Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Liquefaction-Induced Lateral Spreading In The Midwest, Kermit Nathanial Applegate

Masters Theses

"The Central United States is home to several seismically active regions: the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone, the South Central Illinois Seismic Zone, and the New Madrid Seismic Zone. All three of these regions are capable of inducing large ground motion throughout the Mississippi Valley and along the eastern border of Missouri. This has been supported by many paleoseismic studies conducted throughout the region, which have identified numerous instances of liquefaction phenomena. The fluvial deposition process associated with the Mississippi river valley makes it a prime location for possible liquefaction and lateral spreading effects. However, there are few studies pertaining to …

Innovative Concrete Bridging Systems For Pedestrian Bridges: Implementation And Monitoring, Kurt Edward Bloch

Masters Theses

"Two precast, prestressed pedestrian bridges were designed for rapid construction in Rolla, MO, utilizing high-strength concrete (HSC) and high-strength self-consolidating concrete (HS-SCC) with a target 28 day compressive strength of 68.9 MPa (10,000 psi) and release compressive strength of 24.1 MPa (3,500 psi). In addition, a glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bar reinforced deck panel system was utilized in one of the two deck panels on each bridge.

Material properties were tested for compression, elastic modulus, modulus of rupture, splitting tensile strength, creep, and shrinkage following ASTM standards. Instrumentation systems within the spandrel beams and precast deck panels were implemented …

Evaluation Of Variable Speed Limits Using A Genetic Algorithm Approach To Calibrate A Vissim Model, Brian Joseph Schaefer

Masters Theses

"The variable speed limit (VSL) system has been adopted on more and more roadways across the globe as an engineering tool for controlling traffic flow, particularly during congestion situations. An important and fundamental question raised among traffic engineers is: Are the costs of installing and operating variable speed limits really justified? In order to answer this question, this thesis measures the effectiveness of the VSL system applying the VISSIM microscopic simulation model to a non-recurrent congestion situation. For the analysis, a section of interstate was modeled in VISSIM and calibrated so that the simulated results closely reproduce the observed data …

Microalgal Bioremediation Of Nutrients In Wastewater And Carbon Dioxide In Flue Gas, Anand Murali Narasimhan

Masters Theses

"Microalgae are potential biofuel feedstocks that can provide solutions to the twin challenges of energy security and environmental pollution. They have great potential for the removal of excess nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater including the farm runoff. They can capture carbon dioxide in the flue gas from coal fired power plants thereby reducing greenhouse gas and also producing algal biomass, which can be converted into biofuel. In this study, the nutrient consumption of Scenedesmus algae was investigated in a batch culture and the biomass yield was determined. Algae were able to utilize carbon in the form of soluble carbonates which …

The Placement Of Remediation Amendments Into Contaminated Sediments Via Waterjet Technologies, Gavin Hunter Ray Risley

Masters Theses

"The use of amendments to perform in situ remediation of contaminated sediments is a technique that is relatively mature. The need exists to develop a method of amendment delivery that will efficiently place the amendments into the contaminated zone at depth with minimal impacts to the benthic communities and contaminant resuspension. Waterjets have been used for hundreds of years as an excavation, cutting, and cleaning tool, but they can also be used to inject remediation amendments into contaminated sediments if setup properly. In order to test this concept, a waterjet amendment injection system and nozzle have been developed and tested. …

Bayesian Approaches On Observational Before-After Highway Safety Analysis, Daxiao Liu

Masters Theses

"Observational before-after evaluation of roadway safety treatments effect is a necessary and challenging study area for traffic safety engineers. In decades, empirical Bayesian approach has been widely adopted among researchers in this area. In this approach, the researcher combined before period observation data with a safety performance function estimated from similar groups to estimate the expected number of crashes that would have occurred in the after period without the treatment. Comparing this estimate with the number of crashes observed in the after period, the researcher evaluated the effectiveness of the treatment. This approach accounts for well-known regression-to-the-mean effects. However, as …

Nonlinear Finite Element Formulation Of The Soil Structure Interaction Through Two Parameter Foundation Model, Taraka Ravi Shankar Mullapudi

Masters Theses

"The response of shallow and raft foundations is having a significant importance due to its complex behavior because of the semi-infinite soil media. Winkler's model is the simplest model to deal with the structure and soil. The Winkler model represents the foundation reaction as proportional to the soil displacement at a particular point, which results in the elasticity of the soil being the only parameter in consideration. But in reality the soil cohesiveness is having a significant contribution in soil structure interaction, and therefore the consideration of coupling effects of Winkler springs need to be accounted. Most of the existing …

Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polyurea Strengthening Of Reinforced Concrete, Courtney Elizabeth Greene

Masters Theses

"Wide varieties of concrete repair-retrofit and strengthening methods have been developed and are being widely implemented. In recent years, the need for such strengthening systems has become apparent with increasing demands on aging infrastructure. These strengthening systems need to be increasingly more adaptable, providing ease of construction as well as withstanding a variety of loading conditions and hazards. Exterior-applied fiber-reinforced polymer systems are increasingly being used to meet these demands. The research contained herein investigates the strengthening benefits and characteristics from a specific glass fiber-reinforced polyurea coating system applied externally to structures by means of spraying. This coating would allow …

Experimental And Modeling Comparison Of Modular Photovoltaic-Thermal Solar Panels, Nicole C. Annis

Masters Theses

"Three different prototype photovoltaic-thermal panels using water as the cooling fluid were tested simultaneously. The first two panels (Panel A and B) consisted of a highly conductive thermal sheeting and different sized copper tubing. The third panel (Panel C) consisted of copper tubing with an aluminum fin. Thermal images were used to verify the heat transfer across the panels and compare the amount of heat radiating off the back of the photovoltaic-thermal panels versus the standard photovoltaic paneleaf Three A type panels were thermally connected in series. Three photovoltaic panels were also tested for an electrical comparison. The purpose of …

Improvised Explosive Device Crater Repair For Enduring Route Remediation, Daniel Roman Kienitz

Doctoral Dissertations

"Recent road repairs performed on main supply routes (MSRs) and alternative supply routes (ASRs) in Iraq and Afghanistan revealed several deficiencies in current repair techniques. Temporary solutions such as aggregate backfill, asphalt, and traditional concrete repairs were unacceptable due to the ease of emplacement of additional improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In addition to the threat of IED placement, the threat from exposure of the repair teams to enemy attack during placement and curing was substantial. In order to address these problems, this project investigated rapid hardening materials for improvised explosive device crater repair. A laboratory test program along with performance …

Determining The R Values For 12 Inch Deep Z-Purlins And Girts With Through-Fastened Panels Under Suction Loading, Kaye Dee Wibbenmeyer

Masters Theses

"Designing purlins for roof systems attached to through-fastened panels has been a subject well researched in the past. The current design specification uses a simplified approach to the designing of these members where the fully braced moment capacity of such members is multiplied by a reduction factor, commonly referred to as the R-value. This value represents the point in between the fully braced and fully unbraced member behavior. However, the current AISI Specification, S100, only contains R-values for purlins and girts up to 11.5 inches in depth. Since manufacturers are now rolling sections up to 12 inches deep, two confirmatory …

Behavior Of Externally Bonded Fiber Reinforced Polymer Systems For Strengthening Concrete Girders In Shear, Michael Shawn Murphy

Doctoral Dissertations

"Deficiencies in shear resistance are a primary concern in concrete members due to the sudden and unpredictable nature of shear failures. Shear deficiencies in concrete structures can arise due to improper design, long-term deterioration, man-made damages, increases in loads, or as a result of over strengthening in flexure. A number of shear strengthening techniques offer a cost effective means for restoring or enhancing the shear capacity of a concrete member. The use of externally bonded fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) is one such technique that has gained recent recognition for its high strength-to-weight ratio and simplicity of application. The development of …

Field Investigation Of Spalling In Bridge Decks With Partial-Depth Precast Concrete Panel Systems Using Non-Destructive Testing, Kandi Rebecca Wieberg

Masters Theses

"This study involved the investigation of the causes of spalling observed in several partial-depth precast prestressed bridge decks in the state of Missouri. Recently it has been observed that several bridges in Missouri with this type of construction have experienced spalling of concrete at the edges of the panels revealing an extreme condition of corrosion in the prestressing tendons, some to the point of rupture. Ground penetrating radar (GPR), which has been shown to be successful in bridge deck evaluation, was used to determine the relative condition of the prestressing tendons as well as the relative condition of the concrete …

Corrosion Resistance Of Enamel-Coated Steel Reinforcement For Concrete, Charles Robert Werner

Masters Theses

"Originally developed to enhance the bond between concrete and steel, reactive enamel coatings have shown great promise in protecting steel from corrosive environments. However, the corrosion resistance of the material has not yet been tested beyond 40 days. Moreover, when the material was tested, it was applied to smooth steel pins, not deformed steel bars which are commonly used in reinforced concrete structures. Therefore, this study focused on the corrosion resistance of three different enamel coatings, along with a standard epoxy coating, each of which were applied to both smooth and deformed steel bars and included both short-term and long-term …

Stability Of Streambanks Subjected To Highly Variable Streamflows: The Osage River Downstream Of Bagnell Dam, Kathryn Nicole Heinley

Masters Theses

"Streambank erosion of the Osage River downstream of Bagnell Dam is naturally-occurring; however, it may be significantly worsened due to releases made from the dam to generate hydropower. In this study, six typical outflow release patterns from Bagnell Dam were evaluated to determine their effects, if any, on the stability and the rate and amount of erosion of the banks of the Osage River.

The Bank Stability and Toe Erosion Model (BSTEM), version 5.2, was used to carry out the erosion and stability calculations. The model was validated by using data from another study and comparing the results from BSTEM …

Analysis Of Nationwide Intercity Travel Demand On The Us Transportation Network, Tao Li

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, three issues about the intercity travel demand on the US transportation network are addressed. The final one is the estimation of the domestic passengers' delay cost. A scheme is designed by assuming that costs incurred by flight delays relative to the original flight schedules are imposed at passengers' final destination airports. It is applied to estimate the total domestic delay cost of year 2007 and reasonable results arc obtained. The second one is the air travel demand estimation. Two route-based optimization models are proposed to estimate the travel demand based on available data. It is shown that …

Calibration Of Resistance Factors For Axial Capacity Of Driven Pile Into Missouri Soil, Mulugeta Abay Kebede

Masters Theses

"Over the past two decades the load resistance factor design (LRFD) has been accepted by the American Association for Transportation and Highway Officials (AASHTO) for the design of bridges. This approach is now gaining widespread popularity in the United States for substructure bridge design, including the design of driven pile foundations, as the states calibrate the geotechnical resistance factors for local geological conditions and practices. This study presents the geotechnical resistance factors calibrated for axially driven pile using the first-order reliability method (FORM) for the target reliability index of 2.33 and 3.0 based on 64 end-of-drives (EOD) and 22 beginning-of …

The Effectiveness Of The Natural Resource Conservation Service (Nrcs) And Huff Rainfall Distribution Methods For Use In Detention Basin Design, Todd Wayne Dablemont

Masters Theses

"This thesis focuses on the effectiveness of the NRCS and Huff rainfall distribution methods for use in detention basin design. This study required the use of HEC-HMS, hydrologic modeling software, in order to analyze the distribution methods. Three separate detention basins and their watersheds were modeled for this study. The watersheds were analyzed for both undeveloped and developed conditions. The parameters analyzed include detention basin inflow, detention basin outflow, watershed peak discharge, and detention basin storage capacity. The determination of detention basin effectiveness was based upon these parameters. The NRCS distribution method is widely used; however, many who use it …