Laboratory Study Of The Effect Of Electromagnetic Waves On Airflow During Air Sparging,
2014
Boise State University
Laboratory Study Of The Effect Of Electromagnetic Waves On Airflow During Air Sparging, Atena Najafi, Vahab Bolvardi, Arvin Farid, Jim Browning, Elisa Barney Smith
Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations
Air sparging is a technique that uses the injection of a gas (e.g., air, oxygen) into the subsurface to remediate saturated soils and groundwater contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Contaminant-removal efficiency and air-sparging performance are highly dependent on the pattern and type of airflow. Airflow, however, suffers from air channel formation (i.e., preferential paths for airflow), limiting remediation to smaller contaminated zones. This paper presents the results of experimental work investigating the possibility of controlling and improving airflow patterns through a saturated glass-bead medium using electromagnetic (EM) waves to enhance air sparging. The test setup consists of a resonant …
Electromagnetically Induced Transport In Water For Geoenvironmental Applications,
2014
Boise State University
Electromagnetically Induced Transport In Water For Geoenvironmental Applications, Arvin Farid, Atena Najafi, Mahsa Azad, Jim Browning, Elisa Barney Smith
Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations
Air sparging is a popular soil remediation technique that enables the removal of contaminants through diffusing air into soil. The removal process is, however, slow. The goal of this work is to study the effect of electromagnetic (EM) waves —with minimal heat generation— on transport mechanisms such as diffusion, in order to improve airflow or contaminant transport in order to expedite the cleanup process using air sparging or similar technologies. This effect is studied through an experimental setup that examines the diffusion of a nonreactive dye in water under EM waves at a range of frequencies (50-200 MHz). The electric …
Study Of Mechanisms Governing Electromagnetic Alteration Of Hydraulic Conductivity Of Soils,
2014
Boise State University
Study Of Mechanisms Governing Electromagnetic Alteration Of Hydraulic Conductivity Of Soils, Atena Najafi, Sahba Azad, Arvin Farid, Jim Browning, Elisa Barney Smith
Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations
Hydraulic conductivity is a measure of the rate at which water flows through porous media. Because of the dipole properties of water molecules, electric field can affect hydraulic conductivity. In this study, the effect of radio-frequency (RF) waves on hydraulic conductivity is investigated. This is important both for the geophysical measurement of hydraulic conductivity as well as remediation using electromagnetic waves. Bentonite clay and sandy samples are tested in rigid-wall, cylindrical permeameters and stimulated using a CPVC-cased monopole antenna vertically centered in the permeameters. The permeameters are encased within RF cavities constructed of aluminum mesh in order to prevent interference …
The Stochastic Capacity Of A Roadway: Is It The Answer For Better “Real-Time” Management Of Freeway Operations?,
2014
Boise State University
The Stochastic Capacity Of A Roadway: Is It The Answer For Better “Real-Time” Management Of Freeway Operations?, Mandar Khanal
Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations
Rapid growth in vehicles has been observed in many developing countries in recent years. The number of vehicles has grown but non-motorized vehicles have not disappeared. The presence of dissimilar modes of travel results in unsafe roads. Additional factors that exacerbate the traffic problem in these countries are the tendency of users to not observe traffic rules and the lax enforcement of traffic rules by law enforcement agencies. The combination of these factors can be deadly for road users. For example in India, a total of 134,513 people lost their lives to road accidents in 2010 compared to 32,885 road …
Time-Variable Refraction Of The Internal Tide At The Hawaiian Ridge,
2014
Portland State University
Time-Variable Refraction Of The Internal Tide At The Hawaiian Ridge, Edward D. Zaron, Gary D. Egbert
Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations
The interaction of the dominant semidiurnal M2 internal tide with the large-scale subtidal flow is examined in an ocean model by propagating the tide through an ensemble of background fields in a domain centered on the Hawaiian Ridge. The background fields are taken from the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) ocean analysis, at 2-month intervals from 1992 through 2001. Tides are computed with the Primitive Equation Z-coordinate Harmonic Analysis of Tides (PEZ-HAT) model by 14-day integrations using SODA initial conditions and M2 tidal forcing. Variability of the tide is found to occur primarily as the result of propagation through …
Reliability-Based Progressive Collapse And Redundancy Analysis Of Bridge Systems,
2014
CUNY Graduate Center
Reliability-Based Progressive Collapse And Redundancy Analysis Of Bridge Systems, Feng Miao
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Highway bridges like most structural systems are usually designed on a member by member basis and little consideration is provided to the effect of a local failure on system safety. There are concerns that some systems optimized to meet code-specified member design criteria may not provide sufficient levels of structural redundancy to withstand a possible local failure. In fact, a local failure of one structural element may result in the failure of another element creating a chain reaction that might progress throughout the whole structure or a major portion of it leading to a catastrophic collapse. Several recent catastrophic structural …
Study Of The Effect Of Wind Speed On Evaporation From Soil Through Integrated Modeling Of The Atmospheric Boundary Layer And Shallow Subsurface,
2014
University of Texas at Arlington
Study Of The Effect Of Wind Speed On Evaporation From Soil Through Integrated Modeling Of The Atmospheric Boundary Layer And Shallow Subsurface, Hossein Davarzani, Kathleen Smits, Ryan M. T Tolene, Tissa Illangasekare
Civil Engineering Faculty Publications - Archive
In an effort to develop methods based on integrating the subsurface to the atmospheric boundary layer to estimate evaporation, we developed a model based on the coupling of Navier-Stokes free flow and Darcy flow in porous medium. The model was tested using experimental data to study the effect of wind speed on evaporation. The model consists of the coupled equations of mass conservation for two-phase flow in porous medium with single-phase flow in the free-flow domain under nonisothermal, nonequilibrium phase change conditions. In this model, the evaporation rate and soil surface temperature and relative humidity at the interface come directly …
Swell And Shrinkage Strain Prediction Models For Expansive Clays,
2014
University of Texas at Arlington
Swell And Shrinkage Strain Prediction Models For Expansive Clays, Anand J. Puppala, Thammanoon Manosuthikij, Bhaskar C. S. Chittoori
Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations
A comprehensive laboratory investigation was conducted to study volume change behaviors of five different types of expansive clayey soils sampled from various regions in Texas, USA. The laboratory test results, which were presented in an earlier paper, are analyzed here to evaluate existing correlations that can be used to predict swell and shrink-related displacements in these soils. The test database is also used to develop newer and practical models for predicting volume change-related soil properties. Models developed here used soil plasticity and compaction properties as independent variables. Newer models, that rely on seasonal compaction moisture content variations in the subsoils, …
Development And Calibration Of A Multi-Zone Model To Predict The Distribution Of Contaminant In A Residential Building Using Contam Software,
2014
University of Texas at Tyler
Development And Calibration Of A Multi-Zone Model To Predict The Distribution Of Contaminant In A Residential Building Using Contam Software, Magda Nohella Hernandez Ramirez
Civil Engineering Theses
The use of computer simulations is a powerful alternative in the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) study due to the efficient performance and the amount of it is able to obtain. Multi-zone modeling is one of the most popular computing methods for IAQ study, thus can provide the knowledge of indoor airflow, temperature and contaminant concentration distributions. The study was conducted in TX Air House 1 using CONTAM software developed by U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) which is one of the most widely used airflow and indoor modeling program. The model was developed and calibrated to predict the …
Predicting The Severity Of Highway User Crashes On Public At-Grade Highway-Rail Crossings,
2014
University of Texas at Tyler
Predicting The Severity Of Highway User Crashes On Public At-Grade Highway-Rail Crossings, Elias Wondwossen Haile
Civil Engineering Theses
Highway user-rail crashes have a significant effect on highway user safety rating. However, very little attention is garnished on the subject. An understanding of the factors contributing to the levels of injury severity is an important step toward making the transportation system safer and more reliable. The main goal of this thesis is to explore the impact of various factors involved in highway user crashes on Highway-Rail at Grade Crossings (HRGCs) and provide appropriate mitigation measures. The logistic regression modeling approach (specifically ordered and unordered logit models) was applied to predict the three levels of highway user crash severity on …
Testing And Analysis Of A Post-Tensioned Coupled Wall System Monitored With Multiple Digital Image Correlation Systems,
2014
University of Texas at Tyler
Testing And Analysis Of A Post-Tensioned Coupled Wall System Monitored With Multiple Digital Image Correlation Systems, Michelle Holloman
Civil Engineering Theses
This thesis discusses the design and experimental evaluation of a novel seismic resistant reinforced concrete (RC) coupled shear wall system. In this system, the widely-used unbonded post-tensioned floor slab construction method is adapted to couple (i.e., link) two RC wall piers, providing significant performance and construction benefits over conventional RC coupling beams in high seismic regions. Previous experiments of post-tensioned coupled wall structures are limited to floor-level coupling beam subassemblies. The current study extends the available research to multi-story structures by construction and testing of a 15% scale eight story prototype specimen. This test is monitored by four digital image …
A Study Of A Landslide In Birmingham, Alabama,
2014
Michigan Technological University
A Study Of A Landslide In Birmingham, Alabama, Caitlin L. Bukovitz
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open
In 1988 a landslide occurred at a construction site in Birmingham, Alabama in which a portion of the construction site required excavating a rock slope with a group of apartments that were located at the top of the slope. During construction, two separate landslides occurred causing one and half of the apartment buildings to collapse downslope. The slope failure was investigated by two firms. One firm investigated the site conditions and the second firm investigated the design of the cut slope. The main concerns in the investigation were (1) the lack of consideration for the existing joint system, (2) using …
Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Proposal,
2014
Bucknell University
Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Proposal, Jeffrey C. Evans, Michael A. Malusis, Robert W. Jacob
NSF Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Documents
This is the proposal to the National Science Foundation for a soil-bentonite slurry trench cutoff wall. The proposal includes a project summary, description of the project, and the resources implemented on the project.
Effects Of Interaction Conditions On Internal Network Structure Of Crumb Rubber-Modified Asphalts,
2014
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Effects Of Interaction Conditions On Internal Network Structure Of Crumb Rubber-Modified Asphalts, Mohyeldin Ragab, Magdy Abdelrahman
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works
Investigation of the effect of interaction conditions on the development of the internal network structure of crumb rubber-modified asphalt (CRMA) was carried out. Enhancements in the CRMA physical properties, such as stiffness, expressed in the complex modulus (G*), and elasticity, expressed in the phase angle (δ), as a result of the development of three-dimensional (3-D) entangled network structure were achieved. These results came from controlling the interaction conditions of CRMA synthesis to regulate the crumb rubber-modified (CRM) components that were responsible for the formation of the 3-1) entangled network structure. Dissolution tests and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were performed on the …
Enhancing Building Performance And Environmental Learning: A Case Study Of Virginia Beach City Public Schools,
2014
Technological University Dublin
Enhancing Building Performance And Environmental Learning: A Case Study Of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Shannon Chance, John Timothy Cole
Books/Book Chapters
School buildings directly affect their natural and socio-cultural environments. They do this through their construction, maintenance, operation, and demolition. Most of the school buildings we have in stock today drain natural resources and inadvertently perpetuate a culture of environmental, social, and long-term economic ignorance and misuse. When approached thoughtfully, however, the design of school buildings can help inform and enrich society. Well-designed buildings can impart environmental knowledge and values. They can foster more effective behaviors among the people who learn in and from them. Effectively designed buildings can also conserve natural resources and—at their best—even help replenish the natural environment. …
Active Confinement Of Weakened Concrete Columns,
2014
Technological University Dublin
Active Confinement Of Weakened Concrete Columns, Niall Holmes, Dervilla Niall, C. O’Shea
Articles
This paper investigates the advantages of using of external active confinement to improve the compression load capacity of concrete cylinders using mild steel band clamps. For this, passive and actively pre-stressed steel bands have been attached to concrete cylinders to mimic real structural columns which may otherwise have to be removed and replaced due to poor strength performance. The experimental programme included compression load testing a number of unreinforced concrete cylindrical specimens to establish the effect the confinement had on the compressive load-carrying capacity and the stress-strain behaviour. A number of parameters were investigated in the study including the effect …
Longitudinal Shear Resistance Of Composite Slabs Containing Crumb Rubber In Concrete Toppings,
2014
Technological University Dublin
Longitudinal Shear Resistance Of Composite Slabs Containing Crumb Rubber In Concrete Toppings, Niall Holmes, Kevin Dunne, John O'Donnell
Articles
This paper investigates the behaviour and longitudinal shear capacity of metal deck composite slabs with the inclusion of crumb rubber in the concrete toppings. The ability of the slabs to act compositely is governed by the shear interaction between the concrete topping and the profiled steel deck. Results here show that crumb rubber concrete (CRC) improve the overall shear bond capacity between the steel deck and topping following an experimental study on full scale loading tests in accordance with Eurocode 4. The results confirm that composite slabs incorporating crumb rubber had no effect on the longitudinal shear resistance with similar …
A Review Of The Hl-93 Bridge Traffic Load Model Using An Extensive Wim Database,
2014
University College Dublin
A Review Of The Hl-93 Bridge Traffic Load Model Using An Extensive Wim Database, Cathal Leahy, Eugene J. Obrien, Bernard Enright, Donya Hajializadeh
Articles
HL-93, the current bridge traffic load model used in the United States, is examined here. Weigh-in-motion from 17 sites in 16 states, and containing 74 million truck records, is used to assess the level of consistency in the characteristic load effects implied by the HL-93 model. The load effects of bending moment and shear force are considered on single-lane and two-lane same-direction slab and girder bridges with a range of spans. It is found that the ratio of WIM-implied to HL-93 load effect varies considerably from one load effect to another. An alternative model is proposed which achieves improvements in …
Experimental Design Of Photo-Fenton Reactions For The Treatment Of Car Wash Wastewater Effluents By Response Surface Methodological Analysis,
2014
Minoufiya University, Egypt
Experimental Design Of Photo-Fenton Reactions For The Treatment Of Car Wash Wastewater Effluents By Response Surface Methodological Analysis, Maha Tony, Zeinab Bedri
Articles
Establishing a treatment process for practical and economic disposal of car wash wastewater has become an urgent environmental concern. Photo-Fenton’s process as one of the advanced oxidation processes is a potentially useful oxidation process in treating such wastewater. Lab-scale experiments with UV source, coupled with Fenton’s reagent, showed that hydrocarbon oil is degradable through such a process. The feasibility of photo-Fenton’s process to treat wastewater from a car wash is investigated in the present study. A factorial design based on the response surface methodology was applied to optimize the photo-Fenton oxidation process conditions using chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction as …
Adaptive Traffic Speed Estimation,
2014
Boise State University
Adaptive Traffic Speed Estimation, Brian Portugais, Mandar Khanal
Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations
Active traffic management aims to dynamically manage congestion based on existing and predicted traffic conditions. A challenge in this is that it is not usually possible to process data in real-time and use the output in control algorithms or in traveler information systems. A solution to this is to predict the traffic state based on assessments of current and past measurements. The work described in this paper develops an adaptive forecasting method to predict traffic speeds using dynamic linear models with Bayesian inference from a priori distributions. This study incorporates speeds collected from radar based sensors and validates the results …
