Engineering Commons^™

Hydrodynamic Limitations To Mangrove Seedling Retention In Subtropical Estuaries, Kelly M. Kibler, Christian Pilato, Linda Walters, Melinda Donnelly, Jyotismita Taye

Flow-biota Interaction and Natural Infrastructure Design

Mangrove forest sustainability hinges upon propagule recruitment and seedling retention. This study evaluates biophysical limitations to mangrove seedling persistence by measuring anchoring force of two mangrove species (Rhizophora mangle and Avicennia germinans). Anchoring force was measured in 362 seedlings via lateral pull-tests administered in mangrove forests of two subtropical estuaries and in laboratory-based experiments. Removal mechanism varied with seedling age: newly-established seedlings failed due to root pull-out while seedlings older than 3 months failed by root breakage. Anchoring force of R. mangle seedlings was consistently and significantly greater than A. germinans (GLM: p = 0.002), however force to remove A ...

Hydrodynamic Signatures Of Recreational Boat Wakes And Their Influence To Sediment Entrainment Along The Shoreline Of A Shallow Estuary, Kelly M. Kibler

Predicting Boat Wake Bank Erosion Risk

Wave energy from recreational boat wakes is associated with erosion and degradation of shoreline ecotones. However, wake effects are often assumed to be negligible when boating lanes are located far from shore. In this study, field experiments were conducted to characterize hydrodynamics of recreational boat wakes at the shoreline of a shallow estuary as offshore sailing-line distance varied from 50 to 200m. Results indicate that wake events were considerably more energetic than ambient conditions, with an average 20% increase in wave height, 190% increase in near-bed orbital velocity, and 110% increase in wave-induced shear stress. Wake events generated farther from ...

Data Supporting Effects Of Uv-C Disinfection On N95 And Kn95 Filtering Facepiece Respirator Reuse, Castine A. Bernardy, James Malley

Data Catalog

UV is a proven decontamination tool for microbial pathogens, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Lower log inactivation was observed on FFRs than would have been predicted by aqueous-based UV dose-response data for MS-2 bacteriophage and E. coli. Results have demonstrated that FFR materials yield varying results in terms of effective disinfection in experiments conducted on KN95 and N95 face respirators. The highest inactivation for both surrogates was observed with respirator KN95 B. The respirator yielded 3 and 2.75 log inactivation for E. coli and MS-2, respectively at UV doses of 1500 mJ/cm². KN95 A yielded the lowest inactivation ...

Catalyst Regeneration Of Rap-Binder In Asphalt, D. Spivak, Subramanian Balamurugan

Data

Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) binders are difficult to reuse because they often contain associated/aggregated molecules with very high molecular weights. This is due to the polarity gained during oxidative aging, causing the aggregation to occur. These high molecular weight components are responsible for RAP binder’s increased viscosity and certain deteriorated rheological properties. One strategy to reuse RAP binder is to mix it with virgin asphalt binder and use this partially recycled mixture in asphalt. The RAP binder is usually improved before mixing by the addition of rejuvenators, softening agents, softer binders, and antioxidants to the asphalt binder mix ...

Autonomous Vehicle Communication Strategies Modeled In Virtual Reality, Nick N. Ferenchak Ph.D

Data

We sought to better understand how autonomous vehicle (AV) communication strategies impact human road users’ perceptions and behaviors. More specifically, we explored the impact of different external human-machine interface (eHMI) designs on understanding, task load, comfort, trust, acceptance, and reaction time. To accomplish this, we created virtual reality (VR) scenarios where human participants interacted with AVs. Participants experienced biking, driving, and pedestrian simulators and were brought back after initial testing to explore acclimation and learning effects. In terms of perceptions, the presence of an eHMI was the strongest predictor of understanding, comfort, trust, and acceptance outcomes in the statistical models ...

An Innovative Thermo-Energy Harvesting Module For Asphalt Roadway Pavement, Seyed Amid Tahami, Samer Dessouky

Data

The importance of green technologies for generating renewable energy and sustainable development is widely accepted. Road surfaces are exposed to solar radiation that generates thermal gradients and heat flow in the pavement layers. The heat stored can be harvested providing an untapped source of renewable energy. This report presents the design, construction, and assessment of an improved thermoelectric energy prototype for harvesting heat energy from roadway pavements. To accomplish this, various prototype designs were simulated using Finite Element (FE) analysis, followed by design construction and laboratory testing of the most promising prototypes to evaluate their power harvesting capabilities. The main ...

Development Of Novel Ultra-High Performance Engineered Cementitious Composites (Uhp-Ecc) For Durable And Resilient Transportation Infrastructure, Gabriel A. Arce, Marwa Hassan, Daniel E. Game

Data

The objective of this study was to develop novel UHP-ECC materials utilizing readily available ingredients in Region 6 for the construction and repair of transportation infrastructure. Phase one of this study focused on the development of ultra-high strength cementitious matrices by evaluating the effects of ingredient selection and mixture proportioning on the materials’ compressive strength. Variables evaluated included the mass ratios of silica fume to fly ash (SF/FA), supplementary cementitious materials to cement (SCMs/C), and ordinary sand to microsilica sand (OS/MS). Phase two of the study focused on the development of UHP-ECC materials. To this end, based ...

Resource Guide For State Dot’S Maintenance Equipment Fleet Management Decisions, Yongwei Shan, Samir Ahmed, Lei Qiao

Data

This research created a guide for state Departments of Transportation fleet management on utilizing equipment fleet management system data to make informed fleet management decisions. The research team took the historical equipment fleet data from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and developed workflows, algorithms, and examples to demonstrate the use of historical equipment data for equipment decisions. Specifically, the research team demonstrated 1) the use of life cycle analysis and dynamic programming models for equipment replacement decisions; 2) developed algorithms to calculate equipment rental rates that can be used by the Department to forecast and allocate equipment operational budget among ...

Bridge Cracks Monitoring: Detection, Measurement, And Comparison Using Augmented Reality, Fernando Moreu, Kaveh Malek

Data

Crack occurrence and propagation are among critical factors that affect the performance and lifespan of civil infrastructures such as bridges. Consequently, numerous crack detection and measurement methods have been proposed and developed in the recent decades in the areas of Structural Health Monitoring and non-destructive testing. Many novel technologies have emerged with the potential to overcome the limitations of the presented techniques of crack detection and characterization. Crack detection and characterization method used in this research lies in supplementing human visual inspection capabilities in a systematic manner through an appropriate level of automation. The Augmented Reality (AR) tool developed in ...

Preventing Struck-By Hazards: Defying Risk-Habituation Via Virtual Accident Simulation, Changbum Ahn

Data

Repeated exposure to struck-by hazards in road work zones generates workers’ habituation to risks related to those hazards, a key contributor to accidents in road work zones. Thus, analyzing the development of risk habituation and providing proper intervention are crucial to preventing accidents in road work zones. In this context, this study employs a virtual reality (VR) environment as a behavioral intervention tool to investigate its effect on mitigating a decline in workers’ vigilance with habituation to hazards in workplaces. A virtual environment that simulates a road maintenance task was developed and used to repeatedly expose subjects to struck-by hazards ...

Maintenance And Restriping Strategies For Pavement Markings On Asphalt Pavements In Louisiana, Momen R. Mousa, Marwa Hassan

Data

In Louisiana, most districts restripe their roadways using waterborne paints every other year; this strategy is questionable in terms of efficiency and economy. Meanwhile, previous studies showed substantial variability in the paint service life throughout the United States ranging between 0.25 and 6.2 years. Shortcomings in modeling the retroreflectivity of waterborne paints appear to significantly contribute to these variations as several studies predicted these values using degradation curves with a coefficient of determination (R2) as low as 0.1. Therefore, the objective of this study was to (i) develop new cost-effective restriping strategies using 4-inch (15-mil thickness) and ...

Study On Hybrid Model Combining Super Learner And Physics-Based Models For Shm In Bridges Using Low-Cost Bwim, Suyun Ham Ph.D, Shih-Ho Chao, Kyeong Rok Ryu, Yin Chao Yu, Dafnik Saril Kumar David

Data

The main objective of this project is to study and develop hybrid models of BWIM physics-based models incorporates with SHM inspection used by artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to predict structural damage. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of FE simulations leveraging contact method verified by vehicle-bridge interaction(VBI) theory and uses machine learning (ML) techniques to identify and predict structural damages from the structural response automatically. Bridges are a fundamental part of infrastructure management. The main challenge that we face is the aging of these transportation infrastructures without a tool to perform accurate structural assessments in a real-time manner. Unfortunately ...

Feasibility Assessment Of Warm Mix Asphalt In Arkansas, Zahid Hossain, Ashraf Elsayed, Mohammad Najmush Sakib Oyan

Data

The future of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) technologies is promising in the U.S. However, the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) does not have any specific guidelines to implement them in the field. This research aims to provide necessary baseline data for WMA as a proof of concept. In this study, three ARDOT approved Performance Grade (PG) binders namely PG 64-22, PG 70-22, and PG 76-22 were investigated. Each of these binders was obtained from two different sources. They were modified by varying doses of four selected additives: Sasobit®, Advera®, Evotherm®, and Rediset®. Additionally, four different types of aggregates (sandstone ...

Resilient 3d-Printed Infrastructure With Engineered Cementitious Composites (Ecc), Maryam Hojati

Data

Conventional construction of reinforced concrete structures is slow, labor-intensive, and expensive. 3D printing holds great potential to assist engineers and architects in constructing fast and economical yet complex representational infrastructures. One of the most significant barriers to the broader adoption of concrete 3D printing in civil infrastructure is the difficulty of providing printed structural components with reinforcement to achieve sound structural performance under different loading conditions. Hence, it is essential to design concrete that can be utilized as a rebar-free material by considering strength and ductility. Recently, the development of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) has neared the possibility to achieve ...

Effectiveness Of Softening Agents For Enhancing Properties Of Asphalt Mixes With High Rap Contents, Zahid Hossain, Ashraf Elsayed, Sumon Roy

Data

A high percentage of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) in new asphalt concrete can lead to developing premature failure of asphalt pavements due to fatigue or low-temperature cracking. The use of softening agents in asphalt binders can resolve these problems. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of softening agents for enhancing the properties of asphalt mixes with high RAP contents. Two waste products, namely, waste cooking oil (WCO), and engine bottom oil (EBO) along with a commercially produced rejuvenator were investigated in this study. The following three types of Performance Grade (PG) binders, each collected from two ...

Development Of Decision Trees For The Selection Of Pavement Maintenance And Rehabilitation Activities In South-Central United States, Momen Mousa, Marwa Hassan, Daniel E. Game

Data

Over time, new pavements deteriorate under the combined effects of traffic loading and the environment, no matter how well-designed or constructed. In general, maintenance and rehabilitation activities are employed to slow down or reset the rate of pavement deterioration. Cement-Stabilized Full Depth Reclamation (CSFDR) is a common rehabilitation treatment used by transportation agencies, specifically in Louisiana. Likewise, Ultra-Thin overlay (UTO) is a pavement maintenance treatment that has increased in popularity in recent years in Region 6. Yet, several gaps exist in the literature regarding the long-term field performance and cost-effectiveness of these two treatments especially in hot and humid climates ...

Network Analysis To Identify Critical Links For Relief Activities During Extreme Weather Events, Kate Kyung Hyun, Stephen P. Mattingly Ph.D, Mehrdad Arabi

Data

As one of the principal lifeline systems, transportation networks are crucial for evacuation and delivering essential resources and services during the response and recovery phases of extreme weather events and must remain intact to enhance regional resiliency. The conventional evaluation measures that estimate the vulnerability or criticality of road network based on travel time or link volumes do not capture the community impacts due to disruptions. This study seeks to develop a framework to evaluate road network infrastructure criticality during extreme weather events by introducing measures that evaluate the vulnerability of roads users, rather than the physical aspects of link ...

An Automated System For Inspecting Rock Faces And Detecting Potential Rock Falls Using Machine Learning, John Stormont, Fernando Moreu, Amir Bagherieh, Roya Nasimi, Solomon Atcitty

Data

Rockfall is a hazard in mountainous areas threatening infrastructure and human lives. Rockfall hazards are often mitigated by manual inspections using pry bars. The inspector must access the rock face, hit the rock surface, detect, and remove the loose rocks. This method is very labor demanding, unsafe, and challenging. This research presents a method that automatize the inspection of rock blocks that are prone to rockfall events. A robot is developed to replace the manual hammer tap process and collect the sound data remotely; subsequently, the sound signal is used to identify different types of the discontinuity in rocks in ...

An Exploration In The Tools Of Options Pricing - Data, Ryan Hinson, Chris Schroeder

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Stock options can be a useful tool in any investor’s portfolio. They allow the skilled investor to increase their leverage and possibility for a higher payout with less risk. However, they are only beneficial if the investor knows how to use them, and if they accurately reflect the price of the option. This presentation hopes to offer some insight into the binomial method of options pricing along with new adjustments to the model in hopes of reflecting a more accurate options price. This, along with the Monte Carlo simulation presented, will hopefully offer some insight into the mathematical investor ...

Ps Series, Pingxin Xia, Longtan Shao, Wen Deng

Stress-State Dependency of the Deformation Ratio of Quasi-Elastic Granular Soils under Cyclic Loading -- Raw Data

‘PS’ and ‘PF’ spreadsheets are the data of the prediction and calibration tests. (The data in this series are overall stress and strain information).

Supporting information

Pf Series, Pingxin Xia, Longtan Shao, Wen Deng

Stress-State Dependency of the Deformation Ratio of Quasi-Elastic Granular Soils under Cyclic Loading -- Raw Data

‘PS’ and ‘PF’ spreadsheets are the data of the prediction and calibration tests. (The data in this series are overall stress and strain information).

Supporting information

T111, Pingxin Xia, Longtan Shao, Wen Deng

Stress-State Dependency of the Deformation Ratio of Quasi-Elastic Granular Soils under Cyclic Loading -- Raw Data

‘T’ series spreadsheets are the raw data of all tests. (The data in this series are overall stress and strain information).

Supporting information

T112, Pingxin Xia, Longtan Shao, Wen Deng

Stress-State Dependency of the Deformation Ratio of Quasi-Elastic Granular Soils under Cyclic Loading -- Raw Data

‘T’ series spreadsheets are the raw data of all tests. (The data in this series are overall stress and strain information).

Supporting information

T134, Pingxin Xia, Longtan Shao, Wen Deng

Stress-State Dependency of the Deformation Ratio of Quasi-Elastic Granular Soils under Cyclic Loading -- Raw Data

‘T’ series spreadsheets are the raw data of all tests. (The data in this series are overall stress and strain information).

Supporting information

T214, Pingxin Xia, Longtan Shao, Wen Deng

Stress-State Dependency of the Deformation Ratio of Quasi-Elastic Granular Soils under Cyclic Loading -- Raw Data

‘T’ series spreadsheets are the raw data of all tests. (The data in this series are overall stress and strain information).

Supporting information

T414, Pingxin Xia, Longtan Shao, Wen Deng

Stress-State Dependency of the Deformation Ratio of Quasi-Elastic Granular Soils under Cyclic Loading -- Raw Data

‘T’ series spreadsheets are the raw data of all tests. (The data in this series are overall stress and strain information).

Supporting information

T514, Pingxin Xia, Longtan Shao, Wen Deng

Stress-State Dependency of the Deformation Ratio of Quasi-Elastic Granular Soils under Cyclic Loading -- Raw Data

‘T’ series spreadsheets are the raw data of all tests. (The data in this series are overall stress and strain information).

Supporting information

Pf7, Pingxin Xia, Longtan Shao, Wen Deng

Stress-State Dependency of the Deformation Ratio of Quasi-Elastic Granular Soils under Cyclic Loading -- Raw Data

‘PS’ and ‘PF’ spreadsheets are the data of the prediction and calibration tests. (The data in this series are overall stress and strain information).

Supporting information

Pf5, Pingxin Xia, Longtan Shao, Wen Deng

Stress-State Dependency of the Deformation Ratio of Quasi-Elastic Granular Soils under Cyclic Loading -- Raw Data

‘PS’ and ‘PF’ spreadsheets are the data of the prediction and calibration tests. (The data in this series are overall stress and strain information).

Supporting information

T314, Pingxin Xia, Longtan Shao, Wen Deng

Stress-State Dependency of the Deformation Ratio of Quasi-Elastic Granular Soils under Cyclic Loading -- Raw Data

‘T’ series spreadsheets are the raw data of all tests. (The data in this series are overall stress and strain information).

Supporting information