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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

In Situ Ground Freezing And Sampling Of A Pleistocene Sand Deposit In The South Carolina Coastal Plain, Michael Esposito Iii Dec 2012

In Situ Ground Freezing And Sampling Of A Pleistocene Sand Deposit In The South Carolina Coastal Plain, Michael Esposito Iii

All Theses

The procedures used to freeze and sample a Pleistocene sand deposit at the Coastal Research and Education Center near Charleston, South Carolina to preserve and study the effects of diagenesis are presented in this thesis. An initial feasibility study was conducted to target a layer of clean sand at the CREC site with little to no frost heave potential. To freeze the sand deposit, a ground freezing system with a central freezing pipe was installed to target a column of sand 1-m in radius and 2.3-m long. Liquid nitrogen was continuously supplied to the large steel freezing pipe, which was …


3d Reconstruction For Post-Disaster Analysis Of Civil Infrastructure, Joshua Caron Dec 2012

3d Reconstruction For Post-Disaster Analysis Of Civil Infrastructure, Joshua Caron

All Theses

Following a natural disaster, there is a need to rapidly assess the safety of civil infrastructure. This job is typically undertaken by local governments with the help of volunteer civil engineers with structural expertise, as well as organizations such as Cal EMA and ASCE. However, the inspection process is labor-intensive and a bit tedious, and results are prone to error as they tend to rely on the individual expertise of the inspectors. 3D reconstruction stands to become a useful tool in the safety evaluation process, as well as providing valuable opportunities for forensic engineering. This research explores the application of …


Analysis Of Energy Savings Through The Use Of Displacement Ventilation In Domestic Buildings, Patrick Daffin Dec 2012

Analysis Of Energy Savings Through The Use Of Displacement Ventilation In Domestic Buildings, Patrick Daffin

All Theses

This study investigates the conditions under which it might be possible to implement a displacement ventilation system in a residential building. An experimental study of the impact on a mechanical air conditioning system of the vertical location of the inlet and outlet vents was performed. The four ventilation configurations of low inlet high outlet, low inlet low outlet, high inlet high outlet, and high inlet low outlet were compared. These four configurations were compared under 13 different heat load scenarios in a full scale instrumented model room. It was found that, for higher heat loads, the low inlet high outlet …


Durability Of Reinforced Concrete Incorporating Crushed Waste Brick As Coarse Aggregate, Matthew Adamson Dec 2012

Durability Of Reinforced Concrete Incorporating Crushed Waste Brick As Coarse Aggregate, Matthew Adamson

All Theses

Using crushed bricks as aggregates in concrete is of particular interest to preserve natural aggregate sources as well as to reduce waste, as it has been estimated that 10% to 30% of all waste in landfills in the united States comes from construction and demolition wastes. By recycling some of these wastes, the sustainability of a project can be improved. However, it is important concrete incorporating these wastes is as durable or more durable then conventional concrete, or will it have a shorter service life. Durability of concrete is its ability to resist deterioration from its external environment such as …


An Error Quantification Methodology For Hurricane Storm Surge Simulations, Bin Pei Dec 2012

An Error Quantification Methodology For Hurricane Storm Surge Simulations, Bin Pei

All Theses

This thesis describes the development of a procedure to quantify errors in hurricane storm surge simulations using a decoupled wind-surge model. The state-of-the-art storm surge simulation program, ADCIRC (Advanced Circulation), and the Georgiou's wind field model were used to simulate the storm surge heights associated with 169 historical hurricanes from 1922 to 2011 along the coast of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. The storm surge modeling errors were quantified by comparing the measured to the simulated annual maximum surge heights at nine water level observation stations maintained by the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS). The simulated …


An Examination Of The Influence Of Cement Paste On Pervious Concrete Mixtures, Donald Singer Dec 2012

An Examination Of The Influence Of Cement Paste On Pervious Concrete Mixtures, Donald Singer

All Theses

Pervious concrete has many environmental benefits, but with these benefits come additional hurdles unseen in conventional concrete. The main focus of pervious concrete is the maintenance of the interconnected pore structure, leading to porosity values between 15 and 25%, while still developing adequate strength. Due to these inherent properties of pervious concrete, development of a systematic optimum mix design method is challenging. Currently, there is a need to develop a systematic optimum mix design for pervious concrete, but it has yet come to fruition. This research focuses on the influence of cement paste on the performance of pervious concrete, and …


Evaluation Of Rubber Modified Porous Asphalt Mixtures, Kimberly Lyons Dec 2012

Evaluation Of Rubber Modified Porous Asphalt Mixtures, Kimberly Lyons

All Theses

A porous pavement is a type of sustainable pavement that allows stormwater to infiltrate through the pavement into the natural soil bed. Rubber modified binder is the combination of regular asphalt binder mixed with ground crumb rubber, which is derived from used rubber tires by shredding or grinding the tires into small fragments. This research investigated the effects of rubber modified binder on the performance properties of porous asphalt mixtures, which include draindown, porosity, permeability, abrasion resistance, moisture susceptibility, and rutting resistance.
The addition of cellulose fibers has been used to increase the optimum binder content of porous asphalt mix …


Load Carrying Capacity Assessment Of A Masonry Dome, Tun Li Aug 2012

Load Carrying Capacity Assessment Of A Masonry Dome, Tun Li

All Theses

This thesis first establishes a semi-empirical relationship to estimate the reduction in load carrying capacity of a masonry dome due to damage by exploiting deviations in the fundamental natural frequency. A macro finite element model of the dome is developed and calibrated using both non-destructive vibration measurements and destructive load-displacement measurements up to failure. The macro-model is then executed to simulate incremental development of cracks. The first natural frequency and remaining load carrying capacity of the dome are monitored to define a semi-empirical relationship, which is ultimately generalized for spherical domes with varying span-to-height ratios.
Subsequently, in order to numerically …


A Laboratory Study Of Levee Scour From Overtopping Storm Waves And Protection For Robust Desgins, Earnest Johnson Aug 2012

A Laboratory Study Of Levee Scour From Overtopping Storm Waves And Protection For Robust Desgins, Earnest Johnson

All Theses

Levee failure due to scouring has been a prominent occurrence among intense storm surges and waves, giving rise to the implementation of various scour protection measures over the years. Several experiments were performed on a model levee on either bare levee soil or with a scour protection measure covering the soil. The purpose of this study is to breakdown the dynamics of levee scour due to overtopping waves and suggest efficient methods in reducing the amount of scour. The levee soil was made up of a sand-clay mixture and placed in a laboratory wave tank that created a constant wave …


Numerical And Reliability Analysis Of Gravity Cantilever Retaining Walls Backfilled With Shredded Tires Subjected To Seismic Loads, Eleanor Huggins Aug 2012

Numerical And Reliability Analysis Of Gravity Cantilever Retaining Walls Backfilled With Shredded Tires Subjected To Seismic Loads, Eleanor Huggins

All Theses

Shredded tires have been considered as a suitable alternative to conventional sand and gravel backfill materials as they offer benefits from their significantly lower unit weight, reductions in the cost of materials and construction, and because they utilize a common and potentially hazardous waste material. This research addresses some gaps in previous research in the implementation of shredded tires in this capacity by examining variation in material properties through a reliability analysis, developing an improved design technique for retaining walls tailored to shredded tire fills, and simulating how shredded tire backfill behaves in conjunction with retaining walls when subject to …


The Effect Of Granular Activated Carbon Pretreatment And Sand Pretreatment On Microfiltration Of Greywater, David Christopher Aug 2012

The Effect Of Granular Activated Carbon Pretreatment And Sand Pretreatment On Microfiltration Of Greywater, David Christopher

All Theses

Around the world, water scarcity is driving people to practice water reuse. One form of water reuse is the recycling of greywater, which is household wastewater excluding toilet waste. With adequate treatment, greywater may be recycled onsite for applications that do not require potable water, such as irrigation or toilet flushing. Membrane filtration (including microfiltration (MF)) is one option for greywater treatment. The small footprint, modular nature, and predictable performance of MF make it an attractive option. However, direct MF of greywater can lead to rapid membrane fouling. This thesis investigated two possible pretreatments for reducing membrane fouling and improving …


Deviations In Standard Aggregate Gradation And Its Affects On The Properties Of Portland Cement Concrete, Marcus Balitsaris Jun 2012

Deviations In Standard Aggregate Gradation And Its Affects On The Properties Of Portland Cement Concrete, Marcus Balitsaris

All Theses

Aggregate gradation is the particle size distribution of both the stone and sand present in the concrete matrix. It is an aggregate property that has been heavily researched for over a century but the effects of which on concrete properties is still somewhat misunderstood. Past research has revealed that aggregate gradation dictates the proportion of aggregate to cement paste in concrete, and can play a major variable that determines the overall durability of the construction material. Increasingly, aggregate in South Carolina are failing to meet the standard aggregate gradation for portland cement concrete, however, the effects of such failed aggregate …


Low Carbon Materials Management: A Case Study For The Clemson University Net Zero Energy House Project, Kelly Kruzner May 2012

Low Carbon Materials Management: A Case Study For The Clemson University Net Zero Energy House Project, Kelly Kruzner

All Theses

Materials management in the construction process is a method of controlling resources for a project. This includes the materials selection process, purchasing process, delivery process, and waste management process, which all constitute the materials management plan for the project. While many research projects suggest efforts to reduce overall project cost by managing materials more efficiently, few focus on materials management from a sustainability perspective. In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published a report on Sustainable Materials Management: The Road Ahead, which details the importance of sustainable materials management practices. This project directly addresses a need defined in the EPA’s …


Development And Calibration Of Central Pressure Filling Rate Models For Hurricane Simulation, Fangqian Liu May 2012

Development And Calibration Of Central Pressure Filling Rate Models For Hurricane Simulation, Fangqian Liu

All Theses

This study presents the development of a new central pressure filling rate model to characterize the rate at which hurricanes or tropical storms decay after landfall. It has been shown that the post landfall decay rate of hurricanes is closely related to the time after landfall, the size of hurricane and proximity of the hurricane eye to the coastline. In addition, it has been observed that the decay rates of hurricanes are geographically dependent. Based on these observations, a set of simple empirical models expressed in
terms of exponential and linear equations are utilized to characterize the decay rate of …


Pozzolanic Properties Of Biomass Fly Ash, Robert Lowe May 2012

Pozzolanic Properties Of Biomass Fly Ash, Robert Lowe

All Theses

As biomass power production becomes more main stream, problems with waste disposal arise. Coal fly ash, a by-product of coal power production, has beneficial strength and durability properties when used as a cement replacement material. This study examined strength and durability characteristics of mortar and concrete samples containing biomass fly ash obtained from Craven County Wood Energy in North Carolina and examined methods of processing the material to enhance its pozzolanic characteristics.
The chemical and mineralogical compositions of the ash were determined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The compositions met the requirements …


Entrainment And Dilution Of Constant-Volume Non-Newtonian Fluid Mud Gravity Currents, Michael Jacobson May 2012

Entrainment And Dilution Of Constant-Volume Non-Newtonian Fluid Mud Gravity Currents, Michael Jacobson

All Theses

An extensive laboratory experimental campaign was undertaken in order to elucidate the entrainment and dilution characteristics of constant-volume non-Newtonian fluid mud gravity currents. Three experimental series were conducted in a lock-exchange tank. The first experimental series quantified ambient entrainment using a light-opaqueness technique, the second experimental series measured vertical concentration profiles using a siphoning technique, and the third experimental series provided visual observations for the investigation of the deposited sediment layer.
In the first experimental series, a technique similar to the so-called light attenuation technique was developed to find the boundary of the current, allowing for the calculation of entrainment …


Connected Vehicle Supported Electric Vehicle Charging Operations And Related Infrastructure Issues, Jennifer Johnson May 2012

Connected Vehicle Supported Electric Vehicle Charging Operations And Related Infrastructure Issues, Jennifer Johnson

All Theses

Due to the tremendous political, economic and environmental pressures the transportation sector is facing, the United States finds itself devoting more energy to innovative solutions like electric vehicle (EV) technologies. The first objective of this study was to analyze how utilizing real-time information dissemination transferring capabilities to vehicles, as envisioned in the 'connected vehicle' system, could effectively facilitate the EV charging process at fast-charging stations. By simulating a traffic network of EVs in Matlab, it was found that the total time due to the battery charging process could be optimized for EVs that were able to use connected vehicle communications. …


Geology-Based Probabilistic Liquefaction Potential Mapping Of The 7.5-Minute Charleston Quadrangle, South Carolina For Resilient Infrastructure Design, Lawrence Simonson May 2012

Geology-Based Probabilistic Liquefaction Potential Mapping Of The 7.5-Minute Charleston Quadrangle, South Carolina For Resilient Infrastructure Design, Lawrence Simonson

All Theses

Two geology-based probabilistic liquefaction potential maps are developed for the 7.5-minute Charleston, South Carolina quadrangle in this thesis. Creation of the maps extends the previous liquefaction potential mapping work of the Charleston peninsula by Hayati and Andrus (2008) and Mount Pleasant by Heidari and Andrus (2010), and improves upon the previous maps by using peak ground accelerations that vary with local site conditions. The GIS software package ArcGIS 10 is used to develop the maps.
Development of the liquefaction potential maps involves the creation of four additional maps needed as inputs. The four additional maps are (1) depth to the …


Understanding The Behavior Of A Pile Foundation In Unsaturated Soils Subjected To Lateral Loading, Brian Machmer May 2012

Understanding The Behavior Of A Pile Foundation In Unsaturated Soils Subjected To Lateral Loading, Brian Machmer

All Theses

The purpose of this research was to further understand the behavior of pile foundations in unsaturated soils subjected to lateral loading. Recent case histories show the importance of incorporating unsaturated soil mechanics in geotechnical engineering practice for the design and construction of resilient and cost effective systems. Unsaturated soils are a three phase material- solid, liquid and gas, resulting in three interfaces. Among the three interfaces the liquid-gas interface, also known as the contractile skin, plays a critical role in the mechanical and flow behaviors of unsaturated soil. The effects of the contractile skin are measured in terms of matric …