Engineering Commons^™

Materials Of Lightweight Concrete Research, Meganne Chapman, Kathryn Burns, John Grubb

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The objectives for this research project are to explore options for innovative and sustainable materials in lightweight concrete. Various materials including granite powder, hydrated lime, latex, and recycled glass beads will be used in the concrete testing for this project. The question the team wants to answer is how these additives affect the concrete’s mechanical properties. Weekly mix designs will be performed, and control cylinders will be compared to experimental cylinders. Compression and tensile testing will also be performed to further aid the research. The motivation for performing this research is to aid mix development for the University of Akron …

The Current State Of Practice Of Building Information Modeling, Kevin P. Brooks

Masters Theses

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has become extremely prominent in the construction industry in the past twenty years. It serves as a digital repository that can, when used to its fullest potential, combine all aspects of designing, building, and managing a structure in one place, alongside all the data produced in those processes. The construction industry has to date struggled to increase productivity alongside similar fields, such as the manufacturing industry, though the construction industry generally has far more stakeholders on one project than the manufacturing industry. Further, building designs are becoming more complex while project schedules are becoming tighter. As …

Equity In Transportation: Data Driven Analysis Of Transportation Services And Infrastructures, Javad Jomehpour Chahar Aman

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Achieving equity in transportation is an ongoing challenge, as transportation options still vary tremendously when it comes to marginalized populations. This dissertation addresses this challenge by conducting a comprehensive review of existing transportation equity literature and identifying two critical gaps: the lack of data-driven approaches to studying spatial mismatch between transportation supply and demand, and limited information on women's perceptions and expectations towards emerging transportation services.

Chapter two introduces the concept of transportation "deserts," specifically transit deserts and walking deserts, and develops data-driven frameworks to identify and investigate neighborhoods with limited transportation service supply but high demand. The frameworks compare …

Enhancing Security At Baxter Arena, Jennifer Davis

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The purpose of this report is to detail two options proposed for enhancing security at Baxter Arena. Both options are focused on metal detection. In this report we will look at the benefits and negatives of metal detection, both handheld and stationery, and how it can be used in enhancing building security.

Impacts Of Diagonal Crosswalk Misuse, Elizabeth Francis

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

A diagonal crosswalk paired with an all-red phase traffic signal is an effective approach to manage intersections with high pedestrian volume. This allows pedestrians to cross both north-south and east-west bound roads at the same time. However, ineffective diagonal crosswalk marking, and lack of signs reduces the use of diagonal crosswalks which in turn results in jaywalking, often in unsafe capacities. The objective of this study is to determine the impacts of pedestrian-caused delay and safety impacts due to the misuse of a diagonal crosswalk. To better understand the impacts, a camera-based data collection was conducted during a four-hour period …

Photocatalytic Nanoparticle Treatment Of Cyanotoxins In Harmful Algal Blooms, Brian Baird

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) have the ability to cause detriment to water bodies, ecosystems, and human health. Furthermore, current evidence suggests that these events are becoming increasingly common due to factors such as increased pollution and global warming. While there are current methods to treat water that is negatively impacted by the bacteria and toxins associated with HABs, these methods are often costly and inefficient. The purpose of this research is to explore a potential treatment option that uses titanium dioxide photocatalytic nanoparticles attached to a retractable net to treat toxins produced by HABs in situ. Specifically, the toxin …

Component Testing And Characterization Of An Innovative Pressurized Sand Damper For The Response Modification Of Structures, Konstantinos Kalfas

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

This study is partly motivated by the need to develop sustainable energy dissipation devices that do not suffer from oil leakage due to failure of their end seals and from displacement limitations; and partly from the need to develop a robust damper that consists only of traditional civil engineering materials (sand and steel) in association with the use of post-tensioned steel rods with which practitioner civil engineers are familiar. Past failures of fluid dampers are both disruptive and costly, therefore not in-line with the current design paradigm of sustainable engineering, where the design and construction of structural systems shall meet …

Energy Dissipation In A Sand Damper Under Cyclic Loading, Ehab Sabi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Various seismic and wind engineering designs and retrofit strategies have been in development to meet structures' proper and safe operation during earthquake and wind excitation. One such method is the addition of fluid and particle dampers, such as sand dampers, in an effort to reduce excessive and dangerous displacements of structures. The present study implements the discrete element method (DEM) to assess the performance of a pressurized sand damper (PSD) and characterize the dissipated energy under cyclic loading. The idea of a PSD is to exploit the increase in shearing resistance of sand under external pressure and the associated ability …

An Improved Polynomial Chaos Expansion Based Response Surface Method And Its Applications On Frame And Spring Engineering Based Structures, Mhd A. Hafez

ETD Archive

In engineering fields, computational models provide a tool that can simulate a real world response and enhance our understanding of physical phenomenas. However, such models are often computationally expensive with multiple sources of uncertainty related to the model’s input/assumptions. For example, the literature indicates that ligament’s material properties and its insertion site locations have a significant effect on the performance of knee joint models, which makes addressing uncertainty related to them a crucial step to make the computational model more representative of reality. However, previous sensitivity studies were limited due to the computational expense of the models. The high computational …

Development, Characterization, And Modeling Of Physical, Mechanical, And Durability Properties Of Sustainable Ultra-High Performance Concrete, Tawsif M. Hasan

ETD Archive

Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) is an advanced concrete material with superior mechanical strength, high tensile ductility, and exceptional durability, including negligible permeability. Despite these excellent material properties, the use of UHPC in structural applications is limited because of the high cost of commercially available UHPC products. Therefore, developing non-proprietary UHPC mixtures using local materials is a viable way to reduce the initial cost of UHPC. In this research, sustainable and cost-effective UHPC mixtures were developed using locally sourced materials so that UHPC may be more affordable to a wider variety of applications. Specifically, locally available Type I-II cement, local sand …

Determining Earthquake Impacts On Arkansas' Roadway Network: An Application Of Hazus., Simon Rothwell

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Natural hazards are a dangerous and unpredictable aspect of life on earth. They can cause devastating damage to our surroundings that makes movement of people, goods, and emergency services difficult. There is a need to plan for these disasters to ensure that damages to our infrastructure and people are minimized. It can be difficult for planners to determine which parts of a roadway network are most vulnerable to a specific disaster and what their impact on the rest of the network may be. This thesis uses a nationally available natural disaster estimation tool developed by FEMA called “Hazus” (FEMA, 2020). …

Truss Bridge Damage Localization And Severity Estimation Using Influence Lines, Hamoud Alshallaqi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

The safety of bridges is one of the primary concerns of researchers, engineers, and bridge owners and managers, especially when bridges are approaching the end of their intended service lives. The estimation of bridge condition and remaining service life is critical to prioritize the allocation of available funding for repairs and rehabilitation. Various methods, including both dynamic and static approaches, have been developed to detect and localize bridge damage and estimate its severity. This research presents a methodology for detecting a single damaged member in a truss bridge and estimating the severity of the damage using static vertical deflection influence …

Response Modification And Seismic Protection Of Yielding Structures Equipped With Inerters And Hysteretic Dampers, Gholamreza Moghimi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the seismic response of structures with sustainable, long-stroke response modification devices. The main thrust of the dissertation is the investigation of the seismic response of yielding structures equipped with supplemental rotational inertia, or inerters. The last chapter of this dissertation investigates the seismic response of multistory yielding steel structures equipped with pressurized sand dampers.

Inerters are mechanical devices with resisting force proportional to the relative acceleration of their end nodes. This class of response modification devices complements the traditional fluid viscous damping devices with resisting force proportional to the relative velocity at their end-nodes. Mass-amplification is the …

The Environmental Benefits Of Implementing Green Roofs On City Skyscrapers, Jack Rich

Civil Engineering Student Work

No abstract provided.

Context-Aware Sensing And Fusion For Structural Health Monitoring And Night Time Traffic Surveillance, Xinxiang Zhang

Electrical Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Rapid developments in computer vision technologies have been transforming many traditional fields in engineering and science in the last few decades, especially in terms of diagnosing problems from visual images. Leveraging computer vision technologies to inspect, monitor, assess infrastructure conditions, and analyze traffic dynamics, has gained significant increase in both effectiveness and efficiency, compared to the cost of traditional instrumentation arrays to monitor, and manually inspect civil infrastructures and traffic conditions. Therefore, to construct the next-generation intelligent civil and transportation infrastructures, this dissertation develops a comprehensive computer-vision based sensing and fusion framework for structural health monitoring and intelligent transportation systems. …

Damage Evolution And High-Rate Response Of High-Strength Concrete Under Triaxial Loading, Brett Williams

Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations

The research presented in this study focuses on understanding fundamental mechanisms that drive material response under dynamic loading conditions. The objectives of the research were to: (1) to understand damage initiation and propagation in the bulk geomaterial under a variety of loading conditions and (2) to systematically investigate the strain rate effects on the triaxial compressive response of cementitious materials through the development of an innovative, first of its kind large-diameter (50 mm) triaxial Kolsky bar system.

The triaxial compressive response of high-strength concrete is needed to understand pressure-dependent material behavior, which is important for modeling extreme loading events. However, …

Characterization Of Uranium, Lead, And Rare Earth Element Pollution In Natural Soils And Sediments, Hope Rasmussen

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Heavy metals in the environment add to the global burden of pollution, negatively impacting public health and ecosystem resilience. This study included projects regarding uranium (U), lead (Pb), and rare earth elements (REE) in natural samples, due to their known toxicity, ubiquity, and relevance in context to recent pollution trends. The first project focused on testing the potential of using a hydroxyapatite product as a remediation solution for U-contaminated groundwater and soil at an EPA Superfund site. The results showed that the U was sequestered in a highly crystalline mineral form within the solids, guiding the EPA to specify the …

Residential Dwelling Design And Construction Planning, Jodi Beery

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This report presents a step-by-step guide in building a hypothetical residential dwelling in Wayne County, Ohio. The project begins with the initial site investigation phase, which gathers general information about the physical site of proposed construction as well as the requirements of the governing body of the area; applications for permits and inspections for example. Next, phase is the site design which includes creating plans for the building footprint, pavement areas, and utility locations. The next phase in the design will be the building plans which will include floor plans and associated material lists for the construction of the home. …

Side Impact Collisions: Trucks Versus Sedans, Mackenzie Cheyney

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The proposed project will cover the effects of FMVSS 214 addendum to include light trucks. The addition of side door beams, air bags, and a dynamic performance requirement are the main points of FMVSS 214 which will be discussed. The effects of these safety measures will be compared between light trucks and sedans. NHTSA reports regarding the effects of FMVSS 214 will be reviewed in this paper. Based on the NHTSA literature reviews, further recommendations will be made.

Faith Promise Lane: From Cherahala Boulevard To Tn-162 Mp 1.9, Zachary W. Jerome

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Field Monitoring Of A Tieback Wall And Comparison To Common Design Methods, Matheus Barbosa Santos De Miranda

Graduate Theses - Civil Engineering

This thesis presents the monitoring of a 28-foot high retaining wall located on the Rose- Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) campus and compares inclinometer and load cell data with common design methods. In addition, it briefly provides discussion regarding how the retaining structure is used to enhance student learning. The wall consists of soldier piles and wood lagging with tiebacks that vary from 22.5 to 40 feet. Construction was completed in 2017. Instrumentation, including load cell and inclinometers were installed to measure deflection, tieback load, and water level. This thesis describes the construction activities and the data gathered to date. …

Behavior Of Geothermal Energy Piles Embedded In Rock, Ehab Sabi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Geothermal energy piles are categorized as closed systems. Energy piles are a relatively new technology which couples the structural role of traditional pile foundations to that of heat exchangers to fulfill the required energy demand of buildings and infrastructures. These foundations are equipped with pipes embedded in the concrete forming the pile. While connected to a heat pump, the fluid circulating inside these pipes provides the exchange of heat with the ground for heating and cooling purposes. As the undisturbed temperature at the shallower depths of the ground stays comparatively constant the whole year, being warmer than the surrounding temperature …

Investigation Of Dredge Material Dewatering Through Hydraulic And Ground Improvement Methods, Monica Moody

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Every year almost 1.5 million tons of material is dredged from Lake Erie to allow passage for boat traffic. In the past, this material has been placed back into the open waters of the lake. However, starting July 2020 this will no long be permitted due to the passing of Senate Bill 1. Therefore, secondary uses of this dredging material are being investigated. To be used, the material needs to be quickly dewatered and stabilized. This project consists of literary reviews of two methods of rapid dewatering, hydraulic placement and ground improvement methods. Hydraulic placement dewatering requires the use of …

Effect Of Continuity Plate Eccentricity On The Performance Of Welded Beam-To-Column Connections, Jason Thomas Norwood

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Beam-to-column connections in structural steel buildings may have varying degrees of rotational restraint and varying degrees of moment transfer. In fully restrained moment connections, shear is typically transferred through the beam web, while the moment is mostly transferred through the beam flanges which create tension/compression force couples. Column sections that are incapable of resisting these flange forces are often retrofitted with continuity plates within the connection region to improve capacity. In cases of unequal beam depths on either side of the column, an eccentricity between the framed-in beam flange and continuity plate may be required; however, limited research exists to …

Developing Computer Codes For Analyzing Bridge Response Due To Wim Data Truck Loading, Kenneth Patrick Pasley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite actual truck demographics evolving over the past 30 years, the Arkansas legal loads for bridge posting have not been updated. Custom computer codes were developed.to facilitate comparison between the current Arkansas legal loads for bridge posting and the actual Arkansas truck traffic to ensure that actual reactions are enveloped by the state'. The program, WIMFluence, calculates shear and moment influence lines for a bridge and the resulting shear and moment reactions based on weigh-in-motion data. With supporting scripts, the reactions due to actual Arkansas truck traffic were compared to those due to the current Arkansas legal loads for bridge …

Defining Success In Air Force Infrastructure Asset Management Through Use Of The Delphi Method, Brendan J. Maestas

Theses and Dissertations

Asset Management has a history of policy mandates within the US Government dating back to 1990’s. In order to accomplish these many directives, the Air Force Civil Engineer community has adopted a mindset and framework commonly referred to as Asset Management. Despite numerous references and guidance to establish Asset Management principles, the Air Force has not yet developed a clear and concise way to define or measure overarching success in Asset Management. This research effort focuses on closing the knowledge gap between issued policy and implementation. It examines Asset Management implementation efforts in other government agencies, private industries, and in …

Designing Novel Grooved Pallets For Industrial Application, Mirza Mohammed Abdullah Baig

ETD Archive

The purpose of this study was to model an improved pallet design which could overcome the drawbacks and failures of the pallets available in the market today. The new modeled pallets were designed to improve the capacity of the individual pallets and thereby increase the efficiency of the material handling process. The new modeled pallets were also designed with the aim to replace the racking system used for storage in the warehouse industry. The study was performed using two finite element analysis software, SOLIDWORKS and ANSYS, as analysis tools to study the behavior of the design under various real world …

Factors Affecting Minimum Dissolved Oxygen Concentration In Streams, Chistopher Robert Huhnke

ETD Archive

Modeling water quality has been shown to be a useful tool in strategizing water quality management. Dissolved oxygen (DO) has one of the largest impacts on water quality compared to other parameters. The purpose of the dissertation research is to generate a regression equation model, using the US EPA QUAL2K model as the base, to determine different factors affecting minimum dissolved oxygen concentrations in streams, to determine the critical distance for the minimum dissolved oxygen concentration, and the magnitude of impact of each parameter. Based on regression analysis, the factors affecting minimum DO in river water are effluent biochemical oxygen …

Adsorption And Microfiltration Processes To Treat Dye And Coffee Wastewater., Abhiram Siva Prasad Pamula

ETD Archive

Wastewater from coffee processing industry creates high biological and chemical oxygen demand in the surface water. In addition to coffee wastewater from coffee industry, dyes from textile industry enter surface water affecting water quality in terms of transmissivity of light. Adsorption is an economical wastewater treatment process to remove color from dye and coffee wastewater. In the current thesis, adsorption using low-cost adsorbents like peanut hull and onion peel are used to treat combined dye and coffee wastewater. Three representative dyes including acid black 48, disperse yellow 3, crystal violet certified with processed coffee is used in preparing batch adsorption …

Children's Law Center Site Redevelopment, Caroline Olivia Haggard, Javonte Isaac, Joshua Joslin, E'Lexus Nelson, Ana Vieira, Adrien Williams, David Zalla

Senior Theses

Soda City Engineering and Consulting was contracted by the USC School of Law to redevelop the Children’s Law Center site in Columbia, SC. Currently, the site does not comply with current standards and specifications. The objective of this project is to completely redevelop the site with a new annex building and ensuring everything is up to code, while still allowing the historic structure to maintain its use throughout construction.