Engineering Commons^™

Load Effects Of Truck Platooning On Existing Bridges In Oregon, Patricia Oleson

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Truck Platooning (TP) involves managing multiple trucks closely together to reduce aerodynamic drag. While TP offers benefits such as fuel savings, emission reductions, and enhanced safety, it raises concerns for existing infrastructure. This study reviews literature on TP and conducts bridge analyses comparing representative truck platoon configurations allowed under Oregon law with current truck loadings. It also explores the effects of truck head spacing and bridge span lengths, utilizing the research results to calculate rating factors using real-world case studies. The objective is to identify truck platoon configurations that may exceed acceptable load levels for Oregon bridges. The findings will …

Cyclic Behavior Of Transitional Fine-Grained Soils In Northern Willamette Valley, Frank Jarman

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

As discussed within studies from Idriss and Boulanger (2008) and Bray and Sancio (2006), the undrained cyclic shear behavior of low-plasticity fine-grained soils will transition between liquefaction (sand-like behavior) to cyclic softening (clay-like behavior) over a narrow range of plasticity index (PI). Despite not being sufficiently understood, the cyclic behavior of low plasticity silts has become an increasingly important field of study due to the significant impact it has on ground deformations and infrastructure failure in areas that are seismically active. Laboratory tests were performed on soils by third party consultants on a site located in the northern Willamette Valley, …

Ce-Qual-W2 Performance Assessment Modeling 1979 Grh Flume Study, Logan Negherbon

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

In an early review of numerical reservoir hydrodynamic models, the US Army Corps of Engineers developed a physical model at the US Army Waterways Experiment Station to assess the performance of modeling cold water underflow with numerous 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional numerical hydrodynamic models. Within this effort, the precursor for CE-QUAL-W2, the Laterally Averaged Reservoir Model, was defined and applied with limited success in representing the vertical velocity profile and outflow temperatures series collected from the physical model in the General Reservoir Hydrodynamics flume. CE-QUAL-W2 has since been modified from this early form in numerous ways including incorporation of higher order …

Liquefaction Triggering In Low-Plasticity Silts And Effects Of Liquefaction-Induced Lateral Spreading On A Reinforced-Concrete Pile, Jared A. Martinez

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Liquefaction triggering and post-liquefaction effects on lateral loading of deep foundations is an emerging area of study. This project presents: the results of cyclic direct simple shear (CDSS) testing on a low-plasticity alluvial silt collected in Portland, Oregon; and analysis of the combined effects of liquefaction-induced lateral spreading on a reinforced-concrete pile using data collected from a shake table test. The former research determines the liquefaction susceptibility and post-liquefaction characteristics of a local transitional soil using stress-controlled CDSS testing, the latter explores the complex lateral loading a reinforced-concrete pile undergoes during seismic loading with liquefaction-induced lateral spreading of the ground …

Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake Vertical Ground Acceleration Investigation And Potential Impact On Bridges In The Pacific Northwest, Rachel Caroline Bassil

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

The effects of vertical ground accelerations during subduction zone earthquakes currently are not sufficiently understood. There are numerous case studies and evidence that effects of vertical ground accelerations can significantly impact the performance of bridges during a seismic event, but most previous research has been focused on shallow crustal earthquakes. Current bridge design codes provide little guidance for accounting for vertical ground accelerations in seismic design, in part because additional information is needed about the characteristics of vertical ground motions during Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest.

For this study, recorded seismic data from recent subduction zone …

Site-Specific Site Response Analysis And Cascadia Subduction Zone Ground Motions Evaluation For A Site Near Portland, Brian Ackerman

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Site-specific ground motions, site-specific site response analysis, and development of site-specific acceleration ground spectra at the ground surface was developed per ASCE 7-10 for the Kirkland Renaissance Boardwalk, a site in Vancouver, Washington.

Synthetic broadband ground motions developed specifically for Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) megathrust earthquake were used for site-response analysis. The results of site-specific site response analyses using the strong motions were compared with the results from the 5 motions considered for the ASCE 7-10 procedure. The effect of motion duration and other ground motion intensity measures on the results of the site-specific site response analysis was investigated.

Similar …

Design And Evaluation Of A Prototype Low-Damage Beam-Column Connection For Mass Timber Moment Frames, Samuel D. Richmann

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

A moment-resisting, beam-column connection for mass timber moment frames was developed, designed and tested. The design was intended to limit damage to the timber members by creation of a ductile failure mechanism in steel U-shaped flexural plates (UFPs). Using design equations developed by previous research on UFPs by Baird, et al. (2014) as well as accepted design practices from the NDS and AISC, the components were sized to eliminate failure in the timber. The connection was tested using a quasi-static lateral displacement method following the procedure outlined in section K2.4b of AISC 341-16. A vertical load was placed on the …

Tensile Strength Evaluation Of Glulam Connection With Screw Fasteners, Bradley Sharpshair

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Multiple knife plate and external steel plate deep-beam glulam connections were investigated in a series of destructive tests within the Infrastructure Testing and Applied Research laboratory at Portland State University. The goal of these tests was to better understand the failure mode and ultimate load capacity of the large-scale glulam moment connections. Two different types of tests were performed on each connection; one with axial loading, and another loaded in flexure. The first, smaller, axial tests were conducted to inform the later, much larger, bending tests. The results of these tests helped to develop future designs as well as provide …

Small Scale Plasma Gasification Of Municipal Solid Waste, Keith Male

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

The goal of this project was to develop a prototype plasma gasification system to treat municipal solid waste (MSW) with minimal regulated emissions in a footprint small enough to be transported for a wide range of applicability. This project started with a review of current MSW treatment methods and of the emissions produced from thermal breakdown of MSW. A review of air quality regulations and emission control technologies was then used to select the emission control systems to be used for a small-scale plasma gasification system.

This plasma gasification system began with a plasma torch and cooling system being designed, …

Rapid Repair Of Seismically Vulnerable Bridge Columns Following Earthquake Induced Damage, Gregory H. Norton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

The Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake has a high probability of occurrence within our lifetime, threatening bridges across the Pacific Northwest. Damage is expected to be geographically spread throughout the region and will have a nearly simultaneous impact on transportation through several important corridors. While bridge repair and replacement will ultimately be needed, priority will be placed on resuming mobility such that repairs will need to be implemented quickly. In an effort to anticipate this need, a repair method is being developed for rapid repair with the goal of achieving semi-permanent installation that also considers the different bridge damage states …

An Equity Focused Study On The Trip Temporal Distributions Of Vulnerable Road Users, Santiago Espinosa Wild

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

The United States is a megadiverse nation with a transportation system that, for decades, was designed to serve primarily able-bodied, white, male motorists. This legacy creates a situation in which varying socio-demographic groups experience the transportation system differently with contrasting safety, accessibility, and convenience outcomes. This project introduces descriptive statistics and binary logistic models that provide transportation professionals and policy makers with a quantitative understanding on how, why, and when certain socio-demographic groups are more likely to engage in a trip. This project provides tools to measure and understand the equity implications of a wide array of transportation policy decisions. …

Ultrasonic Coda Wave Comparison For Quality Control Of Manufactured Parts: Proof Of Feasibility, Alexei Marin-Cortes

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Manufactured parts are a staple of modern urban life, visible in homes (e.g., kitchen appliances), offices (e.g., printers), the automobile and aerospace industries (e.g., body parts), and more. This M.S. project intended to determine whether ultrasonic testing could be used in a simple and rapid manner to perform quality control of manufactured parts. Ultrasonic testing is employed for this purpose using two surface-coupled transducers, one being a transmitter and the other one a receiver. An ultrasonic pulse, which is generated by the transmitting transducer, propagates through the part, collecting information about material and geometry, as well as potential unwanted features. …

Evaluation Of A Novel Remote Displacement Sensor Prototype Using Video And Laser-Based Technology For Civil Infrastructure Applications, Nicholas J. Brown

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Deflection measurements on structures, especially with regards to long-term monitoring, continues to be a challenge with current sensor technologies. Material degradation and changes in the mechanical properties due to aging (for example, creep and shrinkage in concrete bridges) directly impact the deflections exhibited by a structure. In this article we introduce and discuss the evaluation of a novel laser and video-based displacement sensor prototype to monitor displacements and rotations in structures remotely. The sensor is both inexpensive, using off-the shelf components, but also accurate and practical for situations that do not allow the use of conventional displacement sensors, which require …

Impact Of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles On Nutrient And Contaminant Reduction In Wastewater Treatment Wetlands, Madeline Hubbard

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Metallic nanoparticles are found in a variety of commercial products and industrial processes, and have become more common in the last few decades. As nanoparticles are toxic to biota and have the potential to spread other types of contamination, their increased use has become a concern. Research into the transport of nanoparticles in subsurface and surface waters shows a wide range in mobility, but that they are most likely to collect in systems with low linear velocities and high organic content. As a result, wetlands are the most vulnerable to nanoparticle contamination. Wetlands receiving and treating wastewater effluent have an …

Water Quality Analysis Of Ecoroof Runoff In Portland, Pranoti P. Deshmukh

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Portland, Oregon is internationally recognized for its implementation of sustainable stormwater management technologies. Ecoroof is one of the sustainable solutions to reduce stormwater runoff which also provides multiple environmental benefits. However, very little is known about the impact of ecoroofs on water quality of roof runoff. Stormwater runoff carries a significant amount of pollutants, which, if it directly enters a stream or river, degrades water quality and severely harms aquatic life.

This study evaluates the trends in the long-term water quality data from ecoroofs and conventional roofs in the Portland area. Mann Kendall trend test was used to detect the …

Travel Behaviors Of Persons With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Joseph C. Totten

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities live different lives than the general population. Often prohibited from driving, persons with intellectual disabilities cite transportation as top concern, limiting their independence and freedom to live, work or recreate where and when they choose. Improving services for persons with developmental disabilities requires that engineers and planners understand how persons with intellectual disabilities travel, and what types of transportation are available to them. This report hopes to identify the availability of transportation options to persons with developmental disabilities such that planners, engineers and advocates can determine how altering the transportation system might affect persons’ …

Test Setup Design And Cyclic Evaluation Of Rocking Clt Wall And Floor Restoring Force Lateral System, Aaron Davis Smith

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

The introduction of the demand for mass timber buildings in areas with seismic hazards has called for new lateral systems. Lateral systems in mass timber building typically utilize a rocking shear wall with post-tensioned rods to provide system re-centering. These post-tensioned rods add axial load to the shear wall and potentially endure long term creep affects. Mass Timber buildings consist of cross laminated (clt) shear walls and floor slabs along with glulam beams. The flexural capacity of the CLT floor slabs along with dead load can provide an alternative source for the restoring force. This project developed a test setup …

The Gouda, The Bad, And The Ugly: Prioritizing Intersections For Pedestrian Safety In Tillamook, Or With Different Risk Estimation Methods, Kelly M. White

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

The following report explores five different pedestrian risk estimation methods at urban intersections. Six study intersections in Tillamook, Oregon were chosen as a case study to analyze each risk estimation method and apply the values to a project prioritization process. Ultimately, risk factors of both exposure and infrastructure contribute to the highest amount of risk for pedestrians. The Oregon Department of Transportation's State Planning and Research Report 779 was identified as the most comprehensive risk estimation method.

Lateral Deformation Behavior Of Mass Timber Beam To Column Gravity Connection, Tyler James Williams

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

A beam-to-column connection consisting of glulam beam and column and cross laminated timber floor slab was developed and experimentally evaluated for use in buildings that are expected to undergo earthquake-­­induced lateral drift. The connection utilized a passive gap closure mechanism designed to allow beam rotations during lateral drift while minimizing residual separation between the beam and the column following an earthquake. Full scale cyclic experiments were used to validate the connection’s minimal rotational stiffness and demonstrate low damage performance for lateral drifts exceeding 4.5% drift. The connection exhibited no degradation in gravity load capacity throughout the imposed lateral deformations. An …

Methods For Estimating Vehicle Fuel Consumption In Urban Road Networks Using Geographical Attributes, Ryan G. Conrad

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

This paper presents statistical techniques for estimating vehicle fuel consumption in urban road networks based on vehicle and geographical factors. A routing algorithm utilizing mapping data from OpenStreetMap and elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission is presented and used to generate paths that minimize vehicle fuel consumption. The concept of a fuel consumption estimating function is proposed as an extension of the well-known distance-estimating functions that are widely used in logistics planning and research.

Statistical models are developed that estimate fuel consumption in three tested urban areas with vehicle weight, elevation and regional travel speed characteristics being the …

Exploring The Relationship Of Bikeshare And Transit In The United States Of America, David Rafael Soto Padín

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Bicycling and bike-share have been growing in US cities as transportation alternatives. Despite impressions that bikeshare systems exist solely for tourism, recreation or privileged users, research has shown that bike-share is becoming a transportation mode used by a diverse set of users for various transportation needs. Additionally, a positive relationship has been established between bike-share and transit although most studies on this matter have focused on systems outside the United States. Bike share and transit benefit each other by: (1) contributing to sustainable transportation goals by improving mobility and greenhouse gas reductions, (2) solving the "last mile" problem, (3) reduce …

Non-Linear Deformation Analysis Of An Embankment Dam, Silas T. Sanderson

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Non-linear deformation analysis (NDA) of embankment dams is becoming more common as geotechnical engineers seek to better understand how critical infrastructure will perform under high seismic loading. In order to perform this type of analysis, site specific ground motions and engineering properties of the embankment dam are required. The NDA modeling effort consists of a static and seepage analysis to establish an initial stress state followed by a dynamic analysis to simulate the embankment response to ground motions. Using this approach, a two dimensional NDA was performed on an embankment dam using the NDA program FLAC. This report discusses the …

Evaluating The Applicability Of Modflow2005 Plus Mt3d-Usgs: Borden Case Study, Linley Mescher

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Groundwater is essential to communities around the world for drinking, industrial, and agricultural purposes. MODFLOW is a modeling program that uses the three-dimensional continuity equation in a finite difference approach to simulate groundwater flow in an aquifer. MT3D-USGS is a MODFLOW package that simulates contaminant transport. This study used MODFLOW2005 with MT3D-USGS to build a model simulating contaminant transport in Borden, Ontario. A study conducted at the Borden site in 1982 injected a solution of eight solutes to test the transport of contaminants over three years. Initial simulations showed similar transport characteristics for chloride and carbon tetrachloride as compared to …

Exploring High-Resolution Data Obtained From Asc/3 Controller Of Intersection Se Division St & Se 122nd Ave, Portland, Oregon, Naowar Al-Abbas

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

High-resolution data obtained from ASC/3 controllers can be used to create a variety of performance measures, helping engineers and professionals in monitoring intersection performance, identifying issues, and making proper improvements. These measures concern the intersection quality of the progression, capacity, and non-vehicular operations (e.g. pedestrian crossings). In this report, we explored high-resolution data obtained from the intersection of SE Division Street and 122nd Avenue. This intersection had some safety concerns as it is considered one of most dangerous intersections in Portland, Oregon. Thus, the first variable we examined from the data was pedestrian wait time when a cross request is …

Mechanisms Controlling Copper Transport In Natural Soils, Julie A. Luisi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Biosolids are used as amendments to agricultural soils and can be a source of trace metals. It is unknown if these land-applied trace metals travel through the soil column to the water table. This study aims to determine the transport behavior of copper in natural soils, including 'aged' soils, commercial agricultural soils that have had multiple years of biosolids applications. Using acid digests and Darcy column apparatus it was determined that factors such as pH, soil composition, especially organic matter content, and the presence of other trace metals influence copper’s complex transport behavior in these soils. Natural soil appears to …

Evaluating The Performance Of Contech's Stormfilter With Zpg Media Under The City Of Portland's 2016 Stormwater Management Manual Requirements For Manufactured Stormwater Treatment Technologies, Mawj T.H. Khammas

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Stormwater runoff is the water generated from excess rainfall or snowmelt that flows over impervious surfaces such as paved roads, parking lots, and on roofs, it often carries a variety of pollutants that adversely affect water quality in that region. Portland is a well-developed city; the majority of the streets are paved and impervious and will consequently generate a tremendous amount of stormwater this creates the necessity for management to help preserve and mimic natural hydrologic cycle through improving water quality. The StormFilter® with ZPG media, manufactured by CONTECH, is a manufactured stormwater treatment technology(MSTT) in which zeolite, perlite, and …

Seismic Retrofit Case Study Of Reinforced Concrete Bridges With Buckling Restrained Braces, Michael K. Miotke

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Many highway bridges in Oregon have been designed with minimal considerations for seismic hazard and are in need of retrofit. Although buckling restrained braces (BRBs) are not necessarily a new concept, using them to seismically retrofit bridges is. This case study investigates the BRB retrofit concept as compared to traditional retrofit measures for a sample of typical vulnerable bridges in Oregon. The objectives of evaluating these cases were to determine the feasibility of the concept both in terms of performance as well as construction costs. This study builds on the ongoing research at Portland State University into the development of …

Seismic Evaluation Of 196kv Transformer Bushings, Joanne R. Shields

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Transformer bushings have shown to have an unsatisfactory performance during earthquakes and have therefore been chosen for further testing. How the bushings fail, and how this failure can be prevented has been analyzed. Two used 196 kV bushings made by General Electric were chosen for seismic testing at the iSTAR laboratory located at Portland State University in Portland, OR. The multiple objectives that brought about these tests were: to determine how the bushings failed due to gasket extrusion at the porcelain-flange connection and to verify that the failure was due to pure tipping and not sliding, to determine the damping …

City Of Gresham Stormwater Retrofit Master Plan, Teresa F. Huntsinger

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

The Stormwater Retrofit Master Plan identifies more than 50 stormwater retrofit project opportunities across three watersheds in the City of Gresham. The retrofit projects are prioritized in a scoring system to evaluate the costs and benefits of diverse project sizes and types. Project types range from bioswales and planters in city parking lots and along arterial roads, to regional end-of-pipe facilities and retrofits of existing detention ponds. Top projects will move forward for further assessment, design and construction, helping the city achieve its water quality improvement goals. The scoring system may be used to evaluate additional projects in the future.

Impact Of Speed On Vehicle Safety On Urban Arterial Roadways, Andrew C. Vosper

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Vehicle speed has long been one, if not the primary contributing factor to crashes, influencing both the probability and severity. Within the Portland metro area arterials have the highest serious crash rate per road mile and vehicle miles travelled. (Metro, 2012) The purpose of this research is to compile vehicle speeds along select arterial roadways within the Portland metro area and comparing it to applicable crash data. The roadway segment of SE Foster Road between SE 52^nd avenues and SE 82^nd avenues was selected, due to the simplicity of the physical as-built roadway properties along with available Bluetooth …