Civil Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Building Information Modeling Applications For Small Construction Companies, Agustin Villafana

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

This thesis concerns developing recommendations to help small construction company's transition from traditional two dimensional plans to a Building Information Modeling (BIM) management process. Due to the cost of implementing BIM, the primary focus of the thesis is onthe transitioning state of these two management areas in an effort to facilitate full integration of smaller contractors into BIM technologies at a future time.Three case studies are used to assess and evaluate the effects of building information modeling on the schedule, material procurement, and information modeling aspects of a project. The intent of the case studies is to demonstrate a net …

An Overview Of Mitigation Strategies For Settlements Under Bridge Approach Slabs, Raja Veerendra Yenigalla

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Settlement and heave related movements of bridge approach slabs relative to bridge decks create a bump in the roadway causing inconvenience to the travelling public and at times so large as to make travelling unsafe. Hence, it is important to adopt suitable remedial methods to mitigate the approach settlements so as to ensure safe traveling conditions and also to decrease the repair/maintenance costs. This thesis presents an overview of a few case studies on different mitigation techniques applied on bridge approach settlement problems at various locations in the state of Texas. The methods employed to mitigate the settlement including Polyurethane …

Use Of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete In Structural Members With Highly Complex Stress Fields, Tarun Pareek

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Reinforced concrete (RC) members with significant geometric discontinuities and complex stress distributions under loading require considerable analyses and usually complicated reinforcement detailing. RC members with large openings are one of the examples. These large openings may interrupt the load transfer by direct concrete struts and cause substantial decrease in strength and unpredictable failure modes. The reinforcement detailing of these concrete members based on strut-and-tie models (STMs) is generally complicated and very often, these models cannot predict the failure mechanism due to localized damages. The actual stress fields in such members are typically very different from that predicated by STMs, as …

The Effects Of A Variable Modulus Of Elasticity On Prestress Losses In Bridge Girders, Brahama Prakashni Singh

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The purpose of this research is to evaluate a method proposed by Franz Dischinger (Dischinger, 1939) to consider the effects of a variable modulus of elasticity (MOE) of concrete over a period of time. Current guidelines suggested by the American Association of State Highways and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) assume a constant value for the MOE and base its calculation on the unit weight of concrete and the twenty eight day compressive strength of concrete. A few methods such as the ACI 209 Model Code (ACI 209, 1982) and CEB-FIP 1990 (CEB-FIP 1990, 1990) provide guidelines for the calculation of a …

Infrared-Based Measurements Of Velocity, Turbulent Kinetic Energy, And Dissipation At The Water Surface In A Tidal River, C. Chris Chickadel, Stefan A. Talke, Alexander R. Horner-Devine, Andrew T. Jessup

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Thermal infrared (IR) based particle image velocimetry (PIV) is used to measure the evolution of velocity, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), and the TKE dissipation rate at the water surface in the tidally influenced Snohomish River. Patterns of temperature variability in the IR imagery arise from disruption of the cool skin layer and are used to estimate the 2D velocity field. Comparisons of IR based PIV mean velocity made against a collocated acoustic velocimeter demonstrate high correlation (r2 > 0.9). Over a tidal period, surface TKE computed from the IR velocity varies from 10-4 J·kg-1 to 3x10-3 J·kg-1, with an average difference …

Steel Beams Strengthened With Ultra High Modulus Cfrp Laminates, Nisal Abheetha Peiris

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Advanced composites have become one of the most popular methods of repairing and/or strengthening civil infrastructure in the past couple of decades. While the use of Fiber Reinforced Polymer laminates and sheets for the repair and strengthening of reinforced concrete structures is well established, research on the application of FRP composites to steel structures has been limited. The use of FRP material for the repair and rehabilitation of steel members has numerous benefits over the traditional methods of bolting or welding of steel plates. Carbon FRPs (CFRPs) have been preferred over other FRP material for strengthening of steel structures since …

Durability Performance Of Frp Strenghtened Concrete Beams And Columns Exposed To Hygrothermal Environment, Abulgasem Mohamed Elarbi

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

DURABILITY PERFORMANCE OF FRP STRENGHTENED CONCRETE BEAMS AND COLUMNS EXPOSED TO HYGROTHERMAL ENVIRONMENT

by

ABULGASEM M. ELARBI

August 2011

Advisor: Dr. Hwai-Chaung Wu

Major: Civil and Environmental Engineering (Structural Engineering)

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Concrete structures deteriorate over time due to exposure to various environments, including hot and humid weather. High temperature, wind, and air humidity in many hot climates can all have a negative impact on the performance of concrete structures. The most important factors are temperature and humidity - often times these effects are not immediately evident and develop years later - making determination of responsibility difficult …

Modeling Same-Direction Two-Lane Traffic For Bridge Loading, Eugene J. Obrien, Bernard Enright

Articles

Many highway bridges carry traffic in two same-direction lanes, and modeling the traffic loading on such bridges has been the subject of numerous studies. Different assumptions have been used to model multiple-presence loading events, particularly those featuring one truck in each lane. Using a database of weigh-in-motion measurements collected at two European sites for over 1 million trucks, this paper examines the relationships between adjacent vehicles in both lanes in terms of vehicle weights, speeds and inter-vehicle gaps. It is shown that there are various patterns of correlation, some of which are significant for bridge loading. A novel approach to …

Flexural Behavior Of Steel Fiber Reinforced Prestressed Concrete Beams And Double Punch Test For Fiber Reinforced Concrete, Netra Bahadur Karki

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Steel fibers have widely been used in the past to reinforce brittle materials in many nonstructural applications such as pavement, tunneling lining, etc. On the basis of numerous previous studies, ACI 318-11 [2011] has recently accepted steel fiber as a minimum shear reinforcement replacement with minimum 0.75% volume fraction for both reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete members. However, not much previous research has talked about the flexural behavior of fiber reinforced concrete (FRC). As per ACI 318-11 for tension-controlled sections, the net tensile strains in the outermost layer of steel, εt, should be greater than or equal to 0.005 and …

Evaluation Of Training Needs For Building Information Modeling (Bim), German Pena

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The basic premise of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is to use and share the digital model of a project as a source of information for all participants, in order to simulate and analyze potential problems during the project's life-cycle, from conception to operation. BIM is a relatively new technology praised by all participants in the Architecture-Engineering-Construction (AEC) industry for its innovative tools, and the promise of a high return of investment and productivity increase. The construction industry experimented little growth in productivity in the last decades, and is heavily relying on technology rather than intense labor in order to boost …

Effect Of Pavement Type On Fuel Consumption In City Driving, Palinee Sumitsawan

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Vehicular fuel consumption and emissions are two increasingly important measures of effectiveness of sustainable transportation systems, particularly considering that mobile sources in the U.S. account for the largest consumption of energy and generation of air pollution. Improving the energy efficiency of the transportation sector including improving vehicle shape, weight, engine size, and tire quality could play a vital role in reducing fuel consumption and exhaust gas emissions. Pavement surface type and other surface characteristics such as skid resistance and roughness affect vehicular fuel consumption. The main objective of this study has been to investigate any differences that might exist in …

Development Of A Model Of Productivity For Horizontal Directional Drilling (Hdd), Mohmd Sarireh

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) is a growing method for installation of pipes in urban areas and where ever trenching is impossible or undesirable; such as in crossing rivers, lakes, and railways, and special areas such as airports. This technique utilizes downhole cutting heads to create a pilot borehole before it is enlarged with back reamers to allow pulling back of a product pipe. The utilization of HDD for the installation of underground infrastructure (i.e., water, oil and gas pipes, telecommunication, power conduits, in some cases gravity pipes, and so on), has shown a rapid growth compared to other trenchless technologies. …

Impact Of Transit-Oriented Infrastructure Investments On Property Valuations, Francis Amodu Smith

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The population explosion of the second half of the last century brought about increased human activity. Much of the attendant increased access to activities has been facilitated by the incredible technological advances in the automobile, which depends almost entirely on fossil fuels. Supplies of fossil fuel are limited and the automobile has led to urban sprawl, traffic congestion, and reduced quality to life in cities (1). This type of development is unsustainable. Transit-oriented development (TOD) is one of the neo-urbanism response instruments. The question is: "How well do these urban forms perform in North-Central Texas? In response, this study has …

Nano-Modified Cement Composites And Its Applicability As Concrete Repair Material, Tanvir Manzur

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Nanotechnology or Nano-science, considered the forth industrial revolution, has received considerable attention in the past decade. The physical properties of a nano-scaled material are entirely different than that of bulk materials. With the emerging nanotechnology, one can build material block atom by atom. Therefore, through nanotechnology it is possible to enhance and control the physical properties of materials to a great extent. Composites such as concrete materials have very high strength and Young's modulus but relatively low toughness and ductility due to their covalent bonding between atoms and lacking of slip systems in the crystal structures. However, the strength and …

Calorific Values Of Building Materials And Their Effect On The Structural Environment, Graham Doyle

Theses

As materials are seen to be a distinct source of fire and to avoid the destructive effects of fire to people and the environment, there is certainly a need for an assessment of building materials, internal finishes and contents to be conducted in a fire engineering context. This report examines the effect of these materials on the structural environment with a view of ultimately determining compartmental fire loads.

Research has shown that there is a significant lack of information available in regards to the calorific values of materials, and in particular building materials. In addition, material calorific values and generic …

A Finite Element Study Of Precast Prestressed Concrete Circular Tanks Subject To Elevated Temperatures, Michael Minehane

Theses

The current study investigates the influence of heated water storage, upward of 95°C, on precast prestressed concrete circular tanks. Modem design standards for liquid- retaining concrete structures stipulate that thermal effects are to be considered for the serviceability limit state. They are also to be considered for the ultimate limit state when deemed significant. The standards, however, do not provide guidance for the analysis of such effects. Research in this area is also limited and exclusively concerned with ambient thermal conditions, with a maximum temperature of 30 °C in any instance.

A finite element study incorporating thermo-mechanical coupling investigates the …

Design Of A Centralised Anaerobic Digestion Plant In Ireland., Diarmuid O'Meara

Theses

Climate change is brought about by greenhouse gases emitted to the earth’s atmosphere by fossil fuels. Renewable energy sources are seen as an alternative to fossil fuels. Examples of renewable energy sources are biofuels which are a method of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. One form of biofuels is biogas that is produced during the anaerobic digestion process. In this thesis pig slurry is used to produce biogas.

In this project, the optimum design process for a centralised anaerobic digestion plant was established in the literature review, The optimum process for anaerobic digestion plant design in Ireland was investigated. …

Feasibility Report On Use Of Anchored Gravity Bases For Offshore Wind Turbines, Anthony Hayes

Theses

In recent years, the demand for renewable energy in Europe has been rising substantially, as a result of statutory demands put in place by the European Union. It is expected that a relatively large proportion of future renewable electricity will be supplied by offshore wind farms. The offshore wind industry is currently attempting to design and evaluate cost effective foundation systems suitable for water depths greater than 30m. There is also a drive to reduce foundation costs for offshore wind turbines at present. This project is a preliminary feasibility report on an anchored gravity base foundation concept for deployment at …

Human Sanitary Wastes And Waste Treatment In New York City, David J. Tonjes, Christine O'Connell, Omkar Aphale, R. Lawrence Swanson

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

Henry Hudson first sailed toNew Yorkharbor 400 years ago. Since then,New York Cityhas both affected and been affected by water quality in greaterNew YorkHarbor. In this paper, we focus on sewers, sewerage, and sewage treatment inManhattanand their effects on theHudson River. It is clear that feedbacks among drinking water quality and quantity, population, public perceptions, regulations, and estuarine water quality exist, although their strength and character have varied over time. Early land uses damaged local water supplies found on ManhattanIsland. New Yorkthen began to exploit the large fresh water resources available to its north, which helped the City to expand …

A Method For Calibration Of Speed-Flow Curves In Hcm 2010 And Determination Of Highway Capacity, Seyed Hadii Khazraee Khoshroozi

Masters Theses

"This study proposes a method for calibration of speed-flow curves in a format suggested by the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) 2010 and applies it to two sites in Missouri: a work zone on I-44 around Pacific, and a basic freeway segment on I-270 in St. Louis. The three-regime model proposed is based on the two-regime (free-flow and transition) uncongested relationship suggested by the HCM 2010, complemented with a third regime representing congested conditions. Further, this study proposes a systematic approach based on regression analysis to determine capacity i.e., the break-point (intersection) between the transition and congested regimes. The proposed method …