Civil Engineering Commons^™

Sustainable Disposal Of Pecan Shells, Jose Carlos Carrasco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Urbanization acceleration has increased the consumption of natural resources and carbon footprint, pushing the need for sustainable development. Even though various construction materials are needed for infrastructure development, the most commonly used material is Ordinary Portland Cement for strength (OPC) and durability, while sand is used as a filler in the mixes prepared with OPC. The main goal of this study is to find a sustainable substitute for sand, which is locally available and currently being placed in landfills. One such material is pecan shells, and a thorough analysis of the literature led us to investigate the possible use of …

Building Services Engineering May/June 2025

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Using Hydrologic And Hydraulic Simulations To Predict Near-Term Effects Of Beaver Habitat Restoration On Flood Flows, Luke S. Stewart

Master's Theses

There is a growing need to predict the complex hydrologic and hydraulic effects of beaver-maintained wetlands. This study uses relatively simple inputs and a replicable methodology to predict flood flow impacts of beaver habitat restoration at the site design scale using the engineering industry’s customary hydrology and hydraulic modeling approach. This study focuses on Toro Creek, the primary drainage for a 15.2 square mile watershed on the California Central Coast.

A hydrologic model of Toro Creek watershed was developed in HEC-HMS to approximate saturated soil conditions typical of late-spring flooding events observed in the region. The hydrologic model was calibrated …

Statistical Time-History Response Of Mid-Story Isolated Structures In Linearized Elastic Conditions, Min Thit Khant

Master's Theses

This study presents a statistical analysis of the seismic demand of mid-story isolated structures in linearized elastic conditions. The assumed earthquake database consists of 228 ground motions recorded in California from earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 6. A three-degree-of-freedom modeling approach is adopted, and the seismic demands of the substructure, superstructure, and isolation system are determined for varying isolated mass and stiffness ratios. The seismic demand of mid-story isolated structures at the isolation level is expressed in terms of the response of an idealized isolated superstructure supposed to be on the ground, while the demands on the substructure and superstructure …

Bentonite Erosion And Cation Exchange Effects On Hydraulic Conductivity Of Geosynthetic Clay Liners, Grace Paananen

Master's Theses

Geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) are used in municipal solid waste landfill (MSW) liner and cover systems as an alternative to thick compacted clay layers. Previous field studies have revealed potential for bentonite erosion in GCLs when subjected to wet-dry cycles that occur when GCLs are placed on slopes, covered with a geomembrane, and left exposed without additional soil cover. A laboratory test program was conducted to quantify the effects of bentonite erosion on hydraulic conductivity of sodium-bentonite geosynthetic clay liners and samples subjected to cation exchange treatment in addition to bentonite erosion. This test program determined what level of bentonite …

Evaluation Of The Effects Of Various Types Of Inert And Active Fillers On Asphalt Mixture Performance, Mohammad Hadizadeh Pirbasti

LSU Master's Theses

Abstract:

The performance of asphalt mixtures is significantly influenced by the type and characteristics of fillers used as a replacement for filler part of the aggregates’ batching. According to this research investigation the performance along with durability characteristics of asphalt mixtures are evaluated through different inert and active fillers. The fillers used include Fly Ash, Cement, steel slag powder, and additional filler. These fillers incorporate into two types of asphalt mix design of Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) and a surface mix. Fillers are categorized according to their reactive properties alongside their physical attributes leading to active fillers strengthening bond formation …

Ultimate Limit State Reliability-Based Approach Life Prediction Of An Existing Frame Structure Under Seismic Hazard In Indonesia, Wira Herucakra, Luh Putri Adnyani

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

Life assessment integrated with Structural Integrity Management (SIM) has been implemented in the oil and gas industry for the past decade to maintain the integrity and safety of an in-service structure used to support hydrocarbon exploration, production, and processing activity. Current structural life assessment, as ruled by the American Petroleum Institute (API), uses a fatigue-based approach for offshore structures subjected to wave loading. As the general principle of SIM is not limited to offshore structures, this study offers an alternative life assessment method for onshore structures, especially steel frame structures subjected to earthquake loads. Reliability analysis, combined with the effect …

Airfield Pavement Management Framework Using Advanced Modeling Techniques, Heena Dhasmana, Marwa Hassan, Elise Mansour

Publications

Airport authorities constantly collect pavement condition data and utilize life-cycle cost analysis to select construction and maintenance alternatives. The current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular 150/5380-7B recommends using Pavement Condition Index (PCI) to assess airfield pavement condition for planning of Maintenance and Rehabilitation (M&R) treatments. However, structural and functional performance might not be fairly represented by solely one indicator, the PCI. The latter might mask the root cause of the pavement deterioration and lead to inadequate M&R recommendations. Furthermore, the regression nature of the existing airfield pavement assessment models is not adequate for establishing pavement performance prediction as a …

Optimizing The Sustainability Of Asphalt Pavements Through Incorporating Crumb Rubber In High-Modulus Asphalt Concrete (Hmac) Mixtures In Louisiana, Heena Dhasmana, Marwa Hassan, Mohamed Abdelmageed

Publications

Asphalt mixtures are traditionally produced using the Superpave mix design method, which emphasizes volumetric properties; however, current research is shifting toward performance-based and sustainable approaches. Within this context, the French High Modulus Asphalt Concrete (HMAC) design focuses on achieving specific performance criteria for workability, stiffness, rutting resistance, and fatigue behavior, employing a hard binder with higher asphalt content and fewer air voids than Superpave mixes. In this study, HMAC mixtures were developed using crumb rubber and locally sourced Louisiana materials. Five HMAC mixes using PG 76-22 and PG 67-22 binders with 10% and 20% crumb rubber were prepared, along with …

Enhancing Water Supply Resilience & Sustainability: Potential Solutions To Address Water Scarcity In Bogotá, Colombia, Sophia Alvarez Wong

Master's Projects and Capstones

Municipal water utilities are in urgent need of adapting to the intensifying impacts of climate change and population growth—key drivers of urban water scarcity worldwide. In rapidly expanding cities like Bogota, Colombia, these pressures have contributed to a severe water crisis driven by prolonged droughts, ecosystem degradation, increasing water demands, and overdependence on limited water sources. This study explores potential adaptation and management strategies that utilities can implement to sustainably strengthen supply system resilience and enhance water security, in the context of low- to middle-income regions. A series of comparative and case study analyses were conducted to assess the feasibility …

Wildfire Hydrologic Impacts, Kathleen E. Inman

Theses and Dissertations

Wildfires are essential processes for certain ecosystems but are increasing in severity and occurrence. These increases are negatively changing hydrology. Anticipating the hydrologic changes is necessary for management of effected watersheds, infrastructure, and downstream users. This study hypothesized land cover changes post-fire would increase water temperature and discharge in burned watersheds located in the Willamette Basin. This study (1) evaluated the change in estimated curve numbers (CN) from land cover pre-fire and post-fire to assess expected runoff impacts in watersheds, and (2) identified the significance of actual water temperature and discharge changes using non-parametric statistical analysis. An unburned watershed and …

Asphalt Durability Improvements By Way Of Specification Advancements, Jessica V. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation is to provide content through which industry and agencies can adjust and/or update standards and specifications, as appropriate, to accommodate the present-day needs of the asphalt industry towards producing more durable asphalt. A total of 78 asphalt mixtures and 9 asphalt binders were evaluated for up to 10 years of field aging to provide content that was analyzed to meet this objective. A full-scale aging site in Columbus, Mississippi was the focal point of the aging experiments. A major conclusion from this work was that Cantabro Mass Loss (CML) testing of cores was able to …

Effect Of Coarse Aggregate On The Stability And Mechanical Performance Of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (Uhpc), Rui Zhong, Mingyan Pan, Hongyu Wu, Zhao Cheng, Jianzhong Liu, Jingquan Wang, Yiming Yao, Hongyan Ma

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The effect of coarse aggregate (CA) on the stability and mechanical performance of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) was investigated. To assess UHPC stability, a unique approach was developed that utilizes specially fabricated large specimens with a depth of 400 mm. It overcomes the drawback of limited CA migration distance using small specimens, which may not replicate conditions relevant to structural applications. The spatial distributions of various constituents along the vertical casting direction were quantified through image processing technology. Results showed an approximately 12 % reduction in CA content in the top layer, while the bottom layer exhibited 12 % more CA …

Efficient Wattle Design For High-Level Nuclear Waste Tanks, Jasmine B. Clarke

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

At the Hanford Site in Washington state and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, there are underground steel tanks that hold high-level nuclear waste (HLW) and nearly 450 million curies of radioactivity. At these sites, some leaks have been detected in HLW tanks. While detecting these leaks allows for identification of the issue, it does not solve the problem or prevent the leakage of HLW contaminants into collection pans and secondary containment. Repairing these leaks poses potential threats to workers for exposure risk. To address this issue, the present research seeks to create and utilize an active barrier in …

Analysis Of Incident Duration And Real-Time Incident Delay Estimation Using Big Data Analytics And Machine Learning Techniques, Zhubin Najafi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Traffic incidents have a significant impact on freeway operations, leading to severe delays, congestion, fuel wastage, and economic losses for commuters. Each year, billions of gallons of fuel are wasted, and drivers incur thousands of dollars in lost time due to incident-related delays. To mitigate these effects, Traffic Management Centers (TMCs) implement incident management strategies aimed at reducing both the frequency and severity of incidents while ensuring their prompt and safe clearance.

Dynamic Message Signs (DMSs) are key tools used by TMCs to communicate travel times and incident information to commuters. Under normal conditions, default travel times are displayed on …

Investigating Decision Factors For Modularization And Standardization Decision On Early Project Phase: Qualitative Comparative Analysis, Amrit Shahi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Modularization involves shifting site-based work to offsite locations to enhance overall productivity, reduce costs, shorten schedules, and improve project competitiveness. By developing and utilizing consistent designs, facility standardization further optimizes project schedules, costs, and value. When combined, they create a leveraging opportunity, as seen in the shipbuilding and manufacturing industries. While both strategies offer significant advantages, capital projects struggle to have a well-informed modularization and standardization decision during the early project phase (i.e., Opportunity Framing). This often results in improper implementation and lower modularization and standardization levels. The main cause for this is the industry’s limited understanding of early-phase high-level …

Development And Application Of Low-Cost Carbon Dioxide Sensors In An Urban Environment, David Coghiel

Theses - ALL

Advancements in sensor technology have made air quality monitoring platforms more user-friendly, compact, and affordable. This provides new opportunities to monitor areas of interest in environments previously not investigated. The existing elevated I-81 Viaduct that runs through downtown Syracuse, NY is being demolished to be reconstructed as a ground level community grid. The goal of the study was to develop a network of low-cost air quality sensor units to monitor concentrations of carbon dioxide along the viaduct prior to its reconstruction. Multiple low-cost carbon dioxide sensors were purchased and tested under laboratory and field conditions to determine applicability for continuous …

Civil Engineering Capstone Building Design And Seismic Analysis, Ander P. Mcdade

Honors Theses

The building for the University of Mississippi civil engineering senior design class was designed and analyzed. The building is in Oxford Mississippi. The current address according to the Lafayette Parcel is 825 Sisk Avenue Suite 200. The floor plan, column, and beam design were performed based on engineering judgment and industry standards. The dead, live, snow, rain, and roof live loads were calculated to be 13.3, 50, 20, 27.51, and 20 psf respectively. The building model was created in SAP2000, which was used to generate all loads and load combinations. An analysis was performed to determine the critical loads on …

Peroxi-Electrocoagulation For Pfas Mitigation: The Impact Of Water Quality And Dissolved Organic Matter On Removal Pathways, Donald R. Ryan, Claire K. Baldus, Shimaa M. Kteeba, Melvin Samuel, Yin Wang, Laodong Wang, Brooke K. Mayer, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The recent addition of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation per- has increased the need for research on PFAS treatment technologies for water and wastewater. Electrochemical treatment processes have been widely investigated for PFAS removal. Peroxi-electrocoagulation (electrocoagulation paired with hydrogen peroxide (EC:H₂O₂)) was evaluated as a novel water treatment process for PFAS mitigation due to the multimechanistic removal pathways that can proceed during treatment, including chemical degradation via oxidation, and physical separation pathways such as sorption to flocs, flotation layer accumulation, and foam fractionation. This work investigated the impacts of …

Numerical Study Of A Locally Resonant Frictional Metamaterial For Seismic Vibration Control Of Liquid Storage Tanks, Shayan Khosravi, Mohsen Amjadian

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Liquid storage tanks (LSTs) are critical infrastructure components, storing essential fluids in facilities such as oil refineries and nuclear power plants. However, their vulnerability to seismic damage, including tank wall buckling and anchor uplift due to fluid-structure interaction and sloshing dynamics, necessitates advanced protective measures. This study introduces the Locally Resonant Frictional Metamaterial (LRFM) system as an innovative seismic base-isolation (SBI) technology to mitigate earthquake-induced effects on LSTs. The LRFM system consists of a periodic lattice framework with friction-based resonators designed to attenuate seismic waves by generating low-frequency bandgaps (0–20 Hz), which is a critical range for mitigating impulsive seismic …