Civil Engineering Commons^™

Statistical And Numerical Integrated Approach For Detecting Onset Of Prefabricated Bridge Component Connection Deterioration, Cem Mansiz

Masters Theses

Bridges are the substantial part of the transportation infrastructure. Most recent report shows that of the 605,086 bridges in the United States, 67,526 (11%) are deemed structurally deficient, and 76,363 (13%) are declared functionally obsolete (FHWA, 2011). Deck is the shelter of a bridge that is subjected to severe loads due to exposure and traffic. Importance of detecting deck deterioration is further highlighted with the introduction of accelerated bridge construction (ABC) where prefabricated components are brought to the site, assembled, and connected using field cast joints. However, durability performance of field cast connections is not encouraging. Hence, continuous monitoring of …

Engineering Performance Of Polymer Amended Soils, Gary E. Welling

Master's Theses

A laboratory test program was undertaken to evaluate a series of engineering properties over a range of soil types; amendment types and addition rates; and moisture contents to enhance understanding of the engineering significance of polymer amendment. Four soils were manufactured and tested with varying ranges of fines and plasticity. A proprietary elastic copolymer was tested at addition rates of 0.5% to 2.5% (dry weight basis). Cement was tested at addition rates of 1% to 4%. Lime was tested at an 8% addition rate. Water addition rates ranged from 4% dry of optimum to 4% wet of optimum. Engineering properties …

Unified Rating Equations For Cutthroat Flumes Derived From A Three-Dimensional Hydraulic Model, Sathaporn Temeepattanapongsa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A sophisticated mathematical model of three-dimensional hydraulics was used to develop complete calibrations for Cutthroat flumes, which are structures used in canals (or “open channels”) to measure flow rates. Although Cutthroat flumes have been used for many years, and much research has been done on their calibrations and application in the field, never before was there a complete set of calibration parameters for all 24 standard flume sizes. This research was validated by previously published laboratory results on prototype flumes at Utah State University and elsewhere, and it was successful in generating accurate calibration parameters for all 24 flume sizes, …

Effects Of Single Panel Replacement Of A Full-Scale, Full-Depth, Precast Concrete Bridge Deck System, Jason Robert Perry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The use of precast concrete deck panels is becoming increasingly popular for bridge construction and rehabilitation in the state of Utah and across the country. It allows for the use of full depth concrete deck panels but removes the long construction times of traditional cast-in-place methods. One of the challenges to the use of precast deck panels is the transverse deck panel joints that exist between the panels. These joints are unreinforced using traditional methods and therefore are the weakest section of the bridge. In many situations the joint will fail and water seeps through and can damage the bridge …

Statistical Analysis Of A Vehicle Miles Travled Fee For Nevada, Andrew Nordland

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Increases in the number of electric, hybrid-electric, and other alternative fuel vehicles, combined with increasing vehicle fuel efficiency present problems with the ability of the fuel tax to collect sufficient revenue. A Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Fee is being considered as an option to replace the existing fuel tax for the collection of revenue for road maintenance, reconstruction and expansion. This study provides an analysis about costs, preference of a potential billing cycle, level of comfort with a mileage collection device, potential changes in transit use, and the effectiveness of a VMT Fee for Nevada. Multinomial logit models are developed …

Use Of Building Information Modelling In Responding To Low Carbon Construction Innovations: An Irish Perspective., Barry Mcauley, Alan V. Hore, Roger West

Conference papers

At present the Irish construction industry is facing one of its most uncertain and challenging periods and will see major cuts in all areas of the economy in 2012. Despite this, Ireland pushes forward in sustainability initiatives with the Government ruling that environmentally-friendly policies are to get priority in competing for State contracts worth up to €16 billion a year. This and further initiatives are in place, so as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20% by the year 2020.By the end of 2018 the public sector must own or rent only buildings with high energy-saving standards and …

Implementing Building Information Modeling In Public Works Projects In Ireland, Barry Mcauley, Alan V. Hore, Roger West

Conference papers

The Irish State in recent years has suffered huge financial losses in the public works sector, which has now pushed the Irish Government to explore new ways of controlling cost. This background lead to the introduction of the Capital Works Management Framework in 2007 which aimed to support the certainty of outcome in terms of cost and quality, as well as improved risk management, through the implementation of fixed price contracts. In order to successfully compete within this framework it is recommended by the authors, that Irish Government moves towards the legal mandating of BIM. This can ensure a greater …

Selection Of Critical Design Parameters For Mmod Protection In Interplanetary Missions, Lisa M. Haisan, Cesar Carrasco

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Summer 2012

This research presents a methodology for the selection of critical design-parameters for the design of Micro Meteoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) spacecraft protection based on a modified implementation of the concept of the Probability of No Impact (PNI). The PNI methodology, based on Poisson’s discrete statistics, has been widely used to determine critical particle sizes for the design of protection systems. However, it does not provide guidelines for the selection of the design impact speed, especially when the impact speed has a very wide statistical distribution like that encountered in interplanetary missions. The modifications to the PNI methodology presented here …

Asphalt Testing: Enhancing The Roads, Andrea Gutierrez, Soheil Nazarian, Anjan K. Siddagangaiah

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Summer 2012

At the University of Texas at El Paso, the Center for Transportation Infrastructure Systems is conducting several asphalt tests to ensure the quality of the asphalt and the safety of the public. The tests determine special engineering properties of the material such as the strength and aggregate-asphalt ratio that are crucial to the life span of the asphalt on the field. The five tests that are conducted are:

• Maximum Theoretical Specific Gravity Test (GMM) – used to find the density of the material
• Bulk Specific Gravity Test (GMB) – determines the air pockets (air voids) in the material using the …

Laboratory Performance Of Highway Bridge Girder Anchorages Under Simulated Hurricane-Induced Wave Loading, Jora Lehrman, Christopher Higgins, Daniel Cox

TREC Final Reports

Many bridges along the Gulf Coast of the United States were damaged by recent hurricanes, and many more are susceptible to similar damage. This research examines the structural performance of common connection details used to anchor prestressed concrete girders to the substructure. Full-scale specimens were fabricated and tested under static and dynamic cyclic load histories. Dynamic load histories were developed from previously conducted hydraulic tests of a 1/5 scale model of a highway bridge under hurricane wave loads. The load effects considered included the pseudo-statically applied vertical uplift force, horizontal force, combined horizontal and vertical forces, and dynamically applied combined …

Interdisciplinary Modeling: Water-Related Issues And Changing Climate - New Mexico State University, Laurel Saito, Alexander Fernald, Timothy Link

All ECSTATIC Materials

Graduate course in interdisciplinary modeling: water-related issues and climate change offered at University of Nevada, Reno in Summer 2012.

Development Of System Reliability Models For Railway Bridges, Anna Maria Rakoczy

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

Performance of the railway transportation network depends on the reliability of railway bridges, which can be affected by various forms of deterioration and extreme environmental conditions. More than half of the railway bridges in US were built before 1950 and many show signs of distress. There is a need for efficient methods to evaluate the safety reserve in the railway bridges by identification of the most sensitive parts of the bridge.

An accurate estimation of remaining fatigue life of a structural component is very important in prioritizing bridge rehabilitation and replacement. However, existing procedures to evaluate the fatigue behavior of …

Demand Responsive Signal Control Strategy (Drsc) Incorporating Queue Length Information In Real-Time Signal Control, Rahul Rajbhara

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Most of the existing vehicle detection systems, namely inductive loops, video cameras etc. are incapable of measuring the queue lengths at signalized intersections. However, with the advent of modern technology, newer detection methods such as probe vehicles equipped with wireless communications (Connected Vehicles), particularly under the Vehicle Infrastructure Integration [52), and radar detection currently provide this capability [53). This thesis presents a Demand Responsive Signal Control Strategy (termed as DRSC) for an isolated signalized intersection. The control strategy incorporates real-time queue length information (obtained from probe vehicles) into the signal control logic. Demand based maximum green time for each upcoming/new …

Probabilistic Resilience Quantification And Visualization Building Performance To Hurricane Wind Speeds, Berna Eren Tokgoz

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Natural and man made disasters are unpredictable and unavoidable in today's world. Their frequency of occurrence and damages keep increasing. Due to the efforts to reduce negative consequences from such disasters, the concept of resilience has gained so much popularity in disaster management area especially after disasters like the September 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina. Complex systems of today are under operational risks because of increasing threats and their high level of vulnerability. Hence, such systems need to adapt the concept of resilience for continuous operations. Resilience is a proactive concept which should incorporate both pre-event (preparedness and mitigation) and …

Bs News July/August

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Efficient Stand-Alone Generalized Inverse Algorithms And Software For Engineering/Sciences Applications: Research And Education, Subhash Chandra Bose S V Kadiam

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Efficient numerical procedures for finding the generalized (or pseudo) inverse of a general (square/rectangle, symmetrical/unsymmetrical, non-singular/singular, real/complex numbers) matrix and solving systems of Simultaneous Linear Equations (SLE) are formulated and explained. The developed procedures and its associated computer software (under MATLAB computer environment) have been based on "special Cholesky factorization schemes" (for a singular matrix), the generalized inverse of the matrix product, and were further enhanced by the Domain Decomposition (DD) formulation.

Test matrices from different fields of applications have been chosen, tested and compared with other existing algorithms. The results of the numerical tests have indicated that the developed …

Load Transfer Assembly, Herbert F. Southgate, Kamyar C. Mahboub, Alireza Zeinali

Civil Engineering Faculty Patents

A load transfer apparatus accommodates movement between adjacent concrete slabs. The load transfer apparatus includes a spine in a form of an elongated hinge having a longitudinal axis A. A first dowel and a second dowel project radially from the spine and are located at two spaced points along said longitudinal axis A.

How Rapidly Should Developing Countries Implement Intelligent Transportation Systems (Its) To Solve The Growing Urban Traffic Congestion Problem?, Mandar Khanal

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many newly developing countries are growing rapidly. One example is India, currently the second most populous country in the world. According to the Indian Ministry of Urban Development, from 1981 to 2001, the population in six major Indian cities increased twofold while motor vehicles increased eightfold. Such rapid growth in vehicles without a comparable growth in transportation infrastructure leads to increasing traffic congestion. Cities in India are already considered congested today, and are going to be even more congested in the coming years since the rate of urbanization in India in 2006 was only 29% and is expected to grow …

Flexible Urban Drainage Systems In New Land-Use Areas, Jochen Eckart

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Urban drainage systems are influenced by several future drivers that affect the performance as well as the costs of the systems. The uncertainties associated with future drivers and their impact creates difficulties in designing urban drainage systems sustainably. A review of the different future drivers for urban drainage systems illustrates that no sufficient future predictions for the long operational life spans of the systems are possible. This dissertation contends that to deal with future uncertainties, flexibility in urban drainage systems is necessary.

At present, profound insights about defining, measuring, and generating flexible urban drainage systems do not exist. This research …

Investigation Of Trends And Predictive Effectiveness Of Crash Severity Models, James E. Mooradian

Master's Theses

This thesis describes analysis using ordinal logistic regression to uncover temporal patterns in the severity level (fatal, serious injury, minor injury, slight injury or no injury) for persons involved in highway crashes in Connecticut, focusing on the demographic split between senior travelers (65 years and over) and non-senior travelers. Existing state sources provide data describing the time and weather conditions for each crash and the vehicles and persons involved over the time period from 1995 to 2009 as well as the traffic volumes and the characteristics of the roads on which these crashes occurred. Findings indicate an overall increase in …