Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Forward Time Domain Gpr Modeling Of Bridge Decks For Detecting Deterioration, Kimberly Belli

Kimberly Belli

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) for nondestructive testing is a relatively young technology, especially with application to civil infrastructure such as bridges and roadways. Conventional methods of processing and analyzing GPR data for civil infrastructure are often qualitative, using relative reflection amplitude from subsurface boundaries or reinforcing steel (rebars) as an indicator of health. This poster brings well understood electrical engineering analysis tools to the application of nondestructive testing of bridges using GPR. Using iterative forward modeling to improve upon conventional permittivity and depth calculations, a computational model geometry is computed for the assumed bridge deck with no anomalies present. A …

Characterization Of Gpr Antenna Radiation Pattern For Implementation Into Fdtd Simulation, Bryan Lavign, Laura Carey, Kimberly Belli

Kimberly Belli

This poster is to present an experimental procedure & associated results providing insight into the directivity of a 2 GHz air-coupled GPR antenna donated by Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc. The data collected from the experiment is analyzed and implemented into a 2D FDTD code for simulation of the antenna. The output from the FDTD model with improved excitation is compared to data collected in the field using the GPR antenna.

Simulating Gpr For Diagnosis Of Civil Infrastructure, Laura Carey, Kimberly Belli, Carey M. Rappaport, Sara J. Wadia-Fascetti

Kimberly Belli

At the present, a large proportion of our nation's bridges and roadways are falling into disrepair. About 27.5% of U.S. bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete (ASCE, 2001, 2003). Nondestructive testing methods, such as GPR, are becoming more and more important in diagnosing the condition of such concrete structures. GPR is a high-resolution electromagnetic technique used to investigate the immediate subsurface of the earth, building materials, roads, and bridges. This poster shows my work in GPR modeling during a summer undergraduate experience through CenSSIS. A specialized MATLAB toolbox designed by Kim Belli created all data presented here. The use …

Experimental Validation Of A Numerical Forward Model For Tunnel Detection Using Cross-Borehole Radar, Arvin Farid, Jose A. Martinez-Lorenzo, Akram N. Alshawabkeh, Carey M. Rappaport

Jose Martinez-Lorenzo

The goal of this research is to develop an experimentally validated twodimensional (2D) finite difference frequency domain (FDFD) numerical forward model to study the potential of radar-based tunnel detection. Tunnel detection has become a subject of interest to the nation due to the use of tunnels by illegal immigrants, smugglers, prisoners, assailants, and terrorists. These concerns call for research to nondestructively detect, localize, and monitor tunnels. Nondestructive detection requires robust image reconstruction and inverse models, which in turn need robust forward models. Cross-Well Radar (CWR) modality is used for experimentation to avoid soil-air interface roughness. CWR is not a versatile …

Forward Time Domain Ground Penentrating Radar Modeling Of Bridge Decks For Detecting Deterioration, Kimberly Belli, Sara J. Wadia-Fascetti, Carey Rappaport

Carey Rappaport

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) for nondestructive testing is a relatively young technology, especially with application to civil infrastructure such as bridges and roadways. Conventional methods of processing and analyzing GPR data for civil infrastructure are often qualitative, using relative reflection amplitude from subsurface boundaries or reinforcing steel (rebars) as an indicator of health. This poster brings well understood electrical engineering analysis tools to the application of nondestructive testing of bridges using GPR. Using iterative forward modeling to improve upon conventional permittivity and depth calculations, a computational model geometry is computed for the assumed bridge deck with no anomalies present. A …

Electromagnetic Waves In Contaminated Soils, Arvin Farid, Akram Alshawabkeh, Carey Rappaport

Carey Rappaport

Soil is a complex, potentially heterogeneous, lossy, and dispersive medium. Modeling the propagation and scattering of electromagnetic (EM) waves in soil is, hence, more challenging than in air or in other less complex media. This chapter will explain fundamentals of the numerical modeling of EM wave propagation and scattering in soil through solving Maxwell’s equations using a finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. The chapter will explain how: (i) the lossy and dispersive soil medium (in both dry and fully water-saturated conditions), (ii) a fourth phase (anomaly), (iii) two different types of transmitting antennae (a monopole and a dipole), and …

Cross-Well Radar I: Experimental Simulation Of Cross-Well Tomography And Validation, Arvin Farid, Akram N. Alshawabkeh, Carey M. Rappaport

Carey Rappaport

This paper explains and evaluates the potential and limitations of conducting Cross-Well Radar (CWR) in sandy soils. Implementing the experiment and data collection in the absence of any scattering object, and in the presence of an acrylic plate (a representative of dielectric objects, such as DNAPL (dense non-aqueous phase liquid) pools, etc.), as a contrasting object in a water-saturated soil is also studied. To be able to image the signature of any object, more than one pair of receiving and transmitting antennas are required. The paper describes a method to achieve repeatable, reliable, and reproducible laboratory results for different transmitter-receiver …

Experimental Validation Of A Numerical Forward Model For Tunnel Detection Using Cross-Borehole Radar, Arvin Farid, Jose A. Martinez-Lorenzo, Akram N. Alshawabkeh, Carey M. Rappaport

Carey Rappaport

The goal of this research is to develop an experimentally validated twodimensional (2D) finite difference frequency domain (FDFD) numerical forward model to study the potential of radar-based tunnel detection. Tunnel detection has become a subject of interest to the nation due to the use of tunnels by illegal immigrants, smugglers, prisoners, assailants, and terrorists. These concerns call for research to nondestructively detect, localize, and monitor tunnels. Nondestructive detection requires robust image reconstruction and inverse models, which in turn need robust forward models. Cross-Well Radar (CWR) modality is used for experimentation to avoid soil-air interface roughness. CWR is not a versatile …

Simulating Gpr For Diagnosis Of Civil Infrastructure, Laura Carey, Kimberly Belli, Carey M. Rappaport, Sara J. Wadia-Fascetti

Carey Rappaport

At the present, a large proportion of our nation's bridges and roadways are falling into disrepair. About 27.5% of U.S. bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete (ASCE, 2001, 2003). Nondestructive testing methods, such as GPR, are becoming more and more important in diagnosing the condition of such concrete structures. GPR is a high-resolution electromagnetic technique used to investigate the immediate subsurface of the earth, building materials, roads, and bridges. This poster shows my work in GPR modeling during a summer undergraduate experience through CenSSIS. A specialized MATLAB toolbox designed by Kim Belli created all data presented here. The use …

Tunnel Detection Using Cross Borehole Radar, Clay Kurison, Arvin M. Farid, Akram N. Alshawabkeh, Carey M. Rappaport

Carey Rappaport

Shallow tunnels present both military and homeland security threats. Smugglers with intentions of avoiding border security have turned tunnels into transit routes for trafficking weapons, people, drugs and other illegal materials. Shallow tunnels are also used by prisoners to escape prisons. While drug and human trafficking have long been border concerns, the threat of international terrorism has transformed the effort to detect tunnels into a national security priority. Imminent threats include assailants entering military fortifications by burrowing under buildings, detonation of high grade explosives from foundations of high security facilities, and high level prisoners escaping detention centers through tunnels. Real-time …

Validation Of Noaa-Interactive Multisensor Snow And Ice Mapping System (Ims) By Comparison With Ground-Based Measurements Over Continental United States, Christine Chen, Tarendra Lakhankar, Peter Romanov, Sean Helfrich, Al Powell, Reza Khanbilvardi

Publications and Research

In this study, daily maps of snow cover distribution and sea ice extent produced by NOAA’s interactive multisensor snow and ice mapping system (IMS) were validated using in situ snow depth data from observing stations obtained from NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) for calendar years 2006 to 2010. IMS provides daily maps of snow and sea ice extent within the Northern Hemisphere using data from combination of geostationary and polar orbiting satellites in visible, infrared and microwave spectrums. Statistical correspondence between the IMS and in situ point measurements has been evaluated assuming that ground measurements are discrete and continuously …

Investigation Of Human-Structure Interaction Through Experimental And Analytical Studies, Nicholas Noss

Master’s Theses

Vibration serviceability is a widely recognized design criterion for assembly-type structures, such as stadiums, that are likely subjected to rhythmic human-induced excitation. Human-induced excitation of a structure occurs from the movement of the occupants such as walking, running, jumping, or dancing. Vibration serviceability is based on the level of comfort that people have with the vibrations of a structure. Current design guidance uses the natural frequency of the structure to assess vibration serviceability. However, a phenomenon known as human-structure interaction suggests that there is a dynamic interaction between the structure and passive occupants, altering the natural frequency of the system. …

Characterization Of Viscoelastic And Fracture Properties Of Asphaltic Materials In Multiple Length Scales, Soohyok Im

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

Asphaltic materials are classical examples of multi-phase composites in different length scales. The understanding of the mechanical behavior of asphaltic materials has been a challenge to the pavement mechanics community due to multiple complexities involved: heterogeneity, anisotropy, nonlinear inelasticity, and damage in multiple forms. The micromechanics-based models based on numerical methods have been receiving attention from the pavement mechanics community because the modeling method can account for those complexities of asphaltic materials by considering the effects of material properties and geometric characteristics of individual components on overall performance behavior of mixture or structure. As a step-wise effort, this study intends …

Reducing Residual Drift In Buckling-Restrained Braced Frames By Using Gravity Columns As Part Of A Dual System, Megan Boston

Theses and Dissertations

Severe earthquakes cause damage to buildings. One measure of damage is the residual drift. Large residual drifts suggest expensive repairs and could lead to complete loss of the building. As such, research has been conducted on how to reduce the residual drift. Recent research has focused on self-centering frames and dual systems, both of which increase the post-yield stiffness of the building during and after an earthquake. Self-centering systems have yet to be adopted into standard practice but dual systems are used regularly. Dual systems in steel buildings typically combine two types of traditional lateral force resisting systems such as …

Network Resilience In Disasters: An Interdisciplinary, International Perspective, Satish Ukkusuri

Changing World Conference

No abstract provided.

Sensitivity Of Resistivity Measurements On Concrete Bridge Decks To Operator-Controlled And Concrete Material Variables, Natasha Christine Barrus

Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this research were to investigate the sensitivity of two-prong and fourprong resistivity measurements to certain operator-controlled variables and to conduct a direct comparison of the sensitivity of two-prong and four-prong resistivity measurements to certain concrete material variables. Four full-factorial experiments were designed for this research. In the experimentation on operator-controlled variables with two-prong resistivity testing, main effects that are both statistically significant and practically important include hole depth and surface water. In the experimentation on operator-controlled variables with four-prong resistivity testing, probe position, surface water, and prong spacing are all neither statistically significant nor practically important. This …

Skew Effects On Passive Earth Pressures Based On Large-Scale Tests, Shon Joseph Jessee

Theses and Dissertations

The passive force-deflection relationship for abutment walls is important for bridges subjected to thermal expansion and seismic forces, but no test results have been available for skewed abutments. To determine the influence of skew angle on the development of passive force, lab tests were performed on a wall with skew angles of 0º, 15º, 30º, and 45º. The wall was 1.26 m wide and 0.61 m high and the backfill consisted of dense compacted sand. As the skew angle increased, the passive force decreased substantially with a reduction of 50% at a skew of 30º. An adjustment factor was developed …

Passive Resistance Of Abutments With Mse Wingwalls, Nathanael G. Bingham

Theses and Dissertations

Large scale static lateral load tests were performed on a pile cap under varying sand backfill configurations: no backfill, full-width dense sand backfill, dense sand slip plane confined backfill, and two configurations of dense sand MSE wall confined backfills. Efforts were made to maintain the relative compaction of the backfills for each of the tests near the same value. The MSE wall panel arrangement was varied to determine the effect of different reinforcement configurations on the passive resistance and wall panel displacement. Passive force-displacement curves were generated from each test. It was found that the MSE design manual provided reasonable …

Investigation And Mitigation Of Differential Movement At Railway Transitions For Us High Speed Passenger Rail And Joint Passenger/Freight Corridors, Erol Tutumluer, Timothy D. Stark, Debakanta Mishra, James P. Hyslip

Debakanta Mishra

As with most highway bridges, railway transitions experience differential movements due to differences in track system stiffness, track damping characteristics, foundation type, ballast settlement from fouling and/or degradation, as well as fill and subgrade settlement. This differential movement is especially problematic for high speed rail infrastructure as the “bump” at the transition is accentuated at high speeds. Identification of different factors contributing towards this differential movement, as well as development of design and maintenance strategies to mitigate the problem is imperative for the safe and economical operation of both freight and passenger rail networks. This paper presents the research framework …

Reconstruction /Redesign Of The I-69/I-94 Highway Interchange, Manuel A. Torreira

Honors Theses

The focus of this senior design project was to reconstruct the interchange consisting in I­94 and 1-69, which were not up to Michigan Department of Transportation's (MDOT) standards. Many problems exist throughout this interchange, including flooding issues, current ramp configurations, low design speeds, and safety considerations. As a result, three alternatives were made and a unanimous decision from the client, faculty advisor, and our group was made in order to further analyze one of those alternatives. Once a certain alternative was selected, then the geometric designs were further analyzed.

The many factors that had to be taken into account were …