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Full-Text Articles in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Input Uncertainty On Watershed Modeling: Evaluation Of Precipitation And Air Temperature Data By Latent Variables Using Swat, Ruoyu Wang Oct 2018

Input Uncertainty On Watershed Modeling: Evaluation Of Precipitation And Air Temperature Data By Latent Variables Using Swat, Ruoyu Wang

Ruoyu Wang

Latent variables (i.e., normally distributed random noise) provide valuable information regarding model input uncertainty. Watershed processes have been explored with sophisticated simulation models in the past few decades and researchers have found that incorporating the uncertainty attributed to forcing inputs, model parameters, and measured data, can help improve simulation results, however, not in all cases. Latent variable use requires careful consideration to determine if results are better or worse. In this study, latent variables were implemented to both precipitation and air temperature data to investigate the influence on model predictions and associated predictive uncertainty by using the Soil and Water …


Mathematical Model Of The Shell With The Infill For Retaining Structures, Alexander T. Bekker, Nikita Ya. Tsimbelman, Dmitriy A. Potyanikhin, Andrey I. Mamontov, Ömer Bilgin, Tatiana I. Chernova Apr 2017

Mathematical Model Of The Shell With The Infill For Retaining Structures, Alexander T. Bekker, Nikita Ya. Tsimbelman, Dmitriy A. Potyanikhin, Andrey I. Mamontov, Ömer Bilgin, Tatiana I. Chernova

Ömer Bilgin

A description of finite element model and analysis of a shell with an infill is performed. A large diameter thin cylindrical shell structure with the edge leaning against compressible foundation soil is analyzed. Different materials are considered individually for the models of each structure shell and infill component (metal or reinforced concrete shell, and granular or elastic infill in a shell and foundation soil loaded by the structure). Contact conditions between 1) the infill and the shell’s inner surface and 2) between the foundation material and the shell edge are analyzed. An example of calculating strain conditions in the shell …


The Quasi-Static Deformation, Failure, And Fracture Behavior Of Titanium Alloy Gusset Plates Containing Bolt Holes, Therese Hurtuk, Craig Menzemer, Anil Patnaik, Tirumalai Srivatsan, Kannan Manigandan, T. Quick Oct 2015

The Quasi-Static Deformation, Failure, And Fracture Behavior Of Titanium Alloy Gusset Plates Containing Bolt Holes, Therese Hurtuk, Craig Menzemer, Anil Patnaik, Tirumalai Srivatsan, Kannan Manigandan, T. Quick

Craig Menzemer

In this article, the influence of bolt holes, specifically their number and layout on strength, deformation, and final fracture behavior of titanium alloy gusset plates under the influence of an external load is presented and discussed. Several plates having differences in both the number and layout of the bolt holes were precision machined and then deformed under quasi-static loading. The specific influence of number of bolt holes and their layout on maximum load-carrying capability and even fracture load was determined. The conjoint influence of bolt number, bolt layout pattern, nature of loading, contribution from local stress concentration, and intrinsic microstructural …


The Quasi-Static Deformation, Failure, And Fracture Behavior Of Titanium Alloy Gusset Plates Containing Bolt Holes, Therese Hurtuk, Craig Menzemer, Anil Patnaik, Tirumalai Srivatsan, Kannan Manigandan, T. Quick Aug 2015

The Quasi-Static Deformation, Failure, And Fracture Behavior Of Titanium Alloy Gusset Plates Containing Bolt Holes, Therese Hurtuk, Craig Menzemer, Anil Patnaik, Tirumalai Srivatsan, Kannan Manigandan, T. Quick

Anil Patnaik

In this article, the influence of bolt holes, specifically their number and layout on strength, deformation, and final fracture behavior of titanium alloy gusset plates under the influence of an external load is presented and discussed. Several plates having differences in both the number and layout of the bolt holes were precision machined and then deformed under quasi-static loading. The specific influence of number of bolt holes and their layout on maximum load-carrying capability and even fracture load was determined. The conjoint influence of bolt number, bolt layout pattern, nature of loading, contribution from local stress concentration, and intrinsic microstructural …


Changes In Heavy Rainstorm Characteristics With Time And Temperature, Barry A. Palynchuk Phd, Yiping Guo Phd Apr 2015

Changes In Heavy Rainstorm Characteristics With Time And Temperature, Barry A. Palynchuk Phd, Yiping Guo Phd

Barry A. Palynchuk PhD

The effects of climate change upon extreme rainfall is evaluated, based upon the identification of individual storms, and the changes in their statistical parameters and distributions. Those changes will be measured based upon historical time spans, and climatic temperature associated with the events. A brief review and comparison with other research is provided.


Changes In Heavy Rainstorm Characteristics With Time And Temperature - Presentation, Barry A. Palynchuk Phd Apr 2015

Changes In Heavy Rainstorm Characteristics With Time And Temperature - Presentation, Barry A. Palynchuk Phd

Barry A. Palynchuk PhD

The effects of climate change upon extreme rainfall is evaluated, based upon the identification of individual storms, and the changes in their statistical parameters and distributions. Those changes will be measured based upon historical time spans, and climatic temperature associated with the events. A brief review and comparison with other research provided.


Is Horizon Sampling More Powerful Than Depth Sampling?, Chris E. Johnson Mar 2014

Is Horizon Sampling More Powerful Than Depth Sampling?, Chris E. Johnson

Chris E Johnson

No abstract provided.


Effects Of Wetting Agents And Approaching Anode On Lead Migration In Electrokinetic Soil Remediation, Yee Sern Ng, Bhaskar Sen Gupta, Mohd Ali Hashim Jan 2014

Effects Of Wetting Agents And Approaching Anode On Lead Migration In Electrokinetic Soil Remediation, Yee Sern Ng, Bhaskar Sen Gupta, Mohd Ali Hashim

Ng Yee-Sern

Approaching anode is one of the enhancement techniques in electrokinetic soil remediation. This technique is reported to give promising migration for heavy metals under shorter treatment time and at lower cost in comparison to normal fixed anode system. In the present study, the effectiveness of fixed anode and approaching anode techniques in electrokinetic soil remediation for lead migration under different types of wetting agents (0.01M NaNO3 and 0.1M citric acid) was investigated. The study showed that the use of citric acid enhanced lead migration in comparison to NaNO3. For NaNO3 tests, lead was found to accumulate in the middle of …


The Probabilistic Characterization Of Severe Rainstorm Events: Applications Of Threshold Analysis To Climate Change Impacts, Barry A. Palynchuk Phd Dec 2013

The Probabilistic Characterization Of Severe Rainstorm Events: Applications Of Threshold Analysis To Climate Change Impacts, Barry A. Palynchuk Phd

Barry A. Palynchuk PhD

A summary of PhD thesis, with emphasis upon storm event definition, and climate change impacts upon rainfall depth, duration, and intensity.


Municipal Solid Wastes And Water Quality Issues In Nigeria, S Isiorho, D Omole Oct 2013

Municipal Solid Wastes And Water Quality Issues In Nigeria, S Isiorho, D Omole

S Isiorho

No abstract provided.


Climate Change And Hydrological Risks Related To Railway Infrastructure In Northern Regions, Barry A. Palynchuk Phd Oct 2013

Climate Change And Hydrological Risks Related To Railway Infrastructure In Northern Regions, Barry A. Palynchuk Phd

Barry A. Palynchuk PhD

In this paper, the authors discuss the possible consequences of global warming on northern hydrology and their impacts on railway drainage infrastructure. How can we change actual design approaches, methods and standards to adapt, to reduce vulnerability and to improve resilience to climate change? Under current climate conditions, snow, ice and permafrost play a dominant role in the water balance in cold regions. Three areas can be distinguished: regions of continuous permafrost, regions of discontinuous permafrost and permafrost-free regions. To predict the potential climate change impacts on each region, the spatial analog and the climate variability analog approaches can be …


Climate Change Adaptation Chapter: Marshfield, Massachusetts, Joshua H. Chase, Jonathan G. Cooper, Rory Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Filipe Antunes Lima, Sally R. Miller, Toni Marie Pignatelli Feb 2013

Climate Change Adaptation Chapter: Marshfield, Massachusetts, Joshua H. Chase, Jonathan G. Cooper, Rory Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Filipe Antunes Lima, Sally R. Miller, Toni Marie Pignatelli

Sally Miller

Climate change, understood as a statistically significant variation in the mean state of the climate or its variability, is the greatest environmental challenge of this generation (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2001). Marshfield is already being affected by changes in the climate that will have a profound effect on the town’s economy, public health, coastal resources, natural features, water systems, and public and private infrastructure. Adaptation strategies have been widely recognized as playing an important role in improving a community’s ability to respond to climate stressors by resisting damage and recovering quickly. Based on review of climate projections for the …


Evaluation Of Beach Nourishment Evolution Models Using Data From Two South Carolina Beaches: Folly Beach And Hunting Island, Sc, Usa, Harry Weathers, George Voulgaris Dec 2012

Evaluation Of Beach Nourishment Evolution Models Using Data From Two South Carolina Beaches: Folly Beach And Hunting Island, Sc, Usa, Harry Weathers, George Voulgaris

George Voulgaris

Beach nourishment is a common method used for mitigating coastal erosion. However, it is also a costly undertaking and requires an appropriate cost-to-benefit analysis. Although the costs can be estimated relatively easily, the benefits are directly related to the life expectancy of the proposed project. With this in mind, three existing beach replenishment time-evolution models (the Linear Erosion, the Verhagen, and the One-Line models) were compared for their ability to represent data from two beach nourishment projects that have taken place in South Carolina, USA, at Folly Beach and Hunting Island. Another newly introduced model that combines the One-Line model …


Wave Transmission And Water Setup Behind An Emergent Rubble-Mound Breakwater, Lorenzo Cappietti, Douglas Sherman, Jean Ellis Dec 2012

Wave Transmission And Water Setup Behind An Emergent Rubble-Mound Breakwater, Lorenzo Cappietti, Douglas Sherman, Jean Ellis

Jean Taylor Ellis

No abstract provided.


Identifying The Retention Mechanisms Of (Bio)Colloids In Single, Saturated, Variable-Aperture Fractures, Sandrina Rodrigues Oct 2012

Identifying The Retention Mechanisms Of (Bio)Colloids In Single, Saturated, Variable-Aperture Fractures, Sandrina Rodrigues

Sarah E Dickson

No abstract provided.


First-Order Catchment Mass Balance During The Wet Season In The Panama Canal Watershed, Fred Ogden Aug 2012

First-Order Catchment Mass Balance During The Wet Season In The Panama Canal Watershed, Fred Ogden

Fred L. Ogden

Tropical hydrology is poorly understood for a number of reasons. Intense biological activity in the tropics introduces complexities to the hydrologic process. Bioturbation, rapid rates of decay, and intensive insect activity all tend to promote rapid flow paths in the upper soil. Aggressive weathering leads to clays depleted of light cations and deep soil profiles. Processes in the seasonal tropics are further complicated by seasonal transitions, and very large changes in catchment storage between seasons. Beginning in 2005, we installed a suite of hydrologic sensors in a 16.7 ha first-order catchment in the Panama Canal Watershed to observe hydrologic variables …


Bioretention: Evaluating Their Effectiveness For Improving Water Quality In New England Urban Environments, Mary Dehais Mar 2012

Bioretention: Evaluating Their Effectiveness For Improving Water Quality In New England Urban Environments, Mary Dehais

Mary Dehais

Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is one of the leading causes of water quality problems in the United States. Bioretention has become one of the more frequently used stormwater management practices for addressing NPS pollution in urbanized watersheds in New England. Yet despite increased acceptance, bioretention is not widely practiced. This study explores and evaluates the efficacy of bioretention for protecting urban water quality. This research found that numerous monitoring methods are used by researchers and industry experts to assess the effectiveness of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) and low impact development (LID) practices that include bioretention. The two most common …


Exploring The Effects Of Aperture Size, Aperture Variability And Matrix Properties On Biocolloid Retention In A Single, Saturated Fracture, Margaret Burke Jan 2012

Exploring The Effects Of Aperture Size, Aperture Variability And Matrix Properties On Biocolloid Retention In A Single, Saturated Fracture, Margaret Burke

Sarah E Dickson

No abstract provided.


The Influence Of Hydrodynamic Forces On The Transport And Retention Of Colloids In Single Saturated Dolomitic Limestone Fractures, Mike Schutten Jan 2012

The Influence Of Hydrodynamic Forces On The Transport And Retention Of Colloids In Single Saturated Dolomitic Limestone Fractures, Mike Schutten

Sarah E Dickson

No abstract provided.


Using Equal‐Area Quadratic Splines To Compute Depth‐ Weighted Averages Of Soil Chemical Parameters, Chris E. Johnson, Jeremy Tamargo Mar 2011

Using Equal‐Area Quadratic Splines To Compute Depth‐ Weighted Averages Of Soil Chemical Parameters, Chris E. Johnson, Jeremy Tamargo

Chris E Johnson

No abstract provided.


Reverse Logic - Safety Of Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposal, Antti Lempinen, Marianne Silvan-Lempinen Dec 2010

Reverse Logic - Safety Of Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposal, Antti Lempinen, Marianne Silvan-Lempinen

Antti Lempinen

No abstract provided.


A Comparison Of Biocolloid And Colloid Transport In Single Saturated Rock Fractures, Junlei Qu Apr 2010

A Comparison Of Biocolloid And Colloid Transport In Single Saturated Rock Fractures, Junlei Qu

Sarah E Dickson

No abstract provided.


Removal Of Perchlorate (Clo4-) From Water Using Pulsed Arc Electrohydraulic Discharge (Paed), Sarah E. Dickson Jan 2010

Removal Of Perchlorate (Clo4-) From Water Using Pulsed Arc Electrohydraulic Discharge (Paed), Sarah E. Dickson

Sarah E Dickson

No abstract provided.


Effect Of Spontaneous Gas Expansion And Mobilization On The Aqueous-Phase Concentrations Above A Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid Pool., Kevin G. Mumford, James Smith, Sarah E. Dickson Dec 2009

Effect Of Spontaneous Gas Expansion And Mobilization On The Aqueous-Phase Concentrations Above A Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid Pool., Kevin G. Mumford, James Smith, Sarah E. Dickson

Sarah E Dickson

This paper presents a framework to quantify the overall variability of the model estimations of Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Total PCBs) concentrations in the Niagara River on the basis of the uncertainty of few model parameters and the natural variability embedded in some of the model input variables. The results of the uncertainty analysis are used to understand the importance of stochastic model components and their effect on the overall reliability of the model output and to evaluate multiple sources of uncertainty that might need to be further studied. The uncertainty analysis is performed using a newly developed point estimate method, …


New Observations Of Gas-Phase Expansion Above A Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid Pool, Kevin G. Mumford, James E. Smith, Sarah E. Dickson May 2009

New Observations Of Gas-Phase Expansion Above A Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid Pool, Kevin G. Mumford, James E. Smith, Sarah E. Dickson

Sarah E Dickson

The partitioning of volatile dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) compounds to a discontinuous gas phase results in the repeated expansion, fragmentation, and vertical mobilization of gas clusters. This process has the potential to significantly affect the dissolution of DNAPL source zones and the characterization of DNAPL-contaminated sites, but has not been included in common conceptual models. This study presents new observations of discontinuous gas-phase growth above a 1,1,1-trichloroethane pool in a two-dimensional flow cell packed with 1.1-mm diameter sand. In contrast to the behavior observed in coarse glass beads, these visualization results show that the gas phase evolves as a …


Influence Of Aperture Field Heterogeneity And Anisotropy On Dispersion Regimes And Dispersivity In Single Fractures, Qinghuai Zheng, Sarah E. Dickson, Yiping Guo Jan 2009

Influence Of Aperture Field Heterogeneity And Anisotropy On Dispersion Regimes And Dispersivity In Single Fractures, Qinghuai Zheng, Sarah E. Dickson, Yiping Guo

Sarah E Dickson

A 33 factorial experimental design was implemented to numerically investigate the interactive effect of the mean (μ b ), standard deviation (σ b ), and anisotropic ratio (AR) (λ b x /λ b y ) of single-fracture apertures on dispersion regimes (specifically Taylor dispersion and geometric dispersion) and dispersivity. The Reynolds equation was solved to obtain the flow fields in each computer-generated fracture, and the random walk particle tracking method was used to simulate solute transport. The simulation results show that (1) for a fixed hydraulic gradient, the dominant dispersion regime is controlled by μ b , and to a …


Differential Transport And Dispersion Of Colloids Relative To Solutes In Single Fractures, Qinghuai Zheng, Sarah E. Dickson, Yiping Guo Jan 2009

Differential Transport And Dispersion Of Colloids Relative To Solutes In Single Fractures, Qinghuai Zheng, Sarah E. Dickson, Yiping Guo

Sarah E Dickson

This work employed numerical experiments simulating colloid and solute transport in single parallelplate fractures, using the random walk particle tracking method, to demonstrate that (1) there exists an aspect ratio of the colloid radius to half the fracture aperture, do, where the average velocities of colloids and solutes are similar. When d > do, the velocity distribution assumption is satisfied, and the fact that the ratio of the colloid transport velocity to the solute transport velocity, sp, decreases as d increases is well documented in the literature. However, when d < do, the velocity distribution assumption is violated, and sp increases as d increases and (2) the Taylor dispersion coefficient and its extension by James and Chrysikopoulos [S.C. James, C. V. Chrysikopoulos, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 263 (2003) 288] will overestimate the colloid dispersion coefficient significantly. Additionally, numerical experiments simulating colloid and solute transport in variable-aperture fractures demonstrated that sp and DL,coll /DL,solute decrease with increasing CoV, and the anisotropy ratio only plays a minor role compared to the CoV. These observations have important implications towards the interpretation of colloid transport in both porous and fractured media.


A Method For Computing Infiltration And Redistribution In A Discretized Moisture Content Domain, Fred L. Ogden Jul 2008

A Method For Computing Infiltration And Redistribution In A Discretized Moisture Content Domain, Fred L. Ogden

Fred L. Ogden

A new one-dimensional infiltration and redistribution method is proposed as an alternative to the Richards equation (RE) for coupled surface and subsurface models. The proposed method discretizes soil water content into hypothetical hydraulically interacting bins. The entry and propagation of displacement fronts in each bin are simulated by means of explicit infiltration and drainage approximations based on capillary and gravitational driving forces. Wetting front advances within bins create water deficits that are satisfied by capillary-driven interbin flow. The method inherently provides numerical stability by precluding the need to directly estimate nonlinear gradients through numerical schemes. Comparisons of the performance of …


Bench-Scale Disinfection Of Bacteria And Viruses With Pulsed Arc Electrohydraulic Discharge, L H. Lee, A J. Arnold, C A. Santillan, M B. Emelko, Sarah E. Dickson, J. -S Chang Jan 2008

Bench-Scale Disinfection Of Bacteria And Viruses With Pulsed Arc Electrohydraulic Discharge, L H. Lee, A J. Arnold, C A. Santillan, M B. Emelko, Sarah E. Dickson, J. -S Chang

Sarah E Dickson

Pulsed arc electrohydraulic discharge (PAED) offers concurrent treatment of chemical and microbial target compounds in water by several mechanisms. Here, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis spore, and MS2 bacteriophage inactivation by PAED were investigated using two bench-scale reactors (0.7 and 3 L). A plasma channel was created between a pair of iron electrodes set 0.5 mm apart in these reactors. Pulsed applied voltage was supplied at approximately 0.3 kJ/pulse (~100 ìsec). In the 0.7-L reactor, median E. coli, B. subtilis, and MS2 reductions of 2.4-, 4.6-, and 3.7-log, respectively, were observed after approximately 80 seconds of treatment in water with a …


Expansion Of The Discontinuous Gas Phase And Its Effect On Mass Flux From A Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (Napl) Pool, Kevin G. Mumford, James E. Smith, Sarah E. Dickson Jan 2008

Expansion Of The Discontinuous Gas Phase And Its Effect On Mass Flux From A Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (Napl) Pool, Kevin G. Mumford, James E. Smith, Sarah E. Dickson

Sarah E Dickson

The partitioning of non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) compounds to a discontinuous gas phase results in the repeated spontaneous expansion, snap-off, and vertical mobilization of the gas phase. This mechanism has the potential to significantly affect the mass transfer processes that control the dissolution of NAPL pools by increasing the vertical transport of NAPL mass and increasing the total mass transfer rate from the surface of the pool. The extent to which this mechanism affects mass transfer from a NAPL pool depends on the rate of expansion and the mass of NAPL compound in the gas phase. This study used well-controlled …