Civil Engineering Commons^™

Performance Comparison Of Design-Build And Construction Manager/General Contractor Highway Projects, Binita Shakya

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Researchers have conducted numerous studies comparing project performance of design-bid-build (DBB) and design-build (DB) highway projects. However, little research has been done to compare the performance of DB and construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC) highway projects. Therefore, an exploratory study was conducted to compare the performance of 55 DB and 34 CM/GC highway projects from various States Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in terms of cost, change orders, and construction intensity. The results showed that contract award cost growth was significantly lower in DB projects than in CM/GC projects. In contrast to this, the total cost growth of DB projects was higher …

Mechanism Of Crumb Rubber Modifier Dissolution Into Asphalt Matrix And Its Effect On Final Physical Properties Of Crumb Rubber-Modified Binder, Amir Ghavibazoo, Magdy Abdelrahman, Mohyeldin Ragab

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Modification of asphalt by crumb rubber modifier (CRM) is mostly done through exchange of components between asphalt and CRM. At 160⁰ C and 10 Hz, CRM absorbs aromatics of asphalt and swells; however, at 220⁰ C and 50 Hz, CRM dissolves into the asphalt; this process leads to the release of different components of CRM including carbon black, fillers, and polymeric and oily components. Depending on interaction conditions, CRM dissolution is performed differently, and therefore the state and role of the released components can be different. In this research different mechanisms of dissolution of one size of CRM in asphalt …

Public / Private Bim: An Irish Perspective, Barry Mcauley, Alan V. Hore, John Deeney

Conference papers

The current economic difficulties have affected most practitioners within the industry and, as a result, many firms and contractors are bidding for fewer projects, resulting in below-cost tenders. It is clear that, many firms and contractors are now operating on thin margins; which makes it increasingly difficult for them to commit to the introduction of new software applications and system upgrades. The transition to Building Information Modelling (BIM) from traditional 2D CAD by Irish firms and contractors has been a relatively slow process compared with our international colleagues. There are many reasons for this, including lack of resources, lack of …

Establishing Key Performance Indicators To Measure The Benefit Of Introducing The Facilities Manager At An Early Stage In The Building Information Modelling Process, Barry Mcauley, Alan V. Hore, Roger West

Conference papers

The Facilities Manager occupies a unique position within the lifecycle of a building asset, as he/she is one of the only Architectural, Engineering, and Construction/Facilities Management (AEC / FM) professionals who is in a position to view the product of the entire design and build process. Despite the potential benefits that the Facilities Manager offers, this profession still remains largely undeveloped and still does not command the recognition it deserves within the AEC/FM sector. This is beginning to change through the introduction of Building Information Modelling (BIM) which can offer a new level of functionality for the management of buildings …

Johnson, Leland Ross, 1937-2014 (Sc 2788), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2788. Typed research notes on notecards relating to reservoir development on the Green River in Kentucky.

A Comparison Of Bituminous Coal-Based And Coconut Shell-Based Activated Carbon For Removal Of Trace Hazardous Air Pollutants In Landfill Gas, Annaprabha Athappan, Melanie L. Sattler

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications - Archive

This study explored adsorption as a method of controlling hazardous air pollutant emissions from landfill gas (LFG). In particular, the study compared bituminous coal-based (BPL) and coconut shell-based (OVC) activated carbons as adsorbents for the hazardous landfill gas constituents para-, ortho-, and meta-xylene; ethylbenzene; and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). Experiments were designed to replicate typical field usage conditions, using ambient temperature and relative humidity values, and testing the carbon as is, without pretreatment to remove moisture. BPL and OVC carbons from Calgon Carbon were tested in vials, with initial headspace concentrations ranging from 2130 to 5020 ppmv (86 to 120 …

Approximating The Seismic Amplification Effects Experienced By Solar Towers Mounted On The Rooftops Of Low-Rise Industrial Buildings, Peter Luiz Balla

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the acceleration amplification experienced by solar towers mounted on the rooftops of low-rise industrial buildings during a seismic event. Specifically, this thesis looks to assess the validity of using amplification factors adopted by the ASCE 7-05Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures to approximate seismic acceleration amplification for roof-mounted solar towers. To investigate the validity of the ASCE 7-05 amplification factors, this thesis conducts timehistory analyses of three theoretical solar towers mounted on the roof of a case study building. The time history analyses are conducted in the finite element computer modeling program SAP 2000 using …

Bs News November/December

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Crystalline Cellulose – Atomistic Modeling Toolkit, Mateo Gomez, Pablo Zavattieri Dr.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Nature has created efficient strategies to make materials with hierarchical internal structure that often exhibit exceptional mechanical properties. One such example is found in cellulose, in fact it is eight times stronger than stainless steel and advantage is that cellulose incredibly cheap, because processing is obtained from purified wood pulp (it is environmental friendly). The most prevalent modeling technique to study the fundamental mechanical behavior of the crystalline cellulose has been Molecular Dynamics (MD). As a predictive tool, MD allows us to study the behavior of crystalline cellulose at the atomic level, and as such, it accurately predicts the crystalline …

Semi-Active Structural Control Of A 2-Story Shear Building, Alana K. Wilbee, Shirley Dyke

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

With continuing urban development across the world, it is becoming ever more important to provide increased structural safety against events such as earthquakes and strong winds. The field of structural control has recently been growing to meet these challenges through the use of semi-active control methods, such as the Magnetorheological (MR) Damper. However, due to the non-linearity of the device, the knowledge base surrounding the MR Damper and its various control algorithms still needs to be strengthened before large-scale implementation of this control method can occur. To address these issues, this study will examine a two story benchmark structure using …

Compression Testing And Failure Modes Of Steel-Concrete Composite (Sc) Structures For Nuclear Containment, Patrick Michael Wanamaker, Amit H. Varma

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Although being able to provide much cleaner power than burning coal and other fossil fuels, nuclear power plants are still a tough sell to the general public due to their history of being spontaneously dangerous. The containment structures surrounding these nuclear plants, however, can play a huge role in reducing the risks associated with them. Relatively new designs for these containment assemblies, known as SC (steel-concrete composite) structures, aim to increase the strength and durability of the containment facilities while keeping costs down. By varying the spacing between shear studs, the ratio of concrete to steel, and the ratio of …

Real-Time-Hybrid-Simulation Of Multi-Degree-Of-Freedom Systems With Multiple Time Steps, Lanxi Liu, Arun Prakash

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Computational simulation and physical experiments are both widely used in testing the response of a structure under earthquake loadings, but physical experiments can be expensive for large problems and numerical may result in the loss of important structural behavior caused by a large amount of assumptions. Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) is a combination of these two approaches, which uses both a numerical and physical substructures that interact in real time to simulate structural behavior. The numerical and physical substructures are connected using a transfer system that enforces compatibility between them. The physical substructure needs to be run at a very …

Insights Into The Effect Of Geometrical Parameters In The Mechanical Properties Of The Radular Teeth Of The Cryptochiton Stelleri – A 3d Print Approach, Chan Jeong, Enrique Escobar, Pablo Zavattieri Dr.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The Cryptochiton Stelleri is known to have ultra-hard radular teeth that have one of the largest hardness (9-12GPa) and stiffness (90-125GPa) among other biological materials such as Enamel and Abalone shell. The ultrastructure of the teeth is formed by a bundle of highly mineralized rods composed of iron oxides and organic material. The main method to measure the material properties has been through nanoindentation. However there are limitations to nanoindentation of the Chiton’s teeth such as limited equipment, costly and time consuming preparation of the samples, and observation of nanoscale features being difficult. In this work, the rod-like microstructure of …

Environmental Monitoring In Preparation For The Installation Of A Green Roof, Andrew N. Martin, Ming Qu

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Green roofs are becoming an increasingly popular way to improve the environmental, economic, and aesthetic performance of both new and existing buildings. Along with the green roofs themselves, it is also common to install sensors to measure various environmental parameters that are affected by or important to the operation of the roof such as precipitation, temperature, and runoff. However, for most of these systems, the sensors are installed at the same time or even after the green roof. Therefore, no before-and-after comparisons can be made for those roofs. To account for this missing data, monitoring equipment was installed on a …

Water Resources Planning - Fall 2013 - University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Richard Palmer

All ECSTATIC Materials

Water Resources Planning course taught by Richard Palmer offered in Fall 2013 at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Course materials include lecture slides on specified topics (.ppt and .pdf) and 8 exercises:

Exercise 1 - Fairweather planning (Exer1-2013.pdf)

Exercise 2 - Developing a team (Exer2-2013.pdf)

Exercise 3 - Problems, Opportunities, and Goals Revisited (Exer3-2013.pdf)

Exercise 4 - Defining the Status Quo (Exer4-2013.pdf)

Exercise 5 - Shared Vision Models (Exer5-2013.pdf)

Exercise 6 - Formulating Alternative Plans (Exer6-2013.pdf)

Exercise 7 - Measures of Performance (Exer7-2013.pdf)

Exercise 8 - Selecting Among Alternatives (Exer8-2013.pdf)

Materials also include an example student final report (NOFAWAC_FINAL-Planning Report.pdf)

Water Resource Economics And Management - University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, Greg Characklis

All ECSTATIC Materials

Graduate course in water resources economics and management offered at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Fall 2013.

Environmental Systems Modeling And Management - University Of Virginia, Charlottesville, Teresa Culver

All ECSTATIC Materials

Grad/Undergrad course in environmental systems modeling and management offered at University of Virginia, Charlottesville in Fall 2013.

Water Resources Planning And Management - Michigan Technological University, Houghton, David Watkins

All ECSTATIC Materials

Graduate course in water resources planning and management offered at Michigan Technological University, Houghton in Fall 2013.

Field Procedure For Estimating The Measurement Area Of Non-Contact Temperature Sensors, M. Khanal, R. Davidson

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Transportation departments across the United States have installed sensors mounted on towers by the roadside to measure road surface temperatures. Since no guidelines exist for verifying the accuracy of such measurements, agencies are forced to accept claims made by vendors. To correct this situation, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) contracted with Boise State University (BSU) to test the accuracy of the non-contact, infrared temperature sensors installed throughout Idaho. Before collecting independent temperature data, BSU devised an easy-to-use procedure for determining the effective area viewed by the infrared sensors. According to ITD, the vendor claimed that at a distance of 10 …

Learning About A Career Interest Using Different Platform: Civil Engineering Research, Saeed Aldawsari

Undergraduate Research Award

No abstract provided.