Civil Engineering Commons^™

Developing A Retrofitting System To Mitigate Floodwall Failures Of New Orleans, James Tyler Kidd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Non-Invasive Assessment Of Moisture Content Of Municipal Solid Waste In A Landfill Using Resistivity Imaging, Huda Shihada

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

A bioreactor landfill is operated to enhance waste decomposition, gas production, and refuse stabilization. The fundamental aspect in the operation of a bioreactor landfill is the controlled addition of water and/or the recirculation of leachate into the landfill's waste mass. Since there is an increasing trend to operate landfills as bioreactor landfills, it is crucial to understand the moisture distribution within the landfill. Monitoring the moisture distribution within a bioreactor landfill is essential not only for the design and operation of leachate recirculation systems, but also to identify sites with non-uniform leachate distribution due to ponding and channeling.In the recent …

Design Of Short Drilled Shaft Foundations In High-Plasticity Clay Under Inclined Loading, Thornchaya Wejrungsikul

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Drilled shaft foundations are primarily used to support structures such as bridge piers, towers, buildings, transmission towers, and roadway cable barriers. Generally, the main characteristics of drilled shafts are to transfer the loads to the stronger layers in the vertical direction and also their ability to withstand lateral movements from lateral loads. Though the design of shafts are well established with respect to combinations of loads and moments, their behavior under pullout type inclined loading is not well established. The inclined load applied is the combination of lateral and uplift loads at the same time and structures such as ends …

Sustainable Reutilization Of Excavated Trench Material, Rajini Kanth Reddy Karduri

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Sustainability is becoming a key factor in most construction projects. In most construction projects, personnel are spending efforts to understand the social, economic and environmental impacts of the various facets of construction projects. Geotechnical engineering can contribute to the sustainability of the project via selecting sustainable materials and construction processes that would to lead several tangible benefits. For example a pipeline generally runs through a long and varying terrain which results in innumerable environmental impacts during a pipeline installation. Therefore, it is necessary for the design engineer and also the owner to estimate these impacts of pipe installation and evaluate …

On The Effects Of The Circular Bolt Pattern On The Behavior Of The Extended End-Plate Connection, Roozbeh Kiamanesh

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This study is pioneer in introducing the circular bolt pattern configuration in extended end-plate steel connections. Discovering the static and cyclic behavior of such connections is at the forefront of this research study. To accomplish this goal, full-scale experimental testing complemented with three dimensional non-linear finite element analysis were conducted. Due to the similarity between the behavior of T-Stubs under tension, and tension flange of the extended end-plate connection, experimental study was conducted on several T-Stub connections to study the effect of the bolt pattern configuration on the ductility, bolt force distribution, flange deformation, and overall performance of the connection. …

Circulation, Sediment Concentration And Oxygen Depletion In The Tidal Ems River, Stefan A. Talke, Huib E. De Swart

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present measurements which show that the tidal Ems River in Germ any is extremely muddy over a 30 km + turbid zone, with fluid mud o f 1-2 m thickness covering the bed with suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) o f greater than 50 kg.m^-3. Moreover, we show that these elevated SSC contain large quantities of organic material which deplete dissolved oxygen (DO) and produce summertime hypoxic zones. Using mathematical modeling, we develop simplified representations o f the estuary physics that reproduce the tidally-averaged circulation, SSC distribution, and oxygen depletion. These models show that SSC and oxygen concentrations …

Physically Meaningful Harmonization Of Tire/Pavement Friction Measurement Devices, Madhura Priyanga Nishshanke Rajapakshe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accurate characterization and evaluation of tire/pavement friction is critical in assuring runway and highway safety. Historically, Pavement Friction Measurement Devices (PFMDs) employing different measuring mechanisms have been used to evaluate tire/pavement friction. They yield significantly disparate friction coefficients under the same contact conditions. Currently, an empirically developed data harmonization method based on a reference device (Dynamic Friction Tester (DFT)) is used in an attempt to overcome the disparities between the measurements using various different PFMDs. However, this method, which has been standardized by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM E1960), has been criticized for its inconsistency by researchers …

Design Of Small Scale Anaerobic Digesters For Application In Rural Developing Countries, Laurel Erika Rowse

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The high incidence of upper respiratory diseases, contamination of waterways due to pathogens and nutrients from human and animal wastes, unsustainable deforestation, gender disparities in burden of disease due to unequal exposure to indoor air pollutants, and carbon black emissions from the burning of solid fuels are interrelated problems in many developing countries. Small scale anaerobic digestion provides a means of alleviating these problems by treating livestock waste onsite to produce biogas (methane and carbon dioxide) in rural areas in developing countries. Fuel can then be used for cooking, lighting, and heating. Methane fuel is an alternative to traditional three-stone …

A Discrete-Continuous Modeling Framework For Long-Distance, Leisure Travel Demand Analysis, Caleb Van Nostrand

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study contributes to the literature on national long-distance travel demand modeling by providing an analysis of households' annual destination choices and time allocation patterns for long-distance leisure travel purposes. An annual vacation destination choice and time allocation model is formulated to simultaneously predict the different destinations that a household visits and the time it spends on each of these visited destinations, in a year. The model takes the form of a Multiple Discrete-Continuous Extreme Value (MDCEV) structure (Bhat, 2005; Bhat, 2008). The model assumes that households allocate their annual vacation time to visit one or more destinations in a …

The Evaluation Of Hybrid Slurry Resulting From The Introduction Of Additives To Mineral Slurries, Kyle Douglas Yeasting

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Drilled shaft construction often requires the use of drill slurry to maintain borehole stability during excavation and concreting. While drill slurry may be composed of fluids ranging from air to petroleum, drilled shaft construction typically makes use of water based drilling fluids. Although clean water may be utilized as a drilling fluid, a premixed slurry consisting of water, minerals, and/or polymers is more commonly used. Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) specifications require the use of mineral slurry for all primary structures. The slurry resists the intrusion of groundwater, slows the outward migration of drilling fluid from the excavation, and aids …

Minimal And Symmetric Global Partition Polynomials For Reproducing Kernel Elements, Mario Jesus Juha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Reproducing Kernel Element Method is a numerical technique that combines finite element and meshless methods to construct shape functions of arbitrary order and continuity, yet retains the Kronecker-δ property. Central to constructing these shape functions is the construction of global partition polynomials on an element. This dissertation shows that asymmetric interpolations may arise due to such things as changes in the local to global node numbering and that may adversely affect the interpolation capability of the method. This issue arises due to the use in previous formulations of incomplete polynomials that are subsequently non-affine invariant. This dissertation lays out …

Oxygen Diffusion Characterization Of Frp Composites Used In Concrete Repair And Rehabilitation, Chandra K. Khoe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many independent studies have conclusively demonstrated that fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) slow down chloride-induced corrosion of steel in concrete. The mechanism for this slow down is not well understood but it has been hypothesized that FRP serves as a barrier to the ingress of chloride, moisture, and oxygen that sustain electrochemical corrosion of steel.

This dissertation presents results from an experimental study that determined the oxygen permeation rates of materials used in infrastructure repair. In the study, the oxygen permeation constants for epoxy, carbon and glass fiber laminates, concrete, epoxy-concrete and FRP-concrete systems were determined and a method developed to …

Biodegradation Of Bisphenol-A And 17b-Estradiol In Soil Mesocosms Under Alternating Aerobic/Anoxic/Anaerobic Conditions, Won-Seok Kim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soil-aquifer treatment (SAT) has been proposed as a method for reusing treated municipal wastewater. SAT is characterized by alternating cycles of aerobic and anaerobic conditions in the subsurface, in response to alternating cycles of flooding and drainage of a surface impoundment. It is not yet known how these alternating redox conditions affect the removal of potentially harmful endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) from treated effluent.

The overall objective of my doctoral research is to determine the fate of EDCs in alternating aerobic/anoxic/anaerobic conditions under simulated SAT conditions. To assess the fate of EDCs in simulated SAT conditions, I first had to develop …

Operational Performance Evaluation Of Four Types Of Exit Ramps On Florida's Freeways, Linjun Lu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses primarily on the analysis of exit ramp performance related to safety and operations. The safety analysis focuses on the impacts of different exit ramp types for freeway diverge areas and different factors contributing to the crashes that occur on the exit ramp sections. The operational analysis is based mainly on simulations by TSIS-CORSIM. Different ramp effects and guidance for selecting optimal exit ramp type are concluded. Issues related to ramp sections and crossroad sections are also demonstrated. Minimum ramp length and minimum distance between ramp terminal and downstream or upstream intersections are calculated. The operational analysis was …

Effectiveness Of In-Line Chlorination Of Gravity Flow Water Supply In Two Rural Communities In Panama, Kevin Orner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is well established that water quality is directly linked to health. In-line chlorination is one technology that can be used in the developing world to potentially inactivate pathogens and improve water quality. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Panamanian Ministry of Health's in-line PVC chlorinator under three different operating conditions in a rural water supply system. Free and total chlorine were measured entering the storage tank, leaving the storage tank, and at three households along the transmission line of the water system in the two rural indigenous communities of Calabazal and Quebrada Mina …

Use Of Innovative Computer Technology And Optical Texture Properties In The Analysis Of Pavement Digital Images, Saumya Priyadari Amarasiri

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Digital image based automated pavement crack detection and classification technology has seen vast improvements in the recent years. In spite of these developments, although pavement crack lengths and widths can be evaluated using state-of-the-art software with a reasonable accuracy, no reported evidence is found in extending this technology to evaluate crack depths. Hence a preliminary study was carried out to model the digital image formation of cracked concrete pavements based on the Bidirectional Reflection Distribution Function. It was revealed that a definitive theoretical relationship exists among the crack widths and depths and the maximum pixel intensity contrasts in the images …

Restoration Of Displaced Cast-In-Place Concrete Slabs On Grade With The Use Of The Isb-07 Subsurface Support Bracket, Jose Carlos Busquets

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The restoration of foundations of residential and light commercial structures that have been affected by differential displacement resulting from problematic soil conditions has been an ongoing issue since early times. In Florida, the issue of structures being affected by subsidence of soils related to sinkhole activity has been a problem that has gained more interest and exposure within the last 20 years. Structures affected by sinkholes have been historically addressed by remediating the soil mechanism which caused the structure to displace and then structurally addressing the portions of the structure that have displaced with steel underpins installed on the foundation. …

Modeling Roadside Safety Hazards To Predict Annual Crash Cost To Encroaching Vehicles In Rural Road Networks, Isidro Delgado

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Roadside crashes account for a large portion of total fatal crashes that occur annually in the United States. About 30% of those fatalities are the result of single vehicle run-off-road crashes. A large proportion of these fatal crashes occur in rural roads when vehicles depart from the travel lane and collide with trees or other roadside safety hazards. Many of these run-off-road accidents occur in local roads that carry traffic volumes between 1,000 and 20,000 vehicles per day. Many of these roads are part of the jurisdiction of county authorities faced with the dilemma of having too many "potentially dangerous" …

Improving Safety And Mobility At High-Speed Intersections With Innovations In Sensor Technology, Anuj Sharma, Darcy M. Bullock, Senem Velipasalar, Mauricio Casares, Jacob Schmitz, Nathaniel P. Burnett

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

A series of innovations has been made in the vehicle sensors field. Technologies such as IntelliDrive and radar-based smart sensors make it pos­sible to track each vehicle in proximity to an intersection. However, current technologies have limitations, such as lack of robustness, accuracy, or level of penetration. This paper assumes an accurate wide-area detector (WAD), which might be soon available, and highlights the potential benefits that might be derived in safety and efficiency of oper­ations at high-speed intersections from the deployment of the WAD. Two critical areas in which wide-area detection can lead to significant improvements are discussed: (a) location …

Experimental Damage Diagnosis Of A Model Three-Story Spatial Frame, Samantha Sabatino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Structural damage can be induced by a variety of events from short-term abnormal stresses to long-term natural aging. Detection of changes in a structure's ability to withstand subsequent loads can aid decisions on safety, repair, rehabilitation, and demolition. Dynamic property shifts can show internal cracks and minor damage before propagation or failure occurs, but only if a proper indicator is selected. In order to evaluate potential damage indices, a three-story metal frame building was constructed. Using Star Modal software, dynamic structural properties were obtained from modal decomposition on experimental tap test responses. The natural frequencies and mode shapes of the …