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Civil and Environmental Engineering

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Open Access Theses

Theses/Dissertations

2015

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Four Runway Configuration Types And Their Relation To Arrival Delays, Rachel Jayne Kennedy Apr 2015

Four Runway Configuration Types And Their Relation To Arrival Delays, Rachel Jayne Kennedy

Open Access Theses

Aside from a safe flight, airline passengers expect to arrive to their destination on time. With an abundance of flights in the United States arriving late each day, it has yet to be determined if the airport's layout plays a role. This research looks at four common runway configuration types at hub and non-hub airports to determine if runway configurations affect arrival delays. A two-way ANOVA is conducted comparing the means of the on-time arrival percentage between airports exhibiting each of the four runway configurations as well as hub and non-hub airport status. The results determine if any or none …


Downward Model Development Of The Soil Moisture Accounting Loss Method In Hec-Hms: Revelations Concerning The Soil Profile, Jessica Holberg Apr 2015

Downward Model Development Of The Soil Moisture Accounting Loss Method In Hec-Hms: Revelations Concerning The Soil Profile, Jessica Holberg

Open Access Theses

Despite the fact that the soil profile is known to impact streamflow, most Curve Number (CN)-based models ignore subsurface processes. This study explores the influence of soil storage on peak flows. Two watersheds in flat, humid west-central Indiana were modeled using both the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Curve Number and four versions of the Soil Moisture Accounting (SMA) loss methods in the United States Army Core of Engineers-developed (USACE) Hydrologic Engineering Center Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS). One watershed encompasses the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers' confluence; the other contains an ephemeral stream, Plum Creek. The CN-based model was developed using …


Numerical Characterization Of Convective Heat Transfer Of Low-Rise Buildings, Ranchi Chen Apr 2015

Numerical Characterization Of Convective Heat Transfer Of Low-Rise Buildings, Ranchi Chen

Open Access Theses

The convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) is an important parameter to evaluate the efficiency of building-integrated photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) system and the energy exchange within the turbulent atmospheric boundary layer. Reynolds-average Navier-Stokes approach has been frequently used to predict the CHTC at the surface of low rise roof but incapable of predicting transient behavior of separation, reattachment and recirculation both on the windward and leeward surface. However, Large Eddy Simulation approach (LES) could provide accurate flow field and temperature field around the low rise building. ^ The current study uses Large Eddy Simulation with Smagorinsky-Lily model and the Shear Stress Transport …


Quantifying Moisture Transport In Cementitious Materials Using Neutron Radiography, Catherine L. Lucero Apr 2015

Quantifying Moisture Transport In Cementitious Materials Using Neutron Radiography, Catherine L. Lucero

Open Access Theses

A portion of the concrete pavements in the US have recently been observed to have premature joint deterioration. This damage is caused in part by the ingress of fluids, like water, salt water, or deicing salts. The ingress of these fluids can damage concrete when they freeze and expand or can react with the cementitious matrix causing damage. To determine the quality of concrete for assessing potential service life it is often necessary to measure the rate of fluid ingress, or sorptivity. Neutron imaging is a powerful method for quantifying fluid penetration since it can describe where water has penetrated, …


Examining Unawareness Of Construction Law Principles From A Small Contractor's Perspective, Ketaki Shiralkar Apr 2015

Examining Unawareness Of Construction Law Principles From A Small Contractor's Perspective, Ketaki Shiralkar

Open Access Theses

Construction industry encompasses myriads of small trades within itself. If we take a microscope and observe, what looks from outside as one big single unit, is in fact made up of many small cogs of a wheel, important ones though, as without them, the functionality of the industry wouldn't be proper. As much as the existence of these small scale contractor's companies is important, so is their survival. There have been many reasons as to why contractors fail, but this study is limited to focus on one of them, which is, the absence of legal knowledge among employees of a …


Investigation Of Industry Perceptions Of Building Information Modeling (Bim)-Based Estimating Practices In The U.S. And China, Zhihang Yi Apr 2015

Investigation Of Industry Perceptions Of Building Information Modeling (Bim)-Based Estimating Practices In The U.S. And China, Zhihang Yi

Open Access Theses

While the Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology has been seen as next revolutionary technology for the Architectural, Engineering, Construction and Facility Management (AEC/FM) fields, the AEC/FM industry does not implement BIM technology on the cost estimating practices as widely as expected. The efficiency improvement on cost estimating with BIM could be accomplished through automating quantity take-offs, closely collaborating design with the estimating professionals and so on. This research explores the advantages and barriers of imbedding BIM technology into the estimating practices which enables the industry deepen their understandings on BIM-based cost estimation method. This study also compares the industry perceptions …


A Probabilistic Model Of Benefit-Cost Analysis For Highway Construction Projects, Yue He Apr 2015

A Probabilistic Model Of Benefit-Cost Analysis For Highway Construction Projects, Yue He

Open Access Theses

Deterministic method occupies the predominant position in economic analysis. However, by using a single value to estimate the project value, deterministic method would hide the risk under it. Analysts may make incorrect judgments by looking at a value without knowing the likelihood of its occurrence and the consequences of its occurrence. A probabilistic model was developed in this study to address this problem. It was found in this study that the traffic flows on Indiana highways follow logistic distributions rather than normal distributions as generally believed. The application of the probabilistic model was illustrated through a case study. The results …


The Effect Of Maximum Aggregate Size On The Shear Strength Of Geometrically Scaled Reinforced Concrete Beams, Derek Robert Daluga Apr 2015

The Effect Of Maximum Aggregate Size On The Shear Strength Of Geometrically Scaled Reinforced Concrete Beams, Derek Robert Daluga

Open Access Theses

Shear strength of reinforced concrete beams without web reinforcement has been reported to decrease with increases in depth. This is often referred to as a size effect. This reduction in shear strength has been reported to decrease with the use of web reinforcement and increases in maximum aggregate size. ^ The purpose of this study was to test two hypotheses 1) shear strength increases with increases in maximum aggregate size and 2) aggregate gradation affects this increase in shear strength. Maximum aggregate size is defined here as the size of the smallest sieve opening through which all aggregate particles pass. …


Low Income, Supermarket Accessibility, And The Transportation Network: A Multimodal Analysis Identifying Areas Of Poor Accessibility And Intervention Strategies In Indianapolis, Indiana, Andrea Leigh Bailey Apr 2015

Low Income, Supermarket Accessibility, And The Transportation Network: A Multimodal Analysis Identifying Areas Of Poor Accessibility And Intervention Strategies In Indianapolis, Indiana, Andrea Leigh Bailey

Open Access Theses

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service estimates that 23.5 million people live in food deserts, over half of which are considered low-income residents. Accurately defining a food desert is crucial as the designated areas can benefit from grant opportunities and funding priority. To qualify as an urban food desert, the USDA requires that at least 500 residents or one-third of the population live outside a one-mile buffer from a supermarket as well as have a median income of less than 80% of the area average or a poverty rate of greater than 20%. Approaches in the …