Civil Engineering Commons^™

Commercialization Of A Small, Lightweight, Low-Cost Seismic Borehole Receiver, Rachel Adams

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Herein, conceptualization of a recently patented seismic borehole receiver and its components is developed for commercialization. The device is significantly cheaper, lighter, and smaller than existing technologies on the market. Additionally, it has the potential to achieve better seismic readings than its competitors via patented sensor-to-borehole coupling mechanism. It is the hope that the commercialization of this device will not only provide a more affordable alternative to engineers and geophysicists in the existing market, but the significant cost difference may open new seismic measurement opportunities in the developing world. Its compact size and light weight will increase mobility, allowing investigators …

Interfacial Bond Between Reinforcing Fibers And Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cements: Fiber Pullout Characteristics, Robert B. Jewell, Kamyar C. Mahboub, Thomas L. Robl, Arne C. Bathke

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The results of an experimental investigation on the influence of the interfacial bond of reinforcing fibers embedded in a calcium sulfoaluminate matrix on the fiber-pullout peak load and energy consumption are presented. Bonding at the fiber-matrix interface plays an important role in controlling the mechanical performance of cementitious composites—in particular, composites formed from sulfate-based systems (calcium sulfoaluminate [CSA] cements), as opposed to the silicate systems found in portland cement. Various types of fibers were selected, including polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polypropylene, and copper-coated steel. The fibers were embedded in three different matrixes: two sulfate-based cements including one commercially available CSA cement …

Life-Cycle Cost Analysis Of Reinforced Concrete Bridges Rehabilitated With Cfrp, Jeffrey L. Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The deterioration of highway bridges and structures and the cost of repairing, rehabilitating, or replacing deteriorated structures is a major issue for bridge owners. An aging infrastructure as well as the need to upgrade structural capacity for heavier trucks adds to problem. Life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) is a useful tool for determining when the deployment of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite components is an economically viable alternative for rehabilitating deteriorated concrete bridges.

The use of LCCA in bridge design and rehabilitation has been limited. The use of LCCA for bridges on a project level basis has often been limited to the …

Influence Of Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cement On The Pullout Performance Of Reinforcing Fibers: An Evaluation Of The Micro-Mechanical Behavior, Robert B. Jewell

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The objective of this research was to determine the influence of calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement on reinforcing fibers by evaluating the fiber pullout behavior, and bonding characteristics, of a single fiber embedded in a cementitious paste matrix. Four types of fibers commonly used in industry were evaluated: 1) Polyvinyl alcohol; 2) Polypropylene; 3) Coated Steel; and 4) Plain Steel.

Upward trends in energy costs and potential greenhouse gas regulations favor an increased use of construction materials that require lower energy and lower CO₂ emissions to fabricate, such as CSA cement, as opposed to the production of ordinary portland cement …

Sediment Organic Carbon Fate And Transport In A Fluviokarst Watershed In The Bluegrass Region, Admin Husic

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Mature karst topography is well recognized within the hydrology and geology communities to include subterranean fluid pathways that act as turbulent conduits conveying fluid from surface stream sinks called swallets to sources called springs. However, we find that little knowledge has been reported with regards to the transport and fate of terrestrially-derived sediment organic carbon (SOC) within karst watersheds. This study investigated the hypothesis that karst pathways could act as biologically active conveyors of SOC that temporarily store sediment, turnover carbon at higher rates than otherwise considered, and recharge depleted SOC back to the surface stream within the fluvial system. …

Mechanical Behavior Of Grouted Sands, Ryan C. Ortiz

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Grouting techniques have been in used for many years, but several new grout materials have surfaced in recent decades that have re-defined the boundaries of the limitations of grouting programs. Typically these applications are used for seepage control in earthen impoundments, but strength of these earthen impoundments should be considered where there is potential for movement in the grouted soil mass. This study investigated initial conditions that could affect grout application effectiveness. The initial conditions in question were soil grain size and in situ moisture content. Two grouts were used, ultrafine and acrylate, and variations in pure grout properties were …

Deformation-Based Excavation Support System Design Method, Sekyi K. Intsiful

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Development in urban areas around the world has steadily increased in recent years. This rapid development has not been matched by the ever decreasing open space commonly associated with urban centers. Vertical construction, thus, lends itself a very useful solution to this problem. Deep excavation is often required for urban construction. Unfortunately, the ground movements associated with deep excavation can result in damage to adjacent buildings. Thus, it is critically important to accurately predict the damage potential of nearby deep excavations and designing adequate support systems.

A new design method is proposed, as an attempt, to address the problem. The …

Prediction Of Strength And Shear Modulus Of Compacted Clays Within An Unsaturated Critical State Framework, Corrie Walton-Macaulay

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The objective of this research study is to determine whether the soil stiffness, from which the small-strain shear modulus is determined, can be used to predict the shearing resistance of compacted clay soil, which are invariably under conditions of partial saturation. The research program developed for this objective included three major soil testing programs of matric suction, shear modulus, and strength.

A method to estimate matric suction of field compacted clay soil was presented and it is based on the quantified effect of change in initial void ratio on the soil water characteristic behaviors. With the use of a non-nuclear …

Vibration Of Steel-Framed Floors Supporting Sensitive Equipment In Hospitals, Research Facilities, And Manufacturing Facilities, Di Liu

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Floors have traditionally been designed only for strength and deflection serviceability. As technological advances have been made in medical, scientific and micro-electronics manufacturing, many types of equipment have become sensitive to vibration of the supporting floor. Thus, vibration serviceability has become a routinely evaluated limit state for floors supporting sensitive equipment. Equipment vibration tolerance limits are sometimes expressed as waveform peak acceleration, and are more often expressed as narrowband spectral acceleration, or one-third octave spectral velocity.

Current floor vibration prediction methods, such as those found in the American Institute of Steel Construction Design Guide 11, Floor Vibrations Due to Human …

Determination Of Explosive Energy Partition Values In Rock Blasting Through Small-Scale Testing, Joshua Calnan

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Blasting is a critical part of most mining operations. The primary function of blasting is to fragment and move rock. For decades, attempts have been made at increasing the efficiency of blasting to reduce costs and increase production. Most of these attempts involve trial and error techniques that focus on changing a single output. These techniques are costly and time consuming and it has been shown that as one output is optimized other outputs move away from their optimum level. To truly optimize a blasting program, the transfer of explosive energy into individual components must be quantified. Explosive energy is …