Civil Engineering Commons^™

Understanding The Effect Of Climate And Hydrometeorological Extremes On Natural And Human-Induced Hydrosystems, Jeongwoo Hwang

Dissertations and Theses

The contemporary hydrosystems of the United States involve a complex combination of natural and modified basins in the presence of changing climate and anthropogenic impacts. An enhanced understanding of the interdependence between climate forcings, human-induced interventions, and water balance in both natural and modified basins are essential for developing reliable and resilient hydrosystems and for better water resources management. In response, this dissertation focuses on investigating the hydroclimatology of natural and modified basins across the contiguous United States. It has three research objectives: (1) to explain flow alterations due to anthropogenic activities, especially dam operations, in modified basins and understand …

Exploring The Use Of Drones For Conducting Traffic Mobility And Safety Studies, Abdallah N. Kinero

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Advanced traffic data collection methods, including the application of aerial sensors (drones) as traffic data collectors, can provide real-time traffic information more efficiently, effectively, and safely than traditional methods. Traffic trajectory data like vehicles’ coordinates and point timestamps are challenging to obtain at intersections using traditional field survey methods. The coordinates and timestamps crucial in calculating trajectories can be obtained using drones and their particular integrated software. Thus, this study explores the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), particularly tethered drones, to obtain traffic parameters for traffic mobility and safety studies at an unsignalized intersection in Tallahassee, Florida. Tethered …

Estimating A Range Of Flow Rates Resulting From Extreme Storm Events Within The Wekiva River Watershed Through Statistical Testing And Modeling, Wesley K. Koning

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The middle portion of the St. Johns River is located in East-Central Florida, USA. This region of the St. Johns River is increasingly subject to urbanization and conversion of forest areas to agricultural land. Overall, these changes mean that future flood events in the area could adversely impact local citizens. Therefore, the examination of extreme flood events and resiliency to such events is critical. The purpose of this preliminary study is to explore a range of practical applications to estimate extreme flood flows at watercourses within the Middle St. Johns River Basin, focusing specifically upon the Wekiva River sub-basin. The …

Linear Generators In Wave Energy Conversion: Performance, Feasibility, And Location Study, Luis Fernandez De Valderrama

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the energy demand increases and climate change becomes a major problem, the solution to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change involves increasing the use of sustainable and renewable sources to generate electricity. However, developed renewable sources have inconveniences that make them incapable of generating the totality of the electricity that a country demands. Wave energy is an alternative renewable energy source that can help mitigate the inconveniences of other renewable sources and decrease the emission of greenhouse gases.

This study aims to find the potential of linear generators in wave energy by analyzing the …

Determination Of Extreme Flood Events In The Black Creek, Julington Creek, Dubin Creek, Big Davis Creek, Ortega River, And Pablo Creek Sub-Basins Of The Lower St. Johns River Basin, Florida, Usa, Samantha Kovalenko

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Extreme flood estimation is a continuously developing field of research. Economic and community well-being are dependent on flood risk preventative planning, which can only be successfully implemented through sound flood estimating methods. Without the execution of proper flood prevention measures, many communities remain at risk. In addition to a new extreme flood estimation methodology, this research presents a new approach to establish flood estimates. Traditionally, more than one flood estimate per return frequency storm does not exist. This research produced a set of 10-, 25-, 50-, and 100-year flood estimates for the Black Creek, Julington Creek, Durbin Creek, Big Davis …

An Accurate And Efficient Methodology To Obtain Surges For Risk Analyses For The Coast Of Bangladesh, A S M Alauddin Al Azad

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bangladesh is one of the worst affected countries in the world in terms of tropical cyclone and storm surge effects. Until now, most of the research on annual exceedance of flood elevation for the coast of Bangladesh was based upon historical cyclone tracks along the coast. One of the major constraints of using historical tracks or tide gauge data to determine the annual exceedance of surge elevation is that the available sample size is often inadequate to capture the broad range of storm characteristics over the geographic region of interest. Over the years, several methods have been developed to increase …

Predicting Anthropogenic Underwater Pile Driving Noise Using Pile Driving Analyzer (Pda) Data, Brandon Alfredo Rivera

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the past several years, there has been increasing concern about anthropogenic noise generated during marine pile driving. This concern is expected to increase concomitantly with increases in waterfront construction efforts associated with aging infrastructure and sea level rise. Several guidelines are available to help predict underwater noise transmission due to pile driving, but the issue with all these methods is that they require one to measure sound pressure levels at one locus or more from the driven pile. In the context of marine construction, adding specifications for underwater noise collection may be expensive or difficult because contractors typically have …

Workshop Outcomes Report: 1st International Workshop On Seismic Resilience Of Arctic Infrastructure And Social Systems, Majid Ghayoomi, Katharine Duderstadt, Alexander Kholodov, Alexander Shiklomanov, Matthew Turner, Elham Ajorlou

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Case Study Of Gravity-Fed Mountain Spring Tap System In Ha Leronti, Lesotho, Africa, Sarah Peterson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Water security has been declining rapidly in Lesotho, Africa in recent years. Lack of water has led to food insecurity, livestock deaths, and the spread of disease. Rural Basotho depend on rainfall to sustain their livelihoods; however, precipitation variability has recently increased due to climate change. For those who reside in the highlands of Lesotho, mountain springs can be a clean source of water. The tap system in the village of Ha Leronti relies on gravity to distribute water from two mountain springs to the ten village taps and nearby school campus. However, it is incapable of transporting the basic …

Modeling Coastal Vulnerability Of The St. Johns River And Northeastern Florida Shorelines, Madison E. Heppe

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coastal and riverine communities, with anthropogenic congestion and natural and economic resources, are vulnerable to climate change impacts including rising sea levels and increasing severity and frequency of storms. Coastal habitats are being increasingly recognized as natural infrastructure that provides resiliency against these stressors. However, few studies have analyzed coastal vulnerability at landscape scale with finely resolved spatial data that account for habitats and demographics. The purpose of this study is to map the coastal vulnerability of the St. Johns River and adjacent Northeastern Florida Atlantic shoreline within the St. Johns River Water Management District. Unique to this study is …

Characterization Of Alaskan Modified Asphalt Binders And Mixtures, Jun Liu

Doctoral Dissertations

"Modified asphalt binders and mixtures have been used more in recent years in Alaska. However, there has not been systematic characterization and performance data development for these materials. This study intends to systematically characterize the Alaskan asphalt binders and mixtures and identify the performance benefits of these materials through laboratory tests and field sections monitoring. The research contains five sections: 1) a comprehensive characterization on the morphologies, chemical and rheological properties of modified asphalt binders and mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures with these modified asphalt binders. The lab testing results were further confirmed through field surveys of recent paving projects …

Innovative Modeling And Management Of Infrastructure Systems, Engineering And Construction Operations, And Offsite Construction Technology Using Computational Data Analytics, Rayan Hassane Assaad

Doctoral Dissertations

“The construction industry has been facing considerable challenges due to the inadequacy of the traditional methods in executing, managing, and modeling infrastructure and construction projects. While many techniques have been developed to improve the decision-making process in the industry, there is no evidence of sufficient and continuous improvements in the industry’s adoption and implementation of innovative techniques such as new management approaches, modern modeling methods, and emerging computational data analytics. To this end, the goal of this research is to address some of the recent challenges faced in the industry with a focus on infrastructure asset management, construction engineering and …

Reveal Wind Loading Of Tornadoes And Hurricanes On Civil Structures Towards Hazard-Resistant Design, Ryan Honerkamp

Doctoral Dissertations

"Extreme winds impacting civil structures lead to death and destruction in all regions of the world. Specifically, tornadoes and hurricanes impact communities with severe devastation. On average, 1200 tornadoes occur in the United States every year. Tornadoes occur predominantly in the Central and Southeastern United States, accounting for an annual $1 billion in economic losses, 1500 injuries, and 90 deaths. The Joplin, MO Tornado in 2011 killed 161 people, injured more than 1000, destroyed more than 8000 structures, and caused $2.8 billion of property loss. Hurricanes occur predominantly on the United States East coast regions and along the coast of …

Use Of Portable Seismic Property Analyzer And Ground Penetrating Radar To Assess Bridge Decks, Samie Ramadan A Hamad

Doctoral Dissertations

The Montauk Bridge deck was assessed based on the portable seismic property analyzer and ground penetrating radar data. Based on the analysis of the portable seismic property analyzer data, it was determined that over 65% of bridge conditions were rated serious to poor condition with an average compressive strength of less than 2500 psi; less than 35% of bridge deck conditions were rated fair to good with an average compressive strength over 2500 psi. Based on ground penetrating radar data, it was determined that 72% of the bridge deck was in serious to poor condition, and only 28% of the …

Hydromechanical Stress And Internal Erosion Under Earthen Structures, Kerry Allen Magner

Doctoral Dissertations

"Dam failures by seepage and internal erosion have reportedly been attributed to up to 40% of all dam failures in the United States. Backwards piping erosion either through the embankment or foundation soils has been reported to be the major contributing method to seepage and internal erosion dam failures. This proposed research is motivated by the lack of understanding of the complex stress regimes associated with internal erosion in cohesionless soils under earthen structures. The overall goal of this research is to provide a fundamental understanding of internal erosion and the hydromechanical stress conditions necessary for the initiation and continuation …

การใช้วัสดุเหลือใช้จากอุตสาหกรรมแกรนิตในคอนกรีต กระตุ้นด้วยสารละลายด่างเสริมเส้นใยเหล็ก, พลยุทธ ทองผาสุก

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาอิทธิพลของเศษหินแกรนิตและเส้นใยเหล็กต่อสมบัติเชิงกลของคอนกรีตที่กระตุ้นด้วยสารละลายด่างภายใต้อุณหภูมิปกติและอุณหภูมิสูง มวลรวมรีไซเคิลจากเศษหินแกรนิตถูกนำมาใช้แทนที่ทรายธรรมชาติในปริมาณร้อยละ 0 และ 100 โดยน้ำหนัก และมีการเสริมกำลังของวัสดุด้วยเส้นใยเหล็กในปริมาณร้อยละ 0, 1, และ 2 โดยปริมาตรของคอนกรีต ผลการทดสอบพบว่าค่าการไหลแผ่มีค่าลดลงเมื่อแทนที่ด้วยเศษหินแกรนิต เช่นเดียวกับการเพิ่มปริมาณเส้นใยเหล็กส่งผลให้ค่าการไหลแผ่ลดลง ค่ากำลังรับแรงอัดของคอนกรีตที่ใช้เศษหินแกรนิตและทรายธรรมชาติมีค่าใกล้เคียงกันในทุกอายุการบ่ม (7, 28 และ 90 วัน) และเมื่อเพิ่มปริมาณเส้นใยเหล็กส่งผลให้ค่ากำลังอัด กำลังรับแรงดัด และความเหนียวของวัสดุมีค่าเพิ่มขึ้นตามปริมาณเส้นใยเหล็ก โดยกำลังอัด กำลังรับแรงดัด และความเหนียวมีค่าสูงที่สุดเมื่อใช้ปริมาณเส้นใยเหล็กร้อยละ 2 โดยปริมาตรของคอนกรีต สำหรับการทดสอบหลังเผาไฟ 60 นาที พบว่า ค่ากำลังรับแรงอัดคงค้างของคอนกรีตที่ใช้มวลรวมเศษหินแกรนิตมีค่าใกล้เคียงกับคอนกรีตที่ใช้ทรายธรรมชาติ ในขณะที่กำลังรับแรงดัดของคอนกรีตที่ใช้มวลรวมเศษหินแกรนิตมีค่ามากกว่าคอนกรีตที่ใช้ทรายธรรมชาติ นอกจากนี้การเสริมเส้นใยยังช่วยเพิ่มกำลังอัดและกำลังดัดคงค้างหลังเผาไฟของคอนกรีตได้

Structural Optimization Under Limited Natural Frequency Constraints Using Comprehensive Learning Phasor Particle Swarm Optimization, Ei Cho Pyone

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

In this research, a phasor particle swarm optimization with comprehensive learning strategy (CLPPSO) is proposed for the optimal design of dome-like truss structures under the limited frequency-constraints. The proposed scheme is a new variant of PSO techniques with the direct combination of both the phasor theory in mathematics and comprehensive learning strategy to the particle swarm optimization. In order to model particle control parameters, a phase angle incorporating the periodic sine and cosine functions is essentially applied through which only the previous best positions of all particles are used to update the exemplar particle’s velocity during the optimization process. This …

Simultaneous Size And Shape Structural Optimization Using Enhanced Comprehensive Learning Particle Swarm Optimization, Soviphou Muong

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study proposes a simultaneous size and shape structural optimization on truss structures using a metaheuristic algorithm, namely Enhanced Comprehensive Learning Particle Swarm Optimization (ECLPSO) which is based on the CLPSO algorithm. CLPSO itself was originated from a famous Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) that was invented based on behaviour or movement of a bird flock. CLPSO is an improved PSO algorithm which has good exploration ability but is poor in exploitation. Thus, ECLPSO introduces of two enhancements, including perturbation-based exploitation and adaptive learning probabilities, to improve the exploitation ability and to adjust the learning probabilities of each particle, respectively. The …

A System For Generating Fire Extinguisher Plan And Supporting Fire Evacuation Route In Construction Project, Thiha Nyimin

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Fires in under-construction threaten worker safety and have a lot of negative impacts on many aspects of construction that were reported the past few years. Due to the dynamic nature of construction, the fire safety plan in construction needed to be reviewed and updated according to construction progress. The conventional approach or manual process to develop the fire safety plan for a construction project can be a time-consuming and enormous labor-intensive task. Furthermore, some of the emergency signs are unclear due to the nature of construction and some are not showing the correct evacuation route because of the structural design …

Experimental Investigation And Numerical Modelling Of Biomechanical Variation Of Decomposed Root: An Application Of Vegetated Slope Stability, Trung Nghia Phan

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Plant root reinforcement in soil bioengineering has gained increasing interest as a means of sustainable and environmentally friendly soil reinforcement and stabilization. In addition, quantifying evolutions of the biomechanical properties and mechanical root reinforcement to soil with the duration of root decomposition is important to agricultural land-use strategy and to soil stabilization purpose. However, the variations of these properties of the roots of herbaceous species, especially following herbicide application, have rarely been studied. This study aims to comprehensively measure the root morphological traits, root biomechanical properties, and root reinforcement of two contrasting vetiver species (Chrysopogon nemoralis and Chrysopogon zizanioides). In …