Civil Engineering Commons^™

Building Services Engineering September/October 2026

Building Services Engineering

This issue of Building Services Engineering explores Ireland's net-zero transition, highlighting AI data centre liquid-cooling innovations, critical energy infrastructure updates, ASHRAE and CIBSE safety insights, commercial heat pump selections, decarbonising elevators, and examples of engineering innovation and leadership across the building services sector.

A Tool For Assessing The Effectiveness Of Speed Humps As Traffic Calming Measure, Abdulrazak Mzamiru Kachwamba, Enock W. Nshama

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Urban population growth and increasing motor vehicle usage continue to raise concerns regarding road safety in rapidly developing cities. Although previous studies have assessed traffic-calming effectiveness using multiple criteria, they have analysed the criteria separately and have not developed a composite tool for classifying overall effectiveness. This study develops a quantitative assessment tool designed to compute a weighted composite score for evaluating the effectiveness of speed humps as a traffic calming measure. Stakeholder questionnaire responses, complemented by descriptive analysis and exploratory factor analysis, were used to identify key indicators of effectiveness and the variables influencing them. Findings indicate that speed …

Voltage-Related Power Quality Issues And Impacts On Distribution Networks With Sensitive Loads - A Review, Godwin Elinazi Mnkeni, Jackson Justo, Aviti Thadei Mushi, Bakari M. M. Mwinyiwiwa

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Voltage disturbances are the most important power quality (PQ) complications that customers and power utilities face in this smart era. The growing adoption of sophisticated electronic equipment and integration of renewable energy sources (RES) into power grids has increased the susceptibility of power distribution networks (PDNs) to voltage sags, swells, interruptions, flicker, and voltage imbalance. These disturbances, mainly caused by upstream faults, switching operations, and RES integration, compromise voltage PQ and system reliability. Consequently, they accelerate equipment degradation, increase electronic waste (e-waste), raise reactive power demand and maintenance costs, increase power losses, and impose substantial economic losses on customers and …

Cross-Dataset Stability Assessment Of A Fixed-Configuration Catboost Model Across Heterogeneous Civil Engineering Material Datasets, Arslan Qayyum Khan, Ali Raza, Amorn Pimanmas

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Machine learning (ML) has increasingly been applied in civil and structural engineering for predicting material and structural performance. However, most existing studies either benchmark several algorithms within a single dataset or review such findings, leaving the cross-dataset stability of one fixed model configuration largely unquantified. This study proposes a generalized ML evaluation framework to investigate the robustness and stability of a fixed-configuration model across multiple civil engineering material datasets. Ten datasets representing diverse structural and material problems were compiled, including 3D printed concrete (3DPC), conventional and advanced concrete including normal and high strength concrete (NHSC), recycled aggregate concrete (RAC), ultra-high-performance …

Treatment Of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Bottom Ash Using Cement For Integrated Recovery Of Hydrogen And Production Of Supplementary Cementitious Material, Muhammad Haris Javed, Wenyu Liao, Fathma Zuhra, David Vollero, David Schmidenberg, Hongyan Ma

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash (MBA) represents both a disposal challenge and a potential resource for sustainable construction materials, including use as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM). However, the conventional use of MBA in cement-based materials is hindered by its high metallic aluminum content, which reacts in alkaline environments to release hydrogen gas and causes volumetric instability (e.g., expansion and cracking). This study investigates a cement-based alkali pretreatment method using diluted cement suspension to stabilize metallic aluminum and improve the compatibility of MBA as an SCM. Compared to conventional alkali solutions, the proposed approach avoids the direct use …

Safety And Resilience In Disaster Debris Removal And Clean-Up Operations: A Field And Training Guide For Resilience Workers In Disaster Debris Removal And Cleanup, Mohsen Shahandashti, Ph.D, P.E., Abhijit Roy, Ph.D, Zhe Yin, Ph.D, P.E., Pmp, Leed Ap, Antonio Balderrama, Ph.D, P.E., Sandesh Adhikari, Santosh Acharya

Mavs Open Press Open Educational Resources

A practical safety guide for the people who clear debris after disasters, and for the trainers who prepare them. Built for crews of every experience level--from seasoned operators to first-time volunteers--it teaches how to read a damaged site, recognize hidden and shifting hazards, work safely around heavy equipment and hazardous materials, and make sound decisions under pressure. Every chapter pairs clear guidance with a one-page field job aid, facilitator notes for trainers, and a real-world scenario, all grounded in OSHA, FEMA, EPA, and NIOSH guidance.

Safety and Resilience in Disaster Debris Removal and Clean-Up Operations Copyright © 2026 by Mohsen …

Effect Of Sugarcane Bagasse Ash Incorporated With Limestone Calcined Clay Cement On Geotechnical Properties Of Swelling Soils Relevant To Road Applications, Horris K. Nangulama, Siya P. Rimoy, John E. Elvis

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This study aims to investigate the use and effect of sugarcane bagasse ash (BA) incorporated with limestone calcined clay cement (LC³) as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative for stabilizing swelling soils. Therefore, BA incorporating LC³ was added to black cotton soil (BCS), known for its high swelling potential. Series of laboratory tests including free swell index (FSI), compaction, California bearing ratio (CBR), and shear strength were conducted to evaluate the performance of BA incorporating LC³ binder-stabilized BCS. Additionally, microstructural analyses using pore size distribution (PSD), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to …

From Disaster To Resilience: Developing Smart Settlements In The Himalayas, Keshav Bhattarai, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

Nepal’s catastrophic 26 August 2026 Bhote Koshi–Trishuli flood should be understood not only as a humanitarian tragedy but also as a potentially major turning point in updating national settlement and reconstruction policy. Engineers and scientists have described the floods as a glacier–bedrock collapse that triggered an ice-rock avalanche and debris flow. As per the live updates on September 7, 2026, the total death toll was 1,355, and 4,996 people were missing (The Hindu, 2026). Indian and Nepali rescuers worked urgently to locate and rescue people buried under hydropower tunnels, buildings, mud, and landslide debris.

UN News reported on September 3, …

From Himalayan Catastrophe To National Resilience: Lessons From The 2026 Bhote Koshi And Trishuli River Floods In Nepal, Keshav Bhattarai, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

On the morning of 26 August 2026, the mountains above Nepal’s northern frontier delivered a disaster of almost unimaginable speed and scale. A massive mass of ice, rock, and sediment detached in the high Himalayan terrain near the Nepal–Tibet border, descended roughly 1,200 metres, interacted with the Lhende Khola system, and generated a debris-rich flood that surged through the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river corridors, destroying settlements, markets, roads, bridges, hydropower facilities, and an international border crossing and transforming them into fields of mud, boulders, and wreckage within minutes (ICIMOD, 2026b; Reuters, 2026a). Satellite analysis indicates that a substantial section …

Metrological Characterization Of Pavement Friction Measurements For High-Friction Surface Treatments: Si Traceability, Uncertainty Evaluation, And Adhesion–Hysteresis Separation Via Water–Soap Bpt Protocol, Alireza Roshan, Magdy Abdelrahman

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Laboratory friction measurements are central to material screening for High-Friction Surface Treatments (HFST), yet metrological aspects including a proposed metrological traceability framework or uncertainty, and reproducibility are consistently underreported. This study applies a metrology-aligned framework to British Pendulum Tester (BPT) measurements performed in three states: dry, wet (water), and water–soap to assess operational adhesion and hysteresis components, document traceability to the International System of Units (SI), and report GUM-style uncertainty with covariance for the adhesion difference. Measurements were obtained for calcined bauxite (CB) and rhyolite (Rhy) in HFST and Coarse gradations across seven polishing protocols (baseline; LAA-1000/2000; MDA-105/180; PSV-10 h/20 …

Optimization Of Bonding Behavior Of Crumb Rubber-Modified (Crm) Asphalt For Sustainable High-Friction Surface Treatment (Hfst) Applications, Abdallah Aboelela, Magdy Abdelrahman

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Binder bonding strength (BBS) is critical to aggregate retention and friction performance in high-friction surface treatment (HFST). Although epoxy resin is traditionally used, asphalt-based binders offer a sustainable alternative; however, their bonding behavior and influence on polishing performance remain insufficiently understood. This study investigated the evolution and optimization of BBS in crumb rubber-modified (CRM) asphalt for rhyolite-based HFSTs. BBS was measured under dry and wet-conditioned states for two CR contents (10% and 15%), two CR types (cryogenic and ambient), two interaction temperatures (170 and 200 °C), and interaction times from 10 to 240 min. HFST performance was assessed using the …

Investigation Of Bridge Foundation Depth Using Geoelectrical Dipole Configuration, Devi Oktaviana Latif, Amalia Ula Hazhiyah, Adhitya Yoga Purnama, Ika Rahmawati Suyanto, Surya Dewi Puspitasari, Heru Budi Utomo

Makara Journal of Technology

Bridges are constructed to facilitate the crossing of pedestrians, vehicles, or trains and are essential components of land transportation infrastructure, which is crucial for ensuring the smooth flow of traffic. As part of the reconstruction project for the south side of the Muja Muju Bridge on Jalan Kusumanegara, the Yogyakarta City Government rebuilt this section of the bridge, which had become unfit for traffic use. The area features two bridges, serving as transportation routes: the Muja Muju Bridge on the north side and the newly reconstructed bridge on the south side. The demolition of the south side of the Muja …

Residential Cooling Energy Efficiency During Heatwaves In South Texas, Rosa A. Castan, Gasser G. Ali

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Heatwaves have become increasingly intense and frequent in recent years. As a result, residents are forced to rely on air-conditioning systems, a major contributor to high energy consumption. South Texas is one of the regions that has been affected by historically extreme heat. This paper explores the challenges this region has faced due to heatwaves and the strategies adopted to mitigate their effects. It investigates the use of cooling technologies, energy-related habits, and investment in home construction to reduce indoor heat and manage electricity bills. A literature review is performed to help identify relevant factors related to maximizing energy efficiency. …

Evaluating The Impacts Of Extreme Temperature Events On The Us Rail Network, Gabby Gutierrez, Gasser G. Ali, Constantine Tarawneh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The United States railway is a critical part of the national infrastructure and economy. Heatwaves are a major weather event that can cause major disruptions and affect the stable operation of the railway. Failure in part of the rail network may have a ripple effect on the rest of the network. As such, there is a need to study the effect of weather on rail networks that require re-routing. The goal of this paper is to investigate the vulnerability of the contiguous United States rail infrastructure against disruptions to operations caused by extreme heat events. This goal is achieved by …

Estimating Highway Rehabilitation Projects Using Machine Learning, Samantha Ocaña, Silvia Flores-Osuna, Gasser G. Ali, Constantine Tarawneh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Highways are a crucial part of the national infrastructure. As such, they are costly to construct and maintain; challenges such as deterioration, limited budgets, and cost uncertainty create a need for improved cost prediction of rehabilitation projects. This is especially true in the preliminary stage when all factors are unknown. Accordingly, this paper proposes a model to predict the cost of highway rehabilitation projects. A machine learning model is trained on large and publicly available datasets released by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Federal Reserve of Economic Data (FRED). These …

Physics-Informed Neural Networks For Early-Warning Fatigue Damage Detection And Localization In A Steel Railway Bridge Using Sparse Ambient Monitoring Data, Arslan Qayyum Khan, Ali Raza, Amorn Pimanmas

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Aging steel railway bridges accumulate fatigue damage at locations that periodic inspection rarely reaches and that conventional vibration monitoring detects only after severe stiffness loss. Existing physics-informed learning methods for structural health monitoring are mostly validated on synthetic data and single snapshots, leaving their performance on continuous field data with verified damage untested. This study develops a strain-based monitoring approach, supported by a physics-informed neural network (PINN), for early detection of fatigue damage in a steel railway bridge. The measured strain is compensated for temperature using a model calibrated on healthy-state data, the resulting anomaly is tracked through a statistical …

Research Status And Prospects Of Monitoring Technology For Large-Span Cable-Stayed Bridges Based On Machine Learning, Liu Guoliang, Liu Guokun, Yan Donghuang, Wang Wenxi, Wang Qishun

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Machine learning and intelligent optimization algorithms have been increasingly applied to construction and health monitoring of long-span cable-stayed bridges. Based on the construction history of cable-stayed bridges both domestically and internationally, an overview of the origin and development process of cable-stayed bridges was provided. Firstly, from the perspective of the entire life cycle of bridges, bridge monitoring was divided into construction period monitoring and operation period monitoring. The applications of mainstream construction monitoring methods in large cable-stayed bridge projects were elaborated, and the specific composition of bridge health monitoring systems was clarified. Secondly, the basic principles of several machine learning …

Mineral Composition-Driven Competitive Adsorption Behavior Of Superplasticizer In Recycled Concrete Powder-Cement Pastes: Quantification And Validation, Junpeng Du, Tongsheng Zhang, Hongyan Ma, Peiliang Shen, Yiqun Guo, Siqing Zeng, Jiangxiong Wei, Qijun Yu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recycled concrete powder (RCP) exhibits pronounced variability in mineral component contents, which leads to competitive adsorption of superplasticizers in RCP-Portland cement (PC) pastes and consequently to mineral composition-dependent deviations in rheological properties. In this study, limestone powder (LSP), quartz powder (QZP), and hardened paste powder (HPP) were used to simulate the main components of RCP. Effects of RCPs with target components on the rheological properties of blended cement paste were investigated, and a competitive-adsorption coefficient (CC) was proposed to quantify the competitive adsorption of superplasticizer. Results showed that increasing LSP-enriched RCP content reduced the yield stress of cement paste, primarily …

Dual-Polymer Concrete With Recycled Pet And Hdpe Aggregates: Mechanical And Durability Performance Assessment, Omar Abd El Mageed Hammouda

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the fresh, mechanical, durability, thermal, performance as well as preliminary financial aspects of dual-polymer concrete incorporating recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as a partial replacement for fine aggregate and recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as a partial replacement for coarse aggregate, with silica fume as a supplementary cementitious material held constant at 10% by weight of cement. The study responds to the convergence of two pressing challenges in the Egyptian context: the scale of plastic waste mismanagement, which results in widespread informal open burning and environmental contamination, and the high operational energy demand of residential buildings in Egypt's hot …

3d Printing In Construction: Technology And Digital Innovation, Zachary Braunstein, Tyler Fritsch, Leah Oberkehr, Ethan Arvidson

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The study of 3D Printing in Construction: Technology and Digital Innovation examines the growing role of additive manufacturing in transforming traditional construction practices. This literature review explores the evolution of construction 3D printing from early conceptual research on contour crafting to modern automated construction systems that integrate robotics with digital design technologies such as Building Information Modeling. The review highlights practical applications including the design and testing of a 3D printed concrete pedestrian bridge and the increasing use of 3D concrete printing in residential construction to reduce labor demands and project timelines. It also discusses advancements in printable materials, including …