pedals placed under his legs. The experimental and simulated results confirm that the given prototype perform the same tasks and movement obtained by the operator with acceptable accuracy and speed. Such a robot is suitable for unreachable areas with minimum training needed for operator to start using the robot.

Keywords: Mobile robot, Manipulator, Humanoid robot, Human replacement robot, Wireless sensor networks.

Research Title: A Genetic Evolution Algorithm for Structural Optimization. The Fourth International Conference on Engineering Computational Technology

Author: Ala Taleb Obaidat, Published Year: 2004

• K.A. Bani-Hani, A.T. Obaidat. (2004).“A Genetic Evolution Algorithm for Structural Optimization. The Fourth International Conference on Engineering Computational Technology”. Lisbon, B.H.V. Topping (Editor), Civil-Comp, DOI:10.4203/ccp.80.96.,

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: Genetic

Keywords: Genetic

Research Title: Evaluation of the compression behaviour of confined boundary elements in ductile reinforced concrete block masonry structural walls

Author: Ala Taleb Obaidat, Published Year: 2015

11th Canadian Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Victoria, BC, Canada., Victoria, BC, Canada.

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: Reinforced concrete masonry structural walls are commonly used as lateral force resisting systems for existing buildings in seismic regions. Recent North American code provisions for seismic design of masonry structures introduced the use of special reinforced concrete masonry structural wall systems with column-like boundary elements for improved ductile performance under severe ground motion levels. The characterisation of the compression behaviour of the boundary elements is essential for the reliable evaluation of the ductility capacity of walls. This paper presents an experimental investigation on the compression stress-strain behaviour of pilaster block reinforced boundary elements. Seventeen full-scale pilaster block boundary elements were tested under concentric axial compression load. Confinement of the grouted core is provided by transverse reinforcement in the form of seismic hoops with different diameters and spacing. The influence of different configurations of the confinement reinforcement on the compression strain ductility is presented. The results showed that the confinement reinforcement increased the strength by the range of 1.2 to 1.3 times the strength of the unreinforced elements. On the other hand, confinement increased the ultimate strain capacity at 50% strength degradation by the range of 1.52 to 3.37 times of the unreinforced boundary elements. The results of this testing program are particularly useful for the evaluation of the ductility capacity of reinforced masonry walls with boundary elements.

Keywords: Reinforced Masonry walls; Boundary elements; Confinement; stress-strain

Research Title: Compression behavior of confined concrete masonry boundary elements

Author: Ala Taleb Obaidat, Published Year: 2017

Engineering Structures Journal, Elsevier, 132, 562–575

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: The seismic performance of reinforced masonry (RM) walls can be enhanced by integrating confined boundary elements at the end zones of the wall. The evaluation of the compression behavior of the boundary elements is essential to the reliable assessment of displacement ductility and the seismic performance of the walls. Complementary to the experimental evaluation of the compression behavior, finite element numerical simulations are particularly useful in assessing the influence and sensitivity of various design parameters. In this study, experimental and numerical investigations are conducted to evaluate the compression stress-strain behavior of confined C-shaped reinforced concrete masonry block boundary elements (C-RMBEs). Compression tests are conducted on 16 full-scale confined C-RMBEs with different configurations of confinement reinforcement. A finite element modeling (FEM) procedure using the ABAQUS software is employed to simulate the compression behavior of a C-RMBE. The FEM procedure is validated with experimental results on a full-scale confined C-RMBE. Comparative compression stress-strain curves and damage progression are presented and discussed. The study shows the significance of the confinement reinforcement in the improvement of the compression strain capacity of the C-RMBE. Moreover, the proposed FEM procedure provides a good approximation of the compression stress-strain behavior in the elastic and inelastic regions and captures the influence of the confinement reinforcement ratio on the compression response of the C-RMBE.

Keywords: Reinforced concrete masonry walls Boundary elements Confinement Finite element ABAQUS Stress-strain Damage plasticity

Research Title: Stress-strain behavior of C-shaped confined concrete masonry boundary elements of RM shear walls

Author: Ala Taleb Obaidat, Published Year: 2018

ASCE Structural Engineering Journal, 144(8): 04018119

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: Reliable material stress-strain relationship is the cornerstone of any analysis process. Unlike reinforced concrete, limited studies focused on the stress-strain behavior of confined reinforced masonry. Reinforced masonry boundary elements (RMBEs) added at the masonry shear wall ends allow placing of at least four longitudinal reinforcement bars restrained by transverse hoops and thus introducing confinement to the wall’s most stressed zone. This study presents the observed stress-strain relationship of 30 C-shaped half-scale fully grouted unreinforced and reinforced masonry boundary element specimens tested under concentric compression loading. The effect of changing hoop spacing, longitudinal reinforcement ratio, and the strength of grout on the axial stress-strain behavior of RMBE is investigated. This study quantifies and correlates the effect of these parameters on the RMBE peak stress, strain corresponding to peak, and postpeak behavior. Finally, this study investigates the capability of three existing stress-strain models in predicting the RMBE stress-strain relationship. Enhancement in both peak and postpeak stress-strain behavior were observed by decreasing the hoop spacing, increasing the longitudinal reinforcement ratio, and increasing the grout strength. The studied models overestimated the enhancement in the RMBE strength, significantly overestimated the enhancement in the RMBE strain capacity, and did not capture the postpeak stress drop. This study emphasizes the need for a new stress-strain model that can predict the RMBE response considering various confinement effects.

Keywords: RMBE

Research Title: Stress-strain model for C-shape confined concrete masonry boundary elements of RM shear walls

Author: Ala Taleb Obaidat, Published Year: 2018

Engineering Structures Journal, Elsevier, Volume 183, 1059-107

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: Reinforced masonry (RM) shear walls with boundary elements have been recently presented as a more ductile alternative to RM rectangular shear walls. Evaluating the complete (i.e. including the post-peak branch) compression stress-strain behavior of the confined and unconfined masonry is essential for predicting the seismic response of the RM walls with boundary elements. Recently, the authors investigated the effect of various volumetric ratios of transverse reinforcement, vertical reinforcement ratios, and grout strength on the axial stress-strain behavior of reinforced masonry boundary elements (RMBEs). However, all the specimens had a specific height to thickness ratio (i.e., AR = 5). This study presents the observed stress-strain relationship of seventeen half-scale fully grouted unreinforced and RMBE specimens, built using C-shape blocks, tested under concentric compression loading up to failure. Thus, quantifying the effect of various aspect (height to thickness) and confinement ratios on the RMBEs peak stress, strain corresponding to peak, and post-peak behavior. The results indicate that, as the hoop spacings and/or aspect ratio decreases, the peak stress and post-peak strains increase. Moreover, this study presents a stress-strain empirical model capable of predicting the RMBE stress-strain response by computing the confined and unconfined masonry stress-strain behavior. The model is calibrated using the experimental data of thirty-three RMBE specimens, tested in this study and literature. The proposed model presents an efficient tool that can be implemented in different analytical/numerical packages.

Keywords: Aspect ratio Boundary elements Concrete block Confinement Shear walls C-shape Reinforced masonry Stress-strain behavior Stress-strain masonry model

Research Title: Strengthening and repair of one-way and two-way self-compacted concrete slabs using near-surface-mounted carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers

Author: Ala Taleb Obaidat, Published Year: 2019

Advances in Structural Engineering, , First Published 17

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: The effectiveness of near-surface-mounted carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers on strengthening and repair of self-compacted concrete slabs was investigated experimentally and numerically. Twenty slabs were cast (10 one-way and 10 two-way) and tested under four-point load. Strengthening and repair effectiveness was investigated on slabs using near-surface-mounted carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer strips with straight and inclined orientation. Repair was performed on eight slabs using near-surface-mounted carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer strips with an orientation based on the best cost/capacity ratio, with two preloading levels: 35% and 50% of the ultimate load of the control slab. The results showed that using near-surface-mounted carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers increases the ultimate strength of one-way strengthened self-compacted concrete slabs (45%–163%) for both strip orientation, with the straight orientation performing better. Also, the cracking load and stiffness increased, while deflection decreased. The increase in ultimate strength for strengthened two-way slabs was 15% to 17%. The ultimate deflection and toughness of the two-way strengthened slabs increased 43% and 34%, respectively. Using near-surface-mounted carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers restored the load capacity of repaired one-way and two-way slabs but was more effective for one-way slabs. The repaired one-way slabs regained up to 223% of the control slabs’ ultimate strength, with a significant increase in stiffness (296%). The repaired two-way slabs regained up to 116% of the control slabs’ ultimate strength. The strength was higher in the case of the 50% preload compared to 35% preload. The finite element model shows somehow a reasonable capability of predicting the experimental behavior with a gap in terms of the stiffness and the maximum load.

Keywords: near-surface-mounted carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers, one-way slabs, self-compacted concrete, strengthening and repair, two-way slabs

Research Title: Wheelchair Neuro Fuzzy Control Using Brain Computer Interface

Author: Kasim Mousa Al-Aubidy, Published Year: 2019

IEEE DeSe2019, Kazan, Russia

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: The design and implementation of a real-time computer control of an electric wheelchair for physically disabled people is presented. This design is based on brain computer interface that receives and processes the electroencephalographic (EEG) signals to classify the required commands to drive the wheelchair. Neuro-Fuzzy technique has been used in the controller design for actuating motors of the wheelchair. This controller depends on real data received from obstacle avoidance sensors and brain computer interface. By combining the concepts of soft-computing and mechatronics, the implemented wheelchair has become more sophisticated and gives people more mobility.

Keywords: Wheelchair Control, EEG, BCI, Real-time Control, ANFIS, Mechatronics.

Research Title: Real-Time Patient Health Monitoring and Alarming Using Wireless-Sensor-Network

Author: Kasim Mousa Al-Aubidy, Published Year: 2016

13th IEEE International Multi-Conference on Signals, Systems & Devices (SSD2016) ., Leipzig, Germany

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: The main objective of this research is design and realization of real-time monitoring and alarming system for patient health, especially for patients suffering from diseases during their normal life. The proposed system has an embedded microcontroller connected to a set of medical sensors (related to the patient case) and a wireless communication module (Bluetooth). Each patient is considered as a node in a wireless sensor network and connected to a central node installed at the medical center through an internet connection. The embedded microcontroller checks if the patient health status is going well or not by analyzing the scanned medical signals. If the analysis results are abnormal, the embedded unit uses the patient's phone to transmit these signals directly to the medical center. In this case, the doctor will send medical advice to the patient to save his/her life. The implemented prototype has been tested and calibrated with standard devices. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed system that is accurate in scanning, clear in monitoring, intelligent in decision making, reliable in communication, and cheap (about 120 US$).

Keywords: Health care; Patient monitor; Remote device; Biomedical device; ECG monitoring; Outdoor patient monitoring.