Digital Commons Network^™

Structural Design Using Conditional-Gan Fused With Property Text Information: A Case For Masonry Structures, Arash Teymori Gharah Tapeh

All Dissertations

Structural design, by nature, is a complex process that requires a considerable amount of time, expertise, and knowledge. In such a process, the structural designer must navigate various codal provisions to crystallize a proper and adequate design. As the role of automation continues to shape the domain of structural engineering over the past few decades, a new front leverages artificial intelligence (AI). Currently, AI acts as a "copilot," collaborating to advance workflow speed and accelerate the design process. Among all the different collaborations between humans and AI, GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks) are seen to complement human creativity by automating specific …

Modeling Disaster Resilience Through A Human-Centered Lens: Exposure, Vulnerability And Adaptation, Tong Liu

All Dissertations

The core of reframing and operationalizing disaster resilience with a human-centered lens is to incorporate concepts from socio-ecological resilience into engineering resilience to better understand the humans’ capability for disaster adaptation. Existing studies have drawn practical implications by identifying actionable thresholds for infrastructure systems under disasters, which can be easily applied by policymakers, emergency managers and municipal agencies. However, how individuals interact with, respond to, or adapt under these infrastructure thresholds remain understudied. This hinders the operationalization of disaster resilience at the human scale.

First, I examined exposure by analyzing how configuration and distribution of urban infrastructure systems, such as …

Visceral, Neural, And Immunotoxicity Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: A Mini Review, Pietro Martano, Samira Mahdi, Tong Zhou, Yasmin Barazandegan, Rebecca Iha, Hannah Do, Joel Burken, Paul Ki-Souk Nam, Qingbo Yang, Ruipu Mu

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have gained significant attention due to their widespread distribution in the environment and potential adverse health effects. While ingestion, especially through contaminated drinking water, is considered the primary route of human exposure, recent research suggests that other pathways, such as inhalation and dermal absorption, also play a significant role. This review provides a concise overview of the toxicological impacts of both legacy and emerging PFASs, such as GenX and perfluoro butane sulfonic acid (PFBS), with a particular focus on their effects on the liver, kidneys, and immune and nervous systems, based on findings from recent …

A Multi-Scale Numerical Analysis Of Wave Propagation Through Coastal Vegetation Using Proteus & Xbeach, Cole M. Statler

LSU Master's Theses

Coastal vegetation attenuates waves in the nearshore zone and protects shorelines from storm surge and wave action. It also traps nutrients and sediment, and participates in the formation of land over longer time scales. These features of vegetation make it a common component of nature-based engineering projects. Interaction of water waves and flow with vegetation, however, can involve unsteady and turbulent flow, non-hyrdostatic pressure effects, and air entrainment that can hinder the use of simple parametric representations of vegetation drag. XBeach, a one- and two-dimensional production model applies reduced-order methods, prioritizing computational efficiency. Vegetation is represented in XBeach as a …

Research On Node-Improved Energy Dissipation Wear Model For Fretting Fatigue Prediction In Railway Press-Fit Shaft, Hang Wang, Lijun Zhang, Weijian Zhang, Hongtao Li, Hong Chi, Kai Yang, Jixu Zhou, Li Ai

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

As a key component of the traveling system of high-speed trains, the axle is crucial for its safe operation. The current research on the fretting wear and fatigue development of shafts suffers from the problems of low local simulation accuracy of the wear model and the lack of detection and validation methods for the dynamic expansion of wear and fatigue. To this end, this study firstly proposes a new node-improved form of energy dissipation wear model, which is more sensitive to the contact behavior of the asperity body in the overfilled region and the energy transfer process; it exhibits wear …

Dice Math And Probability, Warren Campbell

SEAS Faculty Publications

The manufacture of dice for tabletop games is a billion-dollar industry. In gaming circles and online forums, the concept of “cursed dice” is a popular topic. Dice are inherently unfair due to the difficulty of manufacturing them with perfect geometric tolerances and uniform material densities. A common method for testing dice fairness is the chi-square statistic, which is typically assumed to follow the chi-square distribution. However, this assumption is only asymptotically valid.

Exact distributions of the statistic can be computed for dice with few sides and a limited number of rolls—such as 2-sided (D2) and 4-sided (D4) dice—but the computational …

Groundwater Flooding On Highways In The Nebraska Sandhills: Applying Remote Sensing, Precipitation And Groundwater Modeling To Determine Depth, Cause And Frequency, Aaron R. Mittelstet

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Climate change significantly impacts infrastructure sustainability, particularly through shifts in precipitation patterns, intensity, and duration. These precipitation dynamics may increase the occurrence of surface water and groundwater flooding. Groundwater in the Nebraska Sand Hills (NSH), including the thickest portions of the High Plains Aquifer, extends close to the land surface in interdunal areas, making the NSH vulnerable to groundwater flooding. Recent events involving heavy precipitation, snow melt, and rising groundwater levels have caused prolonged highway flooding, disrupting transportation networks. This study estimates groundwater flood inundation depth, duration and frequency in the highways of NSH using remote sensing techniques and groundwater …

Feasibility Of Using Recycled Waste Plastic In Concrete Pavements In Nebraska, Amasi Hajahja

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Waste plastic (WP) is a growing environmental concern due to its non-biodegradable nature, large-scale production, and harmful impact on natural resources. With nearly 75% of WP in the United States ending up in landfills, effective recycling strategies are urgently needed. In parallel, the limited availability of natural aggregates highlights the need for alternative materials in concrete construction. This study investigates the feasibility of using recycled waste plastic (RWP) in concrete mixtures, both as aggregates and fibers for rigid pavement applications in Nebraska. Concrete mixtures were prepared by partially replacing natural fine aggregates with recycled plastic aggregates (RPA) at replacement levels …

Investing Hysteresis In Floodplain Dynamics Of Lakes In The Middle St. Johns River Using Sentinel-1 Sar Imagery, Keenan Hubbard

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Floodplain dynamics are often complex, with hysteresis potentially affecting the temporal relationship between flood stage and flood extent during subsequent inundation phases. This study leverages Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery to map flood extent in the Middle St. Johns River Lake floodplains and examine the presence of hysteresis during flood events. SAR scenes corresponding to river gauge readings were analyzed from the rising and falling limbs of a flood hydrograph. By comparing these flood maps, we assess differences in inundated areas at equivalent water levels during each stage of the flood event. The findings aim to enhance flood monitoring …

Satellite Radar Imagery Analysis For Ground Hazard Risk Monitoring In Railway Tracks And Slopes, Sumanth Varma Byrraju

Theses and Dissertations

Railway transportation is essential to national economies globally, and disruptions from geohazards can result in significant operational delays and considerable economic consequences. Satellite radar technologies, including Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), offer an effective means to monitor geohazard risks across extensive railway networks. This thesis employs Multi-Temporal InSAR (MTInSAR) techniques, including Persistent Scatterer InSAR (PSInSAR) and Small Baseline Subset (SBAS), to identify high-risk areas along railway rights of way (ROW) prior to geohazard occurrences. However, the efficiency of these MT-InSAR and, consequently, the caliber of the data generated may be restricted by elements like topographical profile, vegetation, and surface soil …

Investigating The Thixotropy Of Fresh Struvite Cement-Based Composite: Insights On Mechanisms Of The Pastes’ Thixotropic Behavior, Ugochukwu Ewuzie, Abdulkareem O. Yusuf, Damilola Daramola, Monday Uchenna Okoronkwo

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Struvite (ST) recovered during wastewater treatment has been sparsely applied in cement-based composites. This study systematically evaluated the thixotropic behavior of cement-struvite (CST) pastes, a mix of 5–20 % ST by mass of cement, and proposed the interaction mechanisms leading to the pastes' thixotropy. The hysteresis loop area was used to establish the pastes' thixotropy and investigate its relationship with increased ST content, temperature, and yield stress. In the thixotropic behavior model used, the equilibrium shear stress was employed to examine the CST pastes' irreversible change; the characteristic time of deflocculation was used to study the flocs destruction process; and …

Retraction: A Database Of Teleseismic Shear-Wave Splitting Measurements For The Ordos Block And Adjacent Areas(Seismological Research Letters (2022), 93, 5, (2731–2739), 10.1785/0220210310), Lin Liu, Stephen S. Gao, Kelly H. Liu, Tu Xue, Yan Jia, Sanzhong Li

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An earlier version of this article (Liu et al., 2022) included private data from the Himalayan-III program which should not have been made public. The authors acknowledge and regret their negligence during the selection of the measurements. The impacted data represent only 2.7% of the total data published in this article, and after review, the authors and the editors agree that this unintentional error has no bearing on the work's scientific conclusions. Therefore, we are retracting the impacted data and have made corrections to remove any Himalayan-III program data from the article's text, figures, and supplemental tables.

Novel Respirometry Measurement And Comparison Of Monod Kinetic Constants And Methanogen Concentrations For 27 Full-Scale Anaerobic Bioreactors, Nicholas Benn, Antonio Martins, Daniel H. Zitomer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Monod kinetic coefficient values (km and Ks) as well as methanogen concentrations (Xac and Xh2) for various anaerobic bioreactors are required to gain a deeper understanding of anaerobic biotechnology. However, there are no existing, practical methods to measure or estimate these parameters or variables in typical anaerobic digester biomass that contains mixed cultures with inert organic solids. Current measurement methods rely on pure cultures developed in the laboratory. In this work, a novel respirometric method was developed and used to determine methanogen Monod parameters and active biomass concentration for samples from 27 full-scale anaerobic reactors. Differences (one to three orders …

Smart Traffic Management At Intersections, Gezim Hoxha, Piotr Gorzelanczyk, Rame Likaj, Shaban Thaqi, Flori Cikaqi

Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies

Effective traffic control methods, whether at intersections or other nodes within the road network, play a critical role in ensuring traffic quality and safety. An inappropriate choice of traffic control techniques or poorly optimized light signal programming at intersections often leads to unsatisfactory service levels. This study specifically addresses the issues related to intersections controlled by traffic lights. It aims to identify the key factors influencing the regulation and programming of traffic lights, with a focus on using different microcontrollers, particularly the Raspberry Pi. The primary objective of this research is to develop a methodology and an adapted programming approach …

A Smart System For Detecting Anatomic And Histological Symptoms Of Diseased Agricultural Plants, Rustam Baratov, Himola Sunnatillayeva, Alimardon Mamatovich Mustafoqulov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

This study describes a novel agricultural plant disease detecting smart system, capable of handling measured plant body parameters and images received by high resolution camera at the same time. The proposed plant disease detection method is based on evaluation of the signals received by measured and controlled plant body physical parameters like resistance, temperature and capacitance of the plant stem and image processing. An analogue plant model based on an electrical circuit with distributed parameters was developed. In addition, in the article the block diagram of the smart system for the early detection of plant diseases, the circuit diagram, its …

The Role Of Internal Factors On Vehicular Mobility, Aziz Mdimi

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Vehicle mobility internal factors are influenced by the performance state of the road surface quality, governor, engine, gear train, differential unit and mobility unit. Studies on vehicular mobility models exist for off-road external factors but absent on on-road internal factors. The on-road internal factors model describes the vehicular mobility performance as a function of internal factors. In the current undertaking, results are generated by the determination of mobility performance characteristics with the application of 2nd Order Ordinary Differential Equations and using Laplace operator with MATLAB Software simulation. The effect of road surface against the time taken varies accordingly. At a …

Gradually Varied Flow In Horizontal Circular Open Channels, Sanaa M. Hashim, I.M.H. Rashwan, Hewida Omara

Journal of Engineering Research

In investigations of gradually varied flow, open channels are categorized according to bed slope as horizontal, mild, critical, steep, and adverse. A canal is referred to as horizontal if its bed slope is zero. In open-channel hydraulics, calculating the water surface profile in an open channel is regarded as a crucial part of channel design. The objective of this present study is to solve the gradually varied flow in open circular channel with horizontal slope by using two mathematical methods called; direct integration method and Runge-Kutta method. The presented study used the experimental works to offer an explicit closed-form semi-analytical …

A Critical Review Of Electrochemical Chloride Extraction: Mechanisms, Effectiveness, And Impact On Concrete Properties, Mariam Ghazy, Metwally Abd Elaty, Lara A. Farouk

Journal of Engineering Research

Chloride-induced corrosion poses a significant threat to the durability and service life of reinforced concrete structures, necessitating effective rehabilitation strategies. This research provides a comprehensive review of electrochemical chloride extraction (ECE) for reinforced concrete structures. It explores the mechanisms behind ECE and highlights the factors that influence the treatment's efficiency. Key elements discussed include ECE setup parameters (current density, treatment duration, anode/electrolyte type, temperature) and concrete mix properties (binder type, water-to-binder ratio, cover thickness, reinforcement details). The review also explores ECE's effects on concrete microstructure, including hydration products, porosity, alkali-aggregate reaction, and potential for hydrogen embrittlement, as well as its …

Machine Learning-Based Prediction Of Load Capacity In Corrugated Concrete-Filled Double Skin Tubes Under Axial Load, Aya Mohsen Handousa Mansoura University, Fikry Salem, Nabil Mahmoud Mahmoud, Mohamed Ghannam

Journal of Engineering Research

Concrete-filled double-skin steel tubular (CFDST) columns have become widely utilized in building construction and bridges, thanks to their exceptional structural capabilities. This study investigates the axial compression behavior of corrugated CFDST columns, analyzing the impact of flat or corrugated external/internal plates and varying internal steel tube widths. Furthermore, basic regression analysis fails to precisely forecast the complicated relation between the column properties and their compressive strength. To overcome these challenges, this study suggests two machine learning (ML) models, including the Gaussian process (GPR) and the extreme gradient boosting model (XGBoost). To estimate their strength, these models employ a range of …

An Eulerian-Pfem Approach To Model Transient Capillary Forces On Moving Contact Lines Of Spreading Liquid Drops: Applications In Hydraulic And Fluid Dynamics, Elaf N. Mahrous, Syed Yousufuddin, Muhammad Saleem Professor, Mohammed N. Iqbal, Muhammad T. Bin-Saleem

Journal of Engineering Research

This study addresses the complexities of simulating multiphase flows, particularly the dynamics of droplet behaviour on solid substrates, which are influenced by intricate capillary interactions. Despite advancements in fixed-grid and moving-grid methodologies, there remains a critical gap in accurately modelling transient phenomena and dissipative forces at the solid-liquid interface. We introduce a novel Eulerian-particle finite element method (PFEM) framework that captures the transient capillary forces associated with the movement of contact lines in liquid droplet spreading scenarios. Through a numerical assessment of three established dissipative force models—Jiang’s, Bracke’s, and Seeberg’s we identify Jiang's model as the most effective and stable …

The Role Of Langmuir Circulation In Coastal Flows Driven By Wind, Waves And Tides, Thathsarani Dilini Herath Herath Mudiyanselage

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Langmuir Circulation (LC) is a wind and wave-driven process and is a key driver of vertical mixing and transport in the ocean. In coastal shelf regions, LC can span the entire water column, linking surface and bottom boundary layers and amplifying turbulent mixing. However, the influence of LC on vertical mixing and cross-shelf transport in shallow, tidally forced coastal waters remains poorly understood. This dissertation addresses this knowledge gap by developing a novel modeling framework based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations, offering a computationally efficient alternative to more resource-intensive Large Eddy Simulations (LES).

The proposed RANS-based approach is first …

Study On Reasonable Parameters Of Natural Smoke Exhaust Shafts In Tunnels With Different Longitudinal Slopes, Yang Tao, Zeng Yuekai, Li Peijun, Ren Rui, Deng Min, Zhang Aoyu

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To obtain the reasonable parameters of a smoke exhaust shaft in a tunnel under different longitudinal slope conditions,the temperature,flow velocity,and smoke exhaust efficiency of the tunnel were taken as indexes,and the numerical model was established by using fire dynamics simulator (FDS ) software to study the influence of the longitudinal slope of the tunnel,shaft width,and shaft length on the ventilation and smoke exhaust in case of a fire.The results show that under the longitudinal slope conditions,with the increase in the shaft width and length,the maximum temperature in the tunnel decreases,and the smoke exhaust efficiency of the shaft increases.However,the influence of …

Study On Salt Release Mechanism Of Self-Melting Ice Asphalt Mixture And Its Impact On Road Performance, Li Tao, Zhang Xiu ’Ang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To study the long-term salt release characteri stics of self-melting ice asphalt mixture and the impact of the complete salt release on pavement durability,an accelerated salt release method was developed using a Los Angeles abrasion tester.The salt release mechanism under varying asphalt types,deicing agent contents,and gradation types was revealed.The impact of the complete salt release on road performance was analyzed.Results show that the Los Angeles abrasion tester-based salt release method achieves 91 times and 114 times higher salt release efficiency than the magnetic stirrer and natural immersion methods,respectively.SBS-modified asphalt mixture exhibits a longer salt release duration.The salt release duration is …

Research On Size Effect On Cubic Compressive Strength Of Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag-Fly Ash Stabilized Large-Size Macadam, Liu Qunyan, Liu Liping, He Miao, Yuan Lingqing, Zhang Liang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To analyze the effect of specimen size on the compressive strength of ground granulated blast furnace slag-fly ash (GGBFS-FA ) stabilized large-size macadam,the 200 mm × 200 mm × 200 mm cubic specimen and 3 d compressive strength were designated as a reference specimen and strength in this study,and numerical simulations of compressive strength were performed by using a discrete element method for GGBFS-FA stabilized large-size macadam specimens with a maximum particle size (dmax) of 73 mm and five side lengths of 2.0dmax,2.5dmax,3.0dmax,3.5dmax,and 4.0dmax.The size effect mechanism on the mixture ’s compressive strength was revealed from the perspective of energy.By …

Effect Of Mineral Admixtures On Properties Of Shotcrete, Ma Kaikai, Zhao Feng, Sun Rongxiao, Han Song, Hu Peng, Wang Kun

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To study the influence of different mineral admixtures on the properties of shotcrete,the effects of four kinds of mineral admixtures including fly ash,silica fume,metakaolin,and carbon black on the rebound rate,one-shot thickness,and compressive strength of shotcrete were analyzed through tests on concrete rebound rate,one-shot thickness,and compressive strength.The results show that:① as the content of carbon black,silica fume,and metakaolin increases from 5% to 10%,the rebound rate of shotcrete decreases by 25.76%,16.46%,and 16.70%,respectively;② carbon black and silica fume have a good effect on increasing the one-shot thickness of concrete.When the content of carbon black and silica fume is 10%,the one-shot thickness exceeds 35 …

Study On Rheological Properties Of Basalt Fiber Asphalt Mastic Modified With Silane Coupling Agent, Liu Yuande, Zheng Nanxiang, Zhang Xiang, Gao Haiwei, Zhang Bowen

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To investigate the rheological properties of basalt fiber asphalt mastic,a silane coupling agent was used as a modifier for basalt fibers,and the effects of varying fiber contents were analyzed. Cone penetration tests,bending beam rheological tests,and dynamic shear rheometer tests were conducted to evaluate the rheological properties of asphalt mastic consistency, high-temperature stability,and low-temperature cracking resistance under different temperatures and fiber contents.The findings show that the silane-coupled basalt fibers enhance the shear strength and consistency of asphalt mastic.After modification,the phase angle decreases;elastic response increases,and complex modulus improves.Adsorption capacity between fibers and asphalt increases significantly,enhancing high-temperature deformation resistance and low-temperature cracking resistance …

Analysis Of Mechanical Properti Es Of Integral Jacking Basket Arch Bridge During C Onstruction, Chen Tao, Qiu Jingkui, Wang Ji

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Taking the Xindian Bridge in Ni ngbo as the background,this paper analyzed the mechanical properties of the integral jacking basket arch bridge during construction.Midas finite element software was used to establish the spatial model of the main bridge,and the deviation of the suspender force and support reaction force of the completed bridge from the design was 1.84% and 1.8%,respectively.The maximum deviation of the displacement calculation of the tie beam at the bridge completion stage was 22 mm,and the maximum deviation of the displacement of the arch rib at the same stage was ‒ 12 mm,which showed that the finite element …

Internal Force Optimization In Com Pleted Stage And Construction Alignment Control Of Super Long-Span Extradosed Cable-Stayed Bridge, Ba Wenpeng

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

This paper is based on a super long-span extradosed cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 400 m.In view of the technical challenges of high negative bending moment at the quarter point of the bridge and large deformation during the cantilever assembly process in the non-cable area,a systematic solution was proposed in combination with the entire construction process.This paper proposed three schemes:permanent cable over-tensioning,temporary cable setting,and large segment closure.The bending moment ratio (λM) and structural deformation were used as quantitative indicators,and a finite element model was established to compare the three schemes.The results show that all three schemes can improve …

Comparative Study On Differences In Asphalt Pavement Design Between China And Southern Africa, Wang Qing, Lin Yangyang, Yan Hongxiang, Zhao Bin, Xia Moxuan, Li Ning, Si Wei

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To facilitate the successful implementation of projects in the Southern Africa region and promote the application and internationalization of China ’s standards,this study compared the asphalt pavement design systems,construction materials,design parameters,and structural design methods of both regions based on the main asphalt pavement design specifications currently in use in China and Southern Africa.The results show that among Southern African countries,South Africa has a comprehensive and widely applied standard system,while other Southern African countries adopt more varied and less theoretical standards.In contrast,China ’s standard system is complete and highly practical.Due to differences in regional climates,the selection principles and mechanical requirements for …

Discontinuous Deforma Tion Analysis Of Progressive Toppling Of Rock Slopes With Fractured Slab Structure, Yuan Sifan, Li Tonglu, Haider Mumtaz, Zhang Changliang, Li Ping

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Progressive toppling of rock sl opes with fractured slab structures is quite common in the slopes of hydropower and highway engineering,posing a potential safety risk during both construction and operational phases.The field investigation found that progressive toppling mostly occurs on slopes with concentrated tectonic stress,intense river incision,and high steepness.Typically,these slopes are composed of hard,thinly-layered,and overthrusted rock mass with a fractured slab structure.From a macroscopic point of view,progressive toppling failure is neither a collapse nor a slide but a form of discontinuous deformation.The traditional limit equilibrium method for slope stability analysis is not suitable for evaluating such slopes.In this paper,by taking …