Digital Commons Network^™

A Lessons Learned Document For Disputes In Florida Department Of Transportation Projects, Cagri Cinkilic

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to identify, analyze and evaluate the current Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) reports in DRB database and develop a utilized, user friendly lessons learned document for FDOT and contractor. The analysis of the reports in the DRB database illustrated that, most common disputes in governmental transportation projects in Florida are due to unforeseen conditions. Over the course of this research, lessons were developed according to the recommendations made by DRB agents at the end of each case in 262 reports. Parties involved in a FDOT project can check this document to avoid recurrence of …

Development Of A Hurricane-Resistant Roof-To-Wall Connection Using High-Performance Fiber Composites, Cetin Canbek

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Significant portion of losses in hurricanes occur due to a discontinuous load path and weak connections. The purpose of this study was to develop an innovative, efficient and non-intrusive roof-to-wall connection for wood-frame structures using high-performance fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials.

The development of new connections was carried out at the component level tests. Initially the bond strength between FRP and wood interface was investigated. Subsequently, a progressive FRP tie development test was conducted and several alternatives were tested and the most feasible one was chosen.

The new FRP tie was then tested in a full-scale wood-frame structure to …

Integrated Surface-Ground Water Modeling In Wetlands With Improved Methods To Simulate Vegetative Resistance To Flow, Mauro Nalesso

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focused on developing an integrated surface – subsurface hydrologic simulation numerical model by programming and testing the coupling of the USGS MODFLOW-2005 Groundwater Flow Process (GWF) package (USGS, 2005) with the 2D surface water routing model: FLO-2D (O’Brien et al., 1993). The coupling included the necessary procedures to numerically integrate and verify both models as a single computational software system that will heretofore be referred to as WHIMFLO-2D (Wetlands Hydrology Integrated Model). An improved physical formulation of flow resistance through vegetation in shallow waters based on the concept of drag force was also implemented for the simulations of …

An Integrated Flow And Transport Model To Study The Impact Of Mercury Remediation Strategies For East Fork Poplar Creek Watershed, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Stephanie Long

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An integrated flow and transport model using MIKE SHE/MIKE 11 software was developed to predict the flow and transport of mercury, Hg(II), under varying environmental conditions. The model analyzed the impact of remediation scenarios within the East Fork Poplar Creek watershed of the Oak Ridge Reservation with respect to downstream concentration of mercury. The numerical simulations included the entire hydrological cycle: flow in rivers, overland flow, groundwater flow in the saturated and unsaturated zones, and evapotranspiration and precipitation time series. Stochastic parameters and hydrologic conditions over a five year period of historical hydrological data were used to analyze the hydrological …

Flood Risk Analysis Of The White Oak Creek Watershed In Oak Ridge, Tennessee Using Mike She And Mike 11 Software, Camilo Arias

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the flooding potential of contaminated areas within the White Oak Creek watershed in the Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee. The watershed was analyzed with an integrated surface and subsurface numerical model based on MIKE SHE/MIKE 11 software. The model was calibrated and validated using five decades of historical data. A series of simulations were conducted to determine the watershed response to 25 year, 100 year and 500 year precipitation forecasts; flooding maps were generated for those events. Predicted flood events were compared to Log Pearson III flood flow frequency values for validation. …

Chlorine Contribution To Quantitative Structure And Activity Relationship Models Of Disinfection By-Products' Quantum Chemical Descriptors And Toxicities, Fang Wang

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) has been applied extensively in predicting toxicity of Disinfection By-Products (DBPs) in drinking water. Among many toxicological properties, acute and chronic toxicities of DBPs have been widely used in health risk assessment of DBPs. These toxicities are correlated with molecular properties, which are usually correlated with molecular descriptors. The primary goals of this thesis are: 1) to investigate the effects of molecular descriptors (e.g., chlorine number) on molecular properties such as energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (ELUMO) via QSAR modelling and analysis; 2) to validate the models by using internal and external cross-validation techniques; …