Geotechnical Engineering Commons^™

Barometer Rising: The Cartagena Protocol On Biosafety As A Model For Holistic International Regulation Of Ocean Fertilization Projects And Other Forms Of Geoengineering, Matthew Hubbard

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Full-Scale Shake Table Cyclic Simple Shear Testing Of Liquefiable Soil, Jasper Stanford Jacobs

Master's Theses

This research consists of full-scale shake table tests to investigate liquefaction of sandy soils. Consideration of the potential and consequences of liquefaction is critical to the performance of any structure built in locations of high seismicity underlain by saturated granular materials as it is the leading cause of damage associated with ground failure. In certain cases the financial losses associated with liquefaction can significantly impact the financial future of an entire region.

Most liquefaction triggering studies are performed in the field where liquefaction has been previously observed, or in tabletop laboratory testing. The study detailed herein is a controlled laboratory …

Late Morning Concurrent Sessions: Innovations In Aviation Technologies: Presentation: Relative Material Loss: A Methodology For Assessing Island Airport Steel Marine Bulkheads, Robert Ernsting, Constantine M. Koursaris

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

A July 2015 report from the Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) states “U.S. airports are long overdue for [a] major structural improvement projects. Most U.S. airports are aging, … and because of budgetary restrictions, they’re not aging well.”(Garcia and Clampet, 2015). The average US age is 40 years old with the youngest (Denver International) recently turning 20 years old. As airports continue to age, airport commissioners will struggle to find creative ways to either fund airport replacements or extend the service life of existing airport facilities (commonly referred to as service life extension projects or SLEP). Due to …

Underwater Explosion Energy Dissipation Near Waterborne Infrastructure, Paul R. Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Underwater explosions pose a significant threat to waterborne infrastructure though destructive pressure waves that can travel significant distances through the water. However, the use of bubble screens can attenuate the peak pressure and energy flux created by explosions to safe levels. This study investigates the prediction of pressure wave characteristics based on accumulated data, the damage potential of underwater explosions based on applied loads and effective material strength, and the bubble screen parameters required to prevent damage. The results were compiled to form a procedure for the design and implementation of a bubble screen the protection of waterborne infrastructure.

Enhancing The Strength Properties Of Fly Ash By Adding Waste Products, Alfred J. Susilo

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

For this study, the main material to be investigated is Class F fly ash that originates from the combustion of Appalachian coal. Alone, fly ash exhibits poor strength properties and is susceptible to liquefaction when subject to dynamic loading. This research is focused on investigating the effect of adding materials that would otherwise be considered as waste products to the fly ash. Materials to be considered include crumb rubber, shredded carpet and shredded paper. The benefits from this research are twofold. First, provide a method to stabilize fly ash. For large masses of fly ash such as those found at …

The Use Of Remote Sensing Technologies And Models To Study Pollutants In Pdn Region, Suhail Mahmud

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Using a suite of modeling techniques and instrumentation we study the atmospheric pollutants in the PdN Region. The first objective of this work was to measure hemi-spherically integrated, spectrally resolved solar photon flux (actinic flux) between the wavelengths 300 and 700 nm, and use the measured actinic flux to improve air quality simulations. Actinic flux was measured in the PdN region in order to calculate photolysis rate coefficients for different pollutants. The improved photolysis rate coefficients were then integrated into a photochemical air quality model (CAMx) in order to improve air quality forecasting. We present the simulations performed for a …

Pore Pressure Measurement Instrumentation Response To Blasting, Kylie M. Larson-Robl

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Coal mine impoundment failures have been well documented to occur due to an increase in excess pore pressure from sustained monotonic loads. Very few failures have ever occurred from dynamic loading events, such as earthquakes, and research has been done regarding the stability of these impoundment structures under such natural seismic loading events. To date no failures or damage have been reported from dynamic loading events caused by near-by production blasting, however little research has been done considering these conditions. Taking into account that current environmental restrictions oblige to increase the capacity of coal impoundments, thus increasing the hazard of …

Use Of Laboratory Geophysical And Geotechnical Investigation Methods To Characterize Gypsum Rich Soils, Raghava A. Bhamidipati

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Gypsum rich soils are found in many parts of the world, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Most gypsum occurs in the form of evaporites, which are minerals that precipitate out of water due to a high rate of evaporation and a high mineral concentration. Gypsum rich soils make good foundation material under dry conditions but pose major engineering hazards when exposed to water. Gypsum acts as a weak cementing material and has a moderate solubility of about 2.5 g/liter. The dissolution of gypsum causes the soils to undergo unpredictable collapse settlement leading to severe structural damages. The damages incur …

Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (Uas) And Photogrammetry To Remotely Assess Landslide Events In Near Real-Time, Jordan T. Keeney

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Commercially available unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and photogrammetry software have undergone rapid advancements in recent years. However, the use of UAS and photogrammetry techniques for monitoring surface landform deformation has not been adopted for the most part due to complicated workflows and complex UAS systems. This study demonstrates the ability to monitor landslides in near-real time with commercially available UAS and photogrammetry software using direct georeferencing and co- registration techniques. The results of this research were then assessed to develop an optimal workflow for the rapid assessment of surface deformations with direct georeferenced UAS obtained imagery and photogrammetry software.

Sinkhole Monitoring Using Groundwater Table Data, Ton Tu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Florida might be one of the most sinkhole-active areas on the earth. Due to its unpredictability and significance of occurrence, the development of sinkhole monitoring techniques is imperative to minimize sinkhole-induced hazards. Several methods have been used to evaluate sinkhole risks, including destructive methods, such as Standard Penetrating Tests (SPT) and Cone Penetrating Tests (CPT), geophysical method, and sensor-based groundwater monitoring method. However, few studies are available for comprehensive understanding of spatiotemporal sinkhole mechanism by combining different exploration methods under realistic experimental conditions. The objective of this study is to understand spatiotemporal sinkhole mechanism, using SPT, CPT, ground penetrating radar …

Imaging Reinforced Concrete: A Comparative Study Of Ground Penetration Radar And Rebarscope, Abhishek Kodi

Masters Theses

"Geophysical techniques have been playing a very vital role in subsurface imaging in the recent past. Technology has been making it both reliable and convenient to utilize non-destructive geophysics techniques like Ground Penetration Radar, Induction current based Rebarscope, Seismic methods, ERT, etc. The applications range from shallow subsurface investigation of Bridge decks to old tunnels, mapping of rabars in a pre-existing construction and analyzing the concrete strength.

The thesis constitutes of a comparative study and analysis of a Ground Penetration Radar system and a Rebarscope. Individual parameters obtained directly from the study and obtained indirectly from the study shall be …

Designing A Permeable Reactive Barrier For The Remediation Of Copper Contaminated Groundwater., Christopher Walkons

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This project details the design of a sorption based pilot-scale permeable reactive barrier (PRB) for the removal of copper from groundwater. The reactive material for the barrier is the residual of coagulants used in drinking water treatment operations. Physical and chemical properties of these water treatment residuals (WTR) have been studied to optimize PRB design. Batch reactor tests have shown that equilibrium sorption of copper can be fit to a Langmuir type isotherm. Kinetic and column experiments have been conducted to understand the significance of chemical and physical mass transfer limitations. A leaching test indicated the concentrations of hazardous elements …

A Sustainability-Based Project Selection Algorithm: Socio-Technical-Economic Project Selection (Steps) Algorithm, Bharathi Bhattu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Multi-dimensional aspects play a vital role in the task of project-decision making. Environmental effects are to be considered in addition to other technical and non-technical aspects in order to avoid undue environmental damage. This current work introduces a new decision-making algorithm (Socio-Technical-Economic Project Selection or STEPS) that is demonstrated with the use of RCA (recycled concrete aggregate) as riprap for slope stabilization and erosion control which leaches chemical arsenic when in contact with water. Arsenic has long been recognized for its lethal properties. The main intention of introducing this new algorithm is to use sustainability concepts of social, technical, and …

Deep Excavations In Urban Environments: A Review Of Recent Developments, Micah D. Nine

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Failure of excavations can be incredibly costly. Lives can be lost, projects delayed for months, and adjacent structures damaged by ground surface settlement related to both basal-heave and serviceability failures. This report summarizes developments in recent years that pertain to deep excavations in urban environments and mathematical methods to best avoid failures. The ultimate limit state (basal-heave and piping failure), and serviceability limit state (ground surface settlement and lateral wall defection) are the basis for geotechnical design in excavations. Structurally, the strength limit state (structural strength of the wall), serviceability limit state (deformation of the retaining wall), and stability (such …

Dust Susceptibility At Mine Tailings Impoundments: Thermal Remote Sensing For Dust Susceptibility Characterization And Biological Soil Crusts For Dust Susceptibility Reduction, Bonnie Zwissler

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Mining operations produce massive volumes of mine tailings, which are deposited as slurry into permanent tailings impoundments. An important and heavily regulated environmental hazard associated with mine tailings impoundments is fugitive dust emissions. Wind erosion of mine tailings impoundments and the resulting dusting events, especially those caused by cold weather dusting, remain an on-going challenge for the mining industry. The overall goal of this research was to develop and evaluate effective, economical, and sustainable solutions to two major issues facing mine tailings impoundments with regards to dusting: (1) dust monitoring/detection and (2) dust reduction/prevention. Specifically, the research studied iron mine …

Geotechnical State-Of-The-Art In Guatemala -- Ground Stabilization, Fernando Rafael Callejas Benitez

Doctoral Dissertations

"History provides an understanding of the present and in a way, a guide for the future. The state-of-the-art is often referred to as a snapshot of the most significant works and contributions made in a field of study; In this case the focus is on Guatemalan geotechnical engineering. This study presents a comprehensive description of the different events that impulse geotechnical engineering in Guatemala.

As part of the description of the state-of-the-practice an investigation of the different human (engineers/contractors) and physical resources (laboratories/field equipment) and their capabilities are presented. An overview of the civil engineering programs is presented. Then, the …

Development Of Semi-Circular Bending (Scb) Fracture Test For Bituminous Mixtures, Gabriel Nsengiyumva

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

Granted that most distresses in asphalt (flexible) concrete (AC) pavements are directly related to fracture, it becomes clear that identifying and characterizing fracture properties of AC mixtures is a critical step towards a better pavement design. This thesis examines the testing variables of a reliable and practical semicircular bending (SCB) test for evaluating the fracture characteristics of asphalt concrete mixtures at intermediate service temperature conditions. The first part of this thesis investigates the repeatability of the SCB fracture test method by integrating a statistical-experimental approach to identify testing variables of the SCB test that result in repeatable test results. Toward …

Viscoelastic, Fatigue Damage, And Permanent Deformation Characterization Of High Rap Bituminous Mixtures Using Fine Aggregate Matrix (Fam), Hesamaddin Nabizadeh

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

Performance characteristics of bituminous mixtures play the most influential role in designing flexible pavement. These asphaltic mixtures can be considered as heterogeneous mixtures which composed of two primary components: fine aggregate matrix (FAM) phase and aggregate phase. The FAM phase acts as a critical phase in evaluating the performance characteristics including viscoelastic, fatigue damage, and permanent deformation characteristics of entire asphalt mixtures. This study evaluates the viscoelastic, fatigue damage and permanent deformation characteristics of bituminous mixtures containing 65% reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) by performing oscillatory torsional shear tests of cylindrical bars of FAM using a dynamic mechanical analyzer. Moreover, this …

Spatial Variability Of Soil Velocity Using Passive Surface Wave Testing, Daniel Raymond Wagstaffe

Master's Theses

Lifelines such as highways, pipelines, telecommunication lines, and powerlines provide communities with vital services, and their functionality is dependent upon the foundation soil that supports them. However, when designing the infrastructure, it can be difficult to know where to test the soil in order to give spatially representative sampling, particularly for long, lifeline structures. Finding this distance requires knowledge of the spatial correlation and/or the spatial variability of the soil parameter (stiffness, cohesion, etc.). But this correlation distance is not typically found in practice because it requires large amounts of data and the costs of retrieving that data can be …

Comparative Analysis Of Buckling-Restrained Braced Frames In Eccentric Configuration (Brbf-Es) And Eccentrically Braced Frames (Ebfs), Peter T. Vayda

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Continuing on the findings of “Using Buckling-Restrained Braced Frames in Eccentric Configuration,” by Dr. Gary S. Prinz, P.E., which determined that, from a performance standpoint, BRBF-Es could be a viable alternative for EBFs. A comparative analysis was conducted on the design procedures and initial cost estimates of BRBF-Es and EBFs. Upon designing four 12-Story buildings (two BRBF-Es and two EBFs), it was determined that BRBF-Es were easier to design due to the statically determinant system. The initial costs estimates of BRBF-Es; however, ranged upwards of 30% more cost than EBFs. Therefore, the initial investment of more intensive structural engineering design …