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Civil and Environmental Engineering

Selected Works

2014

Articles 1 - 30 of 151

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Optimal Planning For Traffic Signal Alternative Power Sources In Signal Network, Mo Zhao, Anuj Sharma Mar 2016

Optimal Planning For Traffic Signal Alternative Power Sources In Signal Network, Mo Zhao, Anuj Sharma

Mo Zhao

Dark signals and flash operation during traffic signal malfunction can degrade the efficiency and safety at an intersection warranting a signalized control. Alternative power sources, such as an uninterruptable power supply system, can provide power protection as well as power back-up to the traffic control systems. The policy makers, with limited budgets and unlimited demands, need a tool to choose signalized intersections that can be provided with backup power. They also need to decide the battery capacity at these intersections. At present, there exists no such tool that can help to make an optimal choice for capacity and installation of …


Impact Of The Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Plant In Warsaw On Air Quality, Robert Oleniacz Dec 2014

Impact Of The Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Plant In Warsaw On Air Quality, Robert Oleniacz

Robert Oleniacz

The only Polish municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerator has been operating within the Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Plant in Warsaw since 2000. In the paper selected results of the air quality impact assessment for this incinerator during an operating period of one year (2008) are presented. With respect to the incinerated waste amounts and emission levels, the analysed period can be considered typical for this facility. Assessment of the air quality impact was carried out by assessing air pollutant emissions in reference to the applicable emission limit values and by modeling atmospheric dispersion of these pollutants. It has been found …


Effect Of Beam-Column Joint Stiffness On The Design Of Beams, Wahid Ferdous Dec 2014

Effect Of Beam-Column Joint Stiffness On The Design Of Beams, Wahid Ferdous

Wahid Ferdous

The infrastructure should be design in such a way that ensures safe, serviceable, durable and economic construction. For the beam design, the joints between beam and column is traditionally considered a rigid connection which actually not fully rigid and therefore accounted an extra moment leading to structural over-design and subsequently higher cost of beam construction. This paper proposed a theoretical model for moment and deflection considering the actual stiffness of beam-column joint rather than traditional concept of rigid connection. A concentrated moving load is applied on the beam with three different support conditions such as fixed both end, simply supported …


A Multi-Objective Decision-Making Framework For Transportation Investments, Mashrur Chowdhury, Pulin Tan Dec 2014

A Multi-Objective Decision-Making Framework For Transportation Investments, Mashrur Chowdhury, Pulin Tan

Mashrur Chowdhury

This paper presents a framework based on multi-objective optimization that can be used to generate and analyze the most desirable transportation investment options based on their objectives and constraints. The framework, which is based on the surrogate worth trade-off analysis, could be applied to both discrete or continuous decision-problem scenarios. In a discrete problem, a predefined set of alternatives is available, whereas continuous problems are not characterized by a predefined set of alternatives. This framework was applied with the data generated for a Capital Beltway Corridor investment study. The multi-objective decision-making framework was found to be adaptable to this typical …


Transit System Evaluation Process: From Planning To Realization, K Bartman, Jennifer Ogle, Mashrur Chowdhury, Anne Dunning Dec 2014

Transit System Evaluation Process: From Planning To Realization, K Bartman, Jennifer Ogle, Mashrur Chowdhury, Anne Dunning

Mashrur Chowdhury

Many frameworks exist to help transit agencies plan, operate, and monitor the performance of transit in rural and urban communities. No framework integrates these three critical business practices into one coherent and flexible framework useful to rural and small-sized cities. The primary objective of this research was to integrate planning, operations, and performance measurement activities into a framework designed to evaluate transit in the context of overall mobility. By combining planning, evaluation, and performance monitoring processes, a succinct framework useful to transit agencies and planners was created. In addition to city entities, colleges and universities operating or contracting transit systems …


Attack Of The Drones, Wayne Sarasua, Ryan Eckenrode, James Mattox, Jennifer Ogle, Mashrur Chowdhury Dec 2014

Attack Of The Drones, Wayne Sarasua, Ryan Eckenrode, James Mattox, Jennifer Ogle, Mashrur Chowdhury

Mashrur Chowdhury

South Carolina is just completing a significant roadwork program where bonds have been leveraged so that 27 years of maintenance and construction activities could be completed in just seven years. During this period, the number of South Carolina interstate work-zone-related crashes and fatalities has been rising, with the state accounting for nearly 10% of the nation’s work-zone fatalities. The number of crashes in work zones in South Carolina nearly tripled in five years, increasing from 677 in 1998 to 2,601 in 2003. In all of these years, a leading cause of vehicle crashes is driving too fast for conditions. Because …


Transportation Security Framework For A Medium-Sized City, Ryan Fries, Mashrur Chowdhury, Anne Dunning Dec 2014

Transportation Security Framework For A Medium-Sized City, Ryan Fries, Mashrur Chowdhury, Anne Dunning

Mashrur Chowdhury

Terrorist attacks have made security preparedness unquestionably necessary in all cities. While major metropolitan areas have long recognized that their global visibility has required strong security operations, many medium-sized cities, specifically those of the U.S. and European Union, now face the need to establish transportation security frameworks for the first time. This paper assesses the resources available to help medium-sized cities begin the task of creating such systems. This assessment presents infrastructure risk assessment tools, identifies infrastructure and funding resources, and creates a process for developing a security framework to connect agencies responsible for transportation security in these metropolitan areas. …


Using Gis-Based, Hitchcock Algorithm To Optimize Parking Allocations For Special Events, Wayne A. Sarasua, Prashant Malisetty, Mashrur Chowdhury Dec 2014

Using Gis-Based, Hitchcock Algorithm To Optimize Parking Allocations For Special Events, Wayne A. Sarasua, Prashant Malisetty, Mashrur Chowdhury

Mashrur Chowdhury

Clemson, a small college town in South Carolina, deals with a massive over-saturation of its transportation system during special events, especially during home football games, resulting in total system failure. This research has developed a methodology to optimize parking, using a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based transshipment algorithm, and it has produced great time savings compared with the individual, “manual” efforts of thousands of drivers attempting to find spaces where available. As such, this research constitutes an effective implementation of the Hitchcock Transportation Algorithm for solving a transshipment problem applied to parking lot distribution. Because the Hitchcock Algorithm considers the network …


Conditioning Films Formed By Algal Biopolymers In Seawater Reverse Osmosis Desalination, David Ladner, John Jurevis, Mark Clark Dec 2014

Conditioning Films Formed By Algal Biopolymers In Seawater Reverse Osmosis Desalination, David Ladner, John Jurevis, Mark Clark

David A Ladner

No abstract provided.


Bioprospecting To Discover Local Algae For Biofuel Production, Cassidy Laird, Muriel Steele, David Ladner Dec 2014

Bioprospecting To Discover Local Algae For Biofuel Production, Cassidy Laird, Muriel Steele, David Ladner

David A Ladner

No abstract provided.


Integrating Algaculture Into Small Wastewater Treatment Plants: Process Flow Options And Life Cycle Impacts, Muriel M. Steele, Annick Anctil, David A. Ladner Dec 2014

Integrating Algaculture Into Small Wastewater Treatment Plants: Process Flow Options And Life Cycle Impacts, Muriel M. Steele, Annick Anctil, David A. Ladner

David A Ladner

Algaculture has the potential to be a sustainable option for nutrient removal at wastewater treatment plants. The purpose of this study was to compare the environmental impacts of three likely algaculture integration strategies to a conventional nutrient removal strategy. Process modeling was used to determine life cycle inventory data and a comparative life cycle assessment was used to determine environmental impacts. Treatment scenarios included a base case treatment plant without nutrient removal, a plant with conventional nutrient removal, and three other cases with algal unit processes placed at the head of the plant, in a side stream, and at the …


Nanoparticle Rejection By Microfiltration And Ultrafiltration Membranes, David A. Ladner, Muriel M. Steele, Alex Weir, Kiril Hristovski, Paul Westerhoff Dec 2014

Nanoparticle Rejection By Microfiltration And Ultrafiltration Membranes, David A. Ladner, Muriel M. Steele, Alex Weir, Kiril Hristovski, Paul Westerhoff

David A Ladner

No abstract provided.


Mixtrophic Growth Of Chlorella Protothecoides For Wastewater Treatement, Muriel Steele, Daniel Carey, David Ladner Dec 2014

Mixtrophic Growth Of Chlorella Protothecoides For Wastewater Treatement, Muriel Steele, Daniel Carey, David Ladner

David A Ladner

No abstract provided.


Assessing And Reducing Energy Requirements For Membrane-Based Algal Biomass Harvesting, Muriel M. Steele, Daniel Carey, Pooja Mistry, David A. Ladner Dec 2014

Assessing And Reducing Energy Requirements For Membrane-Based Algal Biomass Harvesting, Muriel M. Steele, Daniel Carey, Pooja Mistry, David A. Ladner

David A Ladner

No abstract provided.


Net Environmental Benefit - Life Cycle Assessment Of Algaculture At Wastewater Treatment Plants, Muriel Steele, Annick Anctil, David Ladner Dec 2014

Net Environmental Benefit - Life Cycle Assessment Of Algaculture At Wastewater Treatment Plants, Muriel Steele, Annick Anctil, David Ladner

David A Ladner

No abstract provided.


Navigating The Academic Job Search For Environmental Engineers: Guidance For Job Seekers And Mentors, David Ladner, Stephanie Bolyard, Defne Apul, Andrew Whelton Dec 2014

Navigating The Academic Job Search For Environmental Engineers: Guidance For Job Seekers And Mentors, David Ladner, Stephanie Bolyard, Defne Apul, Andrew Whelton

David A Ladner

Students and postdoctoral associates interested in tenure-track environmental engineering positions have limited resources to aid them. The Student Services Committee (SSC) of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) organized a workshop to fill some of the need. Newly hired faculty and experienced search committee and department chairs shared information on how to create competitive applications. Students and postdoctoral associates were also provided with individualized feedback on their faculty application packages. Survey data were collected for all participants, and these data are presented in this paper along with tips shared during the workshop and information collected from the …


The Structure-Function Relationship Of Pamam Dendrimers As Robust Oil Dispersants, Nicholas K. Geitner, Bo Wang, Rachel E. Andorfer, David A. Ladner, Pu Chen Ke, Feng Ding Dec 2014

The Structure-Function Relationship Of Pamam Dendrimers As Robust Oil Dispersants, Nicholas K. Geitner, Bo Wang, Rachel E. Andorfer, David A. Ladner, Pu Chen Ke, Feng Ding

David A Ladner

PAMAM dendrimers have recently been investigated as efficient and biocompatible oil dispersants utilizing their encapsulation capacity; however, their high cationic charge density has been shown to be cytotoxic. It is therefore imperative to mitigate cationic charge-induced toxicity and understand the effects of such changes. Presented here is a synergistic experimental and computational approach to examine the effects of varying terminal surface charge on the capacity of dendrimers to disperse model liner, polycyclic aromatic, and hybrid hydrocarbons. Uncharged dendrimers collapse by forming intramolecular hydrogen bonds, which reduce the hosting capability. On the other hand, changing the surface charges from positive to …


Effects Of Aggregation State On Flux Reduction By Superfine Powdered Activated Carbon On Microfiltration Membranes, Mengfei Li, Jaclyn R. Ellerie, David A. Ladner Dec 2014

Effects Of Aggregation State On Flux Reduction By Superfine Powdered Activated Carbon On Microfiltration Membranes, Mengfei Li, Jaclyn R. Ellerie, David A. Ladner

David A Ladner

No abstract provided.


Dendritic Polymer As Biocompatible Oil Spill Dispersants: Molecular Interactions And Effectiveness, Ying Tu, David A. Ladner, Muriel Steele Dec 2014

Dendritic Polymer As Biocompatible Oil Spill Dispersants: Molecular Interactions And Effectiveness, Ying Tu, David A. Ladner, Muriel Steele

David A Ladner

No abstract provided.


Dendritic Polymers As Biocompatible Oil Spill Dispersants, David A. Ladner, Nicholas K. Geitner, Peng Xie, Ying Tu, Priyanka Bhattacharya, Ran Chen, Muriel Steele, Sean Powers, Andrew Whelton, Pu-Chen Ke Dec 2014

Dendritic Polymers As Biocompatible Oil Spill Dispersants, David A. Ladner, Nicholas K. Geitner, Peng Xie, Ying Tu, Priyanka Bhattacharya, Ran Chen, Muriel Steele, Sean Powers, Andrew Whelton, Pu-Chen Ke

David A Ladner

No abstract provided.


Disolved Co2 - An Alternative For Cleaning Inorganic Scale From Ro Membranes, Erin Partlan, David Ladner Dec 2014

Disolved Co2 - An Alternative For Cleaning Inorganic Scale From Ro Membranes, Erin Partlan, David Ladner

David A Ladner

No abstract provided.


Dendritic Polymers As Oil Spill Dispersants: Effectiveness And Toxicity Compared To Corexit 9500a, David A. Ladner, Peng Xie, Ying Tu, Nicholas K. Geitner, Sean Powers, Andrew Whelton, Pu Chun Ke Dec 2014

Dendritic Polymers As Oil Spill Dispersants: Effectiveness And Toxicity Compared To Corexit 9500a, David A. Ladner, Peng Xie, Ying Tu, Nicholas K. Geitner, Sean Powers, Andrew Whelton, Pu Chun Ke

David A Ladner

No abstract provided.


Characterization Of Reverse Osmosis Membrane Foulants In Seawater Desalination, David Ladner Dec 2014

Characterization Of Reverse Osmosis Membrane Foulants In Seawater Desalination, David Ladner

David A Ladner

No abstract provided.


Electrokinetic Geotextile Stabilization Of Embankment Slopes, Innovative Research Publications Irp India, Mumtaz M., Dr. M. S. Girish Dec 2014

Electrokinetic Geotextile Stabilization Of Embankment Slopes, Innovative Research Publications Irp India, Mumtaz M., Dr. M. S. Girish

Innovative Research Publications IRP India

The choice of repair of slope depends on site conditions and cost. This includes reducing the slope, installing horizontal drains, soil nailing and providing stability by structural methods. All these methods have their limitations and some are very costly. Another alternative is the electrokinetic stabilization of slopes. EKG reinforcement or soil nails not only provide reinforcement, but also increase the shear strength of the soil in which they are placed as well as improving soil-reinforcement bond. The development of EKG materials offers slope stabilisation of embankments and cuttings in fine grained soils, which will significantly increase the factor of safety …


Control And Resilience Within The Maritime Traffic Management Domain, Gesa Praetorius Nov 2014

Control And Resilience Within The Maritime Traffic Management Domain, Gesa Praetorius

Gesa Praetorius

This article presents research conducted within the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) domain. VTS is a service that is provided close to ports and geographically challenging areas to support merchant vessels in their navigation. Although VTS is legally an advice and assistance service, applying concepts from Cognitive Systems Engineering and Resilience Engineering can highlight how the joint human-machine system works to promote safe and efficient traffic movements. The VTS is a Joint Cognitive System that maintains control through a mixture of opportunistic and tactical control. Strategic control is only partially supported by the higher levels of system aggregation that provide the …


Integrated Traffic And Communication Performance Evaluation Of An Intelligent Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (Vii) System For Online Travel Time Prediction, Yongchang Ma, Mashrur Chowdhury, Adel Sadek, Mansoureh Jeihani Nov 2014

Integrated Traffic And Communication Performance Evaluation Of An Intelligent Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (Vii) System For Online Travel Time Prediction, Yongchang Ma, Mashrur Chowdhury, Adel Sadek, Mansoureh Jeihani

Mashrur Chowdhury

This paper presents a framework for online highway travel time prediction using traffic measurements that are likely to be available from Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) systems, in which vehicle and infrastructure devices communicate to improve mobility and safety. In the proposed intelligent VII system, two artificial intelligence (AI) paradigms, namely Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Support Vector Regression (SVR), are used to determine future travel time based on such information as current travel time, VII-enabled vehicles’ flow and density. The development and performance evaluation of the VII-ANN and VII-SVR frameworks, in both of the traffic and communications domains, were conducted, …


Energy Consumption Reduction Strategies For Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles With Connected Vehicle Technology In An Urban Environment, Parth Bhavsar, Yiming He, Mashrur Chowdhury, Ryan Fries, Andrew Shealy Nov 2014

Energy Consumption Reduction Strategies For Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles With Connected Vehicle Technology In An Urban Environment, Parth Bhavsar, Yiming He, Mashrur Chowdhury, Ryan Fries, Andrew Shealy

Mashrur Chowdhury

Automobile manufacturers have introduced plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to reduce fossil fuel consumption. This paper details three optimization strategies that can be utilized to further minimize energy consumption of PHEVs through an information exchange between PHEVs and infrastructure agents supported by the connected vehicle technology (CVT). While an earlier research by the authors focused on a freeway scenario, this study developed strategies for an urban scenario in which frequent ‘stop-and-go’ conditions exist. Three strategies were considered in this study based on different types of information availability using CVT; only signal timing information was available in Strategy One, only headway …


Use Of Auxiliary Lanes At Isolated Freeway On-Ramp Junctions, Yubian Wang, Ruey Long Cheu, Yi Qi, Xiaoming Chen Nov 2014

Use Of Auxiliary Lanes At Isolated Freeway On-Ramp Junctions, Yubian Wang, Ruey Long Cheu, Yi Qi, Xiaoming Chen

Yi Qi

No abstract provided.


Analytical Modeling Of Wood-Frame Shear Walls And Diaphragms, Johnn Paul Judd Nov 2014

Analytical Modeling Of Wood-Frame Shear Walls And Diaphragms, Johnn Paul Judd

Johnn Judd

Analytical models of wood-frame shear walls and diaphragms for use in monotonic, quasi-static (cyclic), and dynamic analyses are developed in this thesis. A new analytical model is developed to accurately represent connections between sheathing panels and wood framing members (sheathing-to-framing connections) in structural analysis computer programs. This new model represents sheathing–to–framing connections using an oriented pair of nonlinear springs. Unlike previous models, the new analytical model for sheathing-to-framing connections is suitable for both monotonic, cyclic, or dynamic analyses. Moreover, the new model does not need to be scaled or adjusted. The new analytical model may be implemented in a general …


Field Monitoring Of Rail Squats Using 3d Ultrasonic Mapping Technique, Sakdirat Kaewunruen, Makoto Ishida Nov 2014

Field Monitoring Of Rail Squats Using 3d Ultrasonic Mapping Technique, Sakdirat Kaewunruen, Makoto Ishida

Sakdirat Kaewunruen

Rail squats and studs are typically classified as the propagation of any cracks that have grown longitudinally through the subsurface. Some of the cracks could propagate to the bottom of rails transversely, which have branched from the initial longitudinal cracks with a depression of rail surface. The rail defects are commonly referred to as ‘squats’ when they were initiated from damage layer caused by rolling contact fatigue, and as ‘studs’ when they were associated with white etching layer caused by the transform from pearlitic steel due to friction heat generated by wheel sliding or excessive traction. Such above-mentioned rail defects …