Engineering Commons^™

An Open-Source, Semisupervised Water End-Use Disaggregation And Classification Tool, Nour A. Attallah, Jeffery S. Horsburgh, Camilo J. Bastidas Pacheco

Research Briefs

Research Objective/Summary: Research on individual household water consumption is vital to water management and conservation approaches. Despite a significant number of papers published on end-use disaggregation tools, reproduction and further study of results on water-use behavior is difficult because the data and code are not easily accessible. In order to fulfill this need for open and reproducible tools, we present a new, semisupervised, non-intrusive water end-use disaggregation and classification tool.

Stochastic Approach To Hydrological Dam Safety In The Framework Of The New Dam Safety Standards In Spain, Iván Gabriel-Martin, Francisco J. Caballero, Álvaro Sordo-Ward, Luis Garrote

Protections Conference

The approval of the Technical Safety Standards for dams and reservoirs in Spain in 2021 increased the hydrological safety requirements, being necessary to check if measures have to be implemented in dams designed according to the prior standards. Some of these dams have scarce instrumentation and lack of hydrometeorological data. This work proposes a simple but sounded fully-stochastic methodology for assessing the hydrological safety of dams within this situation, potentially applicable outside academia. The methodology has been applied to a case study based on a real dam, and compared the results obtained to those of the standard deterministic procedure. We …

Wirewall A Follow Up: Labratory And Field Measurements Of Wave Overtopping, Tim Pullen, Jenny Brown, Margaret Yelland, Robin Pascal, Richard Pinnell, Chris Cardwell, David Jones

Protections Conference

At the Protections 2018 conference, the WireWall wave overtopping research project was introduced. WireWall uses recent advances in high frequency capacitance wire technology that can measure overtopping data. Wave overtopping has now been measured in the laboratory and in the field using the WireWall system. Here we provide an update on the validation of the system in flume tests and results from the first field measurement campaign.

Before deployment in the field, an extensive set of tests were carried out in one of the 2D wave flumes at HR Wallingford. These tests simulated known wave conditions from a buoy near …

Methodology For Calculating The Response Of Porous Media For Evaluating Grass Response To Overtopping Loads, Myron Von Damme, Dennis Den Ouden-Van Der Horst

Protections Conference

Grass covers offer a level of erosion protection against hydrodynamic loads induced by overtopping waves. The development of an accurate failure criterion for grass covers has been hampered by the lack of understanding of how grass fails. Methods have been developed to predict the hydrodynamic loads that act on the levee surface and consequently are transmitted to the porous grass cover and subsoil. However, it is unknown how these hydrodynamic surface loads on the soil are distributed amongst the pore water pressures and effective stresses, thereby offering a significant challenge for engineers to simulate the transmission of stresses into the …

Hydraulic Computations For Stepped Concrete Overlays Of Embankment Dams, Tony L. Wahl, Sherry L. Hunt, Kem C. Kadavy, Henry T. Falvey

Protections Conference

One method for rehabilitating and modernizing embankment dams is the addition of a concrete overlay that protects the embankment and allows floods to pass safely over the dam. Roller compacted concrete is commonly used, which makes it practical to use a stepped construction that also enhances energy dissipation. Analysis of flow conditions over such structures requires computation of aerated flow and its effects on flow depth, training wall design, and energy dissipation. This paper describes Spillway Pro, an energy-based water surface profile calculation tool for smooth spillway chutes (Wahl et al. 2019), recently improved to also analyze stepped chutes. The …

Field Testing Of The Overflow Erosion Of Rhone River Levees, Christophe Picault, Fabrice Campette, Stéphane Bonelli, Sylvie Nicaise, Naim Chaouch, Faustine Byron, Yves Gremeaux, Alexis Doghmane, Mathys Garoui, Jordan Herbeck, Frédéric Golay

Protections Conference

It is important to quantify the soil resistance against erosion caused by the overflow of dikes and levees. Small-scale tests are not recommended, as they do not provide a correct representation of the actual soil in place and do not take into account the geometry of the structure. For this reason, the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) developed an on-site overflow device in 2015. The procedure followed is based on ASTM-D6460 standard. Two tests were performed in May 2022 on a Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) dike near Avignon (France). The dike is 6.2 m high; …

Recent Case Histories Of Cascade Failures And Overflowing Events Of Embankment Dams, Alexius Vogel, Jean-Robert Courivaud, Katarzyna Jarecka

Protections Conference

Excessive rainfall and extensive flooding within the context of a changing environment show the fact that resistance to overflowing erosion of embankment dams needs to be better assessed because of the increasing number of dam failures caused by overflowing, implying the necessity of a reaction to this kind of challenges. Better understandings of the embankment failure processes and the dominant parameters affecting these kinds of failures are necessary for predicting and modeling the breach processes. Acquiring this better understanding of the physical processes and a numerical prediction capability requires progressing in parallel in laboratory and field test investigations of embankment …

Development Of An Excel Model To Evaluate The Stability Of Slopes, Bradley Davis

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This objective of this study is to determine a method or tool for taking given slope stability parameters and quickly and effectively determining the factor of safety against sliding of fully softened slopes. This study evaluates the effects of soil and geometric parameters of common slopes, and models these properties in a hypothetical model. The methodology is based on a parametric analysis using the Spencer’s Method of Slices limit equilibrium analysis used in the computer program Slide2. A parametric analysis is performed to determine which soil and/or geometric properties have a high influence on slope stability. The parametric analysis is …

Energy Dissipation Of Highly Convergent Chutes In Stilling Basins Of Concrete Dams, Rafael Morán, Miguel Ángel Toledo, Jaime I. Masides

Protections Conference

This article presents the results of a combination of experimental and numerical research on the performance of stilling basins of spillways with highly convergent chutes (HCC). The comparison between the energy dissipation of the stilling basins with flat slab and baffle blocks shows that the latest are more efficient. Because of that, the cost savings of using such blocks can be significant. The results obtained could be applied in different cases such as increasing the capacity of existing spillways and protecting dams against overtopping. The application of HCC spillways in new dams could lead to a reduction in the cost …

A Novel Computational Method To Compute Rock Scour Due To Dam Overtopping, Erik F. R. Bollaert

Protections Conference

Flood events generating potential risk for dam overtopping may become more frequently in the future, especially because of increasing climate change. Crest overflows at arch dams generally impact the downstream rock mass very close to the dam foundation. As such, any scour of the rock mass generated by this phenomenon may potentially endanger the stability of the dam and its appurtenant structures. Hence, pertinent assessment of this scour formation through space and time is becoming increasingly relevant to dam safety. This paper presents a novel computational method for detachment of prismatic rock blocks from their mass when impacted by high-velocity …

Bedrock Erosion In Swedish Spillways - A Methodology For Assessing Design Pore Pressures Aimed For Design Of Erosion Mitigation Via Reinforcement Of The Rock Mass, Per Eriksson, Jonas Persson, Carol-Oscar Nilsson

Protections Conference

This article presents a collection of literature and data that enables calculations of hydraulic pressures inside a structurally simplified rock mass. The causation between the pressure in the rock mass and the near plane-parallel turbulently flowing waters on natural surfaces of igneous rock is expressed. The article is mainly aimed at rock reinforcement calculations given magmatic rock types with high durability and large block size.

Erodibility Evaluation Of An Unlined Rock Spillway: Comparison Between The Erodibility Index Method And A New Method Based On Block Theory, Michael George, Cole Christiansen, Ariel Rickel, Benjamin Israel, George W. Annandale

Protections Conference

Following the 2017 events at the Oroville Dam spillways that prompted evacuation of nearly 200,000 downstream residents and resulted in over $1B USD repair costs, there is highlighted focus on evaluation of spillways (both lined and unlined) at dams across the USA. In the case of unlined channels, flow conditions are often complex which presents several challenges for erodibility evaluation given methods are often based on idealized circumstances. High-resolution data available for the site (both in terms of 3D point cloud geometry data for the rock mass and 3D CFD model simulations of flow conditions) permitted a more detailed analysis …

Hydro-Geotechnical Rock Scour Assessment At Petit-Saut Dam, Seven E. Pells, Fanar Al-Qassab, Felicia Weir, Anaïs Faivre, Thierry Leturcq, Benoit Blancher

Protections Conference

This paper presents a recommended design procedure for assessment of rock scour which is illustrated for the case study of Petit-Saut Dam in French Guiana. The methodology, referred to as a “hydro-geotechnical scour assessment”, promotes a multi-discipline approach, applying expertise in both rock mechanics and hydraulics, and guides the diagnosis of scour and response to risk by application of currently available scour assessment techniques.

Failure Thresholds For Rcc Crest Caps, Tony L. Wahl, Bryan J. Heiner, Jacob F. Kepler

Protections Conference

Overtopping protection using roller-compacted concrete (RCC) overlays is a common improvement made to address hydrologic deficiencies at existing small- to medium-height embankment dams. Overlays allow floods to pass over the dam while preventing erosion of the original embankment. The United States has many examples of such projects on both private and public dams, including many associated with federal agencies of the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture. For one project modified with an overlay in 1993, deterioration of the RCC and poor bonding between lifts has caused concern for stability of the 0.3-m (1-ft) thick RCC lifts that cap the …

First Application Of Articulated Concrete Block Armoring With A Stabilized Stone Drainage Layer, Jeremy R. Young, Jim Nadeau

Protections Conference

Results from recent hydraulic testing of Articulated Concrete Block (ACB) systems have shown variations in the level of the ACB surface is attributed to the movement of an unconfined stone drainage layer. This movement appears to be exacerbated by thicker drainage layers, higher overtopping depths, and longer test flumes. While the apparent movement did not constitute “threshold of performance” as currently defined by ASTM D7276 and D7277, there was a desire to mitigate movement of the stone drainage layer and maintain conservatism in ACB design and construction. This paper will review the findings of Nadeau and Wedin’s paper from Protections …

Applying The Submerged Jet Erosion Test To Embankment Dam Breach Modeling, Tony L. Wahl, Blake Armstrong

Protections Conference

The submerged jet erosion test (JET) is one of several methods available for quantifying erodibility of cohesive soils, a crucial input for modeling erosion and breach of embankment dams with models such as WinDAM, EMBREA (Morris 2011), and DL BREACH (Wu 2013; 2016a; 2016b). The JET was initially developed in the late 1980s as a relatively large-scale device with a 13-mm diameter nozzle creating an impinging jet that erodes a soil sample submerged in a 61-cm diameter tank. This first device was documented in an ASTM standard (D5852-1995), but the standard was withdrawn in 2016. In the last 15 to …

Overtopping Erodibility Analysis For A Steep-Sloped Rockfill Embankment Dam, Ariel Rickel, Michael F. George, Rob Millar

Protections Conference

Erosion of embankment material during an overtopping event is one of the major mechanisms of failure for earthfill dams. The ability to analyze the progression of overtopping failure can prove useful in assessing the breakthrough risk of the dam, which involves understanding the behavior of the material that the dam is comprised of. While there have been studies on the behavior of smaller-grained materials such as clays and sands (e.g. Hahn et al 2000; Coleman et al. 2002; Hanson et al. 2005; Hanson et al. 2011), few have focused on erosion of larger-grained rockfill embankments.

This paper presents the erosion …

Effects Of The Checks, Andrew Stott

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of people have lost thousands of dollars, and some much more. As a result, the government issued aid in the form of stimulus checks, with the intention to stimulate the economy and compensate for money lost. The government is not adding value to the economy, but merely moving it around, and in many cases simply making it worse. The checks allude to an even bigger issue: that of universal income and welfare checks. Although these things may be helpful to the individual, they are ineffective and harmful to the economy because they …

Effects Of Flow Path Factors In The Permeability Of Natural And Man-Made Granular Soils Using The Kozeny-Carman Equation, Robert Davies

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The research presented in this paper serves to observe how the flow path factors relate to the void ratio, the effective diameter of a soil particle, and the permeability of a given sample assuming the behavior is consistent across natural and artificial soils. The basis of the comparison is the derived Kozeny-Carman Equation for permeability with focus on the factors C_s and C_l where C_s represents the shape of the flow path and C_l represents the length of the flow path that a single water molecule must travel through a soil sample. Permeameter tests were conducted …

Water Resources International Development: What On Earth Are We Doing?, Patrick Ray

All ECSTATIC Materials

Large agencies such as the World Bank, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the United Nations, regional development banks (such as the Asian Development Bank), and philanthropic organizations (such as the Rockefeller Foundation) are actively engaged in water resources development in low-income countries. Why? And what metrics do they use to decide if the investments of hundreds of millions or billions of dollars in water infrastructure projects are justified? And what accommodations do they tend to make for risks such as climate change? And what attention do they tend to give to questions of equity? I probably have no idea. But I’ve …

Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways, Marjolijn Haasnoot

All ECSTATIC Materials

• Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways (DAPP) is a decision making approach that explicitly includes decision making over time. The essence is proactive and dynamic planning in response to how the future actually unfolds.
• DAPP explores alternative sequences of decisions (adaptation pathways) for multiple futures and illuminates the path dependency of alternative strategies. It opens the decision space and helps to overcome policy paralysis due to deep uncertainty. There are different routes that can achieve the objectives under changing conditions (like ‘different roads leading to Rome’).
• Policy actions have an uncertain design life and might fail sooner or later to continue achieving …

Adaptive Water Infrastructure Planning For A Changing World, Sarah Fletcher

All ECSTATIC Materials

Water planners face the challenge of ensuring reliable water supply for people and the environment. Long-term changes and short-term variability in both the natural and social environments create large uncertainty in future water supply and demand. This makes it difficult to know when and how to adapt water systems through operational changes, policy, and infrastructure development. Adaptive planning approaches, in which planners defer action and respond as the system changes over time, have the potential to enable robustness to an uncertain future without unnecessary infrastructure development or policy changes. However, adaptive approaches may prevent planners from leveraging economies of scale, …

Adaptive Policy Design In Water Resources Systems Under Uncertain Climate And Human Stressors, Jon Herman

All ECSTATIC Materials

Long-term planning of water resources systems must contend with severe uncertainty in future projections of hydroclimatic variability across multiple scales, as well as uncertainty in human behavior, such as land use and reservoir operation. This talk will review recent developments in adaptive policy design to meet this challenge, centered around the key question: how should we learn from, and react to, dynamic observations of hydroclimatic, human, and ecological variables to ensure long-term sustainability? Specific contributions will cover three areas: (1) adaptation of short-term control rules, enabling existing infrastructure to manage multiple objectives across a range of possible futures; (2) exploration …

Strategies For Managing The Colorado River In An Uncertain Future, Jian Wang

All ECSTATIC Materials

Colorado River managers face a deeply uncertain future. Projections of declining watershed runoff are likely to necessitate restructuring of the present interpretation of the Law of the River that allocates water supply among Mexico and the seven states of the Basin. Additionally, the magnitude and distribution of consumptive uses of water will change. Outcomes for river and reservoir ecosystems are poorly predicted. How should we make better decisions given these uncertain factors? To help answer this question and expand conversation about the Colorado River management issues, we (1) classify different levels of uncertainty to guide decisions about which modeling tools …

Impacts Of Beaver Dams On Mountain Stream Discharge And Water Temperature, Timothy R. Clark

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Beaver dam complexes have been shown to affect the hydrologic processes controlling river systems. These processes include surface and groundwater exchanges, water chemistry and temperature variations, and river discharge magnitudes. Majerova et al. (2015) explored the effects of beaver dams on surface and groundwater exchanges and water temperature by evaluating three years of water discharge and temperature data recorded at multiple locations within a small stream in northern Utah. They found that beaver dams increase the water surface elevation and force water into the floodplain resulting in increased inundation and groundwater recharge. They additionally found that beaver dams increase residence …

Designing Technology For Different Scales Of Irrigation Scheduling, Paolo Alexander Consalvo

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Uncertainty in water availability is a significant challenge to the agriculture industry. Farmers and irrigators depend on novel uses of sensors and data to maximize water efficiency. Documented studies have demonstrated scheduling irrigation is a straightforward, deterministic means of achieving water efficiency. Irrigation scheduling uses several parameters to determine the moment of crop water stress due to available water in the soil. However, sensors and data for soil moisture and matric potential, a parameter describing water available to plants, have the potential to train machine learning algorithms to forecast water irrigation needs based on previous measurements. Satellite remote-sensing is another …

Lecture Notes: Multi-Objective Optimization, Lina Sela

All ECSTATIC Materials

No abstract provided.

Lecture Notes: Nonlinear Optimization And Matlab Optimization Toolbox Example, Lina Sela

All ECSTATIC Materials

No abstract provided.

Video Conversations - The Future Of The Colorado River, John C. Schmidt, David E. Rosenberg

All ECSTATIC Materials

This video series explores key Colorado River management issues with key managers across the basin. Video discussions in the table on the next page are presented in the order they were recorded. Topics include river ecosystems, California, Upper Basin, Tribal, and Federal perspectives, as well as future hydrology and climate. Each video runs for 60 to 90 minutes. Speakers start by describing how they got to the place they are professionally. There are prepared remarks and questions and answers from participants who attended at the time the video was recorded. Links to suggested readings are provided. Click the VIDEO url …

A Practitioner’S Guide To Small Unmanned Aerial Systems For Bridge Inspection, Sattar Dorafshan, Robert J. Thomas, Calvin Coopmans, Marc Maguire

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Small unmanned aerial system(s) (sUAS) are rapidly emerging as a practical means of performing bridge inspections. Under the right condition, sUAS assisted inspections can be safer, faster, and less costly than manned inspections. Many Departments of Transportation in the United States are in the early stages of adopting this emerging technology. However, definitive guidelines for the selection of equipment for various types of bridge inspections or for the possible challenges during sUAS assisted inspections are absent. Given the large investments of time and capital associated with deploying a sUAS assisted bridge inspection program, a synthesis of authors experiences will be …