Civil Engineering Commons^™

Effect Of Steel Fiber And Polypropylene Fiber On Reinforced Concrete, Erjola Reufi, Jozefita Marku

UBT International Conference

This paper presents the results of an experimental study that investigated, the effects of steel fibers and polypropylene fibers on the mechanical properties of concrete. Two types of fibers used are hooked end steel fibers of 50 mm and 30 mm length with the aspect ratio of 67 (length 50 mm and diameter 0.75 mm) and 44 (length 30 mm and diameter 0.75 mm). On the other hand, three types of polypropylene fibers are used of length 12mm, 6mm and 3 mm. Steel fibers are used of 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1% by the volume of concrete and polypropylene fiber …

A Study On Tibiofemoral Joint Contact Area Stresses Using Finite Element Method, Anjeza Gjini, Altin Bidaj, Enio Deneko, Drilona Disha

UBT International Conference

The joints of the human body act as mechanical or building structures joints. Joints connect different segments by enabling the movement of these segments. The design of a joint that provides durability or static support differs from that one which provides only movement. Joints of the human body, as organic joints, are considered more complex than other types of joints. Finite element models help to comprehend the knee structure behavior under the action of dynamic and static loads. Deformations in the articulating cartilage and the distribution of loads from meniscus provide data to understand the effect of loads in different …

Application Of Ec Regulations On Assessment Of The Effect Of Fire On Buildings, Xhemshir Mulliqi

UBT International Conference

The last decade has been characterized by construction of multi-storey buildings in almost all cities of Kosovo, with the storey-height ranging from B+G+4 to B+G+11 and even B+G+15, which means that they need to be subjected to the revision of the main project, including things be verified for the effect of fire. This paper aims to illustrate the use of EC regulations for the verification of reinforced concrete structures under effect of fire, respectively: EN 1991-2-2 Basis of design and actions on structures. Part-2.2: Actions on structures exposed to fire and EN 1992-1-2:2004 Design of concrete structures- part -1-2: Structural …

Application Of En 1991-1-2 Annex E, Using’S Software Package, Xhemshir Mulliqi

UBT International Conference

The fire may occur anywhere and in any phase in the lifetime of a building .Fire resistance requirements should be based on the parameters influencing fire growth and development. For calculating the characteristic fire load, the characteristic fire load has to be determined using the table of EN 1991-1-2 Annex E.The aim of this paper is to present the methodology used in this tool and to show an example of application. The fire resistance of a steel beam submitted to compartment fires which supports a non-collaborating concrete slab in a compartment is estimated in case of an unprotected and a …

Assessment Of Wood Processing Engineers By Requirements Of Leading Manufacturing Entities In Albania, Ramadan Topuzi, Arden Bejtja

UBT International Conference

In Albania a significant number of wood-processing engineers exercise this profession in the field of manufacturing and trading of furniture. In this sector exercise their activity over 800 manufacturing entities distributed across the country with about 9,000 employees. The main purpose of the study is the assessment of wood processing engineers as perceived by the manufacturing entities and their adaptation to the requirements of the labor market . The data collected through a structured questionnaire for this purpose, are thrown into a database (where they are analyzed to generate the results given in this paper. The selection of the respondents …

Structural Analysis Of A Typical Highway Bridge Comparison Between Ktp, En And Aashto Load Models, Endrit Berisha

UBT International Conference

This study consists on a structural analysis comparison of a typical highway bridge between KTP, EN and AASHTO based on load capacity. The Eurocodes are currently in the process of national implementation towards becoming the Europe wide means for structural design of civil engineering works. A team from Mott Macdonald inspected 562 bridges and the main causes of the defects are figured out in the study as traffic load, nature force, and aging, lack of maintenance and design deficiencies. As design codes are advancing with time, the need of Albania to upgrade its code has become a must. This paper …

Design Of Bearing Capacity Of The Driven Piles Of A Highway Bridge Foundation According To 3 Different Methods, Papa Dhimitri, Dervishi Idlir

UBT International Conference

Contemporary design methods of bearing capacity of deep foundation (pile foundation) change according to different design codes. The main requisition of the designing process of the deep foundation is related with the axial bearing capacity, which should be sufficient to withstand the applied loads. Many authors has developed and published detailed methods to analyze the behavior of a single reinforced concrete pile or a group of piles, based on vertical bearing capacity due to lateral friction or residence at the pile point. The goal of this paper is to illustrate the calculation methods according to 3 analytical methods of vertical …

Advanced Construction Materials For Highway Applications, Altin Bidaj, Irakli Premti, Hektor Cullufi

UBT International Conference

Nowadays cost of highway materials increase every year. In addition, use of marginal materials results in early development of pavement distress, requiring more frequent repairs also rehabilitation, associated lane closures, traffic congestion in high volume traffic areas which increases the potential for construction zone accidents and increased levels of environmental pollution related to automobile emissions. Therefore, there is a strong desire in our country to optimize the use of materials currently used for highway pavement construction and to seek advanced materials that are cheaper and environmentally friendly. It has now been recognized that the age of limitless construction materials and …

Motorizing Cbd Of Tirana. A Before And After Study In Tirana From Sustainability Point Of View, Edison Barhani

UBT International Conference

The Center Business District of Tirana (Skanderbeg Square) plays a crucial part in Tirana Transportation System. After a closure of about 2 years, being under reconstruction, CBD opened to traffic on November 14th, 2011. This study analyses performance parameters like: travel time for both cars and buses, waiting time at bus stations, and passenger boarding/alignment for bus passing through or around the CBD before and after it was opened to traffic. Route that follows Kinostudio-Kombinat bus line has been selected as a representative of all other lines passing through the center of Tirana. Opened to traffic for the supply to …

Imperfection Impact On Behavior Of The Secondary Nonstructural Elements And Vertical Non Precise Erection Of Members, Armend Mujaj, Florim Grajçevci, Driton R. Kryeziu, Zijadin Guri, Fisnik Kadiu

UBT International Conference

In this paper of works will be try to present the fundamental computation referring to the imperfection impacts phenomena of non-precise erection effects of the structural members as are vertical columns. Depends from the structural type, the structure should have a vertical structural members with the enough vertical and shear capacity provoked from horizontal action of earthquake, wind, dead and imposed vertical loads. The structural designers, during the structural computation are improve the several approximations creating the dynamic modeling, having into the consideration of structural elements classification in the prior and secondary structural elements. It is very none that the …

Processing Of Gis Data And Building Of 3d Dem Models With Fme Transformer Tools, Hebib Alili, Fadil Shehu, Shenur Muslija

UBT International Conference

The processes of processing of 2D or 3D geodetic or geo-information data by using the FME software and other software's or tools in combination and then through mathematical logics in FME building of such 3D models from original measured terrain data within transformers given by FME, could be considered as very important attempt of creating of such 3D models, exactly when we have to deal with huge data by the size of its as input data. These kind of doing of processing of data through FME software, can be considered as important issue also for resolving of other today related …

Climate Change And Drinking Water, Muhamet Ahmeti, Ilira Abdullahu

UBT International Conference

The period June 2012 – March 2014 saw a prolonged deficit of precipitation below normal. This led to a major continental scale drought across southern Europe, and in eastern Kosova in particular. E.g. see figure 1 below for the month of December 2013, from Drought Monitoring Center for SEE. In fact December 2013 was the fifth driest month in the recorded history of Kosova. February registered the driest month in the recorded hydro-meteorological history of Kosova, since 1927 with only 2.1 mm precipitation, which expressed in Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The chance of getting this value in February was 1 …

Reducing The Porosity And Sealing Cracks By Using Crystalline Admixture In Conventional Concrete, Visar Krelani, Liberato Ferrara

UBT International Conference

There is a continuous increase of quality on civil engineering materials in developed countries and parallel increase of need for new constructions in developing countries. Professional community should propose solutions for the durability that can resist in different severe environments. The most important factor that can affect concrete durability is represented by the pore distribution. Transport properties can take place through the porous network inside the cementitious composites and the aggregates interface, permitting the ingress of aggressive agents damaging concrete function intrinsically as a material and the well-functioning of the entire structure. The use of a crystalline admixture during the …

The Impact Of Municipal Waste Water In Neredime River, Kosovo, Bekim Selimi

UBT International Conference

Today, environmental protection is of great concern in Kosovo. Almost all waste water effluents from the localities are discharging in surface water and groundwater without being significantly treated deterioning water quality in Kosovo’s rivers. The aim of this paper is to analyze the level of pollution in the Neredime river created from municipal wastewater as well as to identify pollutants and their impact on the river. An attempt has been made to present the situation of the waters defining physicochemical water qualities of Neredime river from the source to the outskirts of town in the south-west of Ferizaj; this includes …

The Effects Of Recycling Asphalt Use In Terms Of Economic Growth And Environmental Improvement In Kosova, Muhamet Ahmeti, Binak Beqaj

UBT International Conference

Through this paper is analysed the possibility of recycling asphalt and reusing this in receipts of new asphalt to build road infrastructure inside urban areas and inter-urban areas, because analysing the investments that are being realized in the road infrastructure in Kosova last years, and investments that are going on, there are indicators showing economical, environmental and ….benefits of the society .

According to database of the Kosova Ministry of Transport and Telecommunication until the year 2014, the territory of Kosova has 2005.5 km of the road, 4% are highways, magisterial roads 32% and 64% regional roads, most of them …

Hydrocompaction Considerations In Sinkhole Investigations, Edward D. Zisman P.E., P.G., Stephen West

Sinkhole Conference 2015

The cause of ground settlement is a significant concern in sinkhole investigations where the potential for shallow and deep-seated instability in the subsurface is a major focus of the investigation. Complicating the investigation is the occurrence of hydrocompaction of surficial soils caused by introduction of large amounts of surface water particularly from improper maintenance of rainfall runoff. This condition is usually followed by the subsequent loss of soil moisture during dry periods. This manuscript will discuss how hydrocompaction plays a role in the analysis of settlement in the investigation of sinkhole loss and how one can distinguish between hydrocompaction settlement …

Predicting Compaction Grout Quantities In Sinkhole Remediation, Edward D. Zisman P.E., P.G.

Sinkhole Conference 2015

Predicting the required quantity of grout needed to remediate a sinkhole-damaged home is a challenging task that involves significant amounts of uncertainty. The difficulty arises from the limited amount of subsurface information that is available to make subsurface predictions particularly in complex karst environments. In typical sinkhole investigations, our understanding of the subsurface is limited by the three to four data points (borings) that provide a small window into actual subsurface conditions. This information is normally obtained from borings and from information inferred by geophysical surveys. In many cases, the information is not sufficient to make accurate predictions of grout …

Monitoring The Threat Of Sinkhole Formation Under A Portion Of Us 18 In Cerro Gordo County, Iowa Using Tdr Measurements, Kevin O'Connor, Matthew Trainum

Sinkhole Conference 2015

Sinkhole formation is a common occurrence in northeast Iowa, and U.S. 18 in Cerro Gordo County was constructed over an area where sinkhole formation had only been locally known. It had not been recorded or identified in the Iowa DNR database at the time. Since 2004, sinkholes have developed along the right of way. Geophysical surveys contributed very little in the identifying the cause. However a Soil Survey (drilling program) identified numerous voids within carbonate bedrock. The soil borings indicated that shale overlying the carbonate rock has been removed/eroded, and resulted in the development of a karst subsurface through the …

Approach To Increasing Indiana Rural Road Safety On Intersections, Ammanuiel A. Kebede, John E. Haddock

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

In 2009, there were more than 17,000 reported fatal crashes in rural areas of United States which accounted 56 percent of total fatal crashes. This number has not declined in a significant amount since 2009. Studies are undergoing on these rural area roadways, including intersections, to identify the major causes and take the necessary countermeasure. By using previous intersection related fatal and injury crash data, it is possible to identify high-risk intersections to point out and make the appropriate improvement. Five year fatal and injury crash data was collected (2008-2012) for three Indiana rural counties that had the highest frequency …

Phase Transforming Cellular Materials (Pxcms) Design And Assembly, Nadia N. Aljabi, Pablo Zavattieri, David Restrepo

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

We introduce a new class of phase transforming cellular materials (PXCMs) based on locally bistable or metastable unit cells that form periodic microstructures, where the thermomechanical behavior of each unit cell exhibits snap-through type behavior. We propose to explore the capabilities of these new materials to improve structural resistance to damage caused by natural hazards including PXCM in structural members. The main benefits of this material are that it can absorb energy and is reusable. During the first part of this work, a fabrication method for PXCMs based on the assembly material slotted stripes was explored. The 1D unit cell …

Influence Of Warping On Stress For Restrained Concrete Slabs: For Application To Crcp, Corey M. Beck, W. Jason Weiss, Nathan T. Todd

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Continuously-reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) is widely used in transportation system because of its low maintenance requirement. However, the need for large volumes of steel creates a high cost for new construction. The Illinois Tollway is preparing to substantially renovate highways in and around Chicago and this work seeks to understand how concretes of varying mixture designs can be made thinner by reducing the amount of built-in stress. The experiment examines warping in beams subjected to various degrees of restraint, in an effort to assess effectiveness at reducing warping in continuously reinforced concrete pavements. Value added methodologies such as internal curing …

Role Of Soil Parameters On Loading Of Buried Structures, Xiao Zhang, Mark D. Bowman, Rafael R. Armendariz Briones

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Load rating is the process to evaluate and explore the structural capacity of bridges as much as possible within safety range. As a balance between economy and safety, proper load ratings save money and keep public safe. Knowing the contribution and interaction of each different soil parameter on the loading can significantly reduce the amount of work when load rating those structures. However, for buried structures without plans, such contribution or interaction is never known. This parametric study explores how much each soil parameter of three types of soils can affect the loading of buried structures without plans. An existing …

Seismic Vulnerability Assessment Of Low-Rise Reinforced Concrete Buildings In Kathmandu, Nepal, Prateek Pratap Shah, Santiago Pujol

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

In seismically active cities like Kathmandu, there often exists a need to assess the seismic vulnerability of a large number of poorly designed buildings within a short period of time. Traditional analysis techniques do not work because they require building data that are either inaccurate or unavailable. One alternative to traditional analysis techniques is to use simple correlations like the Priority Index. This index uses basic building information such as floor area, column area, and wall area to estimate the seismic vulnerability of a building. Following the 2015 Nepal earthquake, 146 low-rise reinforced concrete buildings were surveyed in Kathmandu, Nepal. …

Examining The Hydration And Mechanical Properties Of Cement Paste Containing Cellulose Nanocrystals, Yvette Valadez-Carranza, Charles Y. Chiu, W. Jason Weiss, Pablo Zavattieri, Jeffrey P. Youngblood

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are a nano-scaled particulae material that has been shown to improve strength in cementitious pastes. One advantage of CNCs compared to other nano-materials is that CNCs are renewable and sustainable. The objective of this investigation is to investigate the influence of additional alkali content on the behavior of CNCs in cement paste. This work evaluates flexural and compressive strength as a function of heat of hydration—which measures the extent of reaction. Previous mechanical tests on cement paste containing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have shown CNCs to improve the flexural strength of cement paste by approximately 30%. Isothermal calorimetry …

Red Bird Water Kiosk Pavilion _ Clean Water Clean Life, Garrett Keyes Nelli

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

Architecture has the power to strengthen community bonds, support a healthy life style and enrich individual lives. The Red Bird Water Kiosk seeks to achieve all three of these on the site of the Red Bird Mission campus, located deep in the Appalachian Mountains of Clay County, Kentucky. This is an area where most live below the poverty line, and about 64 percent of water sources are contaminated. As a result, lack of clean water has forced many locals to turn to unhealthy living standards. Because of these conditions, the county ranks as one of the poorest in the nation, …

Container Houses, Tran Joseph, Anissa Rosbaugh, Sydne Scott, Hanan Yassin

PSU High School Innovation Challenge

We have noticed that there is an increasing number of homeless in our community. People who are homeless have a more difficult time getting jobs, making it harder to for them to get back on their feet.

Homeless is defined as a person without a stable place to live, in risk of being homeless. Homeless under Federal status, is defined as fleeing/attempting to escape domestic violence. Examples of homelessness include couch surfing, sleeping in shelters, and living in a car.

Our proposal was to build homeless shelters out of shipping containers.

Vélo-Ck, Anna Blakley, Jonathan Cordisco, Jonathan Huang, Justin Huang, Emma Perlman, Ruhika Prasad, Siddarth Suri, Will Swindell

PSU High School Innovation Challenge

Portland is known as Bike City U.S.A for its promotion of a eco friendly method of transportation and support of biking infrastructure. Although our city has this progressive reputation, there is a negative aspect of a bike-loving city that has not received attention. The Oregon Household Activity survey in 2011 states that “about 29 percent of adults in Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties own a bike”. As more people has decided to commute with bikes, theft has increased dramatically. According to the Portland Police Bureau, “Portland thieves last year took more than 2,100 bikes worth well over $1 million combined”. …

Osmosis Alive – Algae Water Filtration System, Adrik Gurganus, Htet Htet Soe, Jonathan Baird, Liam Beckett, Nick Vautravers, Parker Swensen, Tucker Johnson

PSU High School Innovation Challenge

Goals: Our goals of this project was to:

• Obtain an energy efficient, self-sufficient system to help reduce waste and money, and reuse and recycle water. To have a successful, natural, and more self-sufficient filtration system, using algae.
• To use algae and other plants as an efficient way to filter water.
• To create a water filtration system that is organic and would have 0 waste.
• To use the water in the best and most efficient way possible, and to reduce energy and coal/oil consumption (water turbine)
• To make our community cleaner and greener, and reduce carbon footprint, pollution, and environmental impact. …

Smarter Cycling, Cory Koehler, Richard Smith, Sarah St. Clair, Alex Taylor, Aubrey Masten, Konon Phillips

PSU High School Innovation Challenge

With the current trend of urbanization, the populations of major cities such as Portland are steadily increasing. This is causing a variety of problems, both within the city and in rural areas. In regards to the city, the major challenges facing city planners are the need for the expansion of residential neighborhoods and a rise in traffic throughout the city. One way to tackle the issue of an abundance of traffic, is to make alternate means of transportation more appealing to residents. We chose to focus on bicycling because of the bike‐friendly culture already in place in Portland. An increase …

Cleaner Drain, Jonah Paivarinta, Daniel Ortiz‐Rojo, Masson Klepp, Rebekah Likestoskat, Macy Chadney, Jeremy Ferrando

PSU High School Innovation Challenge

Water in streets causes several issues, both to our infrastructure and our emotions. The water can harm property by rotting wooden structures. If the water is high enough, it can even stall cars and flood into buildings.

Being forced to walk through or around a puddle can hurt someone's emotional state, which reduces productivity and this affect people around them.

It costs about 30 dollars to clean a drain, and there are about 15 thousand drains, which totals to to around$450,000 and if you add in other costs such as employees and street sweeping for a cleaning company it costs …