Engineering Commons^™

Ultrasonic Method For Evaluation Of Annular Seals For Wells And Instrument Holes, Nazli Yesiller, Tuncer B. Edil, Craig H. Benson

Civil and Environmental Engineering

An ultrasonic testing method employing the pulse-echo inspection technique was developed to assess the integrity of annular seals surrounding casings (i.e., instrument tubes or well casings). This nondestructive testing method permits testing a seal from inside a casing without disturbing the casing, seal, or formation. Seals constructed with cement-based and bentonite-based sealants surrounding various types and sizes of casings can be evaluated using the method. An evaluation is conducted by sending and receiving ultrasonic waves using a single piezoelectric transducer and commercially available hardware (a pulser receiver and a waveform analyzer). A probe was designed and constructed for downhole testing. …

Analysis And Design Of Bridges Susceptible To Barge Impact, Michael W. Whitney, Issam E. Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The current American Association of State Highway Traffic Organizations (AASHTO) Guide Specification for Collision Design of Highway Bridges provides three statistical methods(methods I, II, and III) for determining the design vessel for impact analysis. These methods focus mainly on ship impact and not on barge impact design for bridges susceptible to vessel (ship or barge) impact. This is due to the tremendous variation in flotilla sizes, barge types, and barge sizes. This study presents an analysis procedure by which the statistical design methods of the AASHTO Guide Specification can be applied to inland waterway bridge design.

Design of bridges susceptible …

Interaction Of Fluctuating River Flow With A Barotropic Tide: A Demonstration Of Wavelet Tidal Analysis Methods, David A. Jay, Edward P. Flinchem

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Wavelet transforms provide a valuable new tool for analysis of tidal processes that deviate markedly from an assumption of exact periodicity inherent in traditional harmonic analysis. A wavelet basis adapted to nonstationary tidal problems is constructed and employed to analyze the modulation of the external tide in a river by variations in streamflow. Interaction of a surface tide with river flow is the best available demonstration of the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) methods developed. It is the simplest and perhaps the only nonstationary tidal process for which both sufficient data and dynamical understanding exist to allow detailed comparisons between CWT …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Us/Remax Manual Vs. 2.7, Richard C. Peralta, Alaa H. Aly

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

US/REMAX is designed to assist water managers in developing optimal groundwater and/or surface water strategies for a wide range of management problems. US/REMAX uses the response matrix method, which assumes that physical system response to stimuli is linear. However, US/REMAX can also address nonlinear systems via cycling. In one application, astrategy computed using US/REMAX required 40% less pumping than one obtained via a normal simulation model. US/REMAX also easily computes tradeoffs for multiobjective problems.

Modeling Driver's Route Choice Behavior Under The Influence Of Advanced Traveler Information Systems (Vol. 2; Vol. 1: 96/10), Samer Madanat, Nitin K. Jain

JTRP Technical Reports

This research consisted of two parts; this report is volume 2 of 2 volumes; Volume 1 is Report No. FHWA/IN/JHRP-96/10. The first part developed a set of incident clearance time prediction models for the Borman Expressway. The second part consisted of modeling driver’s route choice behavior under the influence of advanced traveler information systems.

Volume 2 of this report describes the modeling driver's route choice behavior under the iinfluence of Advanced Traveler Information Systems. These models can help in understanding the behavior and response of travelers under the influeince of Advanced Traveler Information Systmes.r

The products of this research project …

Performance And Cost Effectiveness Of Pavement Edge Drains, L. John Fleckenstein, David L. Allen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

It is apparent from research conducted under this study that edge drains increase subgrade strength through the removal of water. It is also apparent in most cases that the edge drains increase pavement life by approximately seven years. Current cost benefit analysis indicates that edge drains can provide a cost savings of approximately $200,000 dollars a mile over the life of the pavement. Research also indicates that if edge drains are not properly installed and maintained they can doe more damage then good. It is evident that edge drains should be inspected with a pipeline camera prior to final acceptance …

Numerical Simulation Of Contaminated Sediment Transport In The Upper Columbia Slough System, Binghong Wu

Dissertations and Theses

An integrated modeling system has been developed to simulate sediment and contaminated sediment transport in the Upper Columbia Slough System during the Flood of 1996. The modeling system consists of a hydrodynamic model, a sediment transport model, and a contaminant transport model. The hydrodynamic model predicts the Slough flow dynamics and sediment transporting power; the sediment transport model predicts flow-induced sediment transport; and the contaminant transport model predicts the migration of contaminated sediments in the Slough system.

The Upper Columbia Slough modeling system is characterized by its recognition of the complex interplay of Slough hydrology, hydrodynamics, sediment transport, contaminant transport. …

A Telescopic Approach To Modeling Leachate Dynamics And Migration At The St. Johns Landfill, Portland, Oregon, Thomas Stephen Lowry

Dissertations and Theses

The St. Johns Landfill is a 225-acre site that lies near the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, in the North Portland Industrial District of Portland, Oregon. A slough system surrounds the landfill on three sides with the fourth side adjacent to a shallow lake. The landfill first opened in 1930 when it was operated as an open dump. It operated as an open dump until 1969 when it was converted to a sanitary landfill, employing daily cover and compaction. The landfill was closed in 1991.

The landfill sits directly on top of a thick layer of silty overbank …

Ccfss Technical Bulletin February 1997, Wei-Wen Yu Center For Cold-Formed Steel Structures

CCFSS Technical Bulletins (1993 - 2020)

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Bridge Abutment Capacity And Stiffness During Earthquakes, Rakesh K. Goel, Anil K. Chopra

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The “actual” capacity and stiffness values of the abutment‐soil systems at the US 101/Painter Street Overpass, determined from its earthquake motions, are used to investigate how abutment stiffness varies during earthquakes and to evaluate current modeling procedures. It is found that the “actual” abutment stiffness may be significantly different during different phases of the shaking and decreases significantly as the abutment deformation increases. The CALTRANS modeling procedure leads to a good estimate of the transverse abutment stiffness and capacity. However, this procedure may overestimate the normal abutment stiffness and capacity by a factor of over two, indicating that the assumed …

Streamflow Simulation: A Nonparametric Approach, Ashish Sharma, David G. Tarboton, Upmanu L. Lall

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper kernel estimates of the joint and conditional probability density functions are used to generate synthetic streamflow sequences. Streamflow is assumed to be a Markov process with time dependence characterized by a multivariate probability density function. Kernel methods are used to estimate this multivariate density function. Simulation proceeds by sequentially resampling from the conditional density function derived from the kernel estimate of the underlying multivariate probability density function. This is a nonparametric method for the synthesis of streamflow that is data-driven and avoids prior assumptions as to the form of dependence (e.g., linear or nonlinear) and the form …

Strength Of Flexural Members Using Structural Grade 80 Of A653 Steel (Web Crippling Tests), Shaojie Wu, Wei-Wen Yu, Roger A. Laboube

CCFSS Library (1939 - present)

This Third Progress Report summarizes the web crippling tests of 148 specimens and evaluates the test results along with an additional 114 web crippling tests which were reported in 1986 as part of a project on Design of Automotive Structural Components Using High-Strength Sheet Steels. The 148 web crippling tests conducted in this program are the part of the overall project on Strength of Flexural Members Using the Structural Grade 80 of ASTM A653 Steel (former ASTM A446 Grade E Steel). The objectives of the ongoing project are to study the strength and structural performance of flexural members as affected …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

A New Method For The Determination Of Flow Directions And Contributing Areas In Grid Digital Elevation Models, David G. Tarboton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

A new procedure for the representation of flow directions and calculation of upslope areas using rectangular grid digital elevation models is presented. The procedure is based on representing flow direction as a single angle taken as the steepest downward slope on the eight triangular facets centered at each grid point. Upslope area is then calculated by proportioning flow between two downslope pixels according to how close this flow direction is to the direct angle to the downslope pixel. This procedure offers improvements over prior procedures that have restricted flow to eight possible directions (introducing grid bia) or proportioned flow according …

Feasibility Considerations Of An Optimal Pumping Strategy To Capture Tce/Pce Plume At March Afb, Ca, Mohamed A. Hegazy, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

TCE/PCE contaminated groundwater from March AFB has reached off-base supply wells. Further migration of the contaminants can endanger other downstream water supply wells.

Historical Water Use Backcasting Study Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, Mohamed A. Hegazy, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The goal of this report is to present historic (backcast) water use for Luke Air Force Base (LAFB), Arizona for 1941 through 1961. Historic water use (including system losses) from LAFB records can be used as groundwater pumping amounts because groundwater extracted from the underlying aquifer was the sole water source. Historical water use amounts were derived primarily using regression analysis and the Installation Water Resources Analysis and Planning System - Air Force (IWRAPS-AF). IWRAPS-AF is a computer software package designed to forecast or backcast water use and assess the effectiveness of conservation measures at Air Force Installations (Willett et. …

The Fate And Disposition Of Metolachlor And 2, 4-D Under Irrigated Corn And Turf, Ghassan R. Musharrafieh, Richard C. Peralta, Robert W. Hill, Howard M. Deer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

A field lysimeter experiment was conducted during the summers of 1993 and 1994, at the River Laboratory, Utah State University, Logan, Utah. The intent was to study the fate and disposition of metolachlor and 2,4-D in a one dimensional soil system. Metolachlor was applied to corn and 2,4-D was applied to turf. The mobility, persistence, and degradation of these herbicides were investigated in the field lysimeters using four irrigation treatment levels on corn and two irrigation levels on turf. The four irrigation levels applied to corn were 0, 30, 60, and 120 percent of potential evapotranspiration. The two irrigation levels …

Ccfss News February 1997, Wei-Wen Yu Center For Cold-Formed Steel Structures

CCFSS Newsletters (1999 - 2008)

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Site Periods For The Jackson Purchase Region Of Western Kentucky, Ron Street, Zhenming Wang, Edward W. Woolery, Issam E. Harik, David L. Allen, Kevin G. Sutterer

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Bridges, overpasses, and other engineered structures in the Jackson Purchase region of Western Kentucky are, of necessity, built on a thick column of loose to semi-consolidated sediments. Because these sediments tend to amplify seismically induced ground motions at preferred periods, structures with natural periods close to the preferred periods of amplification of the ground motions are particularly vulnerable to damages during an earthquake because of in-phase resonance.

For this report, conventional seismic refraction and reflection techniques were used to determine the shearwave velocities of the more poorly consolidated, near-surface sediments for a matrix of sites in the region. Conventional seismic …

Traffic Flow And Safety Evaluation Of Fayette County Schools Part Ii, Samantha S. Jones, Jerry G. Pigman, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In cooperation with Fayette County Schools, an evaluation of traffic flow and safety was conducted at school sites in Fayette County. The purpose of this evaluation was to identify potential safety risks currently existing at selected schools, recommend actions to reduce risks, and to decrease traffic congestion in and around school properties.

This report is a continuation of the traffic and safety project submitted to Fayette County Schools in September 1996. For this project, three schools were identified by Fayette County Schools as having traffic flow or safety problems that could benefit from detailed evaluation. The three schools were Clays …

Evaluation Of Environmental Characteristics Of Wtp Residuals For Disposal In Monofills, Ping Tian

Dissertations

Disposal of water treatment plant (WTP) have raised great concerns due to the stringent water quality standards and environmental regulations, and limited availability of land for ultimate disposal. The ultimate disposal of water treatment plant residuals by using monofill may be one of the most economical, and feasible options. Design and operation of such a monofill will be simple because of the uniformity of the characteristics of WTP residuals.

The objectives of this project were to determine the environmental characteristics of WTP residuals and to apply these characteristics for the design of monofills and development of the metal leaching model …

Non-Linear Evaluation Of Concrete-Filled Steel Tubular Columns, Mohammad Hassan Shams

Dissertations

Concrete-filled steel tubular (CFT) columns have become increasingly popular in structural applications due to their high strength, high ductility, and large energy absorption capacity. These structural properties are the result of integral behavior of the concrete core and the steel tube. This research provides an analysis of the interaction of the concrete core and the steel tube in CFT columns.

While there have been many experimental studies of CFT columns, there has been no analytical work modeling the confining effect of the steel tube on the concrete core. Furthermore, current design procedures tend to underestimate the ultimate strengths of CFTs …

Potential Effects Of Pneumatic Fracturing On Existing Structures And Utilities, Michael C. Canino

Theses

This thesis develops a mathematical design model for predicting ground deformations resulting from pneumatic fracturing. Pneumatic fracturing is a patented process developed for the purpose of enhancing the in situ treatment and removal of hazardous contaminants from geologic formations. During pneumatic injections, measurable ground deformations are experienced both during and after the process. Safe application of pneumatic fracturing to contaminated plumes occurring beneath existing structures and utilities requires that the elastic deformation behavior of the geologic formation and overlying structures be quantified.

Data from five pneumatic fracturing sites were regressed to establish the characteristic polynomial describing the curvature of ground …

A Methodology For The Design Of An Integrated Air Stripping/Biofiltration Process To Clean Contaminated Aquifers, Pothitos Ioannis Stamatiadis

Theses

This thesis deals with the conceptual design of an integrated air stripping/biofiltration process for cleaning aquifers contaminated with volatile organic pollutants. In this technology, the pollutant is transferred from the aquifer to an air stream which is subsequently treated in a biofilter. The work presented here is an effort to develop a design methodology for the integrated process and suggests a general, quantitative approach which can be used in preliminary technology evaluation. This methodology involves relatively simple equations for the stripping process and detailed (oftentimes complex) models for biofiltration under conditions of continuous variation of the properties of the polluted …

The Influence Of The Wastewater Drainage From The Las Vegas Valley On The Limnology Of Boulder Basin, Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, James F. Labounty, Michael J. Horn, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Lake Mead, Colorado River, Arizona-Nevada, is one of the most heavily used reservoirs in the western United States, providing abundant recreational opportunities as well as downstream domestic and agricultural water for over 22 million users. Based on average nutrient levels and productivity, Lake Mead is classified as mildly mesotrophic. The interflow of the Colorado River dominates the limnology of much of the 106 km-long reservoir, and may still be identified at Hoover Dam under certain conditions. The lower basin of Lake Mead ending at Hoover Dam is known as Boulder Basin and is near the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Las …

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest’S Pavements - Minnesota - Phase I (Winter Ride), University Of Wisconsin - Extension, Wisconsin Survey Research Laboratory, Marquette University, Department Of Civil, Construction, And Environmental Engineering

Transportation Research Center: Public Perception of Midwest Pavements

The Minnesota Winter Ride Survey was designed to gauge the extent to which motorists were tolerant of the rougher ride of pavements on rural two-lane highways in the winter. Survey objectives, therefore, were centered around this focal question of winter ride tolerance. A telephone survey was conducted during the first quarter of the year (January 15 to March 15, 1997) by the Wisconsin Survey Research Laboratory (WSRL), which simultaneously conducted a similar survey in Wisconsin. Random digit dial samples were drawn for both states according to accepted sampling procedure. The survey data set provided by WSRL included 417 respondents.

Analysis …

Design Of Automotive Structural Components Using High Strength Sheet Steels Mechanical Properties Of Materials (Aging Effect), Shaojie Wu, Chi-Ling Pan, Wei-Wen Yu

CCFSS Library (1939 - present)

INTRODUCTION It has been known for years that mechanical properties of thin sheet steels, such as yield strength, tensile strength, and ductility, are affected by aging (Chajes et al. 1963, Hertzberg 1989, Yu 1991). The aging effect on mechanical properties can be described as follows. For a virgin steel that is initially loaded in tension beyond its yield strength and into strain hardening state and then unloaded to zero stress, the yield and tensile strengths of the steel increase while the ductility of the steel decreases if the steel is reloaded in tension again after a period of time from …

Withdrawal Strength Of Ring-Shank Nails Embedded In Southern Pine Lumber, M J. Skulteti, D A. Bender, S G. Winistorfer, David Pollock

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Ring-shank nails are used extensively in post-frame construction due to their superior performance, yet surprisingly little testing has been done on nail sizes above 12d. Experience in the post-frame industry suggests that published allowable design values for ring-shank nails may be overly conservative and need revision. The goal of the research reported herein was to characterize the withdrawal strength of ring-shank nails embedded in Southern Pine lumber. Three sizes ofgalvanized and ungalvanized (bright) ring-shank nails from two manufacturers were studied. Ring-shank nails had approximately twice the withdrawal resistance of smooth-shank nails of the same diameter. Galvanizing slightly reduced withdrawal strength …

Effect Of Length On Compressive Strain Softening Of Concrete, Daniel C. Jansen, Surendra P. Shah

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The concept of localization during the postpeak of compressive strain softening is presented. To explore localization in compression, a feedback-control method using a linear combination of displacement and force that partially subtracts the elastic response of the specimen to give a stable feedback signal is used. Results are presented from two test series (45 and 90 MPa) that use this method to test cylinders with length-to-diameter ratios ranging from 2.0 to 5.5. It is shown that compression failure is in fact a localized phenomenon. The compressive fracture energy is divided into energy dissipated in the prepeak and the postpeak portions …