Civil Engineering Commons^™

Dynamic Response, Assessment, And Retrofitting Of Prestressed Concrete Bridge Girders Subjected To Lateral Impact Loads, Haitham A. Abdelmalek

Doctoral Dissertations

Over height vehicle collisions pose a growing threat to the resilience of bridge infrastructure across the United States. According to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA, 2024), approximately 36% of all U.S. bridges require major repair or replacement, with an estimated cost of $400 billion. This dissertation investigates the structural dynamic response, damage assessment, and retrofitting strategies for prestressed concrete (PC) bridge girders subjected to lateral impact loading.

The research comprised two main phases: (1) numerical modeling and (2) experimental testing. A validated 3D nonlinear finite element (FE) model was developed to conduct parametric studies on impact behavior, …

A First Model Foundation Design Of Wood Pillar In Banjarmasin Swampland, Nursyarif Agusniansyah, Gusti Novi Sarbini, Akbar Rahman, Muhammad Tharziansyah

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Banjarmasin's swampland presents distinct characteristics that make it suitable for constructing homes, but it also requires special attention, especially concerning the foundation. The soil in this area often has extremely low carrying capacity, which poses a significant challenge for construction. Mistakes in choosing construction materials, coupled with mismatched building loads and inadequate foundation functions, often result in foundation failures—a common cause of building collapses. As the complexity and functionality of buildings increase, the need for more thoughtful house design becomes more crucial. The commonly used wooden pile foundation, while popular, has limited load-bearing capacity, necessitating modifications to enhance its strength. …

Behavior Of Reinforced Concrete Beams With Externally Anchored Rebars, Nyan Soe Lynn

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study investigates a minimally invasive rehabilitation method for reinforced concrete (RC) beams using externally anchored reinforcement by means of epoxy. Two programs were conducted: flexural rehabilitation using externally anchored longitudinal bars, and shear rehabilitation using externally anchored U-shaped stirrups. Four beam specimens were tested under four-point bending for the flexural program, and four under three-point bending for the shear program. Test results from the flexural program showed large deformation due to plastic hinge formation. Due to their unbonded nature, the external rebars engaged later than the internal reinforcement and developed large deflection. Load-carrying capacity, however, was not increased since …

การศึกษาความเป็นไปได้ในการประยุกต์ใช้ปัญญาประดิษฐ์ระบบหลายเอเจนต์ผสานคอมพิวเตอร์วิทัศน์ เพื่อพัฒนาระบบติดตามวัสดุเหล็กกล่องในงานก่อสร้าง, ปภพ รัตนพันธุ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

อุตสาหกรรมการก่อสร้างเผชิญความท้าทายในการจัดการวัสดุ เช่น เหล็กกล่อง ซึ่งเป็นต้นทุนหลัก เนื่องจากปัญหาข้อมูลไม่ถูกต้อง การสูญหาย และการพึ่งพาระบบเอกสาร ขณะที่เทคโนโลยีเดิมยังมีข้อจำกัด งานวิจัยนี้จึงนำเสนอการประยุกต์ใช้ปัญญาประดิษฐ์เพื่อระบบการติดตามวัสดุชนิดเหล็กกล่องในงานก่อสร้างตั้งแต่กระบวนการส่งมอบ คลังวัสดุ และการใช้งานวัสดุ ระบบที่พัฒนาขึ้นใช้โมเดลภาษาขนาดใหญ่ (Large Language Model: LLM) เป็นแกนกลางควบคุม ระบบหลายเอเจนต์ (Multi-agent Systems) ซึ่งประกอบด้วยเอเจนต์ตรวจจับและนับวัสดุด้วย คอมพิวเตอร์วิทัศน์ (Steel detect count Agent) และเอเจนต์บันทึกข้อมูล (Data collection Agent) โดยผู้ใช้สามารถโต้ตอบผ่านส่วนติดต่อผู้ใช้งานเชิงสนทนาบนเว็บแอปพลิเคชัน โดยระบบได้บูรณาการเทคโนโลยี BIM, YOLOv11, Gemini 2.5 Pro, LangGraph Supervisor และ ฐานข้อมูล Supabase จากการประยุกต์ใช้ในโครงการกรณีศึกษา ได้ใช้พารามิเตอร์ Precision, Recall และ F1-Score ในการประเมินการทำงานของเอเจนต์พบว่าเอเจนต์ตรวจจับและนับวัสดุมีค่า F1-Score สูงถึง 98.25-100% และเอเจนต์บันทึกข้อมูลมีค่า 100% ในทุกพารามิเตอร์ และส่งผลให้เอเจนต์ตัวแทนควบคุมหลักประมวลผลข้อมูลส่วนใหญ่ได้อย่างถูกต้อง ยกเว้นข้อมูล quantity ที่มีค่า F1-Score อยู่ที่ 92.86% ซึ่งเป็นข้อผิดพลาดที่เกิดจากเอเจนต์ตรวจจับและนับวัตถุก่อนหน้า และการประเมินการแสดงผลข้อมูลของวัสดุ แสดงให้เห็นว่าระบบบันทึกข้อมูลได้จริงตลอดทั้ง 3 กระบวนการ อีกทั้งเหล็กกล่องถูกนำไปติดตั้งได้อย่างครบถ้วน

การประยุกต์ใช้เหล็กกล่องเติมด้วยคอนกรีตกำลังสูงเป็นเสาในโครงสร้างที่พักอาศัย, พีรดนย์ ลอออรรถพงศ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาและประเมินสิทธิภาพของโครงสร้างเหล็กกล่องเติมด้วยคอนกรีตกำลังสูง (High-Strength Concrete-Filled Steel Tube, HSCFST) สำหรับการประยุกต์ใช้กับบ้านพักอาศัย อันเป็นการตอบสนองต่อปัญหาการขาดแคลนแรงงานฝีมือ การเพิ่มขึ้นของค่าแรง และความจำเป็นในการลดระยะเวลาการก่อสร้างและต้นทุน การศึกษาได้พิจารณากรณีบ้านพักอาศัยสูง 3 ชั้น จำนวน 4 หลัง โดยทำการจำลองโครงสร้างด้วยโปรแกรม ETABS เพื่อตรวจสอบพฤติกรรมการรับแรงในแนวดิ่งและแรงจากแผ่นดินไหวของโครงสร้าง ซึ่งการออกแบบเสาเหล็กกล่องเติมด้วยคอนกรีตกำลังสูงอ้างอิงมาตรฐาน AISC 360-22 (LRFD) ผลการออกแบบพบว่าสามารถลดขนาดเสาให้เล็กลงเหลือ 125 มิลลิเมตร และ 150 มิลลิเมตร เพื่อให้มีขนาดไม่เกินความหนาของผนังบ้านได้เมื่อใช้คอนกรีตที่มีกำลังรับแรงอัดสูงกว่า 60 เมกะปาสคาล ร่วมกับเหล็กกล่องชนิดที่มีจำหน่ายในท้องตลาด โดยโครงสร้างที่ได้ออกแบบทั้ง 4 หลัง พบว่ามีประสิทธิภาพในการรับน้ำหนักบรรทุกและแรงแผ่นดินไหวดีกว่าโครงสร้างคอนกรีตเสริมเหล็กแบบเดิมในทุกด้าน ทั้งยังพบว่ามีต้นทุนการก่อสร้างที่ต่ำกว่าเสาคอนกรีตเสริมเหล็กอย่างมีนัยสำคัญ นอกจากนี้ยังได้ทำการทดสอบเสาเหล็กกล่องเติมด้วยคอนกรีตกำลังสูงในห้องปฏิบัติการ เพื่อเปรียบเทียบกำลังรับแรงอัดกับค่าที่ได้จากสมการทำนายตามมาตรฐาน AISC 360-22 พบว่าค่าที่ได้จากการคำนวณมีค่าต่ำกว่าผลการทดสอบจริงค่อนข้างมาก ส่งผลให้เกิดความมั่นใจยิ่งขึ้นต่อการนำเสาเหล็กกล่องเติมด้วยคอนกรีตกำลังสูงไปใช้จริงในงานก่อสร้างบ้านพักอาศัย

Centralized Deep Reinforcement Learning For Homogeneous Multi-Component Maintenance Optimization, Joseph W. Wittrock

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores an application of reinforcement learning (RL) in maintenance optimization. Recent advances in hardware-accelerated computation and deep learning have made RL a powerful tool for solving optimization problems which are too complex for traditional methods. Maintenance optimization involves improving the efficiency and effectiveness of maintenance activities through data-driven approaches, ultimately reducing costs and increasing asset availability. Making informed maintenance decisions is crucial to long-term sustainability.

A desirable maintenance policy maximizes a utility signal while minimizing the cost of maintenance. Techniques in sequential decision making such as dynamic programming (DP) and RL have found success in optimizing these maintenance …

Coastal Flooding Along The Lower Brazos During The Landfall Of Hurricane Beryl -A Model-Based Investigation, Sabiha Tasnuva Khan

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Hurricane Beryl generated a complex hydrodynamic response along the Texas coast and Lower Brazos River, producing storm surge, elevated coastal water levels, intense rainfall, and widespread inundation. Low-gradient coastal rivers such as the lower portion of the Brazos River are particularly sensitive to the interaction of these drivers, yet the inland decay of surge energy and its interplay with watershed runoff remain poorly quantified. This study aims to characterize the physical mechanisms controlling water-level amplification, flow reversal, surge attenuation, and inundation development during Hurricane Beryl along the Lower Brazos and to determine the relative contributions of surge and rainfall to …

Stable Oxygen And Hydrogen Isotopic Ratios Of Precipitation And Modelling Of Precipitation Sources In Central Kentucky, Usa, 2017-2022, Ariel Gold-Mccoy

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Our goals were to carry out analyses of a multi-year δ¹⁸O and δ²H dataset of precipitation from central Kentucky and to analyze the source of precipitation for storm events from 2017 to 2022. δ¹⁸O and δ²H were measured for 244 weekly precipitation samples collected by the National Atmospheric Deposition Program at Mackville, Kentucky, USA. Modelling precipitation source was carried out using HYSPLIT model for 414 events. Results of δ¹⁸O and δ²H from central Kentucky show: consistent seasonality, including summer highs and winter lows for δ¹⁸O and δ²H; correlation with air temperature; and …

An Investigation Of The Legitimacy Of The Underlying Assumptions Of The Scs Curve Number Method By Application To Actual Urban Watersheds, Robert K. Peterson

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The Soil Conservation Service (SCS) Curve Number (CN) method is widely used to estimate direct runoff, and its TR-55 urban-adapted Curve Numbers are commonly applied in stormwater design. However, the underlying assumptions of the method have been the subject of contemporary review, and concerns remain that these values underestimate runoff in actual urban watersheds. This study evaluates the performance of TR-55 CNs using rainfall–runoff data from twenty real-world urban watersheds in the National Stormwater Quality Database.

Empirical Curve Numbers were derived using two calibration techniques, the asymptotic CN method (CN∞) and a nonlinear least-squares optimization method (CN_LS), and …

Earthquake Wrangler: Leveraging Ios Technology For Earthquake Detection And Early Warning Application To Enhance Public Safety., Luis F. Salome

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Earthquakes are devastating natural phenomena and generate secondary hazards such as tsunamis, landslides and fires. Their catastrophic impacts span both developed nations including the United States, Japan, Turkey, and Italy and developing countries such as El Salvador, Haiti, Nepal and the Philippines, where disparities in early warning infrastructure remain important. Seismic events start with stress waves generated by tectonic plate motion, with body waves (P- waves and S-waves) and surface Rayleigh and love waves that carry energy through the earth. While some regions have adopted advanced early warning systems based on seismic hazard models and strong ground motion analysis, others …

Harmful Algal Bloom Prediction Modeling In The Face Of A Changing Climate, Jordan E. Spears

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) in rivers pose significant threats to drinking water quality and public health, yet the predictive understanding of their proliferation remains limited, particularly regarding the influence of flow conditions in large rivers. This thesis addresses the critical knowledge gap of the relationship between seasonal flow variability and HAB proliferation in the Ohio River, with the Markland Pool serving as the primary study site. This study quantified the impact of early summer high flow events (>7500 m³ s^-1) and late summer to early fall low flow conditions (< 1500 m³ s^-1) by integrating …

Development Of Generalizable Data-Driven Traffic State Prediction Solutions: A Comprehensive Approach, Md Mobasshir Rashid

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Increased urbanization and population growth lead to more traffic in the transportation system, causing severe congestion. Particularly during disruptive events such as hurricanes or traffic incidents, the traffic flow in the network worsens significantly. As a result, there is a need for data-driven traffic prediction models to reduce congestion in real-time, and the prediction model should be generalizable to be applicable across different dynamic scenarios. Additionally, a robust and adaptable traffic prediction model can help traffic managers to take proactive actions to optimize traffic flow. However, the majority of data-driven traffic prediction models suffer from limited applicability as they are …

Gfrp Reinforced Bridge Barriers: Experiment Testing, Manish Kumar Gadhe

Masters Theses

This study focused on evaluating the performance of concrete bridge barriers reinforced with Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) compared to those reinforced with conventional mild steel. Four full-scale barriers were constructed, three using GFRP bars as the reinforcement and one with mild steel reinforcement. These were cast on two concrete slabs to ensure consistent support conditions. The use of GFRP aims to address durability concerns associated with steel reinforced concrete (RC), particularly corrosion of these bars in harsh environments.

To simulate real-world impact scenarios, a weighted cart was launched at each barrier using a guided sled system. Sensors, including load …

Prioritizing Amd Impaired Watersheds For Watershed-Scale Restoration Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, James Nicholas Marino

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) remains a significant environmental challenge in coal-mining and hard rock regions like West Virginia, degrading water quality and ecosystem health. Traditional site-specific remediation efforts often prove inefficient in addressing AMD at large scale. This study explores watershed-scale restoration as a more effective solution, leveraging centralized treatment facilities and multi-source pollution management. This study will follow Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), specifically the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), to develop a structured rubric for grading watersheds. The process involves identifying critical criteria, organizing them into a hierarchy, and generating weights for clusters of criteria through collaboration with decision makers. …

Quantifying Subsurface Pavement Temperatures Subject To Future Climates And Implications For Pavement Resilience, Austin Michael Jarrell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Assessment of anthropogenic climate change impacts in pavement design and analysis remains limited within engineering practice, despite growing recognition of the need for climate-resilient roadway infrastructure. Research efforts have increasingly focused on integrating future climate projections into mechanistic-empirical pavement design, which represents the leading edge of the state of practice. However, a lack of consensus persists regarding the optimal methods for incorporating climate projections, particularly in the selection of downscaling techniques and global climate models (GCMs) to ensure accuracy and applicability for pavement performance analysis. This research investigates the impact of statistical downscaling methodologies and GCM selection routines on subsurface …

Citizen-Centric Building Energy Retrofits: Understanding And Supporting Citizens As Occupants, Participants, Decision-Makers, And Learners In Home Energy Retrofits, Nikhil Singh Yaduvanshi

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Residential building retrofits remain significantly under-adopted despite substantial technological advances, economic incentives, and policy efforts, creating a critical gap between technical potential and actual implementation in achieving climate goals. Assessment of citizen involvement in building retrofit processes plays a critical role in formulating effective home retrofit program designs to ensure maximum adoption rates and avoid energy waste. Although, existing retrofit programs and decision-making models recognize the importance of citizen involvement, the extent of citizen capabilities and the effects of citizen-centered approaches on retrofit adoption and building performance has not been comprehensively examined. The adoption and success of retrofit programs depends …

Assessment Of The Feasibility Of Utilizing Plastic Waste In Infrastructure To Promote Circular Economy In Bangladesh, Md Lutfor Rahman

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This study presents a comprehensive assessment of municipal solid waste (MSW) and plastic waste characterization across Bangladesh, with a focus on circular economy opportunities and the long-term economic viability of plastic road. Using on-site waste characterization data for 13 major cities from four geographic zones of Bangladesh —Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast—the research identifies food waste as the dominant component of the national waste stream (67.3%), followed by plastic (12.4%), textiles (7.8%), and paper (4.7%). Among plastics, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) overwhelmingly dominates (89.7%), highlighting the continued prevalence of single-use flexible plastics.

A life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) was conducted comparing …

Implementation And Performance Evaluation Of Plastic Road Mix Design In Parking Lot, Ishraq Faruk

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The uncontrolled proliferation of plastic waste has emerged as a global environmental crisis, with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) constituting a substantial fraction of the waste stream due to its extensive use in packaging and its resistance to degradation. In parallel, asphalt pavements particularly in urban infrastructure such as parking lots experience accelerated deterioration from raveling, rutting, and cracking as a result of thermal cycling, repetitive loading, and inadequate drainage. These converging challenges present an opportunity for innovative, circular-economy-based sustainable pavement technologies that simultaneously improve surface durability and mitigate plastic waste accumulation.

This research investigates the full-scale implementation and monitoring of HDPE …

Leveraging Product And Process Characteristics Across The Concrete Pavement Life Cycle To Integrate Global Warming Potential Into Project Procurement Processes, Michelle Annette Cooper

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The objective of this research is to support sustainable procurement of concrete pavements by linking materials-level global warming potential (GWP) to the project-level. Infrastructure owners require reliable environmental product declarations (EPDs) and methodologies for integrating GWP into the procurement process to ensure equitable decision-making. This work provides insights into current EPD reliability by assessing the sensitivity of concrete GWP to materials-level contributors to recommend a level of supply chain specificity needed to effectively communicate GWP. A benchmarking methodology was developed and implemented to establish reference values for procuring sustainable products. Having provided evidence towards EPD reliability, this work presents a …

Ansi Z97 Impact Testing Of Thin Glass, Justin P. Anthony

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

To determine whether thin glass constructions can pass Z97 impact test to qualify as safety glass an extensive protocol was performed. Constructions including monolithic, chemically strengthened, filmed, laminated, and triple pane insulated glass units comprised of thin glass ranging in thickness between 0.50 mm and 1.6mm were evaluated. Test results indicate annealed specimens, and laminated specimens performed similar to constructions with 3 mm and 6 mm glass. Specimens with 0.2 mm film consistently performed as safety glass for thicknesses between 0.7 mm and 1.6 mm and similar performance for specimens with 0.1 mm film with thickness of 1.1 mm and …