Digital Commons Network^™

Integrating Steel Slag Aggregates Into Asphalt Paving By Harmonizing Availability, Quality, Economics, And The Environment, Timothy R. Murphy

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides guidance on how to balance matters related to the environmental stewardship, market sources, origin and uses, material properties, performance, and economic impact of using slag materials in pavements. The literature on this topic provides numerous references on the use of slag materials for specific applications, and this thesis aims to make use of those references along with other data from the author to describe slag materials from a holistic perspective and provide some suggestions for balancing several factors that impact optimal use of this resource within pavement structures. Discussion is given to the increased importance of recycling …

Systematic Literature Review Of Roof Systems On Energy Efficiency Of A Building To Support An Ideal Study Framework, Ayushi Raj Dua

All Theses

A sustainable building envelope is a crucial element to build energy efficient structures that contribute towards sustainable communities. The demand for sustainable building envelopes has grown in response to a growing emphasis on sustainable living. The roofing system is an important component of a sustainable building envelope because it influences the building's energy consumption and indoor comfort levels. The current study focuses on roofing systems and associated solar reflectance and albedo values to document the impact on energy efficiency via cooling/heating energy usage, dollar savings and temperature (ambient and surface) reductions due to the roofing systems. Additionally, the study focuses …

Historic Downtown Streetscape Plan Price City, Utah, Patricia Beckert

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The idea of a small-town Main Street has profound meaning within the American culture that has prevailed for the past two centuries. Historically, Main Street serves as the beating heart of a community, a place where economic, social, cultural, and civic activities are centered (Francaviglia, 1996; Main Street America, n.d.). Since the beginning of the 19th century, many factors have led to the decline of Main Streets, and despite a variety of efforts from different stakeholders, that decline has only intensified in recent decades (Isenberg, 2008; Orvell, 2014 Howard, 2015). In 1980, after a three-year project conducted by the National …

The Impact Of Albuquerque’S Bus Rapid Transit System On Pedestrian Safety, Martina Mercure

Civil Engineering ETDs

This project will explore the impacts of several traffic safety countermeasures and roadway design changes on pedestrian safety along the Central Avenue corridor of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The motivation behind this research is the communities concern for the increase in pedestrian fatalities in the US and specifically New Mexico. The research will have a specific focus on pedestrian safety, but we will also address traffic safety outcomes for motor vehicle users and bicyclists. The City of Albuquerque has taken note of the traffic safety issues on Central Avenue and has implemented or is in the process of implementing several countermeasures …

Under Water: How To Green Up Your Roadway Project, Brian Tornes

Purdue Road School

Learn effective streambank stabilization techniques and funding resources that can be used to protect your roadways. Presenters will explain how to select the most effective stream bank restoration technique— natural channel design, traditional engineering, or both. Also learn how to maximize water quality and asset protection through stream bank stabilization using case studies that compare cost, form, and function. Lastly, we will review funding opportunities for the proposed green strategies.

Evaluating Automated Truck Platoon (Atp) Deployment For The Los Angeles–Inland Empire Trade Corridor Enhancement, Shailesh Chandra, Aastha Chaudhary, Prakhar Srivastava, Jose Torres-Aguilera

Mineta Transportation Institute

The California Freight Mobility Plan 2020 lists the Los Angeles-Inland Empire trade corridor region as a prominent industrial hub experiencing an increase in freight flows. The California Freight Mobility Plan also regards automated truck platoon (ATP) as an emerging opportunity to minimize congestion on the trade corridor routes. Percentage change in accessibility from 2022 (“without” ATP) to 2040 (“with” ATP) is calculated for the eighteen industry sectors of the Los Angeles-Inland Empire trade corridor. The application of the accessibility formulation was carried out with data on travel time from I-710 and I-10 within Los Angeles County. The findings suggest that …

2022 Scholarly Productivity Report, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Scholarly Productivity Reports

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Community Participation In The Architectural Production, Allaa Ahmed Rasheed, Ibrahim Jawad Kadhim

Al-Esraa University College Journal for Engineering Sciences

The role of community participation as a power in building architectural output at the level of the act of thinking in architecture and the design process in non-existence is related to power and presence with act. The research is concerned with expanding knowledge in the direction of the holistic language and searching for the role that builds the privacy of the architectural product versus the community's societal identity. It studies the concept of act within the limits of existence at the level of community participation since the act of architecture is the act of man to meet certain needs and …

The Blue Line Reusing Traditional Rural Water Management Systems, Francesco Garofalo

IntAR Interventions Adaptive Reuse

No abstract provided.

Sustainable And Inclusive Engineering: The Use Of Mentors And Sustainable Remediation To Increase The Presence Of Underrepresented Groups In Engineering, Nathaniel L. Steadman

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups in engineering, such as women, has been a priority for many decades to diversify the profession to meet the current demand for engineers. Unfortunately, barriers continue to inhibit the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in engineering, thus reducing the impact of these efforts. A potential barrier is a lack of social connection to the technical problem definition, design, and decision-making that engineers utilize, prioritizing technical knowledge over social. Previous research has theorized that the incorporation of social considerations in technical engineering design increases interest in engineering for underrepresented groups. The purpose of …

Application Of Lanthanides In Wastewater Treatment And Water Reuse, George William Kajjumba

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Much of the world’s population feed on grains (wheat, rice, and corn). Corn is as sensitive as it is productive. This thirsty, fast-growing plant goes into thermal shock in drought. In 2014, California lost over $2.2 billion in crop production due to drought. The Horn of Africa (in 2011) and Sahel (in 2012) faced humanitarian disasters due to food and water scarcity. The higher frequency of climate change and the erratic nature of rain, combined with underlying economic and social vulnerabilities, has meant that food and water scarcity is here to stay. To improve food and water scarcity, water reclamation …

Home Ranch - A Single Family Residential Development In Gilroy, Ca, Patrick Hagerty, Luke Lazzarini

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

Project Overview

The purpose of this project was to provide a housing development plan for an undeveloped plot in the South Gilroy area.

Project Statement

The City of Gilroy needs additional housing to support the growth of their community. This project seeks to determine the best use of the undeveloped McCutchin Creek subplot and design its site layout. This plot of land is constrained by the City development codes, the 2023 City of Gilroy housing element, and the site specific development code.

The deliverables presented to the client are a grading plan, site layout plan, stormwater and sewage plan, potable …

Developing Implementable Policies Targeting Sustainable Building Construction Through International Policy Diffusion, Melisa Ciara Hancock

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The buildings and construction sector is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to vast list of negative impacts humans have on the environment through material production, natural resource usage, and waste. While many organizations like the United Nations (UN), OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), and Architecture 2030 have been advocating for a shift to sustainability within the sector for decades, there is still a major disconnect between countries that have and haven’t implemented sustainability into all practices. This research focuses on analyzing the content of national building codes for their level of sustainability …

Towards Creating Smart Cities In Nepal, Ambika P. Adhikari, Keshav Bhattarai

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

Many urban centers in the world are seeking to become smart cities. Nepali city leaders are also aspiring to make their cities smart. A smart city basically has clever improvements made in three sectors of its operations: technological, human, and institutional. Globally, many cities have recently made impressive enhancements in at least one or more of these areas. Nepal’s National Planning Commission (NPC) in 2016 had released a concept paper on smart cities for Nepal, defining smart cities as sustainable, information and technology-based, with high quality services and replicable (NPC 2016). As most Nepali cities still operate with limited infrastructure, …

Complete Streets, Jim Speer

2021 Spring Reports (Sullivan)

The City of Sullivan enacted a Quality of Life plan to address multiple improvements to their city, including some of the city’s infrastructure. Mayor Clint Lamb’s goal is to connect the city via roadways and trail systems that are accessible for all transportation methods and attractive for community members and tourists. ENVI460 students provided recommendations based off the city’s need for improvements to road systems and attractiveness. Students recommended a new roadway design for the Main Street section, sustainable infrastructure additions and buffer zones, and green space for attraction sites.

Environmental And Health Implications Of Mine Tailing-Based Construction Materials In Developing Communities: Current Practices And Ways Forward, Jose Raul Velasquez Vasquez

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

For many years, artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) communities around the world have been developing strategies to reduce contaminated mine tailings produced by mineral processing operations. These mine tailings are the by-product of the physical and chemical processes required to extract metals that humans require every day. The strategies developed by these communities cover a wide range of solutions, such as better practices in mineral processing activities as well as alternative technologies that help reduce the environmental impact of mining. Specifically, the recycling of mine tailings to produce construction materials has been of interest to researchers and communities. The use …

Blacow Road Improvement Plan, Nishita Kandikuppa

City and Regional Planning

Providing safe and accessible entrances to schools, especially elementary, middle, and high schools where children are below the age of 18, should be of utmost priority to cities. Providing wide sidewalks, painted bicycle lanes and continental crosswalks (with the lateral lines) are just basic infrastructure improvements that can be made within the vicinity of a school. However, due to lack of funding or attention from the city departments, many school entryways are being neglected and the direct impact of this is increased collisions among students, drivers, and bicyclists. My senior project studied one such school in Fremont, California where the …

6th Aawe Workshop Program - Conference Proceedings, Nigel Kaye

American Association for Wind Engineering (AAWE) Workshop

The Glenn Department of Civil Engineering at Clemson University is hosting the 6th AAWE Workshop with a focus on student and early career presentations. The workshop will include several keynote addresses and panel discussions on non-academic wind engineering careers and future directions for wind engineering research.

Going Green: A Comparative Analysis Of Green Urbanism In Paris And Shanghai, Jeanne Torp

Honors Theses

As climate change becomes more pressing with each day and as we scramble to slow down the challenges it poses, adapting the means of operation within our cities will become an invaluable tool for reducing humanity’s carbon footprint. This paper seeks to study the ways in which green infrastructure in global cities can be used to do just that—adapting to and mitigating the effects of challenges resulting from climate change. In order to provide a broad overview of the effectiveness of such green infrastructure systems across the globe, this research will focus on two cities that vary greatly in their …

City Best Practices To Improve Transit Operations And Safety, Michelle Derobertis, Christopher E. Ferrell, Richard W. Lee, David Moore

Mineta Transportation Institute

Public, fixed-route transit services most commonly operate on public streets. In addition, transit passengers must use sidewalks to access transit stops and stations. However, streets and sidewalks are under the jurisdiction of municipalities, not transit agencies. Various municipal policies, practices, and decisions affect transit operations, rider convenience, and passenger safety. Thus, these government entities have an important influence over the quality, safety, and convenience of transit services in their jurisdictions. This research identified municipal policies and practices that affect public transport providers’ ability to deliver transit services. They were found from a comprehensive literature review, interviews and discussions with five …

Suburban Tiny Home Development, Colin Wood, Paul Carr, Chris Wang

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

This project aimed to capitalize on a future trend in housing that allows for new sustainable housing solutions. Due to advancements in the virtual workplace catalyzed by COVID-19, virtual work and virtual work platforms have been normalized, allowing people who live in cities greater flexibility in where they choose to live. Many companies, including Facebook, Google, and Microsoft, have implied that they will likely keep remote work as an option indefinitely, allowing for increased flexibility in workers’ living situations. This change allows for employees to venture outside of the city to suburbs or even rural areas. The goal of this …

A Systems Approach For Improving The Performance Of Rural Community-Managed Water Systems Using Siasar: Case Studies In Bolivia And Colombia, Rachel A. Cannon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Globally, the focus of environmental engineers and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) professionals in the rural water sector has shifted from building new technology to ensuring long-term functionality of water systems and closing the access gap between urban and rural residents. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the main challenges to ensuring clean water for all rural residents is poor service delivery quality and limited sustainability over time. A common management strategy in the region, and globally, is community-management, where community members manage, operate, and maintain the water system through cost sharing and financial management. The failure of community-managed water …

Accelerated Controller Tuning For Wind Turbines Under Multiple Hazards, Aly Mousaad Aly, Milad Rezaee

Faculty Publications

During their lifecycle, wind turbines can be subjected to multiple hazard loads, such as high-intensity wind, earthquake, wave, and mechanical unbalance. Excessive vibrations, due to these loads, can have detrimental effects on energy production, structural lifecycle, and the initial cost of wind turbines. Vibration control by various means, such as passive, active, and semi-active control systems provide crucial solutions to these issues. We developed a novel control theory that enables semi-active controller tuning under the complex structural behavior and inherent system nonlinearity. The proposed theory enables the evaluation of semi-active controllers’ performance of multi-degrees-of-freedom systems, without the need for time-consuming …

2020 Scholarly Productivity Report, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Scholarly Productivity Reports

No abstract provided.

Characteristics Of Effective Metropolitan Areawide Public Transit: A Comparison Of European, Canadian, And Australian Case Studies, Michelle Derobertis, Christopher E. Ferrell, Richard W. Lee, John M. Eells

Mineta Transportation Institute

This research project investigates the replicable characteristics, policies, and practices of successful metropolitan areawide public transportation networks that contribute to high usage and make transit an effective competitor to the private motor vehicle. The research method involves the qualitative and quantitative analysis of ten international (non-U.S.) case studies. The principal methods employed were web-based research and data collection, as well as telephone interviews with transit agency staff or regional planners as needed. The case studies were limited to developed western countries with similar metropolitan conditions to those in the United States.

This research focuses on key characteristics of highly effective …

Cross-Border Development: A Long-Term Role For Universities, Robert Brian Smith, Nucharee Nuchkoom Smith

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

Low-income economies are experiencing potential serious threats in terms of long-term sustainability and social development. At the same time, most developing economies are grappling with possible disruptions from the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the current COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences. However, every economy has the same goal of elevating its status to that of a developed country. This research uses the narrative/case study approach to examine cross-border development and the role that universities can play as important actors in the development of society. Moreover, this research combines observations and literature analysis. Universities are clearly best placed to play an …

Potential Of Existing And Proposed Bicycle Facilities To Link Multiple Origin And Destination Needs For Non-Motorized Travel In San Luis Obispo, Sheridan Nansen

City and Regional Planning

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential of linking multiple origins and destinations for efficient non-motorized travel in San Luis Obispo, California. The city currently has seventy-five miles of bicycle infrastructure with the intention to add thirty-five more miles to create a more functional bicycle network and foster an increase in bicycle trips taken.

Many cities in the United States are following their European counterparts in the push towards more sustainable forms of transportation by promoting bicycling, walking, and the use of public transit. Recently, we have seen an increase in both local and national legislative efforts …

Comparison Of The Pfas Adsorption Capabilities Of A Coconut Shell Based Granular Activated Carbon And A Bituminous Coal Based Granular Activated Carbon, Matthew D. Holliday

Theses and Dissertations

This research compares the ability of two granular activated carbons (GAC) from different material sources to adsorb perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in deionized water. A bottle study design was used to conduct the research, which measured the reduction in perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). The carbons used were the bituminous coal based Calgon Filtrasorb 600 (F600) and the coconut shell based Evoqua AquaCarb 1230CX (AC1230CX). Additionally, the research focused on the rates at which the two contaminants were removed and compared them to previous research conducted with different forms of GAC. Results showed that both GACs were capable …

Wireless Underground Communications In Sewer And Stormwater Overflow Monitoring: Radio Waves Through Soil And Asphalt Medium, Usman Raza, Abdul Salam

Faculty Publications

Storm drains and sanitary sewers are prone to backups and overflows due to extra amount wastewater entering the pipes. To prevent that, it is imperative to efficiently monitor the urban underground infrastructure. The combination of sensors system and wireless underground communication system can be used to realize urban underground IoT applications, e.g., storm water and wastewater overflow monitoring systems. The aim of this article is to establish a feasibility of the use of wireless underground communications techniques, and wave propagation through the subsurface soil and asphalt layers, in an underground pavement system for storm water and sewer overflow monitoring application. …

Understanding Rural Water Services As A Complex System: An Assessment Of Key Factors As Potential Leverage Points For Improved Service Sustainability, Nicholas Valcourt, Jeffrey P. Walters, Amy Javernick-Will, Karl Linden, Betelhem Hailegiorgis

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Rural water supply services worldwide consistently fail to deliver full public health impacts as intended due to a low service sustainability. This failure is increasingly attributed to weak local systems composed of social, financial and environmental factors. Current approaches in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector for understanding and improving these systems typically focus on the strength and capacity of these factors, but not the interactions between them. We contend that these approaches overlook the inherent complexity and context-specific nature of each local system. To assess this complexity, we conducted four participatory factor mapping workshops with local stakeholders across …