Engineering Commons^™

Computational Code For Optimization Of Thermal Treatment Of Fine Grained Soils As A Method Of Expediting Their Load Induced Consolidation, Radhavi Abeysiridara Samarakoon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Construction in soft soils has been a challenging task for engineers due to the excessive time taken for dissipation of construction induced pore water pressure and the ensuing postconstruction settlement. Use of vertical drains has proven to be an effective and economical method for soft ground improvement and hence extensive research has been carried out to further improve its efficiency. Effect of temperature on radial consolidation is one aspect of such research among many others that have been pursued.

Elevated temperature certainly has a pronounced effect on the hydraulic conductivity due to the reduction it causes in the viscosity of …

Development Of An Instrument To Measure The Entrepreneurial Mindset Of Engineering Students, Cheryl Q. Li, Ronald S. Harichandran, Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, Nadiye O. Erdil, Jean Nocito-Gobel

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This work in progress describes the development of an instrument to measure entrepreneurial mindset of engineering students. The need for developing the entrepreneurial mindset of engineering students is being recognized by many universities. However, very few comprehensive, generalized and well-validated instruments are available for assessing the entrepreneurial mindset of engineering students. Most research and educational efforts focus on the design and implementation of engineering entrepreneurship programs, but assessment practices have not kept up.1-2 There are several reasons for the shortfall in assessment practices: 1) Introducing engineering students to entrepreneurship is a relatively new trend and it will take time for …

Why This Flip Wasn't A Flop: What The Numbers Don't Tell You About Flipped Classes, Heather Noel Fedesco, Troy Cary

IMPACT Publications

This paper details the conversion of a large, required Civil Engineering fluid mechanics course into a more student-centered, active learning-oriented course through the flipping of one lecture per week. In the flipped class, students collaboratively solve homework problems in groups while receiving “expert” feedback from instructors and TAs. To offset the lost lectures, some course material that has been delivered in traditional lectures has been placed online in the form of short videos and textbook readings, with low-stakes quizzes for assessment.

Student learning gains were quantitatively assessed by comparing quiz and final exam scores for three semesters (1 pre-flip and …

Thermal Conductivity Of Binary Sand Mixtures Evaluated Through Full Water Content Range, Benjamin M. Wallen, Kathleen M. Smits, Toshihiro Sakaki, Stacy E. Howington, T.K.K. Chamindu Deepagoda

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications - Archive

A soil’s grain-size distribution affects its physical and hydraulic properties; however, little is known about its effect on soil thermal properties. To better understand how grain-size distribution affects soil thermal properties, specifically the effective thermal conductivity, a set of laboratory experiments was performed using binary mixtures of two uniform sands tightly packed with seven different mixing fractions over the full range of saturation. For each binary mixture, the effective thermal conductivity, l, capillary pressure, hc, and volumetric water content, q, were measured. Results demonstrated that the l–q relationship exhibited distinct characteristics based on the percentage of fine- and coarse-grained sands. …

Interaction Of Cementitious Systems With Chemical Admixtures, Natallia Shanahan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in commercial construction have been increasing over the last several decades as climate change and sustainability has been gaining global attention. Incorporation of SCMs into concrete mixtures provides several environmental benefits. Since most SCMs are waste by-products of other industries, their use in concrete reduces waste disposal. Additionally, cements substitution with SCMs reduces the carbon footprint of the construction industry. Cement production generates large amounts of CO₂ emissions; the use of SCMs reduces the amount of cement in a concrete mixture thereby reducing emissions from its production.

In addition to SCMs, modern …

Sustainability At U.S. Urban Water Utilities: A Framework To Assess Key Attributes, Matthew Paul Ries

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Urban water utilities in the United States face challenges due to a combination of external drivers. These include urbanization and population growth, which are stressing a system of aging infrastructure. Compliance with increasing regulations is also a challenge in a fiscally-constrained economic environment. A changing climate threatens infrastructure and past assumptions for water supply and quality. Urban utilities provide clean water and sanitation services to over 80% of the country’s population and its industrial centers. Therefore, the sustainability of these water utilities are crucial to the country’s and the public’s well-being.

New operating models are emerging for a “utility of …

An Investigation Of Motor Vehicle Driver Inattention And Its Effects At Highway–Rail Grade Crossings, Shanshan Zhao

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The relationship between accident injury severity and drivers’ inattentive behavior requires an in-depth investigation – this is especially needed in the case of motor vehicle drivers at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs). The relationship between drivers’ personality/ socioeconomic characteristics and inattentive behavior at HRGCs is another topic requiring research. Past educational programs about safe driving at HRGCs have often not been designed to target people who may be in urgent need of such information, which may limit the effectiveness of those programs.

This dissertation thus focuses on the following four objectives: to investigate the association between motor vehicle inattentive driving and …

Forest Soil Carbon And Nitrogen Cycles Under Biomass Harvest: Stability, Transient Response, And Feedback, Anthony J. Parolari, Amilcare Porporato

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Biomass harvest generates an imbalance in forest carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles and the nonlinear biogeochemical responses may have long-term consequences for soil fertility and sustainable management. We analyze these dynamics and characterize the impact of biomass harvest and N fertilization on soil biogeochemistry and ecosystem yield with an ecosystem model of intermediate complexity that couples plant and soil C and N cycles. Two harvest schemes are modeled: continuous harvest at low intensity and periodic clear-cut harvest. Continuously-harvested systems sustain N harvest at steady-state under net mineralization conditions, which depends on the C:N ratio and respiration rate of decomposers. …

Quantitative Risk Evaluation Of Obstacle Limitation Surfaces For Final Approaches At Airports, Amila Silva, Alexandre G. De Barros

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Obstacle limitation surfaces (OLS) are the main safeguard against objects that can pose a hazard to aircraft operations at and around airports. The standard dimensions of the most of those surfaces were estimated using the pilot’s experience at the time when they were included in the standard documents. As a result, some of these standards may have been overestimated, while others may not provide an adequate level of safety. With airports moving to the Safety Management System (SMS) approach to design and operations safety, proper evaluation of the level of safety provided by OLS at specific sites becomes important to …

Probability Model Of Corrosion-Induced Cracking Time In Chloride-Contaminated Reinforced Concrete, Chunhua Lu, Jinmu Yang, Ronggui Liu

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

Corrosion-induced concrete cover cracking caused by chloride ion is an important indication of durability limit state for marine reinforced concrete (RC) structures and can ultimately determine the structural service life. In this paper, considering the random nature of factors affecting the corrosion cracking process, a probabilistic model which expands on the deterministic model of cover cracking time is developed by using Monte Carlo simulation technique. The results showed that the time to corrosion cracking can be modelled by the Weibull distribution. Finally, the probabilistic analysis for the cracking time is applied to an in-site RC bridge girder with four different …

Progress Of Carbonation In Chloride Contaminated Concretes, Yaocheng Wang, P. A.M. Basheer, S. Nanukuttan, Y. Bai

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

Concretes used in marine environment are generally under the cyclic effect of CO₂ and chloride ions (Cl^-). To date, the influence of carbonation on ingress of chloride ions in concretes has been widely studied; in comparison, study on the influence of Cl^- on the progress of carbonation is limited. During the study, concretes were exposed to independent and combined mechanisms of carbonation and chloride ingress regimes. Profiles of apparent pH and chloride concentration were used to indicate the progress of carbonation and ingress of Cl^- in concretes. From the apparent pH profile, a carbonation front …

Carbon Fiber As Anode Material For Cathodic Prevention In Cementitious Materials, Emma Qingnan Zhang, Luping Tang, Thomas Zack

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

Cathodic prevention (CPre) technique is a promising method and has been used for the past two decades to prevent steel from corrosion in concrete structures. However, wide application of this technique has been restricted due to high costs of anode materials. In order to lower the cost and further improve this technique, carbon fiber composite anode has been introduced as an alternative anode material with affordable price and other outstanding properties. This paper presents the study of using carbon fiber mesh as anode material for long-term cathodic prevention system and the effect of accelerated current on macro- and microstructure of …

Investigation Of A Novel 3d Non-Destructive Evaluation For Corrosion Process In Reinforced Concrete, Guohao Fang, Biqin Dong, Ningxu Han, Feng Xing

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

X-ray computed microtomography (X-ray μCT) method is proposed to trace the corrosion features of steel bar in cementitious materials. Three-dimensional corrosion morphology (including morphology of steel corrosion, corrosion products and cracks formation) are characterized and reconstructed. Experimental results demonstrate that X-ray μCT can track time-dependent development of corrosion products and the subsequent initiation and propagation of corrosion-induced cracks. In addition, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) are used to morphologically and chemically analyze the corrosion result. The microscopic analysis result is found to be in a very good agreement with the image analysis measured by X-ray μCT. …

An Experimental Study On Effect Of Steel Corrosion On The Bond–Slip Performance Of Reinforced Concrete, Xiaolin Zhang, Xuebing Liang, Hancheng Huang, Haijun Zhou

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

This paper studied the effects of reinforcement corrosion on bond performance between rebar and concrete. Tests were carried out to evaluate the degradation of bond between reinforcing steel and concrete for different corrosion levels of reinforcing steel. A series of 20 specimens of different concrete strength with various reinforcing steel corrosion levels were designed and manufactured. Each specimen was casted as a 200-mm concrete cube, and a steel rebar was centrally embedded with two stirrups around it. The steel rebar were corroded using an electrochemical accelerated corrosion technique. The corrosion crack opening width and length were recorded after the corrosion …

Threshold Chloride Concentration Of Stainless Steels In Simulated Concrete Pore Solution, Hailong Wang, Jiayan Ling, Xiaoyan Sun

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

To evaluate whether stainless steel can replace carbon steel as rebar in reinforced concrete structures exposed to aggressive environment, the threshold chloride concentration of carbon steel, austenitic and duplex stainless steels were experimentally studied in this paper. The solutions with pH ranging from 9.5 to 13.6 were used herein to simulate the pore liquids in both alkaline and carbonated concretes. Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests were carried out in the solutions with chloride concentration ranging from 0 to 5.0M and at a temperature around 25°C. The activation of pitting corrosion was determined when corrosion current increased and …

Corrosion-Induced Concrete Cracking Model Considering Corrosion-Filled Paste, Jianfeng Dong, Yuxi Zhao, Yingyao Wu, Weiliang Jin

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

A T_CP–T_CL model is established to describe the relationship between the thickness of the corrosion-filled paste (CP) and that of the corrosion layer (CL). This model can describe the phenomenon that the corrosion filling in the concrete pores and accumulating at the steel/concrete interface occur synchronously. Based on the T_CP–T_CL model, a corrosion-induced concrete cracking model, which can quantitatively consider corrosion-filled paste at concrete/steel interface, is proposed. Combined with damage analysis in corrosion-induced cracking process of concrete cover, the model is developed to describe the quantity of steel corrosion required to crack …

The Compressive Strength Of Cement–Slag–Calcium Sulphoaluminate Ternary System, Hu Shi, Jun Wang, Zhuqing Yu, Xiaodong Shen

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

At present, there is an increasing interest on the use of calcium sulphoaluminate (C₄A₃$) in cement. In this paper, pure mineral of sulphoaluminate (C₄A₃$) was prepared in laboratory. Different dosages of steel slag and C₄A₃$ were blended into cement. The aim of this paper is to investigate the compressive strength of this ternary system. The test results show that the addition of C₄A₃$ can improve the strength of cement. Larger C₄A₃$ dosage (7%) may reduce the 28 days strength. The …

Potential For Alkali–Silica Reaction In Radiation Shielding Concrete Containing Special Aggregates, Daria Jóźwiak-Niedźwiedzka, Michał A. Glinicki, Karolina Gibas

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

In the present study, the potential for the alkali–silica reaction (ASR) in radiation shielding concrete containing special aggregates is presented. The tests were performed on two kinds of aggregate: (1) high-density aggregate to absorb the gamma radiation (barite, magnetite, and hematite) and (2) mineral with high bound water content to attenuate the neutron flux (serpentinite). The optical microscopy in transparent light on thin sections, XRD and XRF method, was used to assess the mineral composition of aggregates. ASTM C1260 test method for potential alkali reactivity of aggregates was applied also to investigate the effect of different content and crystal size …

Effect Of Superabsorbent Polymers (Sap) On Fresh State Mortars With Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (Ggbs), Fernando Do Couto Rosa Almeida, Agnieszka Joanna Klemm

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

Although cementitious materials are the main construction materials and worldwide produced, there is still a major concern about their sustainability and durability, especially in terms of conserving resources, reducing wastes, and decreasing the environmental impacts of repair and replacement. In general, cementitious materials are very susceptible to cracking provoked by autogenous shrinkage due to their associated self-desiccation process. The problem is even more critical in concrete with blended cements, including Portland cement with ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS). The current paper evaluates efficiency of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) as internal curing agents; shrinkage reduction in mortars with different levels of cement …

Designing Repeatable Self-Healing Into Cementitious Materials, Mo Li, Shuai Fan

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

Designing self-healing into cementitious materials can open a new world of opportunities for resilient concrete infrastructure under service loading conditions. The self-healing process should be robust as well as repeatable, allowing for self-repair after multiple damage events. The repeatability poses great challenges when self-healing strategies mainly rely on the formation of low-strength calcium carbonate healing product, complicated by the localized cracking behavior of cementitious materials. This study aims at formulating a new cementitious material system with designed physical and chemical characteristics that favour repeatable self-healing. Advanced experimental methods, coupled with micromechanics theory, are adopted to probe and design repeatable self-healing …

Progress In Durability Study Of Frp Materials, Zeng-Zhu Zhu, Ying-Wu Zhou, Li-Li Sui, Feng Xing, Jia Du

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

During the past decades, FRP strengthened RC structures have attracted worldwide interest in both application and research. Nowadays, as more and more infrastructures are being suffered from severe corrosions due to harsh and extreme environments, the durability of FRP strengthened RC structures has generally emerged as the most important issue in research. Thus, the paper presents the latest progress in durability study of the FRP materials through an in-depth review and analysis on existing extensive investigations. The time-dependent performances of two types of FRP materials of carbon FRP (CFRP) and glass FRP (GFRP) under severe environments of humidity, high temperature, …

Durability-Based Optimal Design Methodology For Rc Members In Corrosive Environment, Saeid A. Alghamdi, Shamsad Ahmad, Adamu Lawan

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of The Spatial Variability Of Steel Weight Loss And Corrosion Cracking: A Novel X-Ray Technique, Sopokhem Lim, Haitao Jiang, Mitsuyoshi Akiyama

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

The performance of corrosion-affected RC members depends strongly on localized damages of reinforcement. Therefore, modeling the spatial variability of steel corrosion is very important for the assessment of the remaining service life of corroded structures or time for maintenance. To study the changes of spatial variability of steel weight loss over time, a continuous monitoring is necessary. In this paper, a novel procedure of X-ray technique application in monitoring the spatial growth of a corroded bar in a RC specimen is demonstrated along with the digital image processing of X-ray images to estimate the steel weight loss. The relationship of …

Influence Of Concrete Moisture Condition On Half-Cell Potential Measurement, Sylvia Kessler, Christoph Gehlen

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

The detection of on-going corrosion is one of the main issues during inspection of reinforced concrete structures. The half-cell potential measurement method is the most common and established non-destructive technique to support this task. But a lot of infrastructures are exposed to rain or seawater, which can cause heterogeneous moisture condition within one component. In turn, this can have influence on the potential mapping results, and as a consequence, the interpretability of the half-cell potential measurement is impaired. This paper focuses on the influence of concrete moisture condition on half-cell potential measurement. Laboratory and practical tests’ results are analyzed qualitatively …

Electrical Response Of Mortar Saturated With Nacl Solutions Under Freeze–Thaw Cycles, Yi Wang, Fuyuan Gong, Tamon Ueda, Dawei Zhang

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

This paper presents the test results of electrical response of mortar saturated with sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions under freeze–thaw cycles (FTCs). To quantitatively evaluate the salt frost damage of mortar based on its electrical response, mesoscale samples are prepared to assure the uniform pore solution concentration. The reduction of electrical resistivity shows the same tendency with elastic modulus, but with less degree. The investigation shows that electrical resistivity of mortar decreases with temperature and the phase changes can be observed based on their relationship. The freezing and thawing points decreasing with increment of solution concentration can be found, but their …

Basic Examination On Assessing Mechanical Properties Of Concrete That Has Suffered Combined Deterioration From Fatigue And Frost Damage, Hiroshi Hayashida, Yasuhiko Sato, Tamon Ueda

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

An examination including an evaluation of mechanical properties of concrete that had suffered combined deterioration from fatigue and frost damage was done using cylindrical specimens. The order of deterioration and degree of deterioration of the specimens were used as variables. The examination clarified that certain mechanical properties of concrete that had undergone combined deterioration were able to be evaluated by measuring the propagation speed of ultrasonic waves. The decrease in the elastic modulus and the ultrasonic velocity that accompanies the increase in the number of freeze–thaw cycles was smaller in the specimens that experienced fatigue first and then frost damage …

The Effect Of Nano-Sio2 Dispersed Methods On Mechanical Properties Of Cement Mortar, Mingle Liu, Zonghui Zhou, Xiuzhi Zhang, Xiangzi Yang, Xin Cheng

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

Nano-SiO₂ is added to the cement by using different dispersion methods, through the macroscopic mechanical properties to characterize its dispersion in the cement, it can be used to explore the best experimental process. The results show that the compressive strength of cement samples with different dispersion methods is different. When the physical dispersion method is used, the intensity is not improved, but the ultrasonic dispersion method is the smallest, and the dispersion of nano-SiO₂ is -9.11%. When the surfactant is used as dispersant, the dispersion of nano-SiO₂ by Naphthalene water reducer is the best, and the compressive …

Effect Of Nano-Sio2 Content On The Setting Time And Mechanical Properties Of Tricalcium Silicate, Zhenhai Xu, Zonghui Zhou, Xin Cheng

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

Using analytically pure calcium carbonate and silica as raw materials, high purity tricalcium silicate (C₃S) is prepared by solid-state reaction. The tricalcium silicate was sintered at a temperature of 1550°C with the heat preservation time of 6 h. The final sample needs three times of calcination circles. Ultrasonic cleaning machine was used to disperse the water and different amount of nano-SiO₂ (0, 1, 2, and 3 wt%) for 5 min, then mixed with C₃S, and formed into standard blocks. The setting time and compressive strength of each age (1, 3, 7, and 28 days) was …

Effects Of Nano-Caco3 On The Properties Of Cement Paste: Hardening Process And Shrinkage At Different Humidity Levels, Yamei Cai, Pengkun Hou, Zonghui Zhou, Xin Cheng

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

The hardening process and volume stability of cement pastes with and without nano-CaCO₃ (NC) were studied through investigations on the setting time and shrinkage. Results showed that NC shortened the setting time of cement paste: the initial setting time decreased by 3.9 and 11.1% when 1 and 3% NC were added, and the finial setting times were shortened by 6.2 and 15.2%, respectively. The shrinkage of cement paste was compensated by NC, and the effect was more obvious as more NC was added into the cement paste. Although the shrinkage decreased at the lower relative humidity, the degree of …

Effect Of Bfrp Grid On Crack Propagation Of Reinforced Concrete Beam With Thick-Cover Concrete, Li-Juan Cheng, Hua-Nan He

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

For the purpose of solving the problem of large crack width in concrete beam with thick cover, BFRP grid is added to the concrete cover to control the crack development and to improve the distribution status of cracks. In this paper, the bending tests under four-point loading are adopted to investigate cracking properties of reinforced concrete beams with thick cover, in which BFRP grid is added. During test cracking load, crack width and the number of crack were recorded, which will be analysed later. Test results show that crack development of reinforced concrete beam with thick cover can be effectively …