Engineering Commons^™

Conductivity Sensors To Monitor Cover-Zone Performance, W. J. Mccarter, T. M. Chrisp, G. Starrs, E. Owens, Niall Holmes, L. Basheer, S. V. Nanukuttan, M. Basheer

Conference papers

This paper presents developments in the use of an embedded, multi-electrode conductivity sensor to study the response of the concrete cover-zone to environmental action. The sensor enables an evaluation of the temporal and spatial variation of electrical conductivity thereby allowing an integrated assessment of the cover-zone. Conductivity sensors were embedded within concrete samples to study the cover-zone response to cyclic wetting and drying under laboratory conditions. This work was extended to include the use of remote interrogation methods to study samples placed at a marine exposure site and preliminary results are presented.

Hydrological Behavior Of Grasslands Of The Sandhills Of Nebraska: Water And Energy Balance Assessment From Measurements, Treatments And Modeling, Venkataramana Sridhar, David A. Wedin

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding energy and water balance processes in the Sandhills is crucial to assess the land-atmosphere feedback effects. The Sandhills located in western Nebraska covers a vast grassland ecosystem with limited variability in vegetation and soil. However, the combined effect of topography, land cover and micrometeorology by subjecting the land surface to various disturbances and treatments is rarely studied. The NOAH Land Surface Model was used to estimate net radiation, latent, sensible and ground heat fluxes as well as water balance components for two growing seasons between 2005 and 2006 in various plots at the Grasslands Destabilization Experimental site where these …

Effectiveness And Service Lives/Survival Curves Of Various Pavement Rehabilitation Treatments, Panagiotis Ch. Anastasopoulos, Fred L. Mannering, John E. Haddock

JTRP Technical Reports

The pavement analysis in this study considers various combinations of pavement rehabilitation treatments (two-course HMA overlay with or without surface milling, concrete pavement restoration, three-course HMA overlay with or without surface milling, three-course HMA overlay with crack and seat of PCC pavement and 3-R and 4-R overlay or replacement treatments). Six road functional classes (rural and urban of interstates, non-interstates of the NHS, and non-interstates non-NHS) are considered. This allows for estimation of the performance and service life of the pavement, corresponding to each treatment and road functional class. Main findings;

• More than 95 percent of the data points …

Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Speed Cameras On Road Safety In The Emirate Of Abu Dhabi Roads, Ali Humaid Ai Darei

Theses

The problem of road safety in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is eminent. According road crash data from the Ministry of Interior, from 1999 to 2007 the average percentage of deaths due to road crashes in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi was 42 percent of the whole UAE. The high death rate due to road crashes has enormous economic and financial loss to the Emirate. The previous research on road safety in the UAE reported that the aberrant driving behavior is one of the major causes for road crashes in the UAE. The aberrant driving behavior includes careless driving, speeding, …

Prestressing Concrete With Shape Memory Alloy Fibers, Skye M. Orvis

Master's Theses

Concrete is considerably stronger in compression than it is in tension. When cracks form in concrete members, the flexural stiffness of the member decreases and the deflection increases which increases the overall size of the member. Prestressing concrete remedies this problem by inducing a compressive stress in the concrete thereby reducing the net tension in the member and increasing the load required to crack the member. Traditional prestressing is generally limited to large, straight members. During the last decade, shape memory alloys (SMA) have become more prevalent in engineering and civil engineering applications. The shape memory effect refers to the …

Coupling Of Integrated Biosphere Simulator To Regional Climate Model Version 3, Jonathan M. Winter, Jeremy S. Pal, Elfatih A. B. Eltahir

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Works

A description of the coupling of Integrated Biosphere Simulator (IBIS) to Regional Climate Model version 3 (RegCM3) is presented. IBIS introduces several key advantages to RegCM3, most notably vegetation dynamics, the coexistence of multiple plant functional types in the same grid cell, more sophisticated plant phenology, plant competition, explicit modeling of soil/plant biogeochemistry, and additional soil and snow layers.

A single subroutine was created that allows RegCM3 to use IBIS for surface physics calculations. A revised initialization scheme was implemented for RegCM3–IBIS, including an IBIS-specific prescription of vegetation and soil properties.

To illustrate the relative strengths and weaknesses of RegCM3–IBIS, …

Rainwater Harvesting Pilot Project Report, Liam Mccarton, Sean O'Hogain, Anna Reid, Niamh Mcintyre, Jenny Pender

Reports

The rainwater harvesting pilot project was commissioned by the National Rural Water Monitoring Committee in 2005 to assess the feasibility of supplementing treated mains water used for non-potable purposes. The project involved the design, installation, commissioning and monitoring of rainwater harvesting facilities in a rural housing development in County Carlow and in a 250-acre livestock farm in County Meath. Construction was carried out between 2005-2007.

Testing And Monitoring Concrete Using Novel Methods For Predicting Their Long Term Behaviour, Sreejith Nanukuttan, Lulu Basheer, Muhammed Basheer, Niall Holmes, John Mccarter, Malcolm Chrisp, Gerry Starrs

Conference papers

It is widely recognised that durability of concrete depends on its transport properties, viz. absorption, diffusion and permeability. As concrete cover provides the first line of defence against the ingress of many deleterious substances into the concrete, a measure of its transport properties is vital in assessing its long term performance in the given exposure condition. In new structures the rate of ingress of the deleterious substances could be monitored using array of electrical sensors which are embedded in the cover concrete. For structures which are currently in service, two in situ permeability apparatuses, viz. Autoclam Permeability System (for measuring …

Reliability Of Light Frame Roof Systems Subject To High Winds, Angelina Gleason

All Theses

Recent hurricane damages have devastated coastal communities and focused national attention on hurricane damage mitigation. Structural damage is one of the most significant impacts of a hurricane. Even small levels of structural damage can result in large economic losses; when gaps open in the roof system, rain water can leak in, ruining the contents of the structure and rendering it uninhabitable although it is still standing. In order to prevent these secondary damages from occurring, a better understanding of the roof system behavior is essential. This research aims to ascertain the behavior of the roof system by determining the influence …

Behavior Of Prestressed Concrete Bridge Girders, Franklin B. Angomas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For this research, prestress losses were monitored in six HPC bridge girders. These measured losses were compared to predicted losses according to four sources. Prestress loss predictive methods considered for this research were: 1- AASHTO LRFD 2004, 2- AASHTO LRFD 2004 Refined, 3- AASHTO LRFD 2007, and 4- AASHTO LRFD Lump Sum method. On the other hand, the camber prediction methods used in the present research were: 1- Time dependent method described in NCHRP Report 496, 2- PCI multiplier method, and 3- Improved PCI Multiplier method. For the purpose of this research, long-term prestress losses were monitored in select girders …

Sediment Transport Impacts Upon Culvert Hydraulics, Wade H. Goodridge

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Sedimentation buildup and accumulation can cause serious impediments to the hydraulic capacity of culvert systems. There has not been any significant research to date regarding the behavior of bed load transport nor the implications of bed forms upon the hydraulics associated with culvert flow. The primary objective of this study was to investigate how sediment transport occurs in a culvert and to then develop a methodology and test setup to successfully investigate this sediment transport. The investigation was limited to studying culvert and pipeline transport of alluvial material in sand and gravel sizes.

This dissertation develops a semi-empirical bed load …

Finite Element Modeling Of Full Depth Precast Concrete Transverse Bridge Deck Connections, Jacob Logan Julander

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The frequent use of precast concrete panels has been used to decrease the construction time for bridges. Cracking often occurs at the transverse connections of these panels, resulting in corrosion, and decreased bridge life. Previous laboratory testing of these connections was performed at Utah State University for the Utah Department of Transportation to determine maximum shear and moment capacities, cracking behavior, and cracking loads for five different connections. Two connections are Utah Department of Transportation standard connections. These connections are post tensioned and welded tie connection using shear studs. A different type of welded tie connection using rebar was also …

Development Of Mechanically Stabilized Earth (Mse) Wall Inspection Procedure For Failure Mode Analysis And Risk Assessment, Ryan Bruce Maw

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A large component of the State of Utah's transportation network involves the use of MSE walls, which have proven useful in infrastructure for their reduced costs and footprint compared to other alternatives. As effective as MSE walls have been in responding to demands in transportation, they also have inherent challenges. For the majority of MSE walls the structure is limited in observation as structural components are buried as part of the soils mass. This inability to observe at can lead to the development of complex failure mechanisms, which can be difficult to assess and anticipate. As society becomes increasingly reliant …

Water Allocation For Agricultural Use Considering Treated Wastewater, Public Health Risk, And Economic Issues, Ahmed E. Al-Juaidi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increasing demand on limited water resources calls for more efficient and improved approaches to maximize the benefits of water use. Typically, agricultural water use has the largest share among all water use sectors. Therefore, finding the best agricultural water management alternatives to maximize profit and reduce financial and other related risks under limited water availability is essential. Treated wastewater is an important alternative source of agricultural water which has the potential to reduce the stress on freshwater sources from urban and industrial sectors. Thus, further research on optimal agricultural water management is needed to find the best management alternatives that …

Earthquake Resistance Of Integral Abutment Bridges, Robert J. Frosch, Michael E. Kreger, Aaron M. Talbott

JTRP Technical Reports

intermediate length bridges. Integral abutment construction eliminates joints and bearings which reduce long-term maintenance costs. However, in the absence of joints and bearings, the bridge abutments and foundations must be able to accommodate lateral movements from thermal expansion and contraction of the superstructure and from seismic events. Previous research has focused on the response to thermal expansion and contraction. The current research examines the response of integral abutment bridges to seismic loading. A field investigation was conducted to examine the response of an integral abutment to lateral loading from thermal expansion and contraction. The results were used to calibrate analytical …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

The I-70 Greenfield Rest Area Wetland Projects, Shih-Chieh Kao, Ting Pong Chang, Rebeka Sultana, Thomas Konopka, Rao S. Govindaraju, Barry Partridge

JTRP Technical Reports

On-site treatment of wastewater at highway rest areas poses some unique and difficult challenges because of the rural locale, high variability in wastewater flow rate and strength, and lack of knowledgeable personnel on-site. As a potential alternative, a constructed subsurface wetland system was built at the I-70 rest stop nearby Greenfield, Indiana, in 2003. This wetland system, mainly composed of three wetland cells, also includes draw-and-fill and recirculation mechanisms to increase oxygen transfer to the wastewater and improve the overall treatment performance. Special considerations for highway rest areas have been emphasized. A dynamic hydraulic model was developed to help characterize …

Vertical Boil Propagation From A Submerged Estuarine Sill, C. Chris Chickadel, Alexander R. Horner-Devine, Stefan A. Talke, Andrew T. Jessup

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Surface disruptions by boils during strong tidal flows over a rocky sill were observed in thermal infrared imagery collected at the Snohomish River estuary in Washington State. Locations of boil disruptions and boil diameters at the surface were quantified and are used to test an idealized model of vertical boil propagation. The model is developed as a two-dimensional approximation of a three-dimensional vortex loop, and boil vorticity is derived from the flow shear over the sill. Predictions of boil disruption locations were determined from the modeled vertical velocity, the sill depth, and the over-sill velocity. Predictions by the vertical velocity …

Hydraulics Of Ideal Drip Irrigation Systems, Evan J. Thompson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The hydraulics of IDEal drip irrigation system components were analyzed under controlled laboratory conditions and the results can be applied to the design of IDEal systems. The hydraulic loss coefficient for the lateral-submain connector valves was determined based on laboratory measurements. It was found that the hydraulic loss due to friction in the lay-flat laterals can be accurately estimated with standard friction loss equations using a smaller effective diameter based on the wall thickness and inlet pressure head. The equivalent length barb loss, expressed as an equivalent length of lateral, was calculated for button emitters, as well as for micro-tubes …

Development Of A Methodology For Evaluating And Anticipating Improvised Explosive Device Threat Activity Using A Fault Tree Based Process, Benjamin Bennett

All Dissertations

This document is a redacted version of the original dissertation titled 'Development of a Methodology for Evaluating and Anticipating Improvised Explosive Device Threat Activity Using a Fault Tree Based Process.' To allow for publication, information was removed which was considered sensitive in nature or which could be used by those who employ the Improvised Explosive Device, to negate any advantage gained by this research. The complete un-redacted dissertation is available (with proper vetting) to those whishing to further develop the concepts outlined in this document. Those interested in obtaining access to the complete document should contact the Joint IED Defeat …

Hot Mix Asphalt Longitudinal Joint Evaluation, Annette Porter

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Longitudinal joints are the portion of the road where two lanes meet and are formed because the lanes are paved at different times. Longitudinal joints tend to be the weakest portion of the roadway, and yet few regulations exist to control their quality. Currently, Arkansas specifications for asphalt pavement do not include any requirements for the measurement of joint quality. The purpose of this research project is to determine the most effective method for evaluating longitudinal joints in hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavements. Most of the literature concerning longitudinal joints focuses on density as the determining factor of quality because density …

Characterizing Liquefaction Resistance Of Aged Sand Deposits, Hossein Hayati

All Dissertations

Presented in this dissertation are the results of various studies conducted to characterize the liquefaction resistance of aged natural deposits. The data considered include laboratory and field test results from sites in five countries with particular focus on multiple locations in the South Carolina Coastal Plain.
A new liquefaction potential map of the peninsula of Charleston, South Carolina, is presented. Liquefaction potential is expressed in terms of the liquefaction potential index (LPI) developed by Iwasaki et al. and calculated using 44 cone penetration test (CPT) profiles. The CPT profiles are supplemented with information from the 1:24,000 scale geologic map by …

Practices For Seamless Transmission Of Design Data From Design Phase To Construction Equipment Operation: A Synthesis Study, Philip S. Dunston, James Monty

JTRP Technical Reports

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), in response to requests from the construction contracting community, has chosen to examine how to facilitate their contractors’ use of three-dimensional machine control (3D-MC) systems, especially GPS-based systems. INDOT recognizes that the prerequisite 3D project model, if available in its intelligent electronic form, may be leveraged by both INDOT and its project partners to automate the performance of tasks other than construction. Therefore, INDOT was compelled to initiate this study to investigate the state of technology and the experiences of other state transportation agencies (STAs) and to synthesize that information to formulate recommendations for …

An Investigation Of Human Induced Vibrations On Clemson Memorial Stadium, Benjamin Morris

All Theses

Human induced stadium vibrations have become of increasing concern to design engineers and facility managers as more energetic crowds and increasingly efficient structures have increased the likelihood of serviceability issues. The 'in-time' bouncing of spectators due to music has caused one such issue in the south upper deck of Clemson University's Memorial Stadium. To gain an understanding of the severity of vibrations in Memorial Stadium, a combination of experimental and analytical modeling is utilized. Data collected by an array of accelerometers installed on a main post tensioned precast cantilever girder provides a season and a half of response histories in …

Sustainability And Civil Engineering, Jeremy D. Rodgers

Ohio Valley Regional Student Conference

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Portland: Implementation Series 2, New England Environmental Finance Center

Climate Change

The Portland Municipal Climate Change Working Group prepared a report in March 2008 that outlined several recommendations as a commitment by the City to address greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) produced during daily municipal operations. The Municipal Climate Action Plan was written in partnership with Clean Air – Cool Planet and Portland officials, and acknowledges under Recommendation #2 that an employee energy efficiency program would provide significant positive impact on the City’s reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Best practices from three cities show that focus on the greening of City Hall is critical in developing a program that promotes partnerships, community …

Computational Simulation Of Strain Localization: From Theory To Implementation, Shouxin Wu

Doctoral Dissertations

Strain localization in the form of shear bands or slip surfaces has widely been observed in most engineering materials, such as metals, concrete, rocks, and soils. Concurrent with the appearance of localized deformation is the loss of overall load-carrying capacity of the material body. Because the deformation localization is an important precursor of material failure, computational modeling of the onset and growth of the localization is indispensable for the understanding of the complete mechanical response and post-peak behavior of materials and structures. Simulation results can also be used to judge the failure mechanisms of materials and structures so that the …

Evaluation Of Current Repair Criteria For Longitudinal Barrier With Crash Damage, Doug Gabauer, Hampton C. Gabler

Faculty Journal Articles

To protect motorists and avoid tort liability, highway agencies expend considerable resources to repair damaged longitudinal barriers, such as w-beam guardrails. With limited funding available, though, highway agencies are unable to maintain all field-installed systems in the ideal as-built condition. Instead, these agencies focus on repairing only damage that has a detrimental effect on the safety performance of the barrier. The distinction between minor damage and more severe performance-altering damage, however, is not always clear. This paper presents a critical review of current United States (US) and Canadian criteria on whether to repair damaged longitudinal barrier. Barrier repair policies were …

Quick Test For Durability Factor Estimation, David Newton Richardson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is considering the use of the AASHTO T 161 Durability Factor (DF) as an end-result performance specification criterion for evaluation of paving concrete. However, the test method duration can exceed 75 days before results are known. MoDOT contracted with the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) to develop a method of approximation of DF based primarily on aggregate testing that would be of a shorter duration. Nineteen different ledge samples representing 18 ledges, 10 geologic formations (nine limestone and one dolomite) were sampled by MoDOT and delivered to Missouri S&T. The ledge …

Guidelines For Indot-Mpo Coordination, Myron Matlock, Jon D. Fricker

JTRP Technical Reports

Federal legislation, such as the Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), mandates that each state’s Department of Transportation (DOT) coordinate with the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) within the state in the development and implementation of their Long-Range Transportation Plans. However, federal legislation does not indicate how the DOT and MPOs should work together, resulting in varying collaborative strategies from case to case. Developing a set of collaborative strategies that MPOs in the state of Indiana and the DOT could use during the transportation planning process could result in faster information processing and improved …