Civil Engineering Commons^™

Columbus, Nebraska: Southern Housing Development Design Proposal, Ryan Weyers, Caiden Dynek, Alex Papa, Brexton Robertson, Kaden Perala

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The following paper proposes the design and creation of a new housing development in the city of Columbus, Nebraska in a lot to the south of the city and directly north of the Columbus wastewater treatment plant. The goal of this proposal is to provide readers with confidence that our company is the most qualified to complete the project and will create the safest, most comfortable, most efficient, and most cost-effective final design. This proposal seeks to offer a solution to the lack of affordable housing for the growing workforce in Columbus. In order to arrive at this solution, each …

Equity In Transportation: Data Driven Analysis Of Transportation Services And Infrastructures, Javad Jomehpour Chahar Aman

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Achieving equity in transportation is an ongoing challenge, as transportation options still vary tremendously when it comes to marginalized populations. This dissertation addresses this challenge by conducting a comprehensive review of existing transportation equity literature and identifying two critical gaps: the lack of data-driven approaches to studying spatial mismatch between transportation supply and demand, and limited information on women's perceptions and expectations towards emerging transportation services.

Chapter two introduces the concept of transportation "deserts," specifically transit deserts and walking deserts, and develops data-driven frameworks to identify and investigate neighborhoods with limited transportation service supply but high demand. The frameworks compare …

Evaluation Of The Geotechnical And Foundation Components On Jud Site, Mirabel W. Nkanor

Honors Theses

This thesis is part of the senior design final project of the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Mississippi. Geotechnical and foundation analyses were done on a proposed construction project for a multi-family home in Orlando, Florida. This evaluation done in this thesis follows the pre-existing geotechnical report on the side, USDA soil reports, ASCE Code 32-01 (Design of Foundations), and ASCE-7 Section 12.31.1 (Foundations and Superstructure-to-Foundation Connections).

A structural system was selected from the proposed location, on the corner of South Conway and Judge Road, and an evaluation of the Bearing Load capacity was completed to determine the …

An Investigation Into The Common Problems Of Lagoon Wastewater Treatment In Kentucky, Kaylee A. Jones

Honors Theses

Lagoon wastewater treatment systems are commonly used in areas that do not have the available resources for typical mechanical wastewater treatment. Lagoon systems consist of multiple preliminary lagoons, but mainly rely on long-term facultative lagoons for most analyte removal. In this study, one particular lagoon wastewater treatment system (named Municipality A Wastewater Treatment Plant) is investigated due to noncompliance with governmental standards provided by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Samples were collected by researchers at 4 different instances inside of the treatment systems. These samples were sent to an analytical laboratory for testing. The readings from these samples …

The Use Of Lidar To Measure Water Surface Elevations In Froude-Scaled Physical Hydraulic Models, Gary L. Bell

Theses and Dissertations

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) instrumentation is becoming more diverse in our world of today. One challenge in scaled physical hydrodynamic models in a laboratory setting is obtaining high resolution water surface elevation data while maintaining accuracy requirements. Accurate water surface elevations are a primary parameter in hydraulic models as they are a means of controlling/monitoring the physical model’s boundary conditions, analyzing model experiment results, and informing model conclusions. This study focuses on laser scanners that have ranging accuracies of at least +/-10 millimeters (mm) or better for the purpose of attaining LiDAR water surface elevation measurements in scaled physical …

Integrating Steel Slag Aggregates Into Asphalt Paving By Harmonizing Availability, Quality, Economics, And The Environment, Timothy R. Murphy

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides guidance on how to balance matters related to the environmental stewardship, market sources, origin and uses, material properties, performance, and economic impact of using slag materials in pavements. The literature on this topic provides numerous references on the use of slag materials for specific applications, and this thesis aims to make use of those references along with other data from the author to describe slag materials from a holistic perspective and provide some suggestions for balancing several factors that impact optimal use of this resource within pavement structures. Discussion is given to the increased importance of recycling …

Advancements In Geospatial Monitoring Of Structures, Jordan Keith Baldwin

Theses and Dissertations

The need for advancements in geospatial monitoring of structures has evolved naturally as structures have become larger, more complex, and technology has continued to rapidly develop. Greater building heights generally lead to greater challenges for surveyors, limiting the practical use of traditional measurement methods. For this reason, a new complimentary method was developed and implemented to support elevation monitoring activities during construction of the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, California. While some studies have explored the use of strain gauges to monitor strain development within individual members, the primary contribution of this work is that it presents a practical and …

Physics-Based Modeling Of Post-Wildfire Landslides In Unsaturated Hillslopes, Masood Abdollahi

Theses and Dissertations

Changes in climatic regimes and land use have led to increases in wildfire activities around the world. Wildfires are now happening more frequently, at higher altitudes, and higher severities. Adverse impacts of wildfires can last years after the fire has been contained through post-fire geohazards, such as shallow landslides. Post-wildfire shallow landslides are often mobilized by rainfall and due to fire-induced changes in soil and land cover properties and near-surface processes. This study aims to develop a physics-based framework to evaluate the stability of burned hillslopes against rainfall-triggered shallow landslides. A coupled hydromechanical infiltration model is developed by employing a …

Review: Inelastic Constitutive Modeling: Polycrystalline Materials, Mirza Baig, Josiah Owusu-Danquah, Anne A. Campbell, Stephen F. Duffy Phd, Pe

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This article provides a literature review that details the development of inelastic constitutive modeling as it relates to polycrystalline materials. This review distinguishes between inelastic constitutive models that account for nonlinear behavior at the microstructural level, time-independent classic plasticity models, and time-dependent unified models. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding the underlying theoretical framework for unified viscoplasticity models where creep and classical plasticity behavior are considered the result of applied boundary conditions instead of separable rates representing distinct physical mechanisms. This article establishes a clear understanding of the advantages of the unified approach to improve material modeling. This review also …

Development Of Carbon Emission Assessment Tool Towards Promoting Sustainability In Cal State La, Arezoo Khodayari, Soumya Puvvada, Jamaie M. Scott, Chandra Mouli Rotta, Geeth Sekhar Chadalawada, Jivar Afshar, Carlos D. Linares, Brad Haydel

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

The great demand for the burning of fossil fuels has greatly increased greenhouse gases (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere. An increase in the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases produces a positive climate forcing or warming effect [EPA, Climate Change Indicators]. Therefore, mitigation of GHG concentrations is important to prevent long-term impacts on the environment. On April 4, 2016, California State University, Los Angeles signed the most comprehensive of Second Nature’s three Climate Leadership Commitments, the Climate Commitment. Following this commitment, California State University, Los Angeles, set the ambitious goal of operational carbon neutrality by the year 2040. To assist California …

Optimization Of The Self-Healing Efficiency Of Bacterial Concrete Using Impregnation Of Three Different Precursors Into Lightweight Aggregate, Omar Omar

LSU Master's Theses

Concrete is the most broadly used construction material; thus, developing sustainable concrete is essential to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from concrete production. Implementation of self-healing concrete technologies is a promising approach to enhance the durability and sustainability of the transportation infrastructure. Among these technologies, bacterial concrete has the potential to seal microcracks through microbial induced calcite precipitation (MICP). Bacterial protection is essential to ensure the viability of this technology due to concrete’s harsh environment. Additionally, the success of this technology depends on the presence of an adequate mineral precursor compound and nutrient for the bacteria. As such, the main …

Adaptation Of Concrete And Timber Bridge Railings For Low-Volume Traffic, Russell Masterson

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

Bridge railings are a safety feature to protect the traveling public by containing and redirecting errant vehicles during run-off-road (ROR) events. Most bridge railing design and evaluation efforts have focused on ROR crashes on high-volume roads. Bridge railings for low-volume roads can be designed for lower impact speeds, so railings designed for high-volume roads are unnecessarily robust for low-volume applications and can be optimized to reduce costs for bridge owners while still providing adequate safety. The aim of this research has been focused on improving the design of two low-volume bridge railing systems for use by the United States Department …

Song’S Site At Los Angeles Eco-Village Redevelopment, Kendall Gilbert, Marina Rios, Kristin Hernandez, Gianna Morelli

Honors Thesis

The Los Angeles Eco-Village (LAEV) is a co-op housing community, located in Koreatown, focused on building sustainable and economically cooperative living in an urban environment. The purpose of this project is to transform a property recently acquired by the LAEV, called Song’s, into a multipurpose community hub. The project design goals established with LAEV founder and community members, include cultivating new highly sustainable and resilient ideas on urban living and incorporating educational elements that inspire the community and visitors to live more sustainably. This project proposes three design elements to improve the community use of the newly acquired Song’s at …

Safety And Operational Assessment Of Rural Free Right-Turn Ramp Intersections, Jonathon Camenzind

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

Free right-turn (FRT) ramps are alternative right-turn lane designs for intersecting highways. As of 2023, 79 FRT ramps exist at 68 rural highway intersections in Nebraska. FRT ramps may be located on three-legged or four-legged intersections and may be on the minor, the major, or both minor and major approaches of the same intersection.

This research compared the 68 rural FRT intersections to 24 similar non-FRT rural intersections to identify differences in crash frequency and crash rate and tested for statistical significance using a two-sample t-test. Crash data were obtained for the ten- year period of 2010-2019, with a focus …

Three-Dimensional Structural Analysis Of Temple 16 And Rosalila At Copan Ruinas, Luis Tuarez

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

Temple 16 is an ancient Maya structure located at the heart of the Copán Ruinas Acropolis in Western Honduras. Temple 16 contains several earlier structures within it that were built on top of each other throughout Copán’s history. One of these earlier structures, Rosalila, is one of the most culturally significant structures within the Acropolis due to its preservation. An intricate series of archeological tunnels have been excavated throughout Temple 16 to allow for its study. However, significant cracking has been observed within Rosalila and several tunnels have experienced partial collapse. This not only poses a life safety issue for …

Innovative Research For Phosphorus Recovery In Freshwater Sediments, An Experimental Framework, John D. Collins

Honors College Theses

Phosphorus, a finite element, is necessary for all living organisms and directly impacts biota growth as well as productivity in freshwaters. The demand for phosphorus is continually increasing, but the supply of phosphorus is continually decreasing. In response to depleting resources, phosphorus in surface water sediments is being explored as a sustainable solution to the forecasted phosphorus shortage. Phosphorus in sediments is generally bound to oxidized iron (Fe3+) forming iron phosphate complexes. This form of phosphorus is released when iron reduces to Fe2+ in anaerobic environments. Under such conditions, soluble phosphorus (i.e., orthophosphate) may then be recovered using compounds that …

On The Micro-Mechanical Property Characterization And Bulk-Volume Behavior Prediction Of Additively Manufactured 17-4 Ph Stainless Steels, David González-Niño

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Selective laser melting is an additive manufacturing technology that opens the possibility to manufacture components with complex geometries that are difficult with traditional manufacturing techniques which could benefit engineering applications such as aviation or structural engineering. However, the lack of a reliable universal predictive model for selective laser melting components could impede the full implementation in industrial applications. Therefore, this dissertation investigates the mechanical behavior of selective laser melting 17-4 PH stainless steel under ultra-low cycle fatigue regime and propose a novel micro-mechanical based modeling using statistical and representative volume element. The first phase of this project examined the mechanical …

Experimental Design For Determining The Cyclic Behavior Of Skewed Reduced Beam Section Moment Connections Having Composite Slabs, Paul Chabaud

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper details the experimental design for determining the cyclic behavior of skewed Reduced Beam Section (RBS) moment connections having composite slabs. The effects of composite concrete slabs on skewed RBS connections subjected to cyclic seismic prequalification loading are addressed in this test setup. Full-scale double-sided RBS SMF specimens representing both interior and exterior column connections are designed and fabricated in this work. Experimental test fixturing and a lateral load application setup within the existing Grady E. Harvell Civil Engineering Research and Education Center (CEREC) are designed. All cyclic loading protocols required for the prequalification testing are described herein. Prequalification …

Development Of Self-Stressing Ultra High-Performance Concrete Using Expansive Chemical Admixtures, Lane Edwards

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of expansive chemical admixtures on ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) and self-stressing mechanisms. A literature review was performed to determine different types of expansive admixtures for feasibility of the self-prestressing concept. Ultimately it was decided that type-k cement, made by combining Komponent admixture with conventional UHPC, was the most suitable option due to its effects on wet and hardened concrete properties. Mix designs with varying amounts of Komponent were developed to test the effects the admixture had on various properties. Tested properties included, workability, compressive strength, expansion, short-term shrinkage, long-term shrinkage, and developed prestress. The development …

Bond-Breaker Properties Of Different Media For Concrete Pavement Design, Andres Calzacorta

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Currently Arkansas requires a layer of asphalt as the main bond-breaker over cement treated base for rigid pavement design. The study presented in this paper aims to replicate the results from previous research which demonstrated the bond-breaker properties of concrete curing compounds and geotextiles. Bond-breakers are materials applied to the surface of stabilized bases to reduce the interaction between the base and a pavement cement concrete layer. The excessive interaction between these two layers can lead to cracking in the overlay and reduction of the serviceability life of concrete. The curing compound was applied in a single application (SA, 200 …