Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Green Roof System Integrated Soil Methods, Jude R. Vallon, Ivan L. Guzman

Publications and Research

Large metropolitan areas like NYC are seeking to integrate sustainability into retrofitting buildings for the development of green infrastructure. Among the many environmental issues of urbanization, the UHI (urban heat island) effect and storm water runoff are of particular interest when it comes building structures. Individual buildings can contribute towards mitigating these effects with implementation of vegetative rooftops, i.e. Green Roofs. Commercial buildings are currently receiving government incentives and new constructions are required to include green roof installations. However, if existing buildings are considering the addition of a green roof on an existing roof, they have to factor in the …

Prediction Of Static Liquefaction Landslides, Abouzar Sadrekarimi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Presentations

Static liquefaction failure of sloping grounds has resulted in significant damages to built structures and even loss of lives. The principal aim of this research is to relate static liquefaction behavior of cohesionless soils to a measurable threshold from the field. Based on a very large number (893) of undrained laboratory shear tests on cohesionless soils collected from the past literature, a threshold triggering excess pore water pressure is introduced in this study above which static liquefaction failure occurs. The effect of variations in the direction and relative magnitudes of principal stresses associated with different modes of shear and ground …

Biopolymer-Stabilized Earth Materials For Resilient And Adaptable Infrastructures, Sherif Abdelaziz, Dilip Gersappe, Dilip Rafailovich

Department of Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Earth dams and levees are constructed and retrofitted nowadays using the same materials that were used in the past, clays and sands. Despite the current advances in engineering, designing and constructing these critical infrastructure, earthen dams and levees continue to suffer from the same challenges over the years. These challenges include internal and surface erosions, loss of stability due to moisture migration, and inabilities to self-heal potential failure points. This project focuses on the use of biopolymers as additives to strengthen earthen dams and levees targeting an overall increase in their resilience.

Explicitly, the report for Milestone 3 presented the …

Decoding Geometric Origin Of Geomechanical Properties, Sumana Bhattacharya

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Granular materials such as soil and aggregate, are ubiquitous in nature and the understanding of their mechanical behavior is of great importance to better predict and design the civil infrastructure. The particle geometry is a key information to robustly establish the link between the underlying grain-scale mechanisms and the macroscopic behavior of granular materials. However, the characteristics of the particle geometry remain to be better understood. For example, we do not know how the volume is related to the surface area for irregularly shaped particles in general. Their relation clearly depends on the morphology, dictating that volume, surface area, and …

Development Of Geopolymer-Based Cement And Soil Stabilizers For Transportation Infrastructure, Miladin Radovic, Anand Puppala

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18CTAM03. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Geopolymer Cement (GPC) has drawn much attention in the recent years as an alternative to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) for soil stabilization, pavements, bridges and other transportation structures due to their good mechanical properties in comparison to OPC. In addition, GPC can be processed at room temperatures from aqueous solutions of waste materials (e.g. fly ash) or abundant natural sources (e.g. clay), thereby significantly reducing CO2 production associated with processing of OPC. As such, GPC proves to be a more sustainable and …

Integrated Full-Scale Physical Experiments And Numerical Modeling Of The Performance And Rehabilitation Of Highway Embankments, Navid Jafari, Anand Puppala, Sayantan Chakroborty, Burak Boluk

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18GTLSU06. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The study aimed to fundamentally understand how soil strength and hydraulic properties are impacted by recurring cycles of wetting and drying induced by climate variability, with the practical implication of forecasting the stability of highway embankment slopes. The review of literature on the effects of long-term cyclic wetting-drying phases on hydro-mechanical properties of clayey soils suggests that only a few cycles of wetting and drying can impact the strength and hydraulic conductivity, where the latter can increase several orders of magnitude. Laboratory …

Performance Of Drilled Shaft Under Combination Of Complicated Loads Under Hurricane Event, Jie Huang, Sazzad Bin-Shafique

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18GTTSA02. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"This project includes experimental and numerical studies to investigate and assess the impact of vertical loads on a laterally loaded drilled shaft under various conditions. The experimental study includes lab testing and lab-scale load test to examine a drilled shaft subjected to vertical and lateral loads at a reduced scale. With the data obtained from the lab-scale testing, a numerical model was calibrated, which was used to perform a parametric study to scrutinize the effect of many possible factors such as soil …

Integrated Full-Scale Physical Experiments And Numerical Modeling Of The Performance And Rehabilitation Of Highway Embankments, Navid Jafari, Anand Puppala, Sayantan Chakraborty, Burak Boluk

Publications

The study aimed to fundamentally understand how soil strength and hydraulic properties are impacted by recurring cycles of wetting and drying induced by climate variability, with the practical implication of forecasting the stability of highway embankment slopes. The review of literature on the effects of long-term cyclic wetting-drying phases on hydro-mechanical properties of clayey soils suggests that only a few cycles of wetting and drying can impact the strength and hydraulic conductivity, where the latter can increase several orders of magnitude. Laboratory model-scale experiments of Louisiana and Texas soils are still ongoing and will relate the laboratory test results to …

Performance Of Drilled Shaft Under Combination Of Complicated Loads Under Hurricane Event, Jie Huang, Sazzad Bin-Shafique

Publications

This project includes experimental and numerical studies to investigate and assess the impact of vertical loads on a laterally loaded drilled shaft under various conditions. The experimental study includes lab testing and lab-scale load test to examine a drilled shaft subjected to vertical and lateral loads at a reduced scale. With the data obtained from the lab-scale testing, a numerical model was calibrated, which was used to perform a parametric study to scrutinize the effect of many possible factors such as soil stiffness, soil friction angle, and drilled shaft geometry. With all the factors considered in this study, the vertical …

Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Bore Logs, Jeffrey C. Evans

NSF Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Documents

Bore logs for the soil-bentonite slurry trench cutoff wall constructed in Montandon Pennsylvania.

Karst Sinkhole Detecting And Mapping Using Airborne Lidar, Su Zhang, Shirley Baros, Susan Bogus

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18GTUNM01. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The focus of this study is to detect sinkhole hazards using airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. The premise is sinkholes, particularly those close to transportation infrastructure assets, could cause substantial damages to infrastructure assets, and therefore, being able to accurately and rapidly detect them is essential. However, it is expensive, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and unsafe to survey sinkholes using conventional ground observation methods. This research project was focused on developing accurate and rapid airborne LiDAR-based sinkhole detection and mapping methods, and …

Development Of Metals Corrosion Maps Of Arkansas And Maintenance Of Cross-Drains, Zahid Hossain, Ashraf Elsayed, Mdariful Hasan

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18GTASU01. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Corrosion potential of metallic structures in alluvial soils is governed by chemical and electromagnetic properties of the soils. Geotechnical engineers are generally more concerned about different types of soils and their physical and mechanical properties than the chemical aspects. The main objective of this study is to analyze the geotechnical, electrochemical and electromagnetic properties of soils in Arkansas. Important parameters (e.g., soil resistivity) related to corrosion potential of metal culverts have been predicted through neural network (NN) models. The developed NN models …

Development Of Metals Corrosion Maps Of Arkansas And Maintenance Of Cross-Drains, Zahid Hossain, Ashraf Elsayed, Mdariful Hasan

Publications

Corrosion potential of metallic structures in alluvial soils is governed by chemical and electromagnetic properties of the soils. Geotechnical engineers are generally more concerned about different types of soils and their physical and mechanical properties than the chemical aspects. The main objective of this study is to analyze the geotechnical, electrochemical and electromagnetic properties of soils in Arkansas. Important parameters (e.g., soil resistivity) related to corrosion potential of metal culverts have been predicted through neural network (NN) models. The developed NN models have been trained and verified by using laboratory test results of soil samples collected from Arkansas Department of …

Karst Sinkhole Detecting And Mapping Using Airborne Lidar, Su Zhang, Shirley Baros, Susan Bogus

Publications

The focus of this study is to detect sinkhole hazards using airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. The premise is sinkholes, particularly those close to transportation infrastructure assets, could cause substantial damages to infrastructure assets, and therefore, being able to accurately and rapidly detect them is essential. However, it is expensive, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and unsafe to survey sinkholes using conventional ground observation methods. This research project was focused on developing accurate and rapid airborne LiDAR-based sinkhole detection and mapping methods, and transfer the technologies to transportation engineers for implementation and workforce development. The project team also identified best practices …

Developing Implementable Climatic Input Data And Moisture Boundary Conditions For Pavement Analysis And Design, Rifat Bulut, Amir Hossein Javid

Publications

The main objective of this study is to develop a practical and implementable numerical model for predicting the moisture (suction) regime within the pavement subgrade system. The research quality and uniformly-dispersed climate data over short distances from Oklahoma Mesonet and the Mitchell based moisture (suction) prediction methods establish the main background of the research study. The study involved numerical modeling and statistical analysis of climatic weather data. The proposed moisture variation model predicts the suction distribution throughout the soil subgrade by solving the diffusion equation and incorporates the measured suction from the Oklahoma Mesonet to estimate the diffusion coefficient. The …

Data Sheet For Cone Penetration Test In Soil-Bentonite Cutoff Wall, Jeffrey C. Evans

NSF Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Datasets

This data sheet shows the measurements taken using a cone penetration test in a soil-bentonite slurry trench cutoff wall. The testing was done following ASTM D 3441.

Data Sheet For Vane Shear Testing In Soil-Bentonite Cutoff Wall, Jeffrey C. Evans

NSF Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Datasets

This data sheet shows the measurements taken from vane shear tests in a soil-bentonite slurry trench cutoff wall. The vane obtained for the test was built in accordance to the ASTM standards of designation 2573. Due to the softness of the clay, to ensure the feasibility of acceptable torque resolution, the vane’s diameter, shaft diameter, and vane height at 100 mm, 16.5 mm, and 250 mm respectively were the largest acceptable sizes to use from the abovementioned standards.

Data Sheet For Marchetti Dilatometer In Soil-Bentonite Cutoff Wall, Jeffrey C. Evans

NSF Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Datasets

This data sheet shows the measurements taken using a Marchetti dilatometer in a soil-bentonite slurry trench cutoff wall for the purpose of finding the in situ lateral stresses. There are several data sets within the data sheet. Each set is labelled with the time, date, and location along the cutoff wall. The transverse orientation is perpendicular to the wall alignment and the longitudinal orientation is parallel to the wall alignment.

Urban Underground Infrastructure Monitoring Iot: The Path Loss Analysis, Abdul Salam, Syed Shah

Faculty Publications

The extra quantities of wastewater entering the pipes can cause backups that result in sanitary sewer overflows. Urban underground infrastructure monitoring is important for controlling the flow of extraneous water into the pipelines. By combining the wireless underground communications and sensor solutions, the urban underground IoT applications such as real time wastewater and storm water overflow monitoring can be developed. In this paper, the path loss analysis of wireless underground communications in urban underground IoT for wastewater monitoring has been presented. It has been shown that the communication range of up to 4 kilometers can be achieved from an underground …

Unl-Cc Outdoor Education Center Master Plan, Marie Wagner

Honors Theses

The following report contains the work done by the group Griswold Engineering in completion of the Senior Design requirements for Civil Engineering and the Honors Requirements of the Project Manager. As the project manager, my job was to organize the project as a whole and to work alongside the Structural Engineer on the project. One of the main problems to overcome was the division of labor amongst the group. The project was originally conceived as a group project with one project manager and five other students to serve as the project engineers in each subdiscipline. Since this group only had …

Civil Engineering Design Of Cornhusker Council's Outdoor Education Center, Kelly Weiler

Honors Theses

A team of geotechnical, structural, hydraulic, environmental, and transportation experts collaborated to provide engineering solutions to the Cornhusker Council in an effort to solve the current problems facing their Outdoor Education Center. This results of this project provided the structural design of three bridges on the property, transportation plans for two parking lots and roadway design, geotechnical recommendations for soil testing and erosion prevention, and an environmental and hydraulic analysis of the property. A major challenge in the design of this project is the consideration of the dangers and regulations that accompany the floodway and floodplain regions on site. Various …

Changes In Snow Phenology From 1979 To 2016 Over The Tianshan Mountains, Central Asia, Tao Yang, Qian Li, Sajjad Ahmad, Hongfei Zhou, Lanhai Li

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Snowmelt from the Tianshan Mountains (TS) is a major contributor to the water resources of the Central Asian region. Thus, changes in snow phenology over the TS have significant implications for regional water supplies and ecosystem services. However, the characteristics of changes in snow phenology and their influences on the climate are poorly understood throughout the entire TS due to the lack of in situ observations, limitations of optical remote sensing due to clouds, and decentralized political landscapes. Using passive microwave remote sensing snow data from 1979 to 2016 across the TS, this study investigates the spatiotemporal variations of snow …

Discussion: Effect Of Bentonite Slurry Pressure On Interface Friction Of Pipe Jacking, Ciaran Reilly, Trevor Orr

Articles

Pipe jacking is a technique used to construct tunnels by pushing prefabricated pipes through the ground from an entrance shaft to an exit shaft. This technique is referred as microtunneling in U.S. terminology, therefore, in the rest of the text, pipejacking and microtunneling will be used as having the same meaning. Pipe jacking is a more economical alternative to segmental lined tunnels. However, the main limitation of pipe jacking is the jacking distance, which is directly dependent on the friction between the pipe and the soil. Therefore, reducing the friction between the pipe and soil is a critical issue in …

Design And Evaluation Of Iot-Enabled Instrumentation For A Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall, Jeffrey C. Evans, Alan Marchiori, Yadong Li

Faculty Journal Articles

In this work, we describe our approach and experiences bringing an instrumented soil-bentonite slurry trench cutoff wall into a modern IoT data collection and visualization pipeline. Soil-bentonite slurry trench cutoff walls have long been used to control ground water flow and contaminant transport. A Raspberry Pi computer on site periodically downloads the sensor data over a serial interface from an industrial datalogger and transmits the data wirelessly to a gateway computer located 1.3 km away using a reliable transmission protocol. The resulting time-series data is stored in a MongoDB database and data is visualized in real-time by a custom web …

Evaluation Of New Methods For Determining The Minimum And Maximum Index Densities Of Sand, Hossein Ganji

Geotechnical Engineering Masters Projects

This thesis presents the results of a laboratory testing program that evaluated the applicability of a new-established method for determining minimum and maximum dry density values by Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI). Seven fine to medium grained cohesionless sand batches with different inclusion of fines content were selected for a series of testing programs in compliance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and NGI recommendations. All three methods of ASTM D4254 – 16 and method 1B of ASTM D4253 – 16 were applied for minimum and maximum dry density determination, respectively. The results compared with the NGI minimum and …

Evaluation Of Helical Piles As Anchors For Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Foundation Systems, Martha Shannon Harris

Geotechnical Engineering Masters Projects

The development of floating offshore wind energy is essential for growth of the renewable energy industry, and to decrease the reliance on fossil fuels and emission of greenhouse gasses. Advances in ease of construction and installation of turbines can make the floating offshore wind industry more marketable and feasible on a large scale; this can in part be achieved by innovation in foundation anchoring systems.

This thesis presents an evaluation of helical pile foundations for offshore deep-water application as anchors for floating offshore wind systems with catenary mooring lines in clay and sandy soils. This research outlines the influence of …

Synthesis Of Fault Traces In Se Louisiana Relative To Infrastructure, David Culpepper, Elizabeth Chinn Mcdade, Nancye Dawers, Mark Kulp, Rui Zhang

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17GTLSU12. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Geological faulting has been implicated as a contributor to subsidence, coastal land-loss and submergence of marshlands in southern Louisiana. This report reviews whether fault motion, either by slow creep or more sudden slip, can cause deformation of engineered structures resulting in increased infrastructure maintenance and repair costs. The impact of surface, or near-surface, geologic faulting on critical infrastructure is insufficiently documented in southeastern Louisiana, but the state has a vast amount of energy-sector subsurface data that to date has been under-utilized for …

Synthesis Of Fault Traces In Se Louisiana Relative To Infrastructure, David Culpepper, Elizabeth Chinn Mcdade, Nancye Dawers, Mark Kulp, Rui Zhang

Publications

Geological faulting has been implicated as a contributor to subsidence, coastal land-loss and submergence of marshlands in southern Louisiana. This report reviews whether fault motion, either by slow creep or more sudden slip, can cause deformation of engineered structures resulting in increased infrastructure maintenance and repair costs. The impact of surface, or near-surface, geologic faulting on critical infrastructure is insufficiently documented in southeastern Louisiana, but the state has a vast amount of energy-sector subsurface data that to date has been under-utilized for transportation and other near-surface engineering applications. Recent and on-going work by research groups at Tulane University, University of …

Influence Of Limit Equilibrium Methods In The Design Of Contiguous Cantilever Sheet Pile Walls Through Reliability-Based Analysis, Alvaro J. Mattos, Juan Camilo Viviescas, Juan Pablo Osorio

Conference papers

In geotechnical engineering the design of bored- pile walls is commonly performed in terms of the embedment length (D) defined according to the limit equilibrium methods (also known as balance methods) formulated by Krey, Blum, Rowe, Hansen and the empirical method of Look in sandy soils. The limit equilibrium methods are calculations associated with the shape of the earth pressures distributions in the shaft, earth pressures theories, geotechnical properties and safety factors, while the empirical criteria establish that the relationship between embedment and the free height (H) is of the order of D/H = 1.5. These design methods are complemented …

Experimental Investigation Of The Dynamics Of Trapped Non-Wetting Droplets Subjected To The Seismic Stimulation In Constricted Tubes: Supporting Information, Yandong Zhang, Chao Zeng, Baojun Bai, Wen Deng

Research Data

• Aspect Ratio of 4.5
• Aspect Ratio of 9.0
• Video Demos