Engineering Commons^™

Current And Future Trends Of Construction Project Performance Models: A Review, Method Mtana

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The construction industry (CI) has experienced outstanding growth and contributed to economic growth for many countries, with enormous foreign investments that require quality projects. High pressure to reduce the construction cost and time commonly put the industry at risk of lower quality and safety of the construction facilities. Like many other developing countries, Tanzania needs more stringent quality control measures in the construction sector to contribute positively to sustainable growth. This study thus reviews current and future trends in construction industry performance in Tanzania. The literature review on construction projects (CPs) performance is based on information on time overruns from …

Exploring Current And Future Research Trends On Safety Climate In Construction Projects, Kamugisha Joseph Kajumulo

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Clients, consultants, and contractors in the construction industry can benefit from a safety climate by obtaining knowledge of attitudes and perceptions for better safety outcomes. However, the current and future research trends for safety climate in construction projects have not yet been fully examined. In order to solve this problem, a systematic review of previous research findings using a social network approach must be conducted, and future trends for the safety climate in building projects must be identified. Sixty-three peer reviewed articles were gathered to study the literature on safety climate in construction projects. A social network approach was employed …

Investigation Of Electrically Isolated Capacitive Sensing Skins On Concrete To Reduce Structure/Sensor Capacitive Coupling, Emmanuel Ogunniyi, Alexander Vareen, Austin Downey, Simon Laflamme, Jian Li, Caroline Bennett, William Collins, Hongki Jo, Alexander Henderson, Paul Ziehl

Faculty Publications

Damage to bridges can result in partial or complete structural failures, with fatal consequences. Cracks develop in concrete infrastructure from fatigue loading, vibrations, corrosion, or unforeseen structural displacement. Effective long-term monitoring of civil infrastructure can reduce the risk of structural failures and potentially reduce the cost and frequency of inspections. However, deploying structural health monitoring technologies for crack detection on bridges is expensive, especially long-term, due to the density of sensors required to detect, localize, and quantify cracks. Previous research on soft elastomeric capacitors (SECs) has shown their viability for low-cost monitoring of cracks in transportation infrastructure. However, when deployed …

Collaboration Between Science And Art Through A Special International Symposium For Ecosystem Health And Sustainability, Changwoo Ahn Dr.

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

The collaborations between ecosystem restoration and art practices was epitomized by the eco-artist Jackie Brookner who said: “it is not a matter of the scientists providing the hard-core research and artists the soft outreach; rather, the dynamics engendered in the space between disciplines is full of information necessary to solve complex problems at the systemic level”. This paper reviews and summaries the goals, activities, and lessons learned from a special symposium, which was held at the 12^th INTECOL (International Congress of Ecology) conference in Beijing, China, August 21 through 25, 2017, where about 3000 people attended from 70 countries. …

Steam And Environmental Justice In An Interdisciplinary Context, Paula Farca, Alina Handorean, Jürgen Brune

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This course proposes an interdisciplinary perspective, envisions unique synergies between environmental justice concepts and STEAM projects on mining, and aims to solidify a foundation based on justice, equity, equality, and empathy for STEM students and faculty. Our (S)TEAM made of professors in three academic departments underscores interdisciplinary and diversity connections through an interdisciplinary team-taught course, units on environmental justice related to mining, teaching of literary texts, and STEAM projects. We also involved faculty, alumni, and our campus and city community through STEAM exhibits.

Gömböc The Great, Indigo M. Strickert, Lori E. Bradford

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

A sonnet written about the mathematics behind the self-righting shape of some tortoise shells.

Importance Of Snowmelt On Soil Nitrate Leaching To Groundwater – A Model Study, Sahila Beegum, Arindam Malakar, Chittaranjan Ray, Daniel D. Snow

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

The movement of nitrate to surface water bodies during snow accumulation and melting has been extensively studied, but there are only limited studies on the influence of snow processes on nitrate leaching to groundwater. The present study investigated the impact of snow processes on nitrate leaching to groundwater based on a simulation modeling approach using HYDRUS-1D. HYDRUS-1D model has a temperature threshold-based snow model in addition to water, solute, and heat simulation components. The snow component in HYDRUS-1D was previously not applied to snow simulation studies since the method does not consider a detailed physical and process-based representation of snow …

Implications Of Good Faith In Construction Contracts, Nadine Rashed

Theses and Dissertations

The principle of good faith is making inroads and continues to significantly impact various contractual arrangements. In most civil legal systems, good faith is present as a core principle. Nevertheless, its definition is beyond doubt scarce in the construction industry. However, the common law lacks the good faith obligations. Good faith is one of the fundamental principles that impact the contractual obligations between the contracting parties. This paper creates an urge to address the implications of good faith on construction contracts in the pre-contract and post-contract award stages. Therefore, the paper’s objective is to propose a legal/contractual clause that meets …

Enhancing Performance Of Gravity Driven Membranes For Water Purification In Small Rural Communities, Amr Ezzat Melligy Mr.

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the rapid population growth in Egypt, providing safe drinking water is becoming an ongoing challenge especially in rural scattered communities. It became more crucial than ever to find innovative and affordable solutions to purify water and reduce water-borne diseases. Ultrafiltration and micro-filtration membranes has been successful in large, centralized plants and is currently one of the popular solutions to provide high quality product water. However, using those membrane systems in rural areas is challenged by several parameters; among which are; the absence of skilled workers, stable energy sources and availability of chemicals. The goal of this thesis is …

Vr-Based Safety Training Program For High-Rise Building Construction, Sahar Badr

Theses and Dissertations

The rates of fatal and non-fatal accidents within the construction industry across the globe are surging despite the massive efforts that are being exerted toward maintaining a safe working environment. Past research has proved that the provision of effective safety training programs is a primary course of action that should be taken to minimize construction accidents, fatalities, and both fatal and nonfatal injuries.

However, in acknowledging the limitations of traditional safety training programs within the construction industry, several researchers have addressed the urge to incorporate novel training practices that are based on the modern virtual reality (VR) technology to promote …

Secreted Metabolome Of Porcine Blastocysts Encapsulated With In In Vitro 3d Alginate Hydrogel Culture Systems Under Going Morphological Changes Provides Insights Into Specific Mechanisms Involved In The Initiation Of Porcine Conceptus Elongation, Sophie C. Walsh, Jeremy R. Miles, Corey D. Broeckling, Lea A. Rempel, Elane C. Wright-Johnson, Angela K. Pannier

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Context. The exact mechanisms regulating the initiation of porcine conceptus elongation are not known due to the complexity of the uterine environment. Aims. To identify contributing factors for initiation of conceptus elongation in vitro, this study evaluated differential metabolite abundance within media following culture of blastocysts within unmodified alginate (ALG) or Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-modified alginate hydrogel culture systems. Methods. Blastocysts were harvested from pregnant gilts, encapsulated within ALG or RGD or as non-encapsulated control blastocysts (CONT), and cultured. At the termination of 96 h culture, media were separated into blastocyst media groups: non-encapsulated control blastocysts (CONT); ALG …

Characterization Of Operational Vibrations Of Steel-Girder Highway Bridges Via Lidar, Adriana Trias Blanco, Jie Gong, Franklin L. Moon

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

This research is motivated by the need for rapidly deployable technologies such as wireless, non-contact or remote sensing for evaluating bridges under operating conditions to minimize the data collection time, avoid the disruption of traffic and increase the inspector’s safety. The objective established for this research is to explore the use of remote sensing (e.g., Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)) for characterizing the structural vibration of bridges to support and improve bridge assessment practices. To satisfy this objective, a field study was performed on a 12-span steel stringer bridge in the Philadelphia region. This structure was subjected to extensive LiDAR …

Development Of Prediction Model For Rutting Depth Using Artificial Neural Network, Rami Khalifah, Mena I. Souliman, Mawiya Bin Mukarram Bajusair

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

One of the most common pavement distresses in flexible pavement is rutting, which is mainly caused by heavy wheel load and various other factors. The prediction of rutting depth is important for safe travel and the long-term performance of pavements. Factors that are considered in this paper for the prediction of rut depth are Temperature, Equivalent Single Axle Load, Resilient modulus, and Thickness of hot mixed asphalt. The input data for all factors are collected from the Long-Term Pavement Performance Information Management System for the state of Texas. Regression analysis is performed for dependent and independent variables to obtain the …

Spatial Data Analysis For The Development Of Expected Adverse Weather Charts For Transportation Construction Projects, S M Rahat Rashedi, Akosua Ofosua Okyere-Addo

SDSU Data Science Symposium

Problem - Seasonal and daily weather events impact construction projects across the various climate regions of South Dakota in differing fashions. Additionally, the impacts for similar weather events can impact grading, surfacing, and structural construction activities in various ways. Adverse weather conditions can cause major delays which may lead to time extensions and increase project cost.

Purpose – To address these issues, South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) developed Working Day Weather Charts in 1998. However, advances in construction practices and weather prediction as well as climatic changes have occurred over the interim 25 years. This study is focused on …

Spatial Data Analysis For Traffic Safety Network Screening, Akosua Okyere-Addo, S. M. Rahat Rashedi

SDSU Data Science Symposium

Problem - The roadway system represents a major investment, both public and private, and a valuable resource that enables mobility and accessibility to users. Due to degradation of aging infrastructure and increasing traffic, transportation agencies are seeking to effectively update or improve the system. With rising costs, tight budgets, and limited land resources, agencies are seeking effective techniques for identifying critical mobility and safety concerns. Historically, assignment of crashes to portions of the network, whether segments or intersections, has been the primary manner to link crash and road elements.

Purpose – The primary goal is to explore a potentially more …

Process Intensification Strategies For Green Solvent Mediated Biomass Pretreatment, Ahamed Ullah, Yuxuan Zhang, Can Liu, Qi Qiao, Qing Shao, Jian Shi

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Demonstrated to be highly effective for lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment, deep eutectic solvent (DES) has attracted increasing attention owing to its advantages of simple synthesis, relatively low chemical cost, and better biocompatibility as compared to certain ionic liquids. Here we provide a critical review of the status of the design/selection of DES for the pretreatment of biomass feedstocks with an emphasis on the process intensification strategies: 1) integration of microwave, ultrasound, and high solid extrusion for pretreating biomass, 2) one-pot DES pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation, 3) strategies for DES recycling and product recovery; and 4) recent progress on molecular simulations …

Dlr Covid-19 Mobility Review (Phase 2a): Report On Cmr Economic Development & Business Community Feedback, Sarah Rock Dr., Robert Bradshaw Dr., David O'Connor, Odran Reid

Reports

This research reports on the findings from an area focused economic development and business community focused study of the Costal Mobility Route (CMR), which is intended to complement and extend research previously conducted in Phase 1 of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s (DLR’s) ‘Covid-19 Mobility & Public Realm Works’ project. This study is based on participant interviews, and is limited to businesses located directly along the CMR, as well as a number of business groups representing a wider area and a Local Enterprise Office.

While one company reported a significant decline in revenue that they attribute to the CMR, the remainder …

Numerical Modeling Of A Pile-Supported Wharf Subjected To Liquefaction-Induced Lateral Ground Deformations, Milad Souri, Arash Khosravifar, Stephen Dickenson, Nason Mccullough, Scott Schlechter

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fully-coupled nonlinear dynamic analysis is increasingly used for assessing the seismic performance of pile-supported wharf structures subjected to liquefaction-induced lateral ground deformations. Several numerical challenges exist for analysis of this highly nonlinear soil-structure interaction, which require robust, yet practical, solutions that are validated with experimental data. This study presents a numerical model of a pile-supported wharf and evaluates the applicability of a soil constitutive model, and modeling assumptions and methods by using recorded data from a well-instrumented, large-scale centrifuge test. The objectives of this study include: (a) evaluating the performance of a recently developed pressure-dependent multi-yield surface constitutive soil model …

Effect Of Class C And Class F Fly Ash On Early-Age And Mature-Age Properties Of Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cement Paste, Sukanta K. Mondal, Carrie Clinton, Hongyan Ma, Aditya Kumar, Monday Uchenna Okoronkwo

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To Promote the Sustainable Development of Eco-Efficient Calcium Sulfoaluminate (CSA) Cements through the Partial Replacement of the CSA Clinker with Supplementary Cementitious Waste Products, the Effects of Coal Fly Ashes on the Early-Age and Mature-Age Properties of a Calcium Sulfoaluminate (CSA)-Based Cement Paste Were Investigated. the Impacts of Both Class C and Class F Fly Ashes on the Rheological Properties, Hydration Kinetics, and Compressive Strength Development of CSA Cement Paste Were Studied. Rheology-Based Workability Parameters, Representing the Rate of Loss of Flowability, the Rate of Hardening, and the Placement Limit, Were Characterized for the Pastes Prepared with Fixed Water-To-Cement (W/c) …

Pyrolysis Transports, And Transforms, Pfas From Biosolids To Py-Liquid, Patrick J. Mcnamara, Melvin S. Samuel, Sandeep Sathyamoorthy, Lynne Moss, Danny Valtierra, Hugo Cortes Lopez, Nicholas J. Nigro, Stephen Somerville, Zhongzhe Liu

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater solids have resulted in bans on land application of biosolids, causing utilities to explore thermal treatment options. Pyrolysis is a thermal treatment process that converts wastewater solids to biochar, py-liquid (i.e., aqueous phase liquid and non-aqueous phase liquid), and py-gas. Research on the impact of pyrolysis on PFAS in biosolids has yielded mixed results, and no research has investigated if PFAS are present in the py-liquid. The goals of this research were to determine if pyrolysis releases PFAS with the effluent py-liquid and to distinguish “removal” from “transformation” of PFAS. Triplicate …

Behaviour And Material Properties Of Versaloc Semi-Interlocking Mortarless Masonry, Sonam Dorji, Hossein Derakhshan, David P. Thambiratnam, Tatheer Zahra, Alireza Mohyeddin

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Masonry construction is popular around the world, but the use of mortared masonry presents numerous challenges. In recent decades, masonry construction systems incorporating interlocking masonry units have been proposed to eliminate mortar. The interlocking between masonry units can be achieved using specially shaped units. This paper presents a comprehensive experimental study to determine the behaviour as well as basic material properties of one such semi-interlocking mortarless masonry. The experiments included testings of ungrouted masonry units, prisms, and wallets. In addition, masonry prisms and wallets with grouted cores were also investigated to study the effect of grouting. A detailed description of …

Site Selection Of Combined Offshore Wind And Wave Energy Farms: A Systematic Review, Shabnam Hosseinzadeh, Amir Etemad-Shahidi, Rodney A. Stewart

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Growing energy demand worldwide and onshore limitations have increased interest in offshore renewable energy exploitation. A combination of offshore renewable energy resources such as wind and wave energy can produce stable power output at a lower cost compared to a single energy source. Consequently, identifying the best locations for constructing combined offshore renewable energy farms is crucial. This paper investigates the technical, economic, social, and environmental aspects of Combined Offshore Wind and Wave Energy Farm (COWWEF) site selection. Past literature was evaluated using a systematic review method to synthesize, criticize, and categorize study regions, dataset characteristics, constraints, evaluation criteria, and …

Evaluation, Comparison, And Improvement Recommendations For Caltrans Financial Programming Processes And Tools, Wenbin Wei, Nigel Blampied, Raajmaathangi Sreevijay

Mineta Transportation Institute

The California Transportation Improvement Program System (CTIPS) is the main tool used by Caltrans’ Division of Financial Programming to support the business of transportation programming. It is a multi-agency joint-use project programming database system applied to develop and manage various state and federal transportation programming documents. The goal of this project is to evaluate CTIPS and explore various new options that will maintain the current functionality of CTIPS, meet legislative guidelines for ADA compliance, ensure security of the system, and have sufficient scalability and capabilities for integration with other systems in the future. The research is based on the review …

Rheological Characterization Of Ultra-High Performance Concrete For 3d Printing, Arun R. Arunothayan, Behzad Nematollahi, Kamal Khayat, Akilesh Ramesh, Jay G. Sanjayan

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The authors recently developed a 3D-printable ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete (3DP-UHPFRC) for additive construction of structural members with significantly reduced reliance on steel bars. This study investigates the rheological behavior of the developed 3DP-UHPFRC. The effects of two major factors affecting the performance of 3DP-UHPFRC, namely steel fiber volume (0, 1%, and 2%) and nano-clay (NC) content (0, 0.1%, and 0.2% by binder mass) on workability, static yield stress, dynamic yield stress, and apparent viscosity were determined. Test results showed that the inclusion of steel fibers and NC reduced the workability and led to a significant increase in the static …

Effect Of Additional Water Or Superplasticizer On Key Characteristics Of Cement Paste Made With Superabsorbent Polymer And Other Shrinkage Mitigating Materials, Kamran Aghaee, Ricarda Sposito, Karl Christian Thienel, Kamal Khayat

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The use of superabsorbent polymer (SAP) coupled with expansive agent (EA) or shrinkage-reducing admixture (SRA) can effectively reduce shrinkage of cement-based materials. However, SAP particles at high contents can adversely affect rheological and mechanical properties. Securing proper workability can be accomplished by additional water or adjusting the superplasticizer (SP) demand. There is an uncertainty about the efficiency of these approaches to workability compensation. This study evaluates the effect of additional water or SP on key properties of cement paste made with SAP and relatively high content of EA or SRA. Macro and micro mechanisms underlying the effect of combined shrinkage …

Homogeneous Flow Performance Of Steel-Fiber Reinforced Self-Consolidating Concrete For Repair Application: A Biphasic Approach, Naimeh Nouri, Masoud Hosseinpoor, Ammar Yahia, Kamal Khayat

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this study, fiber-reinforced self-consolidating concrete (FR-SCC) was considered as a diphasic suspension of fiber and coarse aggregate (F-A ≥ 5 mm) skeleton in mortar suspension with solid particles finer than 5 mm. The coupled effect of the volumetric content of fibers, coarse aggregate particle-size distribution, and rheological properties of the mortar on the passing ability and dynamic stability of various FR-SCC mixtures was investigated. Nine high-strength and 10 conventional-strength FR-SCC mixtures for repair application were proportioned with water-to-binder ratios (W/B) of 0.35 and 0.42, respectively, and macro steel fibers of 0.1%–0.5% volumetric contents. The dosages of high-range water-reducer (HRWR) …

Reconstruction Of Asphalt Pavements With Crumb Rubber Modified Asphalt Mixture In Cold Region: Material Characterization, Construction, And Performance, Dongzhao Jin, Dongdong Ge, Jiaqing Wang, Lance Malburg, Zhanping You

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Dry-processed rubberized asphalt mixture has recently attracted a lot of attention as an alternative to conventional asphalt mixtures. Dry-processed rubberized asphalt pavement has improved the overall performance characteristics compared to the conventional asphalt road. The objective of this research is to demonstrate the reconstruction of rubberized asphalt pavement and evaluate the pavement performance of dry-processed rubberized asphalt mixture based on laboratory and field tests. The noise mitigation effect of dry-processed rubberized asphalt pavement was evaluated at the field construction sites. A prediction of pavement distresses and long-term performance was also conducted using mechanistic-empirical pavement design. In terms of experimental evaluation, …

Electrochromic Smart Glass: Supplier Comparison Return On Investment Analysis, Hayden Stewart Owens

Construction Management

In recent years, sustainability in construction has become the focus of how the industry can progress with minimal environmental impact. As sustainability certifications become more desirable, key companies in the construction industry have started to seek greener alternatives to standard building systems. There are many sustainable products that are released, but these products are typically so complex that members of the industry are not familiar with these new systems. One novel piece of technology introduced to the industry is electrochromic glass, or smart glass. Electrochromic glass windows examine sunlight and heat exposure from the surrounding environment and change their opacity …

United Methodist Children Center Drain Project, Andy Abdelnour

Construction Management

The United Methodist Children Center in San Luis Obispo is a preschool for young children in our community. Some of these students are the children of Cal Poly faculty and staff. The previous drain was not draining water properly and was uneven with bumps and dips that became a hazard for the children. Children would trip, fall, and hurt themselves on the drain. A team of two Cal Poly Construction Management students Ethan Lin and Andy Abdelnour worked together to estimate, design, coordinate, demolish, and construct a new section of the drain that would be safe for the students. The …

United Methodist Children Center Drain Project, Ethan Mikio Lin

Construction Management

No abstract provided.