Civil Engineering Commons^™

Miniature Concrete Prism Test - A New Test Method For Evaluating The Asr Potential Of Aggregates, The Effectiveness Of Asr Mitigation And The Job Mixture, Enamur Latifee

All Dissertations

Existing test methods to characterize ASR potential of aggregates and mitigation ability of supplementary cementing materials such as the Accelerated Mortar Bar Test (AMBT) and the Concrete Prism Test (CPT) are widely accepted in the industry. Although, the AMBT is a rapid test, the results from this test can be unreliable, particularly with certain types of aggregates. The CPT is considered as a more reliable test; however, the duration of this test method renders it impractical for routine usage in the industry to screen deleterious materials or inefficient ASR mitigation measures. This research presents a new test method-Miniature Concrete Prism …

Development Of An Environmental And Operational Impact Assessment Framework For Connected Vehicle Technology Supported Alternative Fuel Vehicles, Parth Bhavsar

All Dissertations

The efforts of US automobile manufacturers to introduce Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs) to the automobile market, and reduce fossil fuel dependency are changing the energy consumption scenario of the US transportation network. The evolution in Connected Vehicle Technology (CVT) is further accelerating the vision of a safe and sustainable transportation system for the 21st century. However, before such system can be an actuality to meet future US transporation needs, a new generation of traffic micro-simulation tools must be developed to evaluate connected vehicle technologies that can support AFVs in the transportation network.
This research focused on developing an evaluation framework …

Development And Evaluation Of An Intelligent Transportation Systems-Based Architecture For Electric Vehicles, Zhiyun Li

All Dissertations

The rapid development of increasingly complex in-vehicle electronics now offers an unprecedented level of convenience and versatility as well as accelerates the demand for connected driving experience, which can only be achieved in a comprehensive Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology based architecture. While a number of charging and range related issues continue to impede the Electric Vehicle (EV) market growth, integrating ITS technologies with EVs has the potential to address the problems and facilitate EV operations. This dissertation presents an ITS based vehicle infrastructure communication architecture in which abundant information can be exchanged in real time through vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to- …

Forward Prediction Of Height-Averaged Capillary Pressure–Saturation Parameters Using The Bc-Vg Upscaler, Chu-Lin Cheng, Edmund Perfect, R. T. Mills

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

There is ongoing interest in approaches for upscaling point (e.g., pixel or voxel scale) measurements of soil hydraulic properties to predict column-scale behavior in the laboratory, or even field-scale processes. We have developed the BC-vG Upscaler for estimating the height-averaged capillary pressure–saturation relationship, , for a given porous medium based on equations used in the TrueCell program. Whereas TrueCell inversely estimates point Brooks and Corey (BC) equation parameters from  data, the BC-vG Upscaler uses point BC parameters as inputs for the forward prediction of height-averaged van Genuchten (vG) parameters. The BC-vG Upscaler was verified using previously published, independent point and …

Implementation Of Integrated Project Delivery On Department Of Navy Military Construction Projects, Christopher S. Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The concept of the project delivery system refers to the overall processes by which a project is designed, constructed, and/or maintained. There are many different types of project delivery systems to fit particular situations involving the owner and his intended project. The project delivery system is what establishes the framework that enables a construction project to be developed and ultimately executed.

The construction industry has observed that projects (both private and public) frequently suffer from factors such as adversarial relationships, low roductivity, high inefficiency and rework, frequent contractual disputes concerning who was at fault, and lack of innovation. Not only …

Analysis Of Internet Visitors On Educational Websites, Georgia Romig, Byungik Chang, Kenneth Leitch, Aaron Hunt

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This study examines usage patterns of educational websites that employ databases, wikis, and general resources for information sharing and dissemination. To gather data about website usage, a quantitative survey was sent out to students and to the users of an existing educational website. Additionally, participants provided data on learning preferences and practices. Findings from the survey show that users visit an education website for finding information and getting connected to a community. The survey results also show that while communicating information should remain a top priority, educational web sites will need to adapt to an increasing desire for interpersonal communication …

Photocatalytic Degradation Of Air Emissions From Municipal Solid Waste Landfills, Mita S. Upadhyay, Melanie L. Sattler

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications - Archive

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Impact Of Speed Limit Reduction Near Signalized High Speed Intersections Equipped With Advance Warning Flashers: A Case Study In Nebraska, Shefang Wang

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis evaluated the effects of 5 mph and 10 mph speed limit reductions in the vicinity of high-speed, signalized intersections equipped with Advance Warning Flashers (AWF). The selected methodology involved a field study of the impact of speed limit reduction at 7 high-speed, signalized intersections with AWF, using quantile regression models developed for speed. The quantile regression models for speed indicated that reduction of the speed limit from 60 mph to 55 mph did not have significant impact on observed speed during the green time. However, it was found that speed limit reduction from 65 mph to 55 mph …

Structural Reliability Analysis Of Corroded Steel Girder Bridge, Mohammed Shaalan Al Badran

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The natural aging, environmental impact, and appropriate design are certainly playing a serious role in safety of the bridges function. The functional safety of bridge constitutes a prime element of the transportation system serving commuters, passengers and freight. According to Federal Highway Administration, the steel bridges share represents a large amount of the United States’ bridges. In last century, the collapse of both the Silver Bridge at Point Pleasant, West Virginia over the Ohio River on December 15, 1967 and over the Mianus River Bridge in Connecticut on June 28, 1983 showed that steel corrosion has been the leading reason …

Driver Fatigue Enforcement Techniques And Their Effect On Crashes, Carrie Mohlman

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fatigued driving is a type of driver impairment caused by a lack of sleep, sleep disorders, long drive times, etc. Fatigued driving enforcement aims to improve safety by removing impaired drivers from the roadway. While fatigued driving is detrimental to safety, there exists the issue of identifying fatigue. There is a range between being awake and asleep and, in order to improve safety, enforcement officers must be able to identify the point at which drivers are impaired.

This thesis investigates potentially effective fatigued driving enforcement techniques for use by enforcement officers. These techniques were investigated through three primary means: a …

Developing A Model To Enhance Labor Productivity Using Bridge Construction Benchmark Data, Seonghoon Kim, Yong Bai

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The Labor Working Status Monitoring (LWSM) Model that incorporates the WRITE and the industry benchmark data was developed through the five steps to enhance labor productivity in bridge construction operations. The first step of the development process was to conduct a literature review, followed by the second step which was to develop the WRITE. During the development, the authors identified the necessary hardware and software for the WRITE and outlined a schematic to show the connection of major hardware components. The third step was to develop the LWSM Model for monitoring the on-site construction labor working status by comparing data …

Observations Of Peak Strength Behavior In Csa Cement Mortars, Joshua V. Brien, Kevin R. Henke, Kamyar C. Mahboub

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to assess the mechanical property performance behavior of calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement mortar when cured at ambient laboratory temperature of ~23°C (73°F) and constant 50% relative humidity for an extended period of time. Four CSA cement mortars were tested. Three CSA cement mortars contained equivalent mass amounts of calcium sulfate; whereas, the fourth mortar contained double the amount of calcium sulfate. The three CSA cement mortars containing constant mass amounts of calcium sulfate differed as the specific type of calcium sulfate varied across the three formulations—one mortar containing solely anhydrite, one mortar contained half …

Effects Of Hinged Dowel System On The Performance Of Concrete Pavement Joints, Alireza Zeinali, Kamyar C. Mahboub, Herbert F. Southgate

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Concrete joint failure is a major distress mode in rigid pavements. Improving the joint performance in concrete pavements could yield substantial savings in terms of reduced maintenance and rehabilitation costs. The newly developed Hinged Dowel System (HDS) is a means for transferring loads across the concrete pavement joints. The HDS was patented as a new invention by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and it is envisioned that it could significantly reduce the potential for joint failure in concrete pavements. The HDS assembly comprises a number of dowel bars and a collective hinge provided at the mid-length of the …

Linear Programming Algorithm With Mixed Real-Integer Variables In Matlab Environments, Gelareh Bakhtyar

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Efficient numerical procedures for solving general Linear Programming (LP) problems with mixed real-integer variables are developed in this work. The proposed algorithms employ the revised dual simplex with Branch and Bound (B&B) algorithms, with special procedures for limited search of subsequent branches. Computational time can be significantly reduced by incorporating the updated inverse formulas into the developed procedures. Both generic LP problems and deterministic pavement maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) problems are used in this study to vaiidate the developed procedures. Medium to large-scale examples ( 11 pavement M&R) presented in this work have demonstrated that the developed numerical procedures consistently …

Velocity Measurements Of The Flow Over A Gate-Controlled Weir Structure, Mohamed M. Jalloh

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) uses G304 control structures to manage flow into and out of a large storm-water treatment area (STA). These structures consist of a lateral unsuppressed weir, a sluice gate and a corrugated culvert for flow control and transfer through an embankment. For better flow control in the STAs, it is imperative to accurately measure the discharge through the G304 control structures and to determine the approach velocity over the weir for different field scenarios.

Flow behavior of the G304 structure was examined in a prototype during two days of testing for two canal headwater …

Dynamics And Dislodgment From Pore Constrictions Of A Trapped Nonwetting Droplet Stimulated By Seismic Waves, Wen Deng, M. Bayani Cardenas

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Seismic waves affect fluid flow and transport processes in porous media. Therefore, quantitative understanding of the role of seismic waves in subsurface hydrodynamics is important for the development of practical applications and prediction of natural phenomena. We present a theoretical fluid dynamics model to describe how low-frequency elastic waves mobilize isolated droplets trapped in pores by capillary resistance. The ability of the theoretical model to predict the critical mobilization amplitudes (A_c) and the displacement dynamics of the nonwetting droplet are validated against computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Our theory has the advantage of rapid calculation of A_{c …}

Bs News July/August

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Isolation And Characterisation Of Micro-Organisms With Industrial Importance From Sisal Bole Rots, Consolatha Mhaiki

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Investigation of microorganisms naturally acclimatized to Agave hybrid H 11648 (sisal bole rot) was conducted, with the aim of isolating and characterizing Aspergillus niger strains for industrial use. Microorganism were identified morphologically and then confirmation made by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results showed the existence of four major groups, listed in order of abundances as follows; Aspergilli (36.0±0.8) %, Penicillin (28.0±0.1) %, Yeast (15.0±1.6) %and Fusarium (10.0±0.12) %. The main groups of Aspergilli strains were A. nidulans, A. tamari and A. niger in ratios (3:2:2), respectively. Several endo-spore forming non-enteric gram (-) rods and coccid bacteria identified by API 20 …

Improvement Of Hydraulic Press For Vegetable Oil Expression In Rural Areas, I. P. Bateebe

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Cultivation of oil producing crops especially Jatropha and croton as source of vegetable oil for biodiesel production is being encouraged in rural areas. To recover oil from seed, manual press is the feasible method in rural areas where there is no electricity. Research was conducted to improve hydraulic oil press machine for rural application. Factors affecting oil recovery were found to be: moisture content of seeds, operating pressure, seed oil content, and the amount of seeds pressed per batch. Percentage oil recovery was improved by reducing diameter of press cylinder, hence increasing expression pressure, and either reducing amount of seed …

Problems And Prospects Of Hydraulic Modelling For Environmental Flows Assessment Studies In East Africa, Preksedis Ndomba

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The objective of this paper is to document the problems and prospects of hydraulic modelling for Environmental Flows Assessment (EFA) studies based on selected case studies. Most of studies in East Africa use Holistic methodologies. An ideal data set for defining river hydraulics for most of these methods would be six data points of stage measurements over a good distribution of discharges, the stage of zero discharge and some flood-related data. Besides, in East African region EFA studies suffer from data scarcity (i.e., poorly gauged sites) and limited expertise and funding. The hydraulics studies conducted by the authors entailed desktop …