Engineering Commons^™

Development Of An Excel Model To Evaluate The Stability Of Slopes, Bradley Davis

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

This objective of this study is to determine a method or tool for taking given slope stability parameters and quickly and effectively determining the factor of safety against sliding of fully softened slopes. This study evaluates the effects of soil and geometric parameters of common slopes, and models these properties in a hypothetical model. The methodology is based on a parametric analysis using the Spencer’s Method of Slices limit equilibrium analysis used in the computer program Slide2. A parametric analysis is performed to determine which soil and/or geometric properties have a high influence on slope stability. The parametric analysis is …

Effects Of Flow Path Factors In The Permeability Of Natural And Man-Made Granular Soils Using The Kozeny-Carman Equation, Robert Davies

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

The research presented in this paper serves to observe how the flow path factors relate to the void ratio, the effective diameter of a soil particle, and the permeability of a given sample assuming the behavior is consistent across natural and artificial soils. The basis of the comparison is the derived Kozeny-Carman Equation for permeability with focus on the factors C_s and C_l where C_s represents the shape of the flow path and C_l represents the length of the flow path that a single water molecule must travel through a soil sample. Permeameter tests were conducted …

Impacts Of Beaver Dams On Mountain Stream Discharge And Water Temperature, Timothy R. Clark

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

Beaver dam complexes have been shown to affect the hydrologic processes controlling river systems. These processes include surface and groundwater exchanges, water chemistry and temperature variations, and river discharge magnitudes. Majerova et al. (2015) explored the effects of beaver dams on surface and groundwater exchanges and water temperature by evaluating three years of water discharge and temperature data recorded at multiple locations within a small stream in northern Utah. They found that beaver dams increase the water surface elevation and force water into the floodplain resulting in increased inundation and groundwater recharge. They additionally found that beaver dams increase residence …

Utah Salt Storage Facilities Guidelines And Best Management Practices, Weston Bellon

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

An environmental analysis was conducted at the Utah Water Research Laboratory of samples gathered from Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) salt storage facilities retention ponds across the state. The analysis indicated high levels of TSS largely made up of minerals directly associated with the deicing solution currently used by UDOT in roadway applications. As a companion to that analysis, best management practices have been identified and compiled to provide a resource for the proper management of salt storage facilities in the state of Utah. Topics included as best management practices include locating new storage facilities, proper salt storage, proper salt …

Reliability Analysis For Shear In Lightweight Reinforced Concrete Bridges Using Shear Beam Database, Danile F. Jensen

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

The objective of this report is to analyze and calibrate the reliability indices for shear in reinforced concrete bridge girders. Existing statistical models are based on limited experimental data from only a few research tests. These existing models show that our current procedures for analysis are about 10-15% less conservative for lightweight concrete compared to an analysis for normal weight concrete. Accurate load models are used to find shear and moment envelopes of loads applied to bridges. Analysis is based on different span lengths, span number and girder dimensions. Design calculations are performed using design values and loads calculated from …

An Analysis On Soil Properties On Predicting Critical Hydraulic Gradients For Piping Progression In Sandy Soils, Tammy Jacobson

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

Piping is a form of internal erosion in which soil particles are eroded at a seepage exit location due to the forces imposed on the particles by seeping water. Laboratory testing was performed on a variety of soils in order to assess a correlation between unit weight, angle of internal friction, grain size, gradation, and void ratio and the critical hydraulic gradient at which piping initiates and progresses. A multi-variable regression analysis was used to form equations to predict critical hydraulic gradient based upon each of these soil parameters. Variations in the accuracy of these equations are thought to be …

Laboratory Approach To Modeling The Initiating Mechanism In The Piping Failure Of Sandy Soils, Olalekan O. Olorunsola

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

This research intends to develop a testing apparatus to measure the critical gradient in sandy soils. The designed apparatus will be used in subsequent studies to develop a relationship between critical hydraulic gradient, soil properties and the inclination of the exit face.

This study evaluates several design modification to assess the effects of the modifications, and develop a design that most closely models the field mechanism of piping initiation. The design is initiated from a conceptual design and is executed into the first version. This design is called the Alpha Version. The next version, or more precisely, the Beta Version, …

Minimum Velocities For The Suspension Of Fine Sediment In The Green River Canal, Michael W. Stoeber

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

This paper focuses on a canal in the Gunnison Valley, located in central Utah, which diverts water from the sediment-laden Green River. Grain size analyses were performed on sediment samples taken from the canal. These grain size analyses were used to determine the grain size distribution of the fine sediment, classify the fine sediment, and compare the fine sediment to a sediment deposit in the Green River. The critical incipient velocity for the D₅₀ and D₁₀₀ and the critical grain entrainment velocity corresponding to the D₉₅ were determined through flume experimentation. Two methods, developed by prior researchers, …

Hydrologic Inventory Of The Great Salt Lake Desert Area, Gary L. Foote

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

Utah, located in the arid southwest, is a state that experience s chronic water shortages. The pattern of valleys and high mountain ranges that exists in the state produces sharply contrasting differences in climatic conditions . Desert valleys in the western portion may receive as few a s 4 inches of precipitation in a year while headwater areas in the Wasatch Mountains receive 60 inches or more. Wide cyclic as well a s geographical variations of precipitation added to uneven seasonal distribution makes development and efficient utilization of water resource s vital though difficult.

In order to make the most …

Electronic Analog Computer Hydrologic Simulation Of The Upper Bear River Basin, Mohammed A. Basha

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

OF the total precipitation falling on watersheds throughout the world, an average of approximately 85 percent returns directly to the atmosphere through evaporation and use by mountain vegetation. The remaining 15 percent moves from the watersheds as runoff and becomes available in the valleys to be used by man for irrigation, industry, recreation, and many other requirements in recent years has led to an increasing need for efficient management of available water resources, and in this regard computer modeling or simulation has proved to be a powerful tool.

The study described herein involves simulation of the hydrologic system of the …

Formulation Of A Mathematical Model For The Allocation Of Colorado River Waters In Utah, Rick L. Gold

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

This report is linked with the work done in fulfillment of the first objective of a research project now underway at the Utah Water Research Laboratory. The project, entitled "Application of Operations Research Techniques for Allocation of Colorado River Waters in Utah," is a matching fund grant by The Office of Water Resources Research of the United States Department of the Interior. The project has the following objectives: (1) formulate the mathematical model of that part of the state that can receive Colorado River water, (2) optimize the allocation model under different demand levels and study the economic effects of …

Application Of Multivariate Analysis In Predicting Water Yields In Utah, Leei-Luoh Wang

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

The basic hydrologic data required to determine the water yield are usually unavailable for small basins and streams while increasing emphasis is being placed on their development. Therefore, some methods and techniques for estimating the amount of water available for development of these small units is needed .

The purpose of this study is to use the concepts and techniques of statistical analysis to develop equations which are useful in estimating the water yield of watersheds for which no stream flow records are available . The approach is an extension of earlier studies at Utah State University (1, lQ) in …