Engineering Commons^™

Development Of A Self-Powered Weigh-In-Motion System, Athanassios Papagiannakis, Athanassios Papagiannakis, Samer Dessouky, Sara Ahmed, Reza Khalili, Gopal Vishwakarma

Data

This report describes the development of a novel weigh-in-motion (WIM) system that utilizes piezoelectric elements for sensing load and powering an ultra-low power microcontroller unit (MCU) that serves as its data acquisition system. A system of 4 piezoelectric (PZT) stacks serves as the energy harvester, while load sensing is done via a set of 4 PZT elements connected in parallel. Two alternative MCUs were considered, with various data handling capabilities and power consumption requirements. These MCUs have very short “wake-up” times allowing vehicle sensing without the need for inductive loops commonly used in conventional WIM systems. Special electric circuits were …

Development Of A Self-Powered Weigh-In-Motion System, Athanassios Papagiannakis, Sarah Ahmed, Samer Dessouky, Reza Khalili, Gopal Vishwakarma

Publications

This report describes the development of a novel weigh-in-motion (WIM) system that utilizes piezoelectric elements for sensing load and powering an ultra-low power microcontroller unit (MCU) that serves as its data acquisition system. A system of 4 piezoelectric (PZT) stacks serves as the energy harvester, while load sensing is done via a set of 4 PZT elements connected in parallel. Two alternative MCUs were considered, with various data handling capabilities and power consumption requirements. These MCUs have very short “wake-up” times allowing vehicle sensing without the need for inductive loops commonly used in conventional WIM systems. Special electric circuits were …

Effectiveness Of Mechanical Test In Ascertaining Moisture Damage Of Asphalt Mixtures., Sanchit Sachdeva

LSU Master's Theses

Infiltrated moisture combined with repeated action of traffic and environmental loading generates distresses which adversely affect the durability of asphalt pavements. Almost 94% of states' highway agencies use either the Loaded Wheel Tracking (LWT) test or the Modified Lottman test to capture asphalt mixtures' moisture susceptibility. However, the current LWT and the modified Lottman test practice lack accuracy in relating laboratory performance to observed field performance.

The study's primary objective was to evaluate the capability of different laboratory mechanical test methods to predict moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixtures. Asphalt binder and mixture experiments were conducted to achieve the objective of …

Modeling Distributed Source Control Infrastructure At Neighborhood Scale For Mitigating Flood Risk In Amite River Watershed, Ahmad Amin Shefai

LSU Master's Theses

Flooding has always been a major threat to mankind. This is particularly true in urban areas due to urbanization-induced increasing impervious areas and subsequent increasing urban surface runoff, causing an increasing flooding risk to urban areas in spite of the fact that extensive flood control infrastructure has been constructed. The overall goal of this thesis is to present a distributed source control infrastructure-based approach for mitigating the flood risk. The new flood mitigation approach is demonstrated through the model implementation of a series of distributed source control infrastructure systems in the city of Denham Springs at a neighborhood scale. The …

An Approach To Counting Vehicles From Pre-Recorded Video Using Computer Algorithms, Mishuk Majumder

LSU Master's Theses

One of the fundamental sources of data for traffic analysis is vehicle counts, which can be conducted either by the traditional manual method or by automated means. Different agencies have guidelines for manual counting, but they are typically prepared for particular conditions. In the case of automated counting, different methods have been applied, but You Only Look Once (YOLO), a recently developed object detection model, presents new potential in automated vehicle counting. The first objective of this study was to formulate general guidelines for manual counting based on experience gained in the field. Another goal of this study was to …

Engineering Characteristics Of Nest Building Geomaterials Used By Mud Dauber Species, Noura Saleh

LSU Master's Theses

Mud dauber wasps construct their nests using soil from adjacent areas. Mud dauber nests have been studied from an entomological perspective. However; the properties of the nest material remain unexplored from a soil engineering perspective. This study investigated the physical and mechanical properties of the nest soil for use in future bio-inspired design to improve soil behavior as a construction material. To achieve this goal, nests from three mud dauber species (black and yellow, organ pipe, and steel blue) were collected from locations near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The shape, weight, moisture content, organic content, and specific gravity of the nests …

Water-Energy Nexus: Studies On Salinity Gradient Energy Harvest And Desalination, Guangcai Tan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Water and energy are fundamentally linked, and both are important for the development of human society. The demand for renewable energy and freshwater are two global challenges in the 21^st century. Herein, a novel chloride-ion (Cl⁻) concentration flow cell (CFC) based on two symmetrical electrodes (BiCl₃, CoCl₂, VCl₃, or BiOCl) separately by a cation-exchange membrane was used as an efficient method to recover salinity gradient (SG) energy. The CFC with metal chloride electrodes (BiCl₃, CoCl₂, and VCl₃) was based on Cl⁻ extraction/insertion, and that …

P-Cresol Biogenesis During Bioremediation Aimed At Stimulating Chlorinated Solvent Dehalogenation, Alexis Gathings

LSU Master's Theses

The broad goal of the research described in this thesis was to better understand the potential for biologically mediated production of p-cresol in groundwater at a Superfund site located in south Louisiana. Previous literature reports that microorganisms known to carry out the transformation from L-tyrosine to p-cresol occur in diverse environments.

In the research described in this thesis, studies were conducted utilizing groundwater from the Superfund site during the course of enhanced in situ bioremediation practices aimed at stimulating reductive dehalogenation of chlorinated solvent contamination. Microbial communities established with groundwater sampled from the Superfund site were observed to …

A Modelling Study For Smart Pigging Technique For Pipeline Leak Detection, Caitlyn Judith Thiberville

LSU Master's Theses

Although leak incidents continue, a pipeline remains the most reliable mode of transportation within the oil and gas industry. It becomes even more important today because the projection for new pipelines is expected to increase by 1 billion BOE through 2035. In addition, increasing number and length of subsea tiebacks face new challenges in term of data acquisition, monitoring, analysis, and remedial actions. Passive leak-detection methods commonly used in the industry have been successful with some limitations in that they often cannot detect small leaks and seeps. In addition to a thorough review of related topics, this study investigates how …

Evaluation Of Bagasse Ash As Cement And Sand Replacement For The Production Of Engineered Cementitious Composites (Ecc), Gabriel Arce, Marwa Hassan, Sujata Subedi, Ana Rivas, Samantha Hidalgo, Hugo Eguez

Data

The objective of this study was to develop novel Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) materials implementing sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA). To this end, the effects on the mechanical and physical properties of ECC materials of: (1) Louisiana raw SCBA (RBA) as a partial and complete replacement of sand (i.e., class S mixtures); (2) Louisiana post-processed SCBA (PBA) as a partial replacement of cement (i.e., class C mixtures); and (3) Ecuador raw SCBA (EBA) as a partial and complete replacement of sand (i.e., class S-E mixtures) were studied. Sand replacement levels with RBA and EBA evaluated were 25, 50, 75, and 100% …

Evaluation Of Asphalt Mixtures’ Resistance To Cement-Treated Base (Ctb) Reflective Cracking In The Laboratory, Husam Sadek, Marwa Hassan, Charles Berryman, Mohammad Hossain, Ipshit Idris

Data

The primary objective of this project is to propose a laboratory setup to test and evaluate an asphalt mixture layer on top of a simulated Cement-Treated Base (CTB) layer against reflective cracking. An in-depth literature review on the experimental studies that were conducted throughout the world to investigate the resistance of asphalt mixtures to reflective cracking was conducted. Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Overlay Tester (OT) was found to be the most appropriate equipment to study thermally-induced reflective cracking in the laboratory, and thereby was selected to be modified and used to assess the performance of asphalt mixtures on top of …

Engineered Geopolymer Composites (Egcs) For Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure, Gabriel Arce, Marwa Hassan, Svetlana Sukhishvili, Ruwa Abufarsakh, Oscar Huang, Sang Zhen, Mauricio Cornejo, Haci Baykara

Data

The objective of this study was to develop novel Engineered Geopolymer Composite (EGC) materials implementing locally available ingredients to produce practical and cost-effective EGCs for repair and new construction of transportation infrastructure in the region. To this end, geopolymers (GPs) were synthesized by alkali activation of metakaolin (MK) or a combination of metakaolin and fly ash (MKFA) as GP precursors. MK-GPs were activated using sodium silicate and potassium silicate solutions prepared by dissolving silica fume (SiO₂) and KOH or NaOH in deionized water. MKFA-GPs replaced silica fume using fly ash and were activated using only KOH solution. GP …

Rails To Resilience: Evaluating New Orleans And Baton Rouge Rail Terminals And Transit Links, Tara M. Tolford, James Amdal, Guang Tian, Alahna Moore, Marin Tockman

Data

This study evaluates the multimodal linkages to and opportunities for proposed terminal sites for a potential future passenger rail connection between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana. The project included a comprehensive analysis of recent planning processes and documents and distribution of a statewide survey aimed at understanding ridership potential (including non-work trips) and the needs of likely users, the results of which were modeled to illuminate key considerations for service design and station area planning. This study finds a strong foundation for, and support of, the proposed rail service, but distinct deficiencies in the current multimodal transportation environment connecting …

Bridge Deck Inspection Using Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Based Airborne Imaging Techniques, Su Zhang, Shirley Baros, Susan Bogus

Data

As one of critical components of a transportation infrastructure system, bridges are very important to a country’s economy because they provide passage over physical obstacles to substantially reduce travel time and travel cost. Similar to other types of transportation infrastructure, bridges deteriorate over time. Therefore, bridges should be routinely inspected to ensure their serviceability, capacity, and safety under current traffic. Subsequently, transportation agencies at all levels (e.g., federal, state, local, and tribal) dedicate large amounts of time and money to routinely monitor and inspect bridge conditions as part of their infrastructure asset management programs. These transportation agencies use the collected …

Development Of A Low Power, Low Cost Rural Railway Intersection Smart Detection And Warning System, Sara Ahmed, Samer Dessouky, Raymond Downing

Data

This project explores a different approach to provide preemptive warning for train detection at grade-crossings to increase safety and reduce motor vehicle congestion. The development of a novel, low cost, low power, and off rail right-of-way (ROW) detection and warning system will be presented. A background of track circuits, which is the rail industries standard for train detection, will also be provided to highlight the benefits and challenges of the rail industry installing a system at every grade-crossings that lack any type of active warning. The benefits of using thermal imaging instead of traditional video for computer vision will also …

Enhancing The Performance Of Asphalt Mixtures Containing High Rap Content With The Use Of Different Wma Technologies, Husam Sadek, Marwa Hassan, Charles Berryman, Mohammad Hossain, Farah Zaremotekhases

Data

The production of Warm-mix asphalt mixtures in conjunction with reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has received considerable interest in recent years for economic and environmental reasons. The primary objective of this project is to enhance the performance of asphalt mixtures containing RAP in Region 6 using different WMA technologies. In this project, the effect of utilizing 0%, 25%, and 35% RAP contents on the performance of different WMA mixtures against rutting, moisture damage, and fatigue cracking are evaluated. The effects of the WMA technologies on the rutting performance of the asphalt mixtures and recovered binders were investigated using loaded wheel tracker …

Corrosion Management System Of Regional Reinforced Concrete (Rc) Bridges, Homero Castaneda, Ayman Okeil

Data

Civil infrastructure assets, including buildings, transportation networks, energy grids and networks, and water-sewer systems, are critical functional components of day-to-day life activity in a modern society. The durability and reliability of these civil infrastructures are largely affected by corrosion-induced structural deterioration. In addition to continual use and increasing traffic demands, natural environmental conditions set degradation due to corrosion damage as a critical condition to durable and reliable infrastructures. Therefore, in order to improve the durability of the bridge infrastructures affected by corrosion in the most efficient manor, we propose a procedure/methodology to manage integrity of corroding RC bridges which is …

Bridge Design Replacement Project For The Charenton Canal Bridge On La 87 And Comparison Of Deck Design Methods, Emily Rone

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Bagasse Ash As Cement And Sand Replacement For The Production Of Engineered Cementitious Composites (Ecc), Gabriel Arce, Marwa Hassan, Sujata Subedi, Ana Rivas, Samantha Hidalgo, Hugo Eguez

Publications

The objective of this study was to develop novel Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) materials implementing sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA). To this end, the effects on the mechanical and physical properties of ECC materials of: (1) Louisiana raw SCBA (RBA) as a partial and complete replacement of sand (i.e., class S mixtures); (2) Louisiana post-processed SCBA (PBA) as a partial replacement of cement (i.e., class C mixtures); and (3) Ecuador raw SCBA (EBA) as a partial and complete replacement of sand (i.e., class S-E mixtures) were studied. Sand replacement levels with RBA and EBA evaluated were 25, 50, 75, and 100% …

Corrosion Management System Of Regional Reinforced Concrete (Rc) Bridges, Homero Castaneda, Ayman Okeil

Publications

Civil infrastructure assets, including buildings, transportation networks, energy grids and networks, and water-sewer systems, are critical functional components of day-to-day life activity in a modern society. The durability and reliability of these civil infrastructures are largely affected by corrosion-induced structural deterioration. In addition to continual use and increasing traffic demands, natural environmental conditions set degradation due to corrosion damage as a critical condition to durable and reliable infrastructures. Therefore, in order to improve the durability of the bridge infrastructures affected by corrosion in the most efficient manor, we propose a procedure/methodology to manage integrity of corroding RC bridges which is …

Evaluation Of Asphalt Mixtures’ Resistance To Cement-Treated Base (Ctb) Reflective Cracking In The Laboratory, Husam Sadek, Marwa Hassan, Charles Berryman, Mohammad Hossain, Ipshit Idris

Publications

The primary objective of this project is to propose a laboratory setup to test and evaluate an asphalt mixture layer on top of a simulated Cement-Treated Base (CTB) layer against reflective cracking. An in-depth literature review on the experimental studies that were conducted throughout the world to investigate the resistance of asphalt mixtures to reflective cracking was conducted. Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Overlay Tester (OT) was found to be the most appropriate equipment to study thermally-induced reflective cracking in the laboratory, and thereby was selected to be modified and used to assess the performance of asphalt mixtures on top of …

Engineered Geopolymer Composites (Egcs) For Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure, Gabriel Arce, Marwa Hassan, Miladin Radovic, Svetlana Sukhishvili, Ruwa Abufarsakh, Oscar Huang, Sang Zhen, Mauricio Cornejo, Haci Baykara

Publications

The objective of this study was to develop novel Engineered Geopolymer Composite (EGC) materials implementing locally available ingredients to produce practical and cost-effective EGCs for repair and new construction of transportation infrastructure in the region. To this end, geopolymers (GPs) were synthesized by alkali activation of metakaolin (MK) or a combination of metakaolin and fly ash (MKFA) as GP precursors. MK-GPs were activated using sodium silicate and potassium silicate solutions prepared by dissolving silica fume (SiO₂) and KOH or NaOH in deionized water. MKFA-GPs replaced silica fume using fly ash and were activated using only KOH solution. GP …

Development Of A Low Power, Low Cost Rural Railway Intersection Smart Detection And Warning System, Sara Ahmed, Samer Dessouky, Raymond Downing

Publications

This project explores a different approach to provide preemptive warning for train detection at grade-crossings to increase safety and reduce motor vehicle congestion. The development of a novel, low cost, low power, and off rail right-of-way (ROW) detection and warning system will be presented. A background of track circuits, which is the rail industries standard for train detection, will also be provided to highlight the benefits and challenges of the rail industry installing a system at every grade-crossings that lack any type of active warning. The benefits of using thermal imaging instead of traditional video for computer vision will also …

Enhancing The Performance Of Asphalt Mixtures Containing High Rap Content With The Use Of Different Wma Technologies, Husam Sadek, Marwa Hassan, Charles Berryman, Mohammad Hossain, Farah Zaremotekhases

Publications

The production of Warm-mix asphalt mixtures in conjunction with reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has received considerable interest in recent years for economic and environmental reasons. The primary objective of this project is to enhance the performance of asphalt mixtures containing RAP in Region 6 using different WMA technologies. In this project, the effect of utilizing 0%, 25%, and 35% RAP contents on the performance of different WMA mixtures against rutting, moisture damage, and fatigue cracking are evaluated. The effects of the WMA technologies on the rutting performance of the asphalt mixtures and recovered binders were investigated using loaded wheel tracker …

Bridge Deck Inspection Using Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Based Airborne Imaging Techniques, Su Zhang, Shirley Baros, Susan Bogus

Publications

As one of critical components of a transportation infrastructure system, bridges are very important to a country’s economy because they provide passage over physical obstacles to substantially reduce travel time and travel cost. Similar to other types of transportation infrastructure, bridges deteriorate over time. Therefore, bridges should be routinely inspected to ensure their serviceability, capacity, and safety under current traffic. Subsequently, transportation agencies at all levels (e.g., federal, state, local, and tribal) dedicate large amounts of time and money to routinely monitor and inspect bridge conditions as part of their infrastructure asset management programs. These transportation agencies use the collected …

Rails To Resilience: Evaluating New Orleans And Baton Rouge Rail Terminals And Transit Links, Tara M. Tolford, James Amdal, Guang Tian, Alahna Moore, Marin Tockman

Publications

This study evaluates the multimodal linkages to and opportunities for proposed terminal sites for a potential future passenger rail connection between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana. The project included a comprehensive analysis of recent planning processes and documents and distribution of a statewide survey aimed at understanding ridership potential (including non-work trips) and the needs of likely users, the results of which were modeled to illuminate key considerations for service design and station area planning. This study finds a strong foundation for, and support of, the proposed rail service, but distinct deficiencies in the current multimodal transportation environment connecting …

A Framework For Augmenting Building Performance Models Using Machine Learning And Immersive Virtual Environment, Chanachok Chokwitthaya

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Building performance models (BPMs), such as building energy simulation models, have been widely used in building design. Existing BPMs are mainly derived using data from existing buildings. They may not be able to effectively address human-building interactions and lack the capability to address specific contextual factors in buildings under design. The lack of such capability often contributes to the existence of building performance discrepancies, i.e., differences between predicted performance during design and the actual performance.

To improve the prediction accuracy of existing BPMs, a computational framework is developed in this dissertation. It combines an existing BPM with context-aware design-specific …

Developing A Competency Model For Highway Safety Engineers: A Delphi Method, Garrett K. Wheat

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the core competencies needed by State DOT Highway Safety Engineers as perceived by Highway Safety experts in the United States. First, a list of competencies was identified. Next, a panel of Highway Safety experts determined the importance of each identified competency for the current year (2020) and for the future (year 2030). Finally, ratings provided by the panel were tested for the presence of consensus.

For this study, the researcher used a Delphi Method as classified by Delbecq, Van de Ven, and Gaustafson (1975). Through this method, a panel of forward-thinking …

Using Spatial Analysis And Machine Learning Techniques To Develop A Comprehensive Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Consolidation Model, Samira Soleimani

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The safety of highway-railroad grade crossings (HRGC) is still an issue in the United States of America (USA). The grade crossing is where a railroad crosses a road at the same level without any over or underpass. To improve the safety of crossings, the crossings’ condition should be explored from several aspects such as engineering design (speed limit, warning signs, etc.), road condition (number of lanes, surface markings, etc.), rail design (the type of track, ballast, etc.), temporal variables (weather, visibility, time of day, lightning, etc.), social variables (population, race, etc.), and last but not least, spatial variables (the type …

Detection And Estimation Of Inundation And Associated Risks Using Traffic And Monitoring Cameras And Image Processing Under Extreme Flooding Conditions, Suyun Ham Ph.D, Seongjin Noh Ph.D, Dong-Jun Seo Ph.D, Yin Chao Yu, Sangoo Kang

Data

The main objective of this project is to develop an inundation detection and evaluation framework using images from traffic monitoring cameras and reliable flood monitoring under extreme precipitation conditions. This study presents a comparative assessment of image enhancement and segmentation techniques to automatically identify the flash flooding from the low-resolution images taken by traffic-monitoring cameras. Due to inaccurate equipment in severe weather conditions (e.g., raindrops or light refraction on camera lenses), low-resolution images are subject to noises that degrade the quality of information. De-noising procedures are carried out for the enhancement of images by removing different types of noises. After …