Engineering Commons^™

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 …