Digital Commons Network^™

Safety Of Optimized Concrete Median Barrier Without Planting Soil, Zhong Chunyao, Ma Qing, Li Yangfan, Gong Shuai, Liu Siyuan, Yan Shuming

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

In order to study the safety of optimized concrete median barrier without planting soil,the technology combining computer simulation,sled test,and full-scale impact test of real vehicles was adopted for analysis and verification.In addition,a scheme was proposed to improve the anti-overturning ability of the barrier without planting soil by strengthening the supporting block,and the scheme of setting a 20 cm-high supporting block between the barrier walls was optimized.The safety of the barrier scheme was evaluated by taking the most unfavorable large truck as an example.The results show that the protection level of the optimized concrete median barrier without planting soil is SAm, …

Aided Design Method And Application Of Rutting Prevention And Maintenance In Asphalt Pavement Based On Digital Holographic 3d Detection, Wang Jingfei, Wang Wang, Xu Xinquan, Huang Zhijian, Ti Jing, Yao Yanru

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

As one of the common diseases of asphalt pavement,rutting has significant impacts on the service life and traffic safety of the pavement.Mild rutting in asphalt pavement during preventive maintenance can lead to increased use of maintenance materials due to rutting deformation.Accurately calculating the amount of materials needed to fill rutting in maintenance designs is of great significance for ensuring maintenance quality and efficiency.Based on the requirements of maintenance engineering,this paper analyzed the problems in maintenance designs that use traditional methods and the data they generate for rutting detection.A design method was proposed for rutting prevention and maintenance in asphalt pavement,assisted …

Automated Flood Prediction Along Railway Tracks Using Remotely Sensed Data And Traditional Flood Models, Abdul Rashid Zakaria, Thomas Oommen, Pasi Lautala

Michigan Tech Publications

Ground hazards are a significant problem in the global economy, costing millions of dollars in damage each year. Railroad tracks are vulnerable to ground hazards like flooding since they traverse multiple terrains with complex environmental factors and diverse human developments. Traditionally, flood-hazard assessments are generated using models like the Hydrological Engineering Center–River Analysis System (HEC-RAS). However, these maps are typically created for design flood events (10, 50, 100, 500 years) and are not available for any specific storm event, as they are not designed for individual flood predictions. Remotely sensed methods, on the other hand, offer precise flood extents only …

Analysis Of Traffic Performance And Passenger Car Equivalent Value In Tangerang – Merak Toll Road Section, Jonathan Sidabutar, Sutanto Soehodho, Nahry Nahry

Smart City

Economic growth involves massive movement of logistics, where goods transported by land become the main choice by supplier. One of them being the main access for connecting Java and Sumatera is the Tangerang – Merak toll road. An increase in traffic volume occurs every year, followed by additional problems such as congestion which obviously affects traffic performance. Given this reason, it is necessary to evaluate traffic performance through parameter assessments, which are the degree of saturation and travel speed.

This research was carried out on the Tangerang - Merak toll road section KM 32,300 to KM 35,500 towards Jakarta for …

Analysis Of Cost And Time Efficiency In Container Distribution Between Container Truck And Freight Train From Industrial Area To Port, Indah Imayanti, Sutanto Soehodho, Nahry Yusuf

Smart City

Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT) in Tanjung Priok Port , which serves export and import containers, can serve up to 5500 TEUs daily. However, no more than 1% of the total containers are transported by freight trains, meaning that 99% of container distribution from industrial areas is carried by trailer trucks. This condition causes a long queue at the container terminal entrance, resulting in delays in the services as well. Currently, Tanjung Priok Port is connected to rail transportation from Cikarang dry port with the frequency of twice a day with 30 flatcars (FC) for each trip. The capacity of …

Estimation Of Vehicle Traffic Parameters Using An Optical Distance Sensor For Use In Smart City Road Infrastructure, Rafał Burdzik, Ireneusz Celiński, Minvydas Ragulskis, Vinayak Ranjan, Jonas Matijošius

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

In recent decades, the dynamics of road vehicle traffic have significantly evolved, compelling traffic engineers to develop innovative traffic monitoring solutions, especially for dense road networks. Traditional methods for measuring traffic volume along road sections may no longer suffice for modern traffic control systems. This is particularly true for induction loops, a widely used method since the last century. In contrast, measuring techniques using microwaves or visible light offer better accuracy but are often hindered by the high cost of sensors. This paper presents new techniques for measuring traffic flow and other parameters that adapt to changing traffic dynamics using …

Integration Of Machine Learning In Structural Health Monitoring For Damage Identification And Response Prediction In Bridges, Naga Lakshmi Chittitalli Ravuri

Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning-based structural health monitoring (ML-SHM) plays a pivotal role in enhancing structural resilience. By recognizing potential hazards, implementing resistance measures, facilitating swift recovery, and continuously monitoring structural health, ML-SHM ensures proactive maintenance and minimizes recovery delays post-events. Leveraging machine learning algorithms and sensor data, ML-SHM enables early detection of anomalies, prediction of failures, and adaptive responses, enhancing the structure's ability to withstand and recover from adverse conditions. This integrated approach not only improves the structure's performance and adaptability but also contributes to overall safety and longevity. This thesis presents a comprehensive exploration of structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques for …

Enhancing Contractor Selection Through Fuzzy Topsis And Fuzzy Saw Techniques, Mohammadsoroush Tafazzoli, Ayoub Hazrati, Kishor Shrestha, Krishna Kisi

Civil Engineering & Construction: Faculty Publications

Contractors play an integral role in construction projects, and their qualifications directly impact various aspects of a project’s success. The unbiased selection of contractors is a challenge in the construction industry worldwide, particularly in public projects where impartiality in the final selection is essential. Numerous factors must be considered when evaluating contractors, making the selection process challenging for the human brain. This paper introduces and compares two methods for assessing contractor prequalification by applying the fuzzy theory. The idea is to facilitate using human judgments in a mathematical system for decision-making with regard to selecting contractors. The method is based …

Differentiating Dynamic System Outcomes In Cam Photosynthesis Through Sonification, Duncan Turley

Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sonification is a powerful tool that is harnessed by modern engineers to represent information through audio, and is beginning to be used to interpret more complex data sets. Sonification can be used to facilitate the listeners' ability to grasp microscopic or complex changes in the state of a system. This study uses the assigning of sound patterns to model outputs that indicate chaotic or non-chaotic systems in Crassulacean acid metabolism photosynthesis. Using sound allows the interpretation of chaotic data without the more time intensive processes typically used, such as of Fast Fourier Transformations. Based on past research, it is known …

A Comprehensive Study On The Impact Of Human Hair Fiber And Millet Husk Ash On Concrete Properties: Response Surface Modeling And Optimization, Naraindas Bheel, Muhammad Alamgeer Shams, Samiullah Sohu, Abdul Salam Buller, Taoufik Najeh, Fouad Ismail Ismail, Omrane Benjeddou

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Revolutionizing construction, the concrete blend seamlessly integrates human hair (HH) fibers and millet husk ash (MHA) as a sustainable alternative. By repurposing human hair for enhanced tensile strength and utilizing millet husk ash to replace sand, these materials not only reduce waste but also create a durable, eco-friendly solution. This groundbreaking methodology not only adheres to established structural criteria but also advances the concepts of the circular economy, representing a significant advancement towards environmentally sustainable and resilient building practices. The main purpose of the research is to investigate the fresh and mechanical characteristics of concrete blended with 10–40% MHA as …

A Machine Learning Framework For Predicting Fabrication Hours For Industrial Steel Structure Projects, Dalia Ibrahim

Theses and Dissertations

Construction projects are considered high risk projects especially due to their required large capital making them require extreme attention in estimation as overestimating a project will lead to losing bids and underestimating them will lead to incurring more costs than budgeted resulting in losses. However, estimators are often faced with very tight timelines to finish their estimates leading them to primarily rely on their experience disregarding some crucial factors resulting in inaccurate estimates. In the steel structures industry, the steel fabrication phase accounts for 30 to 40% of the overall project cost; in addition, the steel industry is labor driven; …

Gender-Based Service Quality Evaluation Of Multimodal Public Transportation In Dki Jakarta, Mohammad Owais, Jachrizal Sumabrata, Nahry Yusuf

Smart City

In DKI Jakarta, despite the extensive infrastructure development, there has been a significant decline in the usage of public transportation. This can be attributed to the inadequate quality of the services provided. Various studies have highlighted the significance of evaluating the quality of service in public transportation to ensure passenger satisfaction and attract new users. However, there is no agreement on the most effective methodology and suitable indicators for conducting such analyses. In addition, there is a growing recognition of the importance of promoting gender equality in multimodal public transportation (MMPT) and understanding gender differences and perceptions of MMPT services. …

Cost Modeling Of Provision C.3 Green Stormwater Infrastructure Requirements For Residential Development In Concord, California, James Henry Mizutani

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

To assist the city of Concord in achieving its housing goals as presented in its general plan, while still meeting the stormwater discharge requirements laid out in the city’s municipal discharge permit, I worked with local developers and consultants to create a spreadsheet modeling tool that allows housing developers to estimate the total cost of green stormwater infrastructure needed to comply with local regulations.

This report contains a summary of the conditions leading to the necessity of this tool, the steps the tool takes that go beyond existing models, a description of how the model operates, instructions on how to …

Forecasting Future Research Trends In The Construction Engineering And Management Domain Using Machine Learning And Social Network Analysis, Gasser G. Ali, Islam H. El-Adaway, Muaz O. Ahmed, Radwa Eissa, Mohamad Abdul Nabi, Tamima Elbashbishy, Ramy Khalef

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) is a broad domain with publications covering interrelated subdisciplines and considered a key source of knowledge sharing. Previous studies used scientometric methods to assess the current impact of CEM publications; however, there is a need to predict future citations of CEM publications to identify the expected high-impact trends in the future and guide new research efforts. To tackle this gap in the literature, the authors conducted a study using Machine Learning (ML) algorithms and Social Network Analysis (SNA) to predict CEM-related citation metrics. Using a dataset of 93,868 publications, the authors trained and tested two …

Understanding The Impact Of Microplastic Contamination On Soil Quality And Eco-Toxicological Risks In Horticulture: A Comprehensive Review, N. P. Gayathri, Geena Prasad, Vaishna Prabhakaran, Vishnu Priya

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The horticulture sector, essential for global food production, confronts significant challenges with prevalent pollutants, mainly microplastics. The presence of microplastics in the food chain has induced physiological stress and a multifactorial food safety concern. The complexity of the problem, arising from intricate interactions among microplastics, organisms, and ecosystems, poses a substantial challenge to food safety, necessitating an immediate strategic perspective due to the associated risks to human health and eco-toxicology. Significant knowledge gaps persist regarding their impact on terrestrial ecosystems, especially in horticulture. This study addresses the urgent need to comprehend the implications of microplastics on soil health, eco-toxicological risks, …

Sustainable And Cost-Effective Work Zone Scheduling On Two-Lane Highways With Managed Lanes, Ahmed Z. Edrees

Dissertations

Roadway maintenance projects greatly influence the roadway capacity, resulting in potential traffic disturbances captured by delays. Additionally, costs associated with these projects tend to be exorbitantly extensive. Most agencies and planners try to find a solution that minimizes roadway maintenance costs, traffic delays, crash risks, and environmental impact.

Work zones on two-way two-lane roadway typically avoids high-demand periods. Lane-closure scenario is commonly used and converts the open lane into a phantom intersection, alternating two-direction movements on one lane with the help of a flagger or a temporary signal. Alternatively, using shoulders as temporarily managed lanes allows for simultaneous two-way movements …

A Molecular Dynamics Study On The Destruction Mechanism Of Per And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Due To Ultrasound Technology, Bruno Bezerra De Souza

Dissertations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of stable synthetic chemicals that are highly persistent and harmful pollutants to the environment and human health. PFAS have caused a strong public and regulatory response due to their ubiquitous presence in the environment and toxicity to humans. The application of ultrasound is one of the most effective treatment technologies for the mineralization of PFAS in contaminated water. However, this technology is treated as a black box causing the inability to be optimized. Therefore, there is a pressing need to investigate the intricate dynamics of PFAS degradation under ultrasound to unlock its …

Microplastic Abundance And Removal In Stormwater Using Green Infrastructure, Meghana Parameswarappa Jayalakshmamma

Dissertations

Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly recognized as a pervasive environmental contaminant, conveying other contaminants, accumulating in aquatic organisms, and posing ecological risks. The existing research has primarily focused on MPs in wastewater treatment plant effluents in surface waters. However, the role of stormwater systems in MP transport has been less explored. Given the rise in MPs from urban sources, stormwater runoff from urban areas may serve as a critical conduit for transporting land-based MPs into aquatic environments. Green infrastructures (GIs) have been recognized for mitigating flooding and improving water quality from minor storms by trapping stormwater pollutants. Yet, the capability of …

Development Of Super Hydrophobic Membranes And Their Applications, Sumona Paul

Dissertations

Effective liquid phase separation is vital across industries, especially in aviation, chemicals, fuels, and textiles. Membrane technology offers advantages over traditional methods like distillation, with low energy consumption and protection for heat-sensitive molecules. Membrane performance is assessed based on factors such as materials, surface modification, and interactions. This research targets superhydrophobic membranes for liquid-liquid filtration and antiwetting omniphobic membranes for membrane distillation, focusing on properties like contact angle and thermal resistance.

This study presents a highly hydrophobic membrane achieved by immobilizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) onto a PTFE microfiltration membrane. It's designed for dewatering organic-water mixtures with trace water content via …

Machine Learning Based Analysis Of Civil Infrastructure In The Presence Of Sparse Data, Megan Butcher

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The high computational cost of estimating engineering demand parameters (EDPs) via finite element (FE) models, which incorporate uncertainties in earthquake events and material properties, limits the application of the Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE) framework. Previous efforts to replace FE models with surrogate models have typically focused only on building parameters, necessitating re-training for new, unseen earthquakes. This paper introduces a machine learning-based surrogate model framework that addresses both earthquake and material parameter uncertainties to predict responses for unseen seismic events. Earthquakes are characterized by their projections on an orthonormal basis, computed using Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) of a representative ground …

Development Of The Nebraska Department Of Transportation Winter Severity Index – Phase Ii, Mark Anderson, Curtis L. Walker, Thomas Kauzlarich

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

For the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT), the Nebraska Winter Severity Index (NEWINS) provided an independent framework to calculate a winter season’s severity by categorizing individual winter storms. However, one of the greatest limitations of NEWINS is that it is not predictive. Thus, this study builds on the previously developed NEWINS by creating a predictive winter storm severity index known as NEWINS-Predictive (NEWINS-P). The quantitative precipitation forecast, snow accumulation, ice accumulation, and surface wind speed parameters from the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) are used to develop the five components composing the NEWINS-P framework. These components consist of snow severity …

Pltl Develops Scholars For Majors In The Built-Environment​, Shpat Halili, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

The National Science Foundation S-STEM program at NYC College of Technology (City Tech), Developing an Ecosystem of STEM success for Built Environment Scholars (Award Number 2150432), focuses on supporting and developing scholars in the majors relating to the Built Environment. The proposed project includes the expansion of Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) at City Tech. The PLTL model creates a supportive learning environment and supplements the faculty-centered classroom with student-led and student-oriented workshops. At City Tech, existing workshops provide curricular support in statics and mathematics. The PLTL program benefits promising first-year STEM students, and the S-STEM program utilizes the PLTL model …

Final Report - A Field Deployable Wall-Climbing Robot For Bridge Inspection Using Vision And Impact Sounding Techniques, Jizhong Xiao, Ejup Hoxha, David Kirakosian

Project AS-6

This project developed two wall-climbing robots and two omni-directional ground robots for automated data collection on both horizontal and vertical surfaces of concrete structures. These robots are equipped with non-destructive evaluation (NDE) sensors, including ground penetrating radar (GPR), impact sounding (IS) and impact echo (IE) devices. Utilizing a vision-based positioning system powered by simultaneous localization and mapping (V-SLAM), the robots tag NDE data with real-time pose information, significantly accelerating the data collection process and enhancing the accuracy of defect mapping. While effective at detecting shallow defects, impact sounding is highly sensitive to ambient noise and unsuitable for identifying deeper flaws. …

Synthesis Of Geopolymer Using Coal Fly Ash And Corn Stover, Anu Paneru

Master's Theses

The development of each nation is dependent on its infrastructure, and nations are competing with others in infrastructure, especially in the construction of roadways, since they play a vital role in the economic and social development of the nation. The conventional materials used for road construction are cement and asphalt, which pose significant environmental challenges. This thesis explores the potential of fly ash (FA) and corn stover (CS) in synthesizing geopolymer, as an alternative material for the construction of roads. The study examines the impact of FA and CS percentages and the particle sizes of CS on the compressive strength, …

Pet And Polyolefin Plastics Supply Chains In Michigan: Present And Future Systems Analysis Of Environmental And Socio-Economic Impacts, Utkarsh S. Chaudhari, Kamand Sedaghatnia, Barbara K. Reck, Kate Maguire, Anne T. Johnson, David Watkins, Robert M. Handler, Tasmin Hossain, Damon S. Hartley, Vicki S. Thompson, Alejandra Peralta, Jenny L. Apriesnig, David Shonnard

Michigan Tech Publications

Many actions are underway at global, national, and local levels to increase plastics circularity. However, studies evaluating the environmental and socio-economic impacts of such a transition are lacking at regional levels in the United States. In this work, the existing polyethylene terephthalate and polyolefin plastics supply chains in Michigan were compared to a potential future (‘NextCycle’) scenario that looks at increasing Michigan’s overall recycling rate to 45%. Material flow analysis data was combined with environmental and socio-economic metrics to evaluate the sustainability of these supply chains for the modeled scenarios. Overall, the NextCycle scenario for these supply chains achieved a …

Engineering And Geological Zoning Of The Distribution Areas Of The Eocene Clays Of Northern Tamdytau, Mirabbas Mirsaatovich Zakirov, Inobat Abduvaxidovna Agzamova, Dilshod Kalandarovich Begimkulov, Golibjon Ernazar Ogli Ochilov, Temur Makhmarajabovich Khudoyberdiyev, Dastan Jamal Uli Madiyarov

Technical science and innovation

The article discusses scientific research on the integrated assessment of the problem of ensuring the sustainability of buildings and structures for industrial and civil purposes. The relevance is due to the development of various zoning methods to establish territories with reliable results on the spread of special soils. Especially in cases where swelling clays are common in the territory, characterized by high sensitivity to weather and climatic conditions. Based on the above, the purpose of engineering and geological zoning of the areas of distribution of Eocene clays of Northern Tamdytau was to identify areas of new construction, to ensure the …

Advancing Simultaneous Extraction And Sequential Single-Particle Icp-Ms Analysis For Metallic Nanoparticle Mixtures In Plant Tissues, Lei Xu, Xingmao Ma, John Yang, Joel G. Burken, Paul Ki-Souk Nam, Honglan Shi, Hu Yang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Engineered Nanoparticles (ENPs) Have Been Increasingly Used in Agricultural Operations, leading to an Urgent Need for Robust Methods to Analyze Co-Occurring ENPs in Plant Tissues. in Response, This Study Advanced the Simultaneous Extraction of Coexisting Silver, Cerium Oxide, and Copper Oxide ENPs in Lettuce Shoots and Roots using Macerozyme R-10 and Analyzed Them by Single-Particle Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Additionally, the Standard Stock Suspensions of the ENPs Were Stabilized with Citrate, and the Long-Term Stability (Up to 5 Months) Was Examined for the First Time. the Method Performance Results Displayed Satisfactory Accuracies and Precisions and Achieved Low Particle Concentration …

Advective And Diffusive Gas Phase Transport In Vadose Zones: Importance For Defining Vapour Risks And Natural Source Zone Depletion Of Petroleum Hydrocarbons, Kaveh Sookhak Lari, Greg B. Davis, John L. Rayner, Trevor P. Bastow

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Quantifying the interlinked behaviour of the soil microbiome, fluid flow, multi-component transport and partitioning, and biodegradation is key to characterising vapour risks and natural source zone depletion (NSZD) of light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) petroleum hydrocarbons. Critical to vapour transport and NSZD is transport of gases through the vadose zone (oxygen from the atmosphere, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), methane and carbon dioxide from the zone of LNAPL biodegradation). Volatilisation of VOCs from LNAPL, aerobic biodegradation, methanogenesis and heat production all generate gas pressure changes that may lead to enhanced gas fluxes apart from diffusion. Despite the importance of the gaseous …

Coupling Treatment Technologies With Bioelectrochemical Systems To Optimize Resource Recovery From Wastewater, Matthew Stephen Ferby

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Wastewater is a common waste produced from municipal, agricultural, and industrial processes. As the world’s population increases, the amount of wastewater produced globally is expected to reach approximately 450 billion m3 in the next two decades. Issues surrounding water, food, and energy accessibility will also become more imminent as the population grows. Interestingly, wastewater is an unconventional source of resources including water, nutrients (e.g., NH4+ and PO43-), and energy. However, conventional wastewater treatment processes focus primarily on the removal of containments rather than the recovery of resources. Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) have the ability to recover resources from wastewater. These engineered …

Discrete Element Method Investigation Of The Dynamic And Seismic Response Of Embedded Geotechnical Systems, Ahmed Khamiss, Usama El Shamy

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the seismic response of various embedded geotechnical systems utilizing the discrete element method (DEM). Embedded geotechnical systems play a crucial role in enhancing the stability and resilience of various structures as they provide solid foundations for infrastructural elements such as buildings, bridges, and transportation networks. The behavior of various embedded systems such as tunnels, pier foundations, and wind turbine foundations is investigated when subjected to seismic loading. In the first study, the seismic response of tunnels constructed in a deposit of granular soil of depth greater than 20 m is examined. Three-dimensional discrete element method simulations were …