Engineering Commons^™

Dimensionless Criteria For Selecting Tidally-Influenced Advective-Dispersive Desalination Brine Mixing Plume Characterization Models, Alireza Shahvari

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The very nature of requirements for implementing a desalination process is highly spatial due to the need to secure both a source for the operation and sink for brine dilution. Thus, the applicable coastal location is bound to natural tidal mixing characteristics and subjected to a near- or a far-field availability for source and sink. Mixing characteristics of coastal waters are very different from one point to another due to the spatiotemporal tidal characteristic in loco in a manner that it can vary from being highly advective to completely dispersive dominant. Once a location is identified, estimation of corresponding water …

An Investigation Of Pavement Distress Variables On Crash Outcomes Using Hierarchical Generalized Linear Regression Modeling, Robert Alan Morgan

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Previous macro-level studies show that the condition of the pavement is associated with roadway safety. However, this premise has not been examined on a micro-level using detailed pavement distress variables (PDVs). The main focus of this research will be to expand the use of the PDV data to further understand the safety risks associated with the type of pavement and each individual PDV by analyzing the likelihood of having a rear-end and/or injurious crash, given that a crash occurs.

Sample crash data and PDV data from the Commonwealth of Virginia for the years 2007 and 2008 were used to produce …

The Role Of Proximity In Reducing Auto Travel: Using Vmt To Identify Key Locations For Development, From Downtown To The Exurbs, Robert B. Case

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to discover the VMT impact of each level of proximity in order to help government identify key locations for housing development, and thereby lower VMT and reduce dependence on foreign oil. By discovering the VMT impact of each level of proximity, this dissertation provides a) the first known means of calculating the proximity-based VMT benefit of subject locations by individual proximity level, and b) the new finding that it is likely that high VMT benefit can be achieved at moderate proximity levels acceptable to many households, enabling representative governments to be politically successful while …

Path Clearance For Emergency Vehicles Through The Use Of Vehicle-To-Vehicle Communication, Craig Jordan, Mecit Cetin, R. Michael Robinson

VMASC Publications

The study described in this paper evaluated and tested a new strategy to enable emergency response vehicles (EVs) to navigate through congestion at signalized intersections more efficiently. The proposed strategy involves the use of vehicle-to-vehicle communication to send messages to alert vehicles to the approach of the EV and to provide specific instructions on maneuvering to allow the EV to proceed through congested signalized intersections as quickly as possible. This movement is achieved by creation of a split in the vehicle queue in one lane at a critical location to allow the EV to proceed at its desired speed but …

Thermo-Elasto-Plastic Behavior Of Biaxially Loaded Steel Beam-Columns Inducing Those From World Trade Center Towers, Yanhong Zhao

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An experimental and theoretical investigation into the behavior of biaxially loaded steel beam-columns is conducted including the effects of high temperature. Systems of materially nonlinear differential equations of beam-column equilibrium are first formulated for both ambient and high temperature conditions. An iterative finite integral procedure is formulated and programmed to solve the governing differential equations. To check the validity of the theoretically predicted behavior and strength of the beam-columns, a series of forty-two laboratory tests are conducted at both ambient and high temperature up to 950°F. Upon achieving a good agreement between the predicted beam-column behavior and that observed in …

Watershed-Scale Hybrid Stochastic-Deterministic Modeling Framework And Diffused Sources Superpositioning, Ruby Juvah Damalie

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Predicting hydrologic system behavior is imperative to planning and management of water resources. The study developed an integrated hybrid stochastic and deterministic framework to improve prediction accuracy for overland flow and diffused sources in a watershed. The methodology includes sampling input parameters at system level and contribution of nonpoint source from hydrologically disconnected areas (heretofore referred to as system-level approach and superpositioning respectively). System-level approach includes the integration of a topography-based sampling grid generalized linear model developed by the study and Monte Carlo methods. The superpositioning method adopts in-stream water quality equation for overland flow pollution estimation.

The system-level approach …

Exploring Travel And Activity Behavior In Transit-Oriented Developments: Insights Into Transportation Benefits And Travel Demand Modelling, Sanghoon Son

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

As a sustainable urban development and transportation planning strategy, researchers and planners are increasingly interested in transit-oriented development (TOD). By integrating transit system and neighborhood design, TOD aims to provide a livable environment that is alternative mode friendly, higher density, and mixed-use to residents and workers in the vicinity of transit stations. Despite the recent growing interest in TOE), however, transportation benefits of TOD are not well quantified and characteristics of TOD are not adequately reflected in travel demand models.

This dissertation contributes to understanding of the travel and activity behavior by comprehensively exploring them in the context of TOD. …