Civil Engineering Commons^™

Unifying Assessments Of Sustainability And Resilience In Civil Infrastructure Systems: The Case Of Masonry Structures, Samir J. Pandey

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Review of existing literature on the unification of sustainability and resilience showed the lack of a single effective framework that can unify the two, especially for building systems. Along this line of research, this study contributes a novel experimental framework to assess masonry structures and support a unified approach. This study performed structural analysis for resilience assessment and energy simulation for sustainability assessment. Based on the openings available in masonry walls, the study observed the changes in sustainability indicators (electricity consumption). Changes in resilience indicators (story drifts) were also observed. Results indicate that overall sustainability is compromised with additional openings …

Aeroelastic Testing To Evaluate Wind Effects On Transmission Systems, Ziad Azzi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The transmission infrastructure in the U.S. faces substantial risk from hurricanes. Wind-induced damage poses an immense threat to the electric power grid; such hazards have significantly impacted the supply, generation, and delivery of power to large portions of the U.S. in the past. When exposed to strong winds, critical demands in several elements in transmission tower-line systems may exceed corresponding capacities and trigger various modes of failure. Enhancing the resilience of the transmission grid against increasing threats from hurricanes and strong winds is therefore of critical importance. The results of 1:50 aeroelastic scaled models of a self-supported steel lattice tower …

Work Zone Safety Analysis, Investigating Benefits From Accelerated Bridge Construction (Abc) On Roadway Safety, Seyedmirsajad Mokhtarimousavi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The attributes of work zones have significant impacts on the risk of crash occurrence. Therefore, identifying the factors associated with crash severity and frequency in work zone locations is of important value to roadway safety. In addition, the significant loss of workers’ lives and injuries resulting from work zone crashes indicates the emergent need for a comprehensive and in-depth investigation of work zone crash mechanisms.

The cost of work zone crashes is another issue that should be taken into account as work zone crashes impose millions of dollars on society each year. Applying innovative construction methods like Accelerated Bridge Construction …

Identification Of Secondary Traffic Crashes And Recommended Countermeasures, Armana Sabiha Huq

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Secondary crashes (SCs) usually occur due to congestion or other prior incidents. SCs are increasingly spotted as a significant issue in traffic operations, leading to reduced capacity, extra traffic delays, increased fuel consumption, and additional emissions. SCs have substantial impacts on traffic management resource allocation. One of the challenges in the traffic safety area of the transportation industry is to determine an adequate method for identifying SCs. The specific objectives of this study are: identification of SCs using spatiotemporal criteria and exploring the contributing risk factors to the identified SCs.

Two different approaches were explored to identify SCs. The first …

A Coupled Numerical Model Of Vadose Zone Hydrology And Subsidence In The Everglades Wetlands, Anupama John

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Peatlands, a type of wetlands, cover less than 3% of the earth’s surface but are responsible for nearly 5% of global carbon emissions when drained. Alterations to the natural hydrology of the Everglades, one of the largest peatlands in the United States, have resulted in the presence of vadose zones and the consequent subsidence of peat. Everglades restoration efforts are guided by hydrological models that neglect unsaturated water flow, which limits their ability to quantify critical wetland processes. Large datasets of the spatially varying soil hydraulic parameters (SHPs) like the soil water retention curves (SWRCs) are necessary to develop distributed, …

Rheological And Chemical Characteristics Of Asphalt Binders Recycled Using Recycling Agents And Nanoparticles, Mohamadtaqi Baqersad

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The reuse and recycling of materials, especially materials derived from nature, is necessary for a sustainable environment and world. Asphalt mixture is a combination of asphalt binder and aggregates, both of which originated from nature. The reuse and recycling of aged asphalt materials (RAP) is widespread. However, a large portion of these materials is wasted. One primary reason for the reluctance to use a high percentage of RAP in recycled asphalt is uncertainty in the long-term performance of recycled asphalt pavement. To improve the long-term performance of recycled asphalt, new additives and Recycling Agents (RA) are used to modify the …

Retrofitting And Rehabilitation Of Bridge Components Subjected To Predominantly Flexural Load Using Thin Uhpc Shell, Alireza Valikhani

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of bridges exceeding their design life is increasing every year and Federal Highway Administration estimates that structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges comprise almost 24% of total bridge inventory in the U.S. Besides aging, the existing bridges can sustain damages due to various factors including exposure to severe environment, deleterious chemicals, and overloading. To avert any catastrophic loss of property and life, it is imperative that the existing bridge inventory is rehabilitated and repaired at a minimal cost and at an expedited schedule using advanced construction methodologies and materials.

One such advancement consists of the use of Ultra-High …