Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Dis And Distributed Watershed Models I, Jurgen Garbrecht, Fred L. Ogden, Paul A. Debarry, David R. Maidment

Fred L. Ogden

The increasing proliferation of spatial data, geographic information systems (GIS), and models for hydrologic applications provide many new investigation opportunities but also present a number of challenges for the uninitiated water resources practitioner. This two-part paper is intended for the practicing engineer who wants to expand into the arena of spatial data and distributed watershed modeling. It provides an integrated overview of the multiple facets of data-GIS-modeling issues and a source of background information for selection and application of GIS in watershed modeling. This first paper addresses selected spatial data issues, data structures and projections, data sources, and information on …

Effects Of Sulfidation And Natural Organic Matter On The Deposition Of Silver Nanoparticles, Yunqui Chen

Environmental & Water Resources Engineering Masters Projects

Environmental transformation through sulfidation and complexation with natural organic matter (NOM) are two major factors that may affect the fate and transport of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in the aquatic systems by changing their dissolution, deposition, and surface properties. To understand the impact of sulfidation and NOM on the aggregation and deposition of AgNPs, a combination of dynamic light scattering and quartz crystal microgravimetry with dissipation monitoring was used. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-capped AgNPs that were modified through sulfidation and/or complexed with NOM had a greater extent of deposition than unmodified PVP-AgNPs. Specifically, the deposition extent of sulfidized AgNPs in the presence of …

Lessons Learned From A Simulation Project In Construction Education, Saeed Rokooei, James D. Goedert

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Faculty Publications

Virtual Interactive Construction Education (VICE) is a simulation designed for construction education. The purpose was to provide the traditional lecture-based construction contents along with supplementary instructions in a project-based learning environment. Six modules were proposed as a curriculum delivery guideline including: single span bridge, residential building, light commercial, heavy commercial, highway, and segmental bridge. The single span bridge was the first module used for prototype development providing an opportunity to design, analyze, implement, and test for effectiveness. This paper describes the design steps and results of this three-year research project. VICE-Bridge required participants to sequentially order the construction activities and …

Framing Fracking: The Environmental And Social Implications Of Hyraulic Fracturing, Lindsay Cohen

Honors Theses

Hydraulic fracturing is a process currently used to obtain natural gas that is trapped in rock, which has low porosity and permeability. The natural gas obtained from this process had had positive impacts such as creating jobs and boosting our economy, but has also had some detrimental impacts on our environment, as well as people.

Review On Stabilization Of Soil Using Coir Fiber, Innovative Research Publications Irp India, Stuti Maurya, .A.K. Sharma, P.K. Jain, Rakesh Kumar

Innovative Research Publications IRP India

Soil stabilization has become a major issue in construction engineering and the researches regarding the effectiveness of using natural wastes are rapidly increasing. The use of natural fibers to reinforce soil is an old and ancient idea. Consequently, randomly distributed fiber reinforced soils have recently attracted increasing attention in geotechnical engineering. The main aim of this paper, therefore, is to review the, benefits, properties and applications of coir fiber in soil reinforcement through reference to published scientific data

Study Of Reinforced Concrete Beam-Column Joint, Innovative Research Publications Irp India, Prakash Panjwani, S.K. Dubey

Innovative Research Publications IRP India

The beam column joint is the crucial zone in a reinforced concrete moment resisting frame. It is subjected to large forces during severe ground shaking and its behaviour has a significant influence on the response of the structure. The assumption of rigid joint fails to consider the effects of high shear forces developed within the joint. The shear failure is always brittle in nature which is not an acceptable structural performance especially in seismic conditions. This paper presents a review of the postulated theories associated with the behaviour of joints. Understanding the joint behaviour is essential in exercising proper judgments …

Low-Cost Rural Surface Alternatives: Demonstration Project, Cheng Li, Jeramy C. Ashlock, David White, Pavana Vennapusa

Jeramy C. Ashlock

A field demonstration project was conducted in Hamilton County, Iowa to compare the relative performance, durability, and costs of several stabilization methods for preventing or mitigating freeze-thaw damage to granular surfaced roads.

Low-Cost Rural Surface Alternatives: Demonstration Project, Cheng Li, Jeramy C. Ashlock, David White, Pavana Vennapusa

Jeramy C. Ashlock

The goals of this project were to implement several stabilization methods for preventing or mitigating freeze-thaw damage to granular surfaced roads and identify the most effective and economical methods for the soil and climate conditions of Iowa. Several methods and technologies identified as potentially suitable for Iowa were selected from an extensive analysis of existing literature provided with Iowa Highway Research Board (IHRB) Project TR-632.Using the selected methods, demonstration sections were constructed in Hamilton County on a heavily traveled two-mile section of granular surfaced road that required frequent maintenance during previous thawing periods. Construction procedures and costs of the demonstration …

Fragility Assessment Of High-Rise Reinforced Concrete Buildings, Hezha Sadraddin

Masters Theses

This research presents a probabilistic seismic responses analysis of high-rise reinforced concrete (RC) buildings using fragility assessment method. Three RC buildings, having the same plan dimension and height (12 story each) but different in structural configurations, were designed and their seismic responses were compared. First building is a Moment Resisting Frame (MRF), second is a MRF with exterior shear walls, and the third building consists most shear walls. Buildings were designed for high-seismic activity zone (i.e. Los Anglos) using the Equivalent Lateral Force (ELF) for seismic loading calculation. Sixteen real ground motion pairs were selected and scaled, then applied orthogonally …

Interface Friction Parameters For The Mathematical Modeling Of Shell Structures With Infill, Alexander T. Bekker, Nikita Ya. Tsimbelman, Tatiana I. Chernova, Vadim D. Bruss, Ömer Bilgin

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

Thin metal or reinforced concrete shells with granular infill structures are considered in this article. These structures are massive and they are used as support for the construction of berthing quays, piers, artificial islands, shore protection, and other structures of coastal infrastructure. It is more convenient to use the thin shell structures during the development of the Arctic shelf, because it is possible to install them from the ice side. In addition, it is possible to enhance the technology and install thin shells with infill on deeper solid foundation layers. A mathematical model for the stresses on a compressible foundation …

A Microscopic Simulation Approach To Performance Evaluation Of Intelligent Transportation System Corridors: A Case In Michigan, Matthew Levi Clark

Masters Theses

A cost and benefit evaluation of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is performed through integration of analytical techniques and microscopic traffic microsimulation. Observed freeway corridor incident logs and characteristics are studied to determine representative incident management patterns on choice study corridors. The Quadstone Paramics microsimulation traffic package is used to model the selected corridors during various analysis scenarios and investigate the effects of ITS on freeway incident management performance.

Treatment Of Petroleum Hydrocarbons In Oil-Based Drill Cutting Mud Using Biowish Bioaugmentation Products, Diego Jose Cardenas Zepeda

Master's Theses

The efficacy of BiOWiSHTM-Thai Aqua, a commercially discontinued microbial product, in remediating oil based drill-cutting mud (DCM) was researched in this study. Experimentation was performed directly on DCM and on sand contaminated with oil extracted from DCM. A gas chromatograph-mass spectrometrer and a respirometer were used for analysis of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and CO2 production respectively. Five experiments were analyzed by TPH extraction and analysis; four experiments were analyzed by respirometric analysis. The specific microcosm conditions tested in the experiments were control, nutrient-only control, and bioaugmentation product.

This study concluded that there might be potential for bioaugmentation of TPH …

Isotope-Based Fluvial Organic Carbon (Isofloc) Model: Model Formulation, Sensitivity, And Evaluation, William I. Ford, James F. Fox

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Watershed-scale carbon budgets remain poorly understood, in part due to inadequate simulation tools to assess in-stream carbon fate and transport. A new numerical model termed ISOtope-based FLuvial Organic Carbon (ISOFLOC) is formulated to simulate the fluvial organic carbon budget in watersheds where hydrologic, sediment transport, and biogeochemical processes are coupled to control benthic and transported carbon composition and flux. One ISOFLOC innovation is the formulation of new stable carbon isotope model subroutines that include isotope fractionation processes in order to estimate carbon isotope source, fate, and transport. A second innovation is the coupling of …

Seismic Retrofit Benefit Considering Statewide Transportation Assessment, Selamawit Tesfayesus Mehary, Peter Dusicka

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this study was to identify and demonstrate a methodology to prioritize bridges for retrofit in the State of Oregon. Given the limited resources available, retrofitting all vulnerable bridges in the foreseeable future would not be practical. Instead, a retrofit strategy needs to be developed to prioritize the inventory and enumerate the retrofit cost. In this study, a prioritization methodology used a holistic assessment of overall roadway system to consider highway route segments, rather than individual bridges. The overall assessment was based on a cost-benefit analysis including retrofit cost, expected economic loss (with or without retrofit) and social …

Evaluation Of Thin Asphalt Overlay Practice Preserving Nebraska's Asphalt Pavement, Soohyok Im, Yong-Rak Kim, Hamzeh Haghshenas Fatmehsari, Gabriel Nsengiyumva, Taesun You

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Cable-To-Post Attachments For Use In Non-Proprietary High-Tension Cable Median Barrier – Phase Ii, Scott K. Rosenbaugh, Robert W. Bielenberg, Brandt M. Humphrey, Ronald K. Faller, John D. Reid, Karla A. Lechtenberg

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The research objectives reported herein were based on further development of cable-to-post attachment hardware for use in the non-proprietary high-tension cable barrier system. Specifically, this project aimed to develop and evaluate alternative attachment designs for the bolted, tabbed bracket and evaluate the use of a larger diameter, keeper rod for use in the top cable attachment. From a group of over 25 alternative attachment concepts, two tabbed bracket designs were selected for evaluation through dynamic component testing: 1) the lateral shear plate attachment and 2) the drop-in shear plate attachment. The drop-in shear plate concept did not perform as intended, …

Nutrient Transformations In Algae Raceway Ponds Fed Municipal Wastewater, Carter Michael Reiff

Master's Theses

While treating domestic wastewater, algae can be grown and harvested for biofuel production. Water is a vital resource and it is imperative to conserve and reuse as much as possible. Several pilot and lab scale experiments were conducted to further research into a full scale wastewater treatment and biofuel production facility. This thesis will include these topics: nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations of clarified wastewater pond feed, nitrogen and phosphorus transformations by algae, and the potential of algae cell disruption technologies to increase nutrient solubilization.

The pilot scale experiments were conducted using nine 33 m², 0.3 m deep multi-culture …

Sustainable Treatment Of Landfill Leachate, Mohamad Anuar Kamaruddin, Mohd. Suffian Yusoff, Hamidi Abdul Aziz, Yung-Tse Hung

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Landfill leachate is a complex liquid that contains excessive concentrations of biodegradable and non-biodegradable products including organic matter, phenols, ammonia nitrogen, phosphate, heavy metals, and sulfide. If not properly treated and safely disposed, landfill leachate could be an impending source to surface and ground water contamination as it may percolate throughout soils and subsoils, causing adverse impacts to receiving waters. Lately, various types of treatment methods have been proposed to alleviate the risks of untreated leachate. However, some of the available techniques remain complicated, expensive and generally require definite adaptation during process. In this article, a review of literature reported …

Kirby, Leonard Tarrant, 1760-1842 - Relating To (Sc 2907), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2905. Typescripted letter to the editor of the Bowling Green (Kentucky) Democrat, 16 January 1873, from “Allen,” relating the memories of Len Kirby of Allen Springs regarding early Bowling Green, the railroad, and travel between Bowling Green and Scottsville, Kentucky.

Effects Of Pipe Wall Offsets On Differential Pressure Meter Accuracy, Jesse M. Pope, Steven L. Barfuss, Michael C. Johnson, Zachary B. Sharp

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Accurate flow measurement is essential for the management of any type of fluid system. This research investigated the effect on accuracy that five types of 12-in. differential-pressure flow meters have as a result of being installed in pipelines of differing inside diameter. The types of meters chosen for this research were the classical Venturi meter, Halmi Venturi Tube, wedge meter, V-cone meter, and the X-meter. Each meter was tested for accuracy with 10 pipe wall offsets varying from a 0.125-in. sudden contraction to a 0.937-in. sudden expansion of the pipe radius. The meters' reading during each test series was compared …