Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Combined Behavioral And Engineering Approach To Preventing Highway Fatalities, Benjamin Blandford, Reginald Souleyrette, Caitlin N. Pope, Tony Fields, Erin Lammers-Staats

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Traditional, single-discipline highway safety approaches can be augmented through multidisciplinary approaches that consider both engineering and behavioral interventions (e.g., education, enforcement, public outreach campaigns). Leveraging a systems-based conceptual framework of roadway safety, multiple forms of statistical and geospatial analysis, and SPF modeling and network screening, this report proposes and demonstrates methods for unpacking the influence of behavioral-related factors on crash occurrences and outcomes. The primary focus is on behaviors targeted in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan — aggressive driving, distracted driving, impaired driving, and driving without proper restraint (i.e., seatbelts). Based on application of these methods, the report highlights areas …

Comparing 1d, 2d, And 3d Hydraulic Models In Urban Flooding Applications, Taylor Kesler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Floods have been a hazard to people since people first started building near rivers. Predicting floods can be very beneficial to save lives and property. Computers have made it possible to solve fluid dynamics equations in a fast and efficient manner. Computer programs have been designed to solve these equations and create digital models of floods.

This study compares three different methods of computer modeling and explores their advantages and disadvantages. One-dimensional models solve fluid equations by setting up a series of cross sections. Two-dimensional models use a grid-like mesh to solve fluid equations from one cell to the next. …

Nanopesticide Influence On Nitrogen Cycling In Soils, Jacob Richardson

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Nanotechnology has several applications in the agricultural industry, as the small size of nanoparticles and high reactivity enables targeted delivery of pesticides and fertilizers to the intended crop. Copper-based nanopesticides such as Kocide, are proposed as a more efficient method for targeted pest control. Despite the potential benefits of nanopesticides, little is known regarding the transport and implications of nanopesticides under long-term inundation conditions often found in downstream wetlands. Specifically, the impact of nanopesticides on microbial nitrogen processes in wetland environments remains unknown. Therefore, this thesis explores the impact of nanopesticides, specifically Kocide, on microbial nitrogen cycles in agricultural and …

Effect Of Hot Weather Concreting On The Mechanical And Durability Properties Of Concrete-A Review, Rawan Ramadan, Hassan Ghanem, Jamal Khatib, Adel Elkordi

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Nowadays, hot weather is an essential motivator that leads concrete to lose its special characteristics. The high loss of moisture by evaporation and rapid hardening encourage the cracking potential and placement operations. The fresh mixed and hardened concrete tend to be damaged due to several conditions such as: high concrete temperature, High ambient temperature, low relative humidity, and high wind speed. These circumstances accelerate the rate of moisture loss and cement hydration. This article briefly reviews hot weather concreting problems precautions, and curing methods and also discusses the role of incorporation SCMs in reducing the temperature of concrete and enhancing …

Assessing The Influence Of Overweight Axles On Rutting Lives In Flexible Pavements Using Parametric Survival Analysis, Ali Hatoum, Jamal Khatib, Firas Barraj, Adel Elkordi

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

The existence of rutting or permanent deformation on flexible pavement layers has always been a concern that negatively affects the performance of roads by reducing the lifespan of pavement structure and by posing a safety risk for vehicles over the road. Traffic overloading is one of the primary factors that accelerates the deterioration of flexible pavement. This study aims to determine the time to failure of the flexible pavement structures associated with rutting, to indicate the most significant factors affecting rutting, and to assess the influence of overweight axles on pavement rutting life using parametric survival analysis. The data used …

Damage Stability Study Of A 500 Dw Ro-Ro Ferry Vessel, Zulfaidah Ariany, Budhi Santoso, Sarwoko Sarwoko, Nauval Abdurrahman Prasetyo

Makara Journal of Technology

The development of the crossing transportation industry is currently increasing in the island areas. The use of Ro-Ro type ferry boats is extremely efficient in moving people, goods, and vehicles. The current research focuses on the damage stability of the 500 DWT Ro-Ro ferry, which aims to meet the needs of the Ro-Ro ferry in the archipelago area. The previously existing initial design of a barge hull with a main size Lpp = 40.15 m, B = 12 m, H = 3.2 m, and T = 2.15 m was used to analyze the damage stability condition further. First, the drawings …

Design, Concept, And Visualization Of Urban Multi-Level Growing Table Systems In Hyper Urban Areas, Aaryan Manoj Nair, Shaheed Mohammed, Omar Rahama

Publications and Research

As of a 2019 study conducted by the National Urban Gardening Program (National Urban Gardening Program), urban farming accounts for approximately 19% of the total national farming output and is expected to triple to almost 45% by 2025. There is intensive research being conducted on aspects of reduced recidivism, communal health benefits, natural carbon capture systems, improved urban ecology and the necessity for reducing the carbon footprint of food, (informally dubbed “food miles”) there is little substantive research on optimisation, and maximation of crop productivity in hyper-urban areas.

The purpose of this report is to understand the functionalities of urban …

Using Naming Conventions To Facilitate Data Transfer Between Asset Management Systems And Building Information Models, John D. Foster

Theses and Dissertations

An improvement to the workflow developed by Loeh et al. (2021) is proposed using a Revit template with BUILDER SMS naming conventions when creating the Sustainable Facility Management-enhanced BIM Model. The method presented by Loeh et al. (2021) is modified by integrating BUILDER SMS parameters and naming conventions into the BIM model during, as opposed to after, the creation of the model. Four building models created in 2020-21, four from 2021-22, and one building from 2019 were used in this study. Two groups of students were used to evaluate the effect of the building-specific BIM templates. Evaluating the 2020 and …

Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake Vertical Ground Acceleration Investigation And Potential Impact On Bridges In The Pacific Northwest, Rachel C. Bassil

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

The effects of vertical ground accelerations during subduction zone earthquakes currently are not sufficiently understood. There are numerous case studies and evidence that effects of vertical ground accelerations can significantly impact the performance of bridges during a seismic event, but most previous research has been focused on shallow crustal earthquakes. Current bridge design codes provide little guidance for accounting for vertical ground accelerations in seismic design, in part because additional information is needed about the characteristics of vertical ground motions during Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest.

For this study, recorded seismic data from recent subduction zone …

A Framework For Multi-Dimensional Assessment Of The Impacts Of Overweight Vehicle Operations And A Corridor-Level Case Study, Maria Alicia Chung Li

Lyles School of Civil Engineering Graduate Student Reports

Ground freight transportation is essential for the economy of any region. The efficient movement of goods from one location to another connects businesses with suppliers and customers, that enhances commerce and ultimately boosts the economy. The high volume of freight that has been transported on the nation’s highway network has allowed the trucking industry to provide enormous socio-economic benefits. Unfortunately, these benefits come with some costs associated with the operation of overweight (OW) trucks, such as accelerated deterioration of highway pavement and bridge assets, and passenger and freight traffic safety degradation. Thus, to manage safety risk, traffic mobility, and infrastructure …

Hydraulic Redistribution Under Saline Conditions, Josh Gottlieb

Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Water scarcity and soil salinity are dual stressors for plants in arid, salt-affected ecosystems. Hydraulic redistribution, a hydraulic adaptation which moves water through plant roots into dry or saline soil regions along potential gradients, aids plant survival in stressful environments. Recent theory regarding hydraulic redistribution proposes limitations on the process within saline soils. This study applies a minimalist resistor-capacitor model of the soil-plant-atmosphere system to the experimental conditions of a 2010 study investigating hydraulic redistribution in a salt affected area. The effectiveness of the model is evaluated, and a sensitivity analysis is conducted to identify key dynamics affecting the moisture …

Exploring The Use Of Piox System For Treatment Of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds, Alexander Pearson

Civil Engineering Theses

In this thesis, the Photon Initiated Oxidation (PIOx) system was investigated for its possible use in the treatment of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs). It was theorized that the unique design of the system, namely the multiple wavelengths of UV light and the micronfoam would improve removal rates of the test contaminant when compared to other systems. 17β-estradiol was chosen as the test contaminant due to the compounds known sensitivity to ozone exposure. Two methods of testing were used, the first to test an idealized homogenous concentration (method one) and the second to mimic the sudden influx of contaminant that would …

Evaluation For Using Expended Bioelectrochemical Systems As Soil Amendments For Improved Corn Plant Growth And A Drought Resistant Soil., Jackson Lee Sauers

Theses and Dissertations

A long-held practice is to mix agricultural soil with a soil amendment to improve growing conditions in crops. A common soil amendment is biosolids produced from both municipal and dairy wastewater due to the macro- and micronutrients within it. Both the agricultural and wastewater industries are participating in the Circular Economy concept (CEC). Two experiments explored using expended bioelectrochemical systems (BES) that treated either synthetic dairy wastewater (DWW) or synthetic municipal wastewater (SWW) as soil amendments to improve corn plant growth when treated with three different nutrient treatments: 100%- 50%- and 0% Hoagland Nutrient Solutions. Biochar and used terracotta clay …

Effects Of Climate Change On The Probability Of Urban Tree Failures From Wind Gusts, Samuel J. Woolsey

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Trees grown in urban environments provide environmental, economic and psychological benefits to their surrounding communities. However, urban trees also pose significant risks since damaged trees can cause serious harm to people, housing, and infrastructure by falling on sidewalks, roads, houses or power lines. To better understand the risk posed to trees by wind, models have been developed that estimates the required wind speed needed to damage a tree or group of trees, and the likelihood that such a wind speed is met or exceeded annually. The importance of such models is rising each year as the associated risk grows as …

Behavior Of Completely Automated Evapotranspiration Estimation (Eemetric), Atiqullah Atif

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research

Evapotranspiration (ET) is the second-largest component in the water balance equation, globally consuming 70% of the earth’s annual precipitation. Accurate and consistent estimation of ET is essential for ensuring water resources sustainability, proper management, planning, and regulations of water resources. Though a 100% accurate estimation of ET may not be feasible with the current technology, there are proven techniques that give us estimates of ET we can heavily rely on. Mapping Evapotranspiration at High Resolution with Internalized Calibration (METRIC) is a widely used surface energy balance model that produces relatively accurate ET maps utilizing remote sensing data and requires skilled …

Interlayered Thin Film Composite (Itfc) Membranes: The Synthesis And Assembly Of Active Layer From Conjugated Microporous Polymer, Febby Andini

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research

The pursuit of advanced materials with well-defined structures at sub-1 nm size, multi-functionalities, and superior chemical stability is essential for enhanced separation performance but technically challenging. Limitations of conventional TFC membranes for use in Organic Solvent Nanofiltration (OSN) can be addressed by manipulating the pore size and chemical properties of the film with novel materials. Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) are promising in a few years because of their highly ordered structure and excellent stability. Porphyrin, one of the basic building blocks, can form a conjugated polymer. Herein, poly(5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)porphyrin) or PTAPP, is considerably selected as an active layer from CMPs using …

Experimental And Numerical Study: Sheet Pile Abutment Systems For Water–Crossing Bridges, Hung Phi Van

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research

Sheet piles are geotechnical-structural elements with interlocking edges together that are driven into the ground to deliver soil retention and excavation support. Steel sheet pile walls are widely used for retaining walls, riverbank protection, seawalls, cofferdams, etc. In Nebraska, sheet pile walls prevent scouring and protect backfill for bridge abutment systems. While sheet piling is not designed and applied to resist vertical load, several recent studies attempted to investigate whether sheet piles could be employed for axial load bearing. Many projects from Europe and some in the U.S. have utilized the axial load-bearing capacity of sheet piles in bridge abutment …

Stochastic Approach To Hydrological Dam Safety In The Framework Of The New Dam Safety Standards In Spain, Iván Gabriel-Martin, Francisco J. Caballero, Álvaro Sordo-Ward, Luis Garrote

Protections Conference

The approval of the Technical Safety Standards for dams and reservoirs in Spain in 2021 increased the hydrological safety requirements, being necessary to check if measures have to be implemented in dams designed according to the prior standards. Some of these dams have scarce instrumentation and lack of hydrometeorological data. This work proposes a simple but sounded fully-stochastic methodology for assessing the hydrological safety of dams within this situation, potentially applicable outside academia. The methodology has been applied to a case study based on a real dam, and compared the results obtained to those of the standard deterministic procedure. We …

Wirewall A Follow Up: Labratory And Field Measurements Of Wave Overtopping, Tim Pullen, Jenny Brown, Margaret Yelland, Robin Pascal, Richard Pinnell, Chris Cardwell, David Jones

Protections Conference

At the Protections 2018 conference, the WireWall wave overtopping research project was introduced. WireWall uses recent advances in high frequency capacitance wire technology that can measure overtopping data. Wave overtopping has now been measured in the laboratory and in the field using the WireWall system. Here we provide an update on the validation of the system in flume tests and results from the first field measurement campaign.

Before deployment in the field, an extensive set of tests were carried out in one of the 2D wave flumes at HR Wallingford. These tests simulated known wave conditions from a buoy near …

Methodology For Calculating The Response Of Porous Media For Evaluating Grass Response To Overtopping Loads, Myron Von Damme, Dennis Den Ouden-Van Der Horst

Protections Conference

Grass covers offer a level of erosion protection against hydrodynamic loads induced by overtopping waves. The development of an accurate failure criterion for grass covers has been hampered by the lack of understanding of how grass fails. Methods have been developed to predict the hydrodynamic loads that act on the levee surface and consequently are transmitted to the porous grass cover and subsoil. However, it is unknown how these hydrodynamic surface loads on the soil are distributed amongst the pore water pressures and effective stresses, thereby offering a significant challenge for engineers to simulate the transmission of stresses into the …