Engineering Commons^™

State Of The Art And Practice (Soap), Multiple Authors

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Recent Experience On Design, Construction And Performance Of Cfrd Dams, Camilo Marulanda Escobar, Alberto Marulanda Posada

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The inherent features of concrete face rockfill dams and the trend of building higher dams have been recently questioned by three recent incidents where major dams have experienced significant cracking in the central portion of the dam after the first filling. The incidents include the dams of Mohale in South Africa, and Barra Grande and Campos Novos in Brazil, the last one being the highest dam of its type built in the world. The design and development of CFRD dams, have been based primarily on precedent and empiricism, however, these recent incidents have shown that the extrapolation of precedent with …

Table Of Contents, Multiple Authors

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

General Report — Session 8: Projects Of Washington, District Of Columbia, Maryland And Virginia Forensic Geotechnical Engineering Health Monitoring And Retrofit Of Infrastructure, Sissy Nikolaou, Mary Perlea

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

General Report — Session 9: Case Histories Of Offshore Geotechnics, Gareth M. Swift

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

General Report — Session 11: Application Of Case Histories In Education And Practice, Sanjeev Kumar

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Geotechnical engineers frequently use information about subsurface conditions from other projects in the area to design new projects in the vicinity. However, this information is used more in a surfacial manner rather than an integral part of project design. This session on application of case histories in education and practice has been introduced for the first time in this conference to initiate formalization of the use case histories in engineering design and training of civil engineering students. This report summarizes the papers submitted by various civil engineering educators and professional practitioners. The readers are encouraged to review the complete papers …

Laboratory Investigation On The Behaviour Of Improved Organic Soil Of Khulna Region, M. A. Mahamud, M. Alamgir, M. J. Hossain

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The conventional foundation systems are not suitable for the massive structures in Khulna region i.e. South-west part of Bangladesh because an organic soil layer exists at a depth 10ft to 25ft from the existing ground surface. The existence of organic soil layer in the deposits results excessive settlement due to its high compressibility and low shear strength. To overcome the problem, soil improvement techniques are usually adopted depending upon the type of constructions. It is necessary to know the degree of improvement for the different improved grounds prior to the selection of ground improvement techniques. So a laboratory investigation was …

Preface, Shamsher Prakash

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Conference Schedule, Multiple Authors

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Seismic Microzonation Studies In The City Of Ragusa (Italy), Salvatore Grasso, Lauretta Spina, Michele Maugeri

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The geotechnical zonation of the subsoil of the city of Ragusa suggests a high vulnerability of the physical environment added to site amplification of the ground motion phenomena. These elements concur on the definition of the Seismic Geotechnical Hazard of the city of Ragusa that should be correctly evaluated, through geo-settled seismic microzoning maps. Based on the seismic history of Ragusa, the following scenario events have been considered: the “Val di Noto” earthquake of January 11, 1693 (M=7.3), the “Etna” earthquake of March 1, 1818 (M=5.9), the 1895 earthquake (I_MAX= 7 EMS), the Modica earthquake of January 23, …

Trends Of Rainfall And Maize Productivity In Malawi, T Kimaro

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Daily rainfall data between 1966 and 2005 across all Agricultural Development Areas (ADDs) in Malawi was investigated to determine changes in selected rainfall characteristics and their impact on Maize productivity. Rainfall indices analyzed included rainfall amounts (annual and seasonal), onset, cessation, dry spells and length of rainy season. Man Kendal’s trend test was applied to the time series of these indices to detect any trends in the time series. Water Requirement Satisfaction Index (WRSI) for maize crop was used to study the spatial-temporal variation of maize productivity and thus its linkage to rainfall. Definition of onset and cessation adopted from …

Sediment Yield Prediction In Tanzania: Case Study Of Dodoma District Catchments, Mathew Mulemgera

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Soil erosion and sedimentation is serious and is resulting in rapid sedimentation of streams and reservoirs in Tanzania. This makes sediment yield modeling important before undertaking water resources development projects, although it has so far not been done in the country. At present sediment yield prediction can be done using physically based models, empirical soil erosion and sediment yield models, and sediment rating curves. The physically based models contain numerous parameters that are difficult to measure or estimate, making them inappropriate in developing countries like Tanzania. The rating curves give rough estimates while the empirical sediment yield models need runoff …

Hydrologic Remote Sensing And Land Surface Data Assimilation, Hamid Moradkhani

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Accurate, reliable and skillful forecasting of key environmental variables such as soil moisture and snow are of paramount importance due to their strong influence on many water resources applications including flood control, agricultural production and effective water resources management which collectively control the behavior of the climate system. Soil moisture is a key state variable in land surface?atmosphere interactions affecting surface energy fluxes, runoff and the radiation balance. Snow processes also have a large influence on land-atmosphere energy exchanges due to snow high albedo, low thermal conductivity and considerable spatial and temporal variability resulting in the dramatic change on surface …

Temporal Variability Corrections For Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer E (Amsr-E) Surface Soil Moisture: Case Study In Little River Region, Georgia, U. S., Minha Choi, Jennifer M. Jacobs

Civil & Environmental Engineering

Statistical correction methods, the Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF) matching technique and Regional Statistics Method (RSM) are applied to adjust the limited temporal variability of Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer E (AMSR-E) data using the Common Land Model (CLM). The temporal variability adjustment between CLM and AMSR-E data was conducted for annual and seasonal periods for 2003 in the Little River region, GA. The results showed that the statistical correction techniques improved AMSR-E's limited temporal variability as compared to ground-based measurements. The regression slope and intercept improved from 0.210 and 0.112 up to 0.971 and -0.005 for the non-growing season. The R-2 …

Evaluation Of Noise Impact Mitigation Protocols To Support Css, Ted Grossardt, Lou Cohn, Al Harris, Keiron Bailey, John Ripy

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This research project developed and evaluated practical ways of involving the public in context sensitive sound mitigation strategies. The integrated use of photo montage, PowerPoint presentation, linked traffic sound files, and audience response systems demonstrated that significant visual and aural differences could be clearly portrayed and clear preferences could be expressed by citizens and professionals alike, even where the choice menu was quite complex.

Performance Evaluation Of Vip Latrines In The Upper West Region Of Ghana , James W. Dumpert

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The prevalence of Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrines in Ghana suggests that the design must have a high user acceptance. The two key factors attributed to user acceptance of a VIP latrine over an alternative latrine design, such as the basic pit latrine, are its ability to remove foul odors and maintain low fly populations; both of which are a direct result of an adequate ventilation flow rate.

Adequate ventilation for odorless conditions in a VIP latrine has been defined by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the World Bank, as an air flow rate equivalent to 6 air …

A Comparison Of Load Test Data And Predicted Behavior Of Augercast Piles In Layered Soils, John Hudson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of auger cast-in-place (ACIP) pilings is very common in Florida; however, there is a significant degree of uncertainty in determining the actual capacity of the pilings, especially when the pilings are installed through layers of cohesive soils. Therefore, there is a need to improve upon the existing methods of predicting the behavior of ACIP piles in layered soils. As a result, the primary objective of this study is to determine if a significant difference exists between the accepted methods of pile load test analysis. Provided a significant difference is noted, the secondary objective would be to determine if …

Planning And Adaptation Measures For Urban Slum Communities In West Africa : Stochastic Rainfall Modeling Applied To Domestic Rainwater Harvesting And Climate Change Adaptation, Joshua R. Cowden

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Over half of the world’s population is living in urban settlements, and most urban growth is occurring in developing countries. These countries’ economies are often unable to accommodate these rural-urban immigrations, resulting in millions of people settling in insecure communities known as urban slums. Current efforts to prevent urban slums include UN-HABITAT strategies to upgrade slums and stimulate urban/regional development. Urban metabolism analysis, which studies material and energy flows/stocks through urban processes, help decision-makers better understand their urban system. Nine lessons from past urban metabolism studies are presented to assist in finding answers on how to best solve urban slum …

Guidelines For Using Local Material For Roadway Base And Subbase, Biraj Gautam

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Flexible base materials that meet TxDOT specifications are getting more difficult to purchase in many TxDOT Districts. As a result, higher quality materials have to be hauled long distances, sometimes from other States. This act would significantly increase the costs associated with the construction of roads and subsequent maintenance and rehabilitation of them. Lower quality (i.e., out-of-specification) materials are normally available. If through appropriate modifications of the materials (adjusting the gradation or/and stabilization) or structural design (specifying thicker layers of base and/or hot mix) the use of the local materials can be permitted, the construction can be accelerated and significant …

Forecasting Model For Air Taxi, Commercial Airline, And Automobile Demand In The United States, Hojong Baik, Antonio A. Trani, Nicolas Hinze, Howard Swingle, Senanu Ashiabor, Anand Seshadri

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A nationwide model predicts the annual county-to-county person roundtrips for air taxi, commercial airline, and automobile at 1-year intervals through 2030. the transportation systems analysis model (TSAM) uses the four-step transportation systems modeling process to calculate trip generation, trip distribution, and mode choice for each county origin-destination pair. Network assignment is formulated for commercial airline and air taxi demand. TSAM classifies trip rates by trip purpose, household income group, and type of metropolitan statistical area from which the round-trip started. a graphical user interface with geographic information systems capability is included in the model. Potential applications of the model are …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Massive Spatiotemporal Watershed Hydrological Storm Event Response Model (Mhserm) With Time-Lapsed Nexrad Radar Feed, Changqing Song

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Correctly and efficiently estimating hydrological responses corresponding to a specific storm event at the streams in a watershed is the main goal of any sound water resource management strategy. Methods for calculating a stream flow hydrograph at the selected streams typically require a great deal of spatial and temporal watershed data such as geomorphological data, soil survey, landcover, precipitation data, and stream network information to name a few. However, extracting and preprocessing such data for estimation and analysis is a hugely time-consuming task, especially for a watershed with hundreds of streams and lakes and complicated landcover and soil characteristics. To …

Dry Stacked Surface Bonded Masonry - Structural Testing And Evaluation, Eric B. Murray

Theses and Dissertations

The ENDURA block system is a dry-stack surface-bonded masonry system. Typical masonry construction uses thin-set mortar in the bed joints to provide a bearing surface for the blocks while the ENDURA system typically relies on shims and a surface bonding coat to ensure that the wall is level and plumb and to provide stability. Typical ENDURA block walls are built with the reinforcement placed eccentrically in the walls. Testing was performed on ten walls in order to determine axial capacity. The walls were ten feet high by eight feet wide. Each of the walls was built using a different configuration …

Training Module In Regional And Municipal Governance Of Public Private Partnerships, Louis Gunnigan

Conference papers

This module concentrates on the issues important to those who will be setting up PPPs and who are involved in government at a regional or municipal level.

The module is centred on five tasks, namely:

• How to identify PPP opportunities and to find the best private sector partners for a PPP;
• How to organize a PPP programme within a government by enhancing cooperation amongst the relevant departments and ministries, local, regional and national authorities;
• How to be an effective manager and leader in a dynamic PPP unit;
• How to engage public support for PPPs;
• How to use international instruments to …

Nyumba Ya Mungu Reservoir System Simulation By Using Hec-Ressim Model, Deogratias Mulungu

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This research paper focused on estimating effective water and optimization of the NyM reservoir for storage conservation and hydropower generation. Several models were used in the study: the Rainfall-Runoff model, GFFS was used to fill in missing data, and the HEC-ResSim Model and the NWBM for reservoir system simulation and water balance respectively. The effective inflows to the NyM reservoir were determined using HEC-ResSim model and the NWBM used to check the total water loss in the system. For the reservoir system simulation, the HEC-ResSim model was used to estimate water loss through irrigation abstractions in Kikuletwa and Ruvu reaches …

Optimal Utilization Of Timber Poles As Structural Members Of Formwork, Ladislaus Lwambuka

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Timber poles of the type “Mirunda” are commonly used in East Africa as formwork support structures for casting of reinforced concrete slabs, beams and canopies. It is also widely known that the “Mirunda” poles as structural members of formwork are massively used without any structural consideration and guidance. This common practice has resulted into wastage of natural resources and escalated construction costs. This study has attempted to establish the load bearing capacity of randomly selected “Mirunda” poles through laboratory testing. Using an existing construction site as a case study, the results have been used to establish the actual number of …

Compaction Of Mixtures Of Hard Rocks And Soft Shales And Non-Durable Shales Using Impact Compactors, Tommy C. Hopkins

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Impact roller compaction has been used to improve embankment and highway subgrades in South Africa, Australia, Europe, and China and other areas of the world. In September of 2003, the International Technology Scanning Program, sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program of the Transportation Research Board, identified this technology as one of several foreign technologies and innovations that could significantly benefit U.S. transportation systems. The technology was high-lighted at the Fifth International Conference on the Bearing Capacity of Roads and Airfields in 1998 …

Use Of The Clegg Impact Soil Tester To Access Rutting Susceptiblity Of Cement-Treated Base Material Under Early Trafficking, Garth B. Reese

Theses and Dissertations

In order to avoid the occurrence of early-age damage, cement-treated base (CTB) materials must be allowed to cure for a period of time before the pavement can be opened to traffic. Trafficking of a CTB before sufficient strength gain has occurred can lead to marring or rutting of the treated layer. The specific objectives of this research were to examine the correlation between Clegg impact values (CIVs) determined using a heavy Clegg impact soil tester and rut depths measured in newly constructed CTB and subsequently establish a threshold CIV at which rutting should not occur.The experimental work included field testing …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Atmospheric Transport And The Effects Of Seasonal And Interannual Transport Variability On Measurements Made At The Pico Mountain Observatory, Jessica Marie Strane

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

A non-hierarchical K-means algorithm is used to cluster 47 years (1960–2006) of 10-day HYSPLIT backward trajectories to the Pico Mountain (PM) observatory on a seasonal basis. The resulting cluster centers identify the major transport pathways and collectively comprise a long-term climatology of transport to the observatory. The transport climatology improves our ability to interpret the observations made there and our understanding of pollution source regions to the station and the central North Atlantic region. I determine which pathways dominate transport to the observatory and examine the impacts of these transport patterns on the O₃, NO_y, NO …