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Full-Text Articles in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Encoder–Decoder With Pyramid Region Attention For Pixel-Level Pavement Crack Recognition, Hui Yao, Yanhao Liu, Haotian Lv, Ju Huyan, Zhanping You, Yue Hou
Encoder–Decoder With Pyramid Region Attention For Pixel-Level Pavement Crack Recognition, Hui Yao, Yanhao Liu, Haotian Lv, Ju Huyan, Zhanping You, Yue Hou
Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2
Timely and accurate extraction of pavement crack information is crucial to maintain service conditions and structural safety for infrastructures and reduce further road maintenance costs. Currently, deep learning techniques for automated pavement crack detection are far superior to traditional manual approaches in both speed and accuracy. However, existing deep learning models may easily lose crack details when processing images containing complex background textures or other noises. Although many studies have alleviated this challenge by introducing attention mechanisms, especially the non-local (NL) block, which has the ability to efficiently capture long-range dependencies to facilitate crack pixel capture, the huge computational cost …
Compatibility Investigation Of Waste Plastics In Bitumen Via A Molecular Dynamics Method, Hui Yao, Xin Li, Hancheng Dan, Qingli Dai, Zhanping You
Compatibility Investigation Of Waste Plastics In Bitumen Via A Molecular Dynamics Method, Hui Yao, Xin Li, Hancheng Dan, Qingli Dai, Zhanping You
Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2
The compatibility between waste plastic polymers and bitumen is the most challenging issue hindering the improvement of modified bitumen performance. The current practice of recycled waste plastics includes the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), etc. This study was designed to investigate the compatibility of different waste plastic polymers with bitumen binders by conducting molecular dynamics (MD) simulations at different temperatures. The molecular models of these materials were constructed in this study for the compatibility analysis, and they include the base bitumen, polymers (PVC, PP, and PE), polymer- bitumen blending systems. Using the output and related calculations …
Urban Versus Lake Impacts On Heat Stress And Its Disparities In A Shoreline City, T. C. Chakraborty, Jiali Wang, Yun Qian, William Pringle, Zhao Yang, Pengfei Xue
Urban Versus Lake Impacts On Heat Stress And Its Disparities In A Shoreline City, T. C. Chakraborty, Jiali Wang, Yun Qian, William Pringle, Zhao Yang, Pengfei Xue
Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2
Shoreline cities are influenced by both urban-scale processes and land-water interactions, with consequences on heat exposure and its disparities. Heat exposure studies over these cities have focused on air and skin temperature, even though moisture advection from water bodies can also modulate heat stress. Here, using an ensemble of model simulations covering Chicago, we find that Lake Michigan strongly reduces heat exposure (2.75°C reduction in maximum average air temperature in Chicago) and heat stress (maximum average wet bulb globe temperature reduced by 0.86°C) during the day, while urbanization enhances them at night (2.75 and 1.57°C increases in minimum average air …
A Fairness Assessment Of Mobility-Based Covid-19 Case Prediction Models, Abdolmajid Erfani, Vanessa Frias-Martinez
A Fairness Assessment Of Mobility-Based Covid-19 Case Prediction Models, Abdolmajid Erfani, Vanessa Frias-Martinez
Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2
In light of the outbreak of COVID-19, analyzing and measuring human mobility has become increasingly important. A wide range of studies have explored spatiotemporal trends over time, examined associations with other variables, evaluated non-pharmacologic interventions (NPIs), and predicted or simulated COVID-19 spread using mobility data. Despite the benefits of publicly available mobility data, a key question remains unanswered: are models using mobility data performing equitably across demographic groups? We hypothesize that bias in the mobility data used to train the predictive models might lead to unfairly less accurate predictions for certain demographic groups. To test our hypothesis, we applied two …
Investigating The Impact Of Seawater Intrusion On The Operation Cost Of Groundwater Supply In Island Aquifers, Weijiang Yu, Domenico Baù, Alex S. Mayer, Lauren K. Mancewicz, Mohammadali Geranmehr
Investigating The Impact Of Seawater Intrusion On The Operation Cost Of Groundwater Supply In Island Aquifers, Weijiang Yu, Domenico Baù, Alex S. Mayer, Lauren K. Mancewicz, Mohammadali Geranmehr
Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2
Managing fragile island freshwater resources requires identifying pumping strategies that trade off the financial cost of groundwater supply against controlling the seawater intrusion (SWI) associated with aquifer pumping. In this work, these tradeoffs are investigated through a sensitivity analysis conducted in the context of an optimization formulation of the groundwater management problem, which aims at minimizing the groundwater supply operation cost associated with groundwater pumping and desalination treatment, subject to constraints on SWI control, as quantified by the water table drawdown over the well (∆s), the reduction in freshwater volume (∆FV) in the aquifer, or the salt mass increase (∆SM) …
Retraining Investment For Alberta’S Oil And Gas Workers For Green Jobs In The Solar Industry, Theresa K. Meyer, Carol Hunsberger, Joshua M. Pearce
Retraining Investment For Alberta’S Oil And Gas Workers For Green Jobs In The Solar Industry, Theresa K. Meyer, Carol Hunsberger, Joshua M. Pearce
Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2
If oil sands are to be eliminated from the energy market to protect the global environment, human health and long-term economic welfare, a significant number of workers will be displaced in the transition to renewable energy technologies. This study outlines a cost-effective and convenient path for oil and gas workers in Alberta to be retrained in the burgeoning solar photovoltaic (PV) industry. Many oil and gas workers would be able to transfer fields with no additional training required. This study examines retraining options for the remainder of workers using the most closely matching skill equivalent PV job to minimize retraining …
Reconstructing 42 Years (1979–2020) Of Great Lakes Surface Temperature Through A Deep Learning Approach, Miraj Kayastha, Tao Liu, Daniel Titze, Timothy C. Havens, Chenfu Huang, Pengfei Xue
Reconstructing 42 Years (1979–2020) Of Great Lakes Surface Temperature Through A Deep Learning Approach, Miraj Kayastha, Tao Liu, Daniel Titze, Timothy C. Havens, Chenfu Huang, Pengfei Xue
Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2
Accurate estimates for the lake surface temperature (LST) of the Great Lakes are critical to understanding the regional climate. Dedicated lake models of various complexity have been used to simulate LST but they suffer from noticeable biases and can be computationally expensive. Additionally, the available historical LST datasets are limited by either short temporal coverage (<30 >years) or lower spatial resolution (0.25° × 0.25°). Therefore, in this study, we employed a deep learning model based on Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural networks to produce a daily LST dataset for the Great Lakes that spans an unparalleled 42 years (1979–2020) at …
Coastal Environments: Mine Discharges And Infringements On Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, Charles Kerfoot, Gary Swain, Luis M. Verissimo, Erin Johnston, Carol Maclennan, Daniel Schneider, Noel Urban
Coastal Environments: Mine Discharges And Infringements On Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, Charles Kerfoot, Gary Swain, Luis M. Verissimo, Erin Johnston, Carol Maclennan, Daniel Schneider, Noel Urban
Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2
Over a century ago, copper mills on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Lake Superior sluiced 64 million metric tonnes (MMT) of tailings into coastal waters, creating a metal-rich “halo”. Here we show that relatively small discharges can spread widely in time and space. Mass Mill (2.9 MMT) dumping into Lake Superior also illustrates the complexity of interactions with Indigenous Peoples. A combination of aerial photos, LiDAR, and a microscope technique for distinguishing end-member particles traces the migration of tailings. The clay fraction spread rapidly across Keweenaw Bay and curled into terminal L’Anse Bay, within tribal Reservation boundaries. The coarse stamp sand …
Automated Pavement Construction Inspection Using Uncrewed Aerial Systems (Uas)—Hot Mixed Asphalt (Hma) Temperature Segregation, Reihaneh Samsami, Amlan Mukherjee, Colin Brooks
Automated Pavement Construction Inspection Using Uncrewed Aerial Systems (Uas)—Hot Mixed Asphalt (Hma) Temperature Segregation, Reihaneh Samsami, Amlan Mukherjee, Colin Brooks
Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2
Temperature segregation in Hot Mixed Asphalt (HMA) pavement construction leads to performance problems, such as reduced fatigue life. During construction, Quality Assurance (QA) inspection procedures are required to evaluate the pavement condition and detect the segregated areas. In traditional HMA highway construction inspection processes, temperature differences are investigated manually, by sampling the HMA behind the paver. In these processes, inspectors are required to work adjacent to traffic and alongside moving or backing equipment. These processes do not provide a complete temperature profile of the mat, endanger the inspectors’ safety, and require on-site experienced inspectors. An Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) enables …
Multi-Hazard Socio-Physical Resilience Assessment Of Hurricane-Induced Hazards On Coastal Communities, Omar M. Nofal, Kooshan Amini, Jamie E. Padgett, John W. Van De Lindt, Nathanael Rosenheim, Yousef M. Darestani, Amin Enderami, Elaina J. Sutley, Sara Hamideh, Leonardo Duenas-Osorio
Multi-Hazard Socio-Physical Resilience Assessment Of Hurricane-Induced Hazards On Coastal Communities, Omar M. Nofal, Kooshan Amini, Jamie E. Padgett, John W. Van De Lindt, Nathanael Rosenheim, Yousef M. Darestani, Amin Enderami, Elaina J. Sutley, Sara Hamideh, Leonardo Duenas-Osorio
Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2
Hurricane-induced hazards can result in significant damage to the built environment cascading into major impacts to the households, social institutions, and local economy. Although quantifying physical impacts of hurricane-induced hazards is essential for risk analysis, it is necessary but not sufficient for community resilience planning. While there have been several studies on hurricane risk and recovery assessment at the building- and community-level, few studies have focused on the nexus of coupled physical and social disruptions, particularly when characterizing recovery in the face of coastal multi-hazards. Therefore, this study presents an integrated approach to quantify the socio-physical disruption following hurricane-induced multi-hazards …
Analytical Study Of Silane-Based And Wax-Based Additives On The Interfacial Bonding Characteristics Between Natural Rubber Modified Binder And Different Aggregate Types, Ashiru Sani, Mohd Rosli Mohd Hasan, Khairul Anuar Shariff, Najib Mukhtar, Mohammad Nishat Akhtar, Ikenna D. Uwanuakwa, Qingli Dai, Tracy Leh Xin Wong
Analytical Study Of Silane-Based And Wax-Based Additives On The Interfacial Bonding Characteristics Between Natural Rubber Modified Binder And Different Aggregate Types, Ashiru Sani, Mohd Rosli Mohd Hasan, Khairul Anuar Shariff, Najib Mukhtar, Mohammad Nishat Akhtar, Ikenna D. Uwanuakwa, Qingli Dai, Tracy Leh Xin Wong
Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2
The modification of asphalt binder with natural rubber latex (NR) significantly improves the rutting and fatigue resistance of asphalt mixtures. However, NR-modified binder is prone to low workability and wettability due to its high viscosity. Therefore, this research focuses on examining the influences of silane and wax-based additives on the wettability of natural rubber-modified binders and the binder-aggregates adhesion performances. In this study, experimental and analytical approaches were used. The contact angles of asphalt binder were measured using a goniometer through the sessile drop method with three solvents: deionised water, formamide, and glycerol. The C++ algorithm was adopted to compute …
‘Being Able To Work Has Kept Our Life Fairly Constant:’ Reconciling Social Practice Models To Assess The Impact Of (Infra)Structural Inequities On Household Wellbeing During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sonya Ahamed, Chelsea Schelly, Kristin Floress, William Lytle, Holly Caggiano, Cara L. Cuite, Charles Wallace, Ryan Cook, Rebekah Jarvis, Rachael Shwom, David Watkins
‘Being Able To Work Has Kept Our Life Fairly Constant:’ Reconciling Social Practice Models To Assess The Impact Of (Infra)Structural Inequities On Household Wellbeing During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sonya Ahamed, Chelsea Schelly, Kristin Floress, William Lytle, Holly Caggiano, Cara L. Cuite, Charles Wallace, Ryan Cook, Rebekah Jarvis, Rachael Shwom, David Watkins
Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2
Social practice theory offers a multidisciplinary perspective on the relationship between infrastructure and wellbeing. One prominent model in practice theory frames systems of provision as the rules, resources, and structures that enable the organization of social practices, encompassing both material and immaterial aspects of infrastructures. A second well-known model frames social practices in terms of their constituent elements: meanings, materials, and competences. Reconciling these two models, we argue that household capacity to respond to shifting systems of provision to maintain wellbeing is profoundly tied to the dynamics of privilege and inequity. To examine these dynamics, we propose a new analytical …