Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

An Integrated Study For Hybrid Composite Beam (Hcb) Structures, Mohamed Abdelkhalik Aboelseoud

Doctoral Dissertations

"The hybrid composite beam (HCB) consists of a self consolidating concrete (SCC) arch that is tied at the end by galvanized strands. The tied arch is encapsulated by a glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) shell. A limited number of researches have studied the essential design methodologies and long-term performance of the HCB. The research presented in this dissertation aimed to more fundamentally understand the structural behavior of this new beam and evaluate its durability. This research study was conducted through four phases. A full-scale bridge load testing was conducted on a single-web HCB bridge during the first phase. The first …

Reliability-Based Optimization Design Of Geosynthetic Reinforced Embankment Slopes, Michelle (Mingyan) Deng

Doctoral Dissertations

"This study examines the optimization design of geosynthetic reinforced embankment slopes (GRES) considering both economic benefits and technical safety requirements. In engineering design, cost is always a big concern. To minimize the cost, engineers tend to seek an optimal combination of design parameters among the considered alternatives while ensuring the optimal solution is safe. Reliability-based optimization (RBO) is such a technique that provides engineers the optimal design with the minimum cost while all technical design requirements are satisfied. The research goal of this study is to implement a mathematical formulation algorithm of the RBO technique in GRES design. To achieve …

Performance Analysis And Modelling Of Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermal Solar Panels, Nicole C. Annis

Doctoral Dissertations

A photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) panel was constructed, tested, and modelled using both MATLAB and TRNSYS. During the experimental testing, which took place on the Missouri University of Science and Technology campus in Rolla, Missouri; two identical PVT panels were tested alongside two PV panels to gather an electrical baseline for comparison. Approximately 69 days’ worth of data were of data were collected during the summer of 2014. The PV electrical, PVT electrical, PVT thermal and PVT combined (electrical and thermal) efficiencies were 3.5-5.6%, 3.4-5.4%, 20.9-11.6%, and 24.3-17.0%, respectively.

A MATLAB program was developed using existing equations for one-dimensional, quasi-steady model of …

Shape Based Classification And Functional Forecast Of Traffic Flow Profiles, Wasim Kayani

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation proposes a methodology for traffic flow pattern analysis, its validation, and forecasting. The shape of the daily traffic flows are directly related to the commuter’s traffic behavior which merit analysis based on their shape characteristics. As a departure from the traditional approaches, this research proposed a methodology based on shape for traffic flow analysis. Specifically, Granulometric Size Distributions (GSDs) were used to achieve classification of daily traffic flow patterns. A mathematical morphology method was used that allows the clustering of shapes. The proposed methodology leads to discovery of interesting daily traffic phenomena such as five normal daily traffic …

Development, Testing, And Analytical Modeling Of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Bridge Deck Panels, Hesham R. Tuwair

Doctoral Dissertations

A fiber-reinforced, polyurethane foam core was developed, tested, and evaluated as a possible replacement for the costly honeycomb core that is currently used to manufacture fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bridge deck panels. Replacing these panels would reduce both initial production costs and construction times while also enhancing structural performance. Experimental, numerical, and analytical investigations were each conducted. Three different polyurethane foam (PU) configurations were used for the inner core during the study’s first phase. These configurations consisted of a high-density PU foam (Type 1), a gridwork of thin, interconnecting, glass fiber/resin webs that formed a bidirectional gridwork in-filled with a low-density …

Mechanical Characteristics Of Organically Modified Fly Ash-Kaolinite Mixtures, Xin Kang

Doctoral Dissertations

"Fly ash is a hazardous waste material to the environment. Beneficial reuse of fly ash, however, brings economic and environmental benefits, i.e., decreases the cost of disposal, reduces greenhouse gas emission, and improves mechanical properties of construction materials. Due to the lack of pozzolanic properties, the reuse rate of Class F fly ash in geotechnical engineering is relatively low (ACAA 2013). In order to promote the effectiveness and sustainability of high volume reuse of class F fly ash in geotechnical engineering, biopolymers (Chitosan, and Xanthan gum) and synthetic polymers (Polyethylene Oxide, PEO) were used instead of the traditional stabilizers to …

Identifying High Crash Risk Roadways Through Jerk-Cluster Analysis, Seyedeh Maryam Mousavi

LSU Master's Theses

The state-of-the-practice for most municipal traffic agencies seeking to identify high-risk road segments has been to use prior crash history. While historic traffic crash data is recognized to be valuable in improving roadway safety, it relies on prior observation rather than future crash likelihood. Recently, however, researchers are developing predictive crash methods based on “abnormal driving events.” These include abrupt and atypical vehicle movements thought to be indicative of crash avoidance maneuvers and/or near-crashes. Because these types of near-crash events occur far more frequently than actual crashes, it is hypothesized that they can be used as an indicator of high-risk …

The Development Of A Hydrodynamics-Based Storm Severity Index, Gabriel Francis Todaro

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A hydrodynamic-based storm severity scale that ranks the damage potential of a storm at a given coastal area is developed. Seventeen tropical and extratropical storm events at 113 different locations on the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico are examined in order to create and verify a Storm Severity Index Model (SSIM). The results from the SSIM are then used to create a location-based storm severity scale titled the Twenty-Four Point Storm Severity Scale. The Twenty-Four Point Scale is based on three subsets of factors. The first is the energy flux above the normal mean high water line that …

Influence Of Spatial Variations Of Railroad Track Stiffness And Material Inclusions On Fatigue Life, Celestin Nkundineza

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Railroad transportation is very important for economic growth and effective maintenance is one critical factor for its economic sustainability. The high repetitive forces from a moving railcar induce cyclic stresses that lead to rail bending and potential deterioration due to fatigue crack initiation and propagation. Previous research for prediction of fatigue life has been done under the assumptions of a uniform track bed and a homogeneous rail. However the spatial variation of the track stiffness is expected to increase the maximum stresses in the rail and, therefore, accelerate the fatigue process. The research described in this dissertation is focused on …

Evaluation Of Volumetric And Mechanistic Properties Of Asphaltic Mixtures: Design, Production And Construction, Samuel Booth Cooper Iii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

There has long been an understanding that differences exist between the asphalt mixture designed in the laboratory and the asphalt mixture produced in the asphalt plant. Additionally, variations between the mixtures compacted in the laboratory and mixtures extracted from the roadway have been observed. There is concern that asphalt mixtures produced through the plant and further compacted on the roadway are not representative of asphalt mixtures designed in the laboratory. This is especially a concern when field specimens (i.e. roadway cores) are used to evaluate the quality of the asphalt mixture. For the first time, a national effort has been …

Development Of Satellite-Assisted Forecasting System For Oyster Norovirus Outbreaks, Jiao Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Norovirus outbreaks can cause the closure of oyster harvesting waters and acute gastroenteritis in humans associated with consumption of contaminated raw oysters. The overall goal of this study was to develop a satellite-assisted forecasting system for oyster norovirus outbreaks. The forecasting system is comprised of three components: (1) satellite algorithms for retrieval of environmental variables, including salinity, temperature, and gage height, (2) an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based model, called NORF model, for predicting relative risk levels of oyster norovirus outbreaks, and (3) a mapping method for visualizing spatial distributions of norovirus outbreak risks in oyster harvest areas along Louisiana …

Field Instrumentation And Testing To Study Set-Up Phenomenon Of Driven Piles And Its Implementation In Lrfd Design Methodology, Md Nafiul Haque

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research study investigates the pile set-up phenomenon for clayey soils and develops the models to predict pile set-up resistance at a certain time after the end of driving (EOD). The increase of pile resistance after EOD is known as “pile set-up”. To fulfill this objective, a total number of twelve prestressed concrete (PSC) test piles were driven in different soil conditions of Louisiana. In addition, dynamic load tests (DLT) and static load tests (SLT) were usually performed to verify the axial resistances of piles at specific times after EOD, as well as to quantify the amount of increase in …

Uncertainty Analyses Of Climate Change Impact On Hydrologic Projections, Ehsan Beigi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study conducts uncertainty analysis on future region-scale hydrologic projections under the uncertain climate change projections of the IPCC Fifth and Forth Assessment Reports. The hierarchical Bayesian model averaging (HBMA) method is adopted to segregate and prioritize sources of climate projection uncertainty, obtain ensemble mean of hydrologic projection, and quantify the hydrologic projection uncertainty arising from individual uncertainty sources. This study deals with the choices of greenhouse gas (GHG) concentration trajectories, global climate models (GCMs), and GCM initial conditions as three major uncertainty sources in downscaled precipitation and temperature projections. The method is applied to investigate future hydrologic projections in …

Applications Of Large Eddy Simulation To Study Flow And Sediment Transport In Open Channel Flows, Getnet Baynesagne Agegnehu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The motivation of this study is to extend applications of Large Eddy Simulation (LES) for typical open channel flows to elucidate the time dependent three dimensional flow and sediment transport features which are usually difficult to measure in experiments. Detailed investigations are performed on the unsteady features and, in particular, turbulent structures of the flow to demonstrate the great potential of eddy resolving methods. The instantaneous flow and sediment transport fields are investigated together with the existence of coherent structures. These structures together with ejection events (u' < 0, w' > 0), are responsible for the vertical and lateral transport of suspended sediment from …

Electrical Resistivity Of Sandy Soil With Water, Leachates And Seawater, Lopa Mudra Pandey

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Liners are used in the engineered containment systems such as landfills for controlling the migration of contaminants. Although there are several techniques for detecting the leakages through the liners, use of the electrical resistivity method can assist in timely detection of contaminant migration in cost-effective manner. This method is based on the well-established fact that the electrical resistivity of soils and other geomaterials is much higher than the electrical resistivity of water, leachates or any liquid effluents which may permeate the landfill foundation material. Additionally, the geotechnical properties of a soil exhibit a close relationship with its electrical resistivity values …

Experimental Heat Transfer Study On Green Roofs In A Semiarid Climate During Summer, Roy Issa, Kenneth Leitch, Byungik Chang

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

An experimental study was conducted on green roofs under the semiarid summer climatic conditions of West Texas to investigate the effect of soil type, moisture content, and the presence of a top soil grass layer on the conductive heat transfer through the roof. Two soil types were investigated: uniform sand and local silt clay. Tests were also conducted on a control roof. A dual-needle heat-pulse sensor was used to conduct thermal property tests on the soils. The tests reveal that unlike sand, the thermal conductivity of silt clay did not increase continuously with soil moisture. Better heat transfer conditions were …

Enhanced Electrokinetic Transport Of Sulfate In Saline Soil, Sung-Ung Jo, Yeon-Jun Shin, Jung-Seok Yang, Deok-Hyun Moon, Agamemnon Koutsospyros, Ki-Tae Baek

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The electrokinetic transport of sulfate was investigated as a means of treating and restoring a sulfate-accumulating saline soil. The electrokinetic treatment decreased the electrical conductivity of the soil, an indicator of soil salinity, to 58.6%, 73.1%, and 83.5% for 7, 14 and 21 days, respectively. More than 96% of the chloride and nitrate were removed within 7 days. However, the removal of sulfate was highly influenced by the anode material. An iron anode removed sulfate effectively, whereas, sulfate was hyper-accumulated in the anodic region when an inert anode was used. The iron anode was oxidized in a sacrificial anodic reaction, …

Reflections On Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research With Undergraduate Students, Can B. Aktas

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Purpose – The purpose of the article was to convey experiences with pioneering interdisciplinary sustainability research by involving undergraduate students. Experiences with initiating and conducting multiple research projects spanning engineering and sustainability are described, and recommendations for programs and faculty in other institutions of higher education that plan to implement or support similar endeavors are discussed. Design/methodology/approach – The article and presented conclusions are based on three separate research projects, where specific examples as to how those projects were developed as well as challenges and rewards faced during the project are described. Findings – It is concluded that faculty should …

Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts 2014, Kentucky Transportation Center, Kentucky State Police

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

KENTUCKY’S TRAFFIC COLLISION FACTS report for 2014 is based on collision reports submitted to the Kentucky State Police Records Branch. As required by Kentucky Revised Statutes 189.635, “every law enforcement agency whose officers investigate a vehicle accident of which a report must be made…shall file a report of the accident…within ten days after investigation of the accident upon forms supplied by the bureau.” The stated purpose of this requirement is to utilize data on traffic collisions for such purposes as will improve the traffic safety program in the Commonwealth. Data contained in this report are based solely on the observations …

Construction Claims: Impact Of Defective Construction On Long-Term Facility Maintenance Costs, Khalid Siddiqi, Alejuandro Hunt

Faculty and Research Publications

The industry is becoming one of the leaders in producing and implementing sustainable building metrics by promoting the use of renewables, Green Building, Lean Building and LEED Construction. The newly introduced changes present challenges to sustainable construction and has led to more companies and stakeholders promoting integration of all construction phases. This study was conducted to quantify the impact on defective construction procedures and methods on sustainable construction projects' recurring facility maintenance costs. The research data was collected from public school facilities constructed under a sustainable construction program. These projects have been completed in the past 10 years and with …