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Impact Of Glass Powder As A Sustainable Material On The Workability, Strength, And Durability Properties In High-Performance Basalt Fiber Reinforced Concrete: A Statistical Analysis, Ahmed Fathi Mohamed Salih

Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies

The global construction sector is increasingly challenged to balance environmental sustainability with the growing demand for durable, high-performance materials. As cement production continues to be a major source of anthropogenic CO2 emissions, the incorporation of alternative, low-impact binders has become a key strategy for reducing the environmental footprint of concrete. In this context, glass powder (GP)—a finely ground industrial by-product rich in amorphous silica—has emerged as a promising partial replacement for Portland cement. Its pozzolanic reactivity contributes to improved hydration and matrix densification, while its use also supports circular economy principles by diverting waste glass from landfills. At the same …

Quantification Of Interfacial Defects In Frp-Strengthened Rc Member Using Non-Destructive Testing Methods, Yuliya Tyrak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are widely used to strengthen reinforced concrete (RC) structures. However, the long-term performance of these systems depends on the integrity of the FRP–concrete bond. Interfacial defects such as debonding, delamination, cracking, and voids may reduce structural capacity and are often difficult to detect using conventional inspection techniques. This study investigates the effectiveness of nondestructive testing (NDT) methods for detecting interfacial defects in FRP-strengthened RC members. It explores the potential for automated defect identification using thermal imaging and machine learning.

Laboratory specimens with predefined defects were fabricated and tested using visual inspection (VI), tap testing …

Comparison Of The Impact Of Probabilistic Versus Deterministic Ground Motions On Structural Responses Of A Steel Moment Building In Salt Lake City, Utah, O. Murphy, M. Zaker Esteghamati, B. R. Cox

Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Research

Earthquakes on the Wasatch Fault pose a significant hazard to Utah’s people and built environment. Code-based seismic design of civil infrastructure in Utah is governed by ground motions determined from regional probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). However, with a large earthquake overdue along several segments of the Wasatch Fault, there is growing concern among Utah engineers that PSHA-based ground motions are significantly lower than those from a deterministic scenario. This study compares the structural responses of a four-story steel moment frame in Salt Lake City, Utah, under two ground-motion sets derived from risk-targeted probabilistic and deterministic seismic-hazard analyses. The preliminary …

Predictive Analysis Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Electric Vehicle Charging In The United States, Mahyar Amirgholy, Faysal A. Chowdhoury, Chenyu Wang, S Nikhila Kanigiri

Faculty Articles

Electric vehicles (EVs) emit substantially fewer air pollutants than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. However, the continuous increase in electricity demand from the power grid for EV charging, resulting from the growing adoption and total vehicle miles traveled, leads to higher greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector. This study presents a predictive analysis of energy sector greenhouse gas emissions from EV charging at the regional level across the United States under various projection scenarios of technology costs, fuel prices, demand growth, and electricity sector policies. The predictive modeling of greenhouse gas emissions from EV charging is performed using a …

Comparative Assessment Of Uav-Based Tseb And Field-Calibrated Aquacrop For Evapotranspiration On The Arid Coast Of Peru, Roxana Peña-Amaro, José Huanuqueño-Murillo, Lia Ramos-Fernández, Abel Ramos-Ayala, David Quispe-Tito, Lena Cruz-Villacorta, Elizabeth Heros-Aguilar, Edwin Pino-Vargas, Alfonso Torres-Rua

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Precise estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) is essential for sustainable water management in arid agroecosystems, particularly for high-water-demand crops such as rice. This study integrated very-high-resolution UAV thermal–multispectral imagery with a Two-Source Energy Balance model (UAV–TSEB) and a field-calibrated AquaCrop model to quantify daily ET and its components under continuous flooding on the arid Peruvian coast during the 2024–2025 season. A network of 24 drainage lysimeters provided an independent observational benchmark (ET_lys); to represent the treatment-level response, lysimeter observations were aggregated as the mean across the 24 units for each UAV campaign. Thirteen UAV surveys supplied radiometric surface temperature …

Predicting Tart Cherry Stem Water Potential Using Uav Multispectral Imagery And Environmental Data Via Symbolic Regression, Anderson L. S. Safre, Alfonso Torres-Rua, Kurt Wedegaertner, Brent Black, Brennan Bean, Burdette Barker, Matt Yost

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Tart cherry is an important fruit crop in Utah, where irrigation is essential due to arid conditions. Precision irrigation requires reliable indicators of plant water status, and stem water potential (Ψ_stem), is among the most sensitive though labor-intensive and spatially limited. This study develops Ψ_stem estimation models using high-resolution multispectral Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) imagery combined with meteorological and soil moisture data, applying Symbolic Regression (SR). Results show a stronger correlation between optical bands and Ψ_stem during the pre-harvest period. Among 85 vegetation indices, the Red Chromatic Coordinate (RCC) index performed best (R² = 0.67). …

Scheduling As An Organizational Capability, Felix Delmonte

Mechanical and Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This study synthesizes evidence on schedule governance as an organizational capability integrating Lean practices, BIM, Digital Twin, and AI to convert scheduling into continuous, data driven decision making that links front line observations to executive risk appetite and funding choices, showing how 4D/5D BIM, clash detection, automated material takeoff, and IoT enabled twins shorten planning horizons, reduce design errors by up to 80%, improve timeline adherence by 20%–30%, and, when AI is applied, further cut delays by about 18% and procurement costs by approximately $2.5 million; a four layer Integrated Lean–Digital Framework is proposed to align strategic intent, collaborative digital …

What Is Passive And Active Release Retrofitting Rainwater Harvesting Systems?, Sarah E. Waickowski, Amy E. Scaroni, Beatriss H. Calhoun

Forestry and Natural Resources

Rainwater harvesting is the collection and temporary storage of rainwater for non-potable applications and stormwater management. Rainwater harvesting systems can be retrofitted with passive or active release to improve how well the systems manage stormwater runoff. This publication contains information that may be useful to municipalities, stormwater professionals, rainwater harvesting system owners and/or managers, homeowner associations, and stormwater educators, among others, on what is passive and active release, including their benefits and where to find more information.

Evaluating The Response Of Ageing Rc Bridge Piers To The 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake Using Bouc-Wen Hysteretic Models, Negin Fayaz, S. Kocakaplan Sezgin, E. Ahmadi, M. M. Kashani, M. Zaker Esteghamati

Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Research

This study examines the seismic response of reinforced concrete (RC) bridge piers subjected to ground motion (GM) records from the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake by comparing the impact of pulse-like versus no-pulse records. A suite of 300 nonlinear Bouc-Wen hysteretic models was developed to represent piers with varying nonlinear behavior. Each Bouc-Wen model was assessed under 24 pulse-like and 28 no-pulse GMs, resulting in 15,600 nonlinear time-history simulations. Subsequently, the relationship between Bouc-Wen parameters (i.e., period and yield displacement) and seismic responses (i.e., maximum displacement, residual displacement, and maximum acceleration) was analyzed. The results show that pulse-like records produce 5 times …

When The Student Surpasses The Teacher: Better Generalization In Ai-Based Seismic Waveform Quality Assessment Using Knowledge Distillation, Ali Namin, F. Jalaeifar, A. Kottke, M. Zaker Esteghamati

Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Research

This paper presents a knowledge distillation (KD)-based approach to reduce computational expenses and improve the generalizability of deep learning-based models for quality assessment of seismic waveforms. Using two different waveform datasets, teacher models are distilled into lightweight student models from two families of time-series-based and image-based models. Models from both student families are trained on a development dataset and evaluated on the testing portion of the development dataset, as well as on an entirely different external testing dataset. Results indicate that KD can provide student models with substantially reduced size (5%-10% of the teacher model's size) and latency while preserving, …

Comment On The Draft Environmental Impact Statement For New Operations For Lake Powell And Lake Mead Post-2026, Bryan Williams, Caitlyn Andrus, Brittany Fager, Matthew Fugal, Parker Hansen, Ashley Jones, Shaun Joseph, Ashley Mcallister, Braden Wilding, David Rosenberg

Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Research

We appreciate the Bureau of Reclamation’s extensive effort in preparing the Post-2026 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for operational guidelines for Lake Powell, Lake Mead, and the Colorado River Basin. This commentary will address positives, questions, and concerns from the Draft EIS. We also share recommendations for consideration in the Final EIS.

Cultivation Of Arthrospira Platensis (Spirulina) In Food-Based Industrial Wastewater For High-Yield Phycocyanin Extraction, Pavithira Sathinathan

Student Works (2020-2029)

Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina) is a filamentous cyanobacterium valued for its nutritional profile, particularly the pigment–protein phycocyanin, with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Despite its industrial significance, large-scale commercialization remains constrained by high cultivation costs and inefficient extraction methods. This study investigated the use of food-based industrial wastewater as an alternative nutrient medium for Spirulina cultivation, aiming to reduce production costs, enhance phycocyanin yield, and support sustainable wastewater remediation. Three types of food-based wastewater with different nutrient composition (WW1, WW2, WW3) was diluted with Kosaric medium (1:1) and used for Spirulina cultivation. The highest biomass concentration was achieved in WW2 (1.93 …

Development Of A Framework For Identifying Asphalt Pavement Cracking Distresses Using Machine Learning, Dingxin Cheng

Mineta Transportation Institute

Asphalt pavement cracking is one of the most critical distresses affecting pavement performance and service life. When pavement deteriorates, it can lead to safety hazards, higher vehicle maintenance costs, and expensive repairs for cities and states—making early detection essential for everyone who relies on the roadway system. To address this challenge, the research team developed a prototype cracking identification system that integrates a customized machine learning model with computer vision algorithms. High-resolution images collected from drones or ground-based cameras are processed within the system to automatically detect and classify major cracking types. The core of the framework utilizes the You …

Autonomous Vehicle Adoption Behavior And Safety Concern: A Study Of Public Perception, Fatemeh Nazari, Mohamadhossein Noruzoliaee, Abolfazl (Kouros) Mohammadian

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Realizing the economic and societal benefits of autonomous vehicles (AVs) hinges on widespread public acceptance. However, existing research offers limited insights into two key behavioral factors shaping AV acceptance, namely, perceived AV safety concern and travel behavior, the latter reflecting how heterogenous mobility patterns influence the AV acceptance. These factors are often treated as exogenous, limiting insight into their true behavioral interdependencies with AV acceptance and their distinct behavioral roots. This study addresses these gaps by introducing a recursive trivariate econometric model that jointly estimates AV acceptance, perceived safety concern, and current travel behavior (proxied by annual vehicle-miles traveled or …

Evaluating The Impact Of Aggregate Size And Reinforcement On Alkali-Silica Reaction In Concrete Through Nondestructive Testing Techniques, Li Ai, David Bianco, Vafa Soltangharaei, Rafal Anay, Mahmoud Bayat, Paul Ziehl

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This research investigates different nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods to assess concrete under alkali-silica reaction (ASR) development. Four methods including acoustic emission (AE), ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), crack width measurement, and strain measurement were applied to reactive and control specimens under accelerated ASR conditioning. The innovation lies in using NDE methods to monitor concrete with varying aggregate sizes, quantifying method sensitivity through measured indices, and highlighting the effectiveness of each method to capture ASR development. The results indicate that the unconfined reactive fine-aggregate sample exhibited isotropic expansion, while coarse-aggregate specimens showed around 50 % greater longitudinal expansion and AE cumulative signal …

Feasibility Of Using Recycled Waste Plastic In Concrete Pavements In Nebraska, Amasi Hajahja, Jamilla Teixeira, George Morcous

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

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 U.S. 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 of …

Mechanistic Framework Of Wood Decomposition In Post-Storm Vegetative Debris Piles Using Continuous Quality Theory, Thomas T. Lee

Master's Theses

Storm events generate significant quantities of vegetative debris composed of wood, branches, twigs, and other organic materials. Efficient post-storm resource recovery and carbon accounting depend on reliable predictions of decomposition within these large, heterogeneous debris piles. While small-scale wood decay is well studied, decomposition dynamics within multi-layer debris piles remain poorly characterized, limiting municipalities' ability to estimate material longevity and resource recovery potential.

To address this gap, this study develops the WOOD_DK (Wood Organic Oxidation and DegraDation Kinetics) model, a preliminary, exploratory one-dimensional multilayer decomposition framework simulating coupled temperature, moisture, oxygen, and carbon dynamics in MATLAB. Microbial decomposition follows Continuous …

A Simulation Framework For Edge Lane Roads And Bicycle Shared Roadways, Nick Sauciur

Master's Theses

Edge Lane Roads, also referred to as Advisory Bike Lanes, are a shared roadway treatment that designates space for cyclists while allowing flexible use of the roadway by motorists. They are commonly applied on lower speed corridors and can be used both where roadway width is limited and where agencies seek to manage vehicle speeds, clarify cyclist positioning, or improve shared roadway operations. The configuration provides visually designated space for cyclists while allowing motorists to encroach into that space when yielding to opposing traffic. Although interest in these facilities is growing in North America, quantitative tools for evaluating their operational …

Acinetobacter Spp. With Lower Susceptibility To Quaternary Ammonium Compounds Enriched In Microbial Communities Of Frequently Used Sinks, M. C. Cruz, R. Ruhal, J. Lavin, S. Bridwell, N. Maghboli Balasjin, B. Raasch, R. Melton, Brooke K. Mayer, Christopher Marshall, Krassimira R. Hristova

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Sanitary environments that undergo frequent cleaning and disinfection may harbor microbial communities with potential health risks. While biofilms in healthcare settings are well studied, comparatively less is known about sink-drain microbiomes in public and educational buildings, where hundreds of people may interact with shared sink fixtures. This study characterized the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of sink-drain biofilm microbiomes in academic buildings. We sampled 16 sinks from two buildings (four floors each, with sinks closest and furthest to the bathroom entrance), which are cleaned daily with quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) disinfectants, during periods of low and high student traffic (during and …

Unhsc Scm Performance Fact Sheets, Unh Stormwater Center

UNH Stormwater Center

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Existing Wwtp Using Gps-X Modelling And Simulation Software, Mohamed Hussein Hegazy, Mohamed Ibrahim Sobhy, Mohamed Nouh Meshref, Marwan Ahmed Elghonimy

Civil Engineering

Research on ways to make WasteWater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) work better is still limited. In this study, GPS-X simulation was used to predict how a WWTP behaves under different operating conditions and to suggest ideas for future improvement. GPS-X version 8.5 was applied for dynamic modelling and simulation to check the performance of the Arab Abo Saed Wastewater Treatment Plant in Helwan, Egypt. Two operating cases were studied: one with the highest water flow and the lowest pollutant levels, and another with the lowest water flow and the highest pollutant levels. Real data from two years (2022–2023) was used for …

Creation Of The 2-Way Cross Laminated Timber Subroutine For Computing Dynamic Analysis Parameters, Joseph Freitas

Architectural Engineering

This document will describe the inputs, methodology, and outputs for the CLT 2-way subroutine for cases with and without openings recently added to a proprietary structural analysis software. For the sake of simplicity, most of the discussion will be focused on cases without openings from here on out, as the verification process for a novel method for cases with openings is still in progress. The CLT 2-way module calculates multi-point resistance functions for panels without openings by automating the procedure outlined in an industry-standard structural design manual. The subroutine also finds the appropriate dynamic response factors, kinetic load multipliers, mass, …

Quantitative Comparison Of Different Ultrasound Simulation Approaches For Civil Engineering Applications, Fabian Dethof, Simon Schmid, Jean-Marie Henault, Thomas Schumacher, Sylvia Kessler, Salvador Villalobos

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Interpreting ultrasonic waveforms is often challenging, especially in the presence of tilted boundaries that introduce multiple reflections, mode conversions, and echoes. To analyze such complex signal patterns, wavefield simulations provide a valuable tool. To ensure confidence in the simulation results, the accuracy of the numerical method is crucial. Another consideration when using simulations is their computational expense. Especially in civil engineering applications, large structures need to be investigated, which may not be feasible given the available resources. In this study, different numerical methods and software implementations commonly used for simulations in civil engineering are compared, including the Elastodynamic Finite Integration …

Sea Level Trends Near Critical Levees In The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Reyna Sanchez Gomez

Master's Theses

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) levee system faces threats from rising sea levels, land subsidence, and deteriorating levees, all of which pose risks to California’s primary surface water supply. The purpose of this thesis is to assess relative sea level rise (RSLR) and estimate the spatially varying factors that influence water levels in the Delta. This thesis extends the work of Baranes et al. (2023) to the period 1975-2022 by appending recently acquired water-level records (1975-1982) to modern datasets (1982-2022) from 10 water-level stations. These water level datasets were digitized, quality-assured, and referenced to a common geodetic datum, as described …

Dataset For Equity And Justice In Water Pricing And The Effects On Water Distribution System, Brian Barkdoll

Michigan Tech Research Data

“Equity and Justice in Water Pricing and the Effects on Water Distribution System Management” Equity and justice regarding access to potable drinking water are paramount. Municipal Water Distribution Systems supply potable water to users and are essential to public health. They comprise a complicated set of source(s), pump(s), tank(s), and pipes. The price of water to users can affect the amount of usage. To find the optimal price of water to maximize utility revenue and allow changes to the system components for capital and maintenance expenditures, network modeling using the network solver fixed was performed for 15 real MDWSs.  A …

Impact Of Femalized Kinesthetic Learning Model On African American Middle School Girls’ Career Interest, Mercy F. Fash, Andrea Ofori-Boadu

Journal of Global Education and Research

Engaging African American middle school girls in out-of-school-time (OST) Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) programs can boost interest in male-dominated AEC careers. This study adopts Lent’s Social Cognitive Career Theory to evaluate the impact of an OST feminized AEC kinesthetic learning model (fAEC-KLM) on the career interests of this demographic. Through a qualitative research approach, fourteen (14) African American middle school girls from Guilford County, NC, completed pre- and post-interviews on how fAEC-KLM interactions influenced their AEC career interests. Inductive thematic analysis was carried out on transcribed interviews. Results show that effective components, such as lectures on AEC, bridge construction …

New Insights Into Dynamic Evolution Of Colloidal Network Structure During Early-Age Hardening Of Cementitious Materials, Hengrui Liu, Kaiyin Zhao, Shipeng Zhang, Hanghua Zhang, Shuangshuang Liu, Lucen Hao, Hongyan Ma, Kamal Khayat, Chi Sun Poon

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The evolution of microstructure in cementitious materials during their transition from fluid to solid state plays a critical role in determining their ultimate mechanical strength and overall performance. This hydration stage primarily involves a dynamic densification process occurring within the colloidal network. However, the field of cement-based materials currently lacks a comprehensive theoretical framework and associated parameters capable of effectively characterizing the specific structural regions within this network. In this study, we propose an Improved Particle Linkage (IPL) theory for describing the strength, types, and quantities of particle linkages within colloidal network. The IPL theory classifies the internal network structure …

Machine Learning-Based Upscaling Of Rock Permeability From Pore Scale To Core Scale: Effect Of Training Dataset Size And Sub-Core Volumes, Yaotian Guo, Fei Jiang, Takeshi Tsuji, Yoshitake Kato, Mai Shimokawara, Lionel Esteban, Mojtaba Seyyedi, Marina Pervukhina, Maxim Lebedev, Ryuta Kitamura

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Permeability characterizes the capacity of porous formations to conduct fluids, thereby governing the performance of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), hydrocarbon extraction, and subsurface energy storage. A reliable assessment of rock permeability is therefore essential for these applications. Direct estimation of permeability from low-resolution CT images of large rock samples offers a rapid approach to obtain permeability data. However, the limited resolution fails to capture detailed pore-scale structural features, resulting in low prediction accuracy. To address this limitation, we propose a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based upscaling method that integrates high-precision pore-scale permeability information into core-scale, low-resolution CT images. In …

Shear Stability Enhancement In Fracture Plugging Zones: Unveiling Failure Mechanisms And Adhesive Benefits Through Photoelastic Analysis, Haoran Jing, Yili Kang, Chengyuan Xu, Lei Liu, Xiaopeng Yan, Zhenjiang You

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Addressing lost circulation during drilling operations typically involves the utilization of lost circulation materials (LCMs) to create a fracture plugging zone (FPZ), which effectively decouples the wellbore fluid column pressure (Pw) from the formation pressure (Pf). This FPZ, comprised of aggregated granular LCM particles, frequently succumbs to shear stress, with shear failure being the predominant mode of structural failure, leading to ongoing fluid losses. To illuminate the failure mechanisms of the FPZ under conditions of escalating drilling differential pressure (Pw - Pf), we utilized photoelastic experiments to capture and visualize the evolving mesoscopic mechanical structure of the FPZ. Photoelastic images …

Explainable Machine Learning And Life Cycle Assessment For Sustainable Design Of Fiber-Reinforced Asphalt Concrete, Xiao Tan, Jianglei Xing, Soroush Mahjoubi, Pengwei Guo, Ziyao Wei, Yuan Wang, Jie Ren, Li Ai, Weina Meng, Yi Bao

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Conventional asphalt concrete has a limited lifespan due to cracking, deformation, and environmental degradation, driving the development of fiber-reinforced asphalt concrete (FRAC). However, key gaps remain in current data-driven FRAC studies due to small and homogeneous datasets, “black-box” machine learning models, and trade-offs between mechanical-sustainable performance, failing to provide a transparent understanding of features governing FRAC behaviors. This paper proposes a framework integrating explainable artificial intelligence and life cycle assessment (LCA) to advance mechanical and sustainable design of FRAC. A dataset of 2490 laboratory samples covers 15 input features and 3 mechanical outputs. Eight machine learning models, along with a …