Engineering Commons^™

Harnessing Wastewater For Renewable Energy (2013-2), Aaron Adalja, Chalida U-Tapao

Aaron Adalja

This case study explores the options for using wastewater to produce renewable energy in the context of a public wastewater treatment plant. It provides an opportunity for students to synthesize knowledge from resource economics, engineering, environmental science, agriculture, and public policy to develop a transdisciplinary approach to a socio-environmental issue. The case is designed for upper division undergraduate courses in resource economics or environmental engineering, but several modifications are provided graduate course applications. Students assume the role of a newly hired analyst at a consulting firm in Washington, DC, that specializes in renewable energy solutions. They are charged with proposing …

The Girl Scout Climbing Wall Multidisciplinary Service-Learning Project, Margaret Pinnell, Corinne M. Daprano, Gabrielle Williamson

Corinne M. Daprano

The Girl Scout Wall (GS Wall) project was implemented in two classes at the University of Dayton (UD): a Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) course, and a Health and Sports Science (HSS) course, and Sport Facility Management. The MAE course, Introduction to Materials, is a three-credit, third-year required course where students learn about the basic structure and properties of materials as well as the principles of material selection. The Sport Facility Management course is a three-semester hour, required HSS course where students are introduced to the processes of planning, constructing, equipping, maintaining, and managing sport facilities.

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

Jeremy Pal

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, …

Cfd Simulation Of Passenger Hazard Risk At Railway Station Platforms Due To Explosive Air Blasts, Vivian Lawrence, Sakdirat Kaewunruen, Gianni Bartoli, Charalampos Baniotopoulos

Sakdirat Kaewunruen

Effect Of Calcium Carbonate Fineness On Calcium Sulfoaluminate-Belite Cement, Yeonung Jeong, Craig Hargis, Sungchul Chun, Juhyuk Moon

Craig Hargis

Soft Elastomeric Capacitor Network For Strain Sensing Over Large Surfaces, Simon Laflamme, Husaam S. Saleem, Bharath K. Vasan, Randall L. Geiger, Degang J. Chen, Michael R. Kessler, Krishna Rajan

Randall Geiger

Field applications of existing sensing solutions to structural health monitoring (SHM) of civil structures are limited. This is due to economical and/or technical challenges in deploying existing sensing solutions to monitor geometrically large systems. To realize the full potential of SHM solutions, it is imperative to develop scalable cost-effective sensing strategies. We present a novel sensor network specifically designed for strain sensing over large surfaces. The network consists of soft elastomeric capacitors (SECs) deployed in an array form. Each SEC acts as a surface strain gage transducing local strain into changes in capacitance. Results show that the sensor network can …

Large-Scale Flexible Membrane For Automatic Strain Monitoring Of Transportation Infrastructure, Simon Laflamme, Venkata D. Kolipara, Hussam S. Saleem, Randall L. Geiger

Randall Geiger

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of transportation infrastructures is a complex task, typically conducted by visual inspection due to the technical and economical constrains of existing health monitoring technologies. It results that health monitoring is highly dependent on scheduling and on the judgment of the inspectors, which can be costly and ineffective. Thus, it is fundamental to automate the SHM process to allow timely inspection, maintenance, and management of transportation infrastructure. The authors propose a flexible membrane that can be deployed over large surfaces, at low cost, for automatic and continuous monitoring of strains. The membrane, termed sensing skin, is constituted …

Development Of A Wireless Mems Multifunction Sensor System And Field Demonstration Of Embedded Sensors For Monitoring Concrete Pavements, Halil Ceylan, Liang Dong, Shuo Yang, Yueyi Jiao, Sunghwan Kim, Kasthurirangan Gopalakrishnan, Peter Taylor, Seval Yavas

Liang Dong

Pavements tend to deteriorate with time under repeated traffic and/or environmental loading. By detecting pavement distresses and damage early enough, it is possible for transportation agencies to develop more effective pavement maintenance and rehabilitation programs and thereby achieve significant cost and time savings. The structural health monitoring (SHM) concept can be considered as a systematic method for assessing the structural state of pavement infrastructure systems and documenting their condition. Over the past several years, this process has traditionally been accomplished through the use of wired sensors embedded in bridge and highway pavement. However, the use of wired sensors has limitations …

Natural Selection Of Asphalt Mix Stiffness Predictive Models With Genetic Programming, Kasthurirangan Gopalakrishnan, Sunghwan Kim, Halil Ceylan, Siddhartha K. Khaitan

Siddhartha Khaitan

Genetic Programming (GP) is a systematic, domain-independent evolutionary computation technique that stochastically evolves populations of computer programs to perform a user-defined task. Similar to Genetic Algorithms (GA) which evolves a population of individuals to better ones, GP iteratively transforms a population of computer programs into a new generation of programs by applying biologically inspired operations such as crossover, mutation, etc. In this paper, a population of Hot-Mix Asphalt (HMA) dynamic modulus stiffness prediction models is genetically evolved to better ones by applying the principles of genetic programming. The HMA dynamic modulus (|E*|), one of the stiffness measures, is the primary …

Non-Linear Inverse Analysis Of Transportation Structures Using Neuro-Adaptive Networks With Hybrid Learning Algorithm, Kasthurirangan Gopalakrishnan, Siddhartha K. Khaitan, Halil Ceylan

Siddhartha Khaitan

The load-bearing capacity of pavement structures is a fundamental structural performance metric of transportation infrastructure networks in the context of safe and efficient movement of people and goods from one place to another. Non-destructive test (NDT) methods are typically employed to routinely evaluate the structural condition of pavement structures, their lifespan and the appropriate maintenance activities to be carried out. This involves computing the Young’s modulus of each layer of the pavement structure through inverse analysis of acquired NDT data. Over the past two decades, soft computing techniques such as Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Genetic Algorithms (GAs), and Fuzzy Logic …

Smart Sensing Skin For Detection And Localization Of Fatigue Cracks, Sari Kharroub, Simon Laflamme, Chunhui Song, Daji Qiao, Brent M. Phares, Jian Li

Daji Qiao

Fatigue cracks on steel components may have strong consequences on the structure's serviceability and strength. Their detection and localization is a difficult task. Existing technologies enabling structural health monitoring have a complex link signal-to-damage or have economic barriers impeding large-scale deployment. A solution is to develop sensing methods that are inexpensive, scalable, with signals that can directly relate to damage. The authors have recently proposed a smart sensing skin for structural health monitoring applications to mesosystems. The sensor is a thin film soft elastomeric capacitor (SEC) that transduces strain into a measurable change in capacitance. Arranged in a network configuration, …

Integration Of A Prototype Wireless Communication System With Micro-Electromechanical Temperature And Humidity Sensor For Concrete Pavement Health Monitoring, Shuo Yang, Keyan Shen, Halil Ceylan, Sunghwan Kim, Daji Qiao, Kasthurirangan Gopalakrishnan

Daji Qiao

In recent years, structural health monitoring and management (SHMM) has become a popular approach and is considered essential for achieving well-performing, long-lasting, sustainable transportation infrastructure systems. Key requirements in ideal SHMM of road infrastructure include long-term, continuous, and real-time monitoring of pavement response and performance under various pavement geometry-materials-loading configurations and environmental conditions. With advancements in wireless technologies, integration of wireless communications into sensing device is considered an alternate and superior solution to existing time- and labor-intensive wired sensing systems in meeting the requirements of an ideal SHMM. This study explored the development and integration of a wireless communications sub-system …

Advanced Methodology To Determine Highway Construction Cost Index (Hcci), Joseph Shrestha

Joseph Shrestha

No abstract provided.

Assessing Public Health Burden Associated With Exposure To Ambient Black Carbon In The United States, Ying Li, Daven K. Henze, Darby Jack, Barron H. Henderson, Patrick L. Kinney

Ying Li

Black carbon (BC) is a significant component of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution, which has been linked to a series of adverse health effects, in particular premature mortality. Recent scientific research indicates that BC also plays an important role in climate change. Therefore, controlling black carbon emissions provides an opportunity for a double dividend. This study quantifies the national burden of mortality and morbidity attributable to exposure to ambient BC in the United States (US). We use GEOS–Chem, a global 3-D model of atmospheric composition to estimate the 2010 annual average BC levels at 0.5 x 0.667° resolution, and …

Mathematical Model Of The Shell With The Infill For Retaining Structures, Alexander T. Bekker, Nikita Ya. Tsimbelman, Dmitriy A. Potyanikhin, Andrey I. Mamontov, Ömer Bilgin, Tatiana I. Chernova

Ömer Bilgin

A description of finite element model and analysis of a shell with an infill is performed. A large diameter thin cylindrical shell structure with the edge leaning against compressible foundation soil is analyzed. Different materials are considered individually for the models of each structure shell and infill component (metal or reinforced concrete shell, and granular or elastic infill in a shell and foundation soil loaded by the structure). Contact conditions between 1) the infill and the shell’s inner surface and 2) between the foundation material and the shell edge are analyzed. An example of calculating strain conditions in the shell …

Urban Waterways And Waterfront Spaces: Social Construction Ofa Common Good, Anne Taufen Wessells, Raul P. Lejano

Anne Taufen

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Building Vibrations On Vibrocardiographic Signal Collection, Bolivar Perez

Bolivar Perez