Engineering Commons^™

Why Is Charcoal So Effective For Plant Growth?, Makoto Ogawa

USBI Biochar Conferences

No abstract provided.

Geochemistry And Inorganic Carbon Transport Of A Glacial Till Drumlin At A Road Salt Facility, Houbao Li

Open Access Dissertations

Investigations were conducted at a salt/premix storage facility lying on top of a glacial drumlin near the coastline in eastern Massachusetts, to characterize salt contaminated groundwater. Groundwater hydrogeochemical variations at different depths were determined based on ten years of monthly or quarterly water quality data from 54 monitoring wells. Groundwater was grouped in three water categories – shallow, middle and deep. Hydrogeochemical characterization indicates that the dominant water types are Na-Cl, Na-Ca-Cl and Ca-HCO3 from the shallow to deep water group. Rock weathering is the dominant hydrogeochemical process for deep water group, whereas salt water percolation and cation exchange control …

Travelers' Route Choice Behavior In Risky Networks, Hengliang Tian

Open Access Dissertations

The accurate modeling of travelers’ route choice decision making when faced with unreliable (risky) travel times is necessary for the assessment of policies aimed at improving travel time reliability. Two major objectives are studied in this thesis. The first objective is to evaluate the applicability of a process model to route choice under risk where the actual process of decision making is captured. Traditionally, we adopt “as-if” econometric models to predict people’s route choice decisions. The second objective is to investigate travelers’ capability to incorporate future real-time traffic information into their current route choice decision making. Two separate stated preference …

Sustainable Water Management Using Environmental Flows In The Connecticut River, Alec Bernstein

Environmental & Water Resources Engineering Masters Projects

There is significant evidence demonstrating that altering river flows downstream of impoundments harms native aquatic ecosystems and decreases the ability of native species to strive and survive. Innovative water management practices are needed to improve the health of native aquatic species and their surrounding ecosystems while maintaining the benefits from historic operating policies at these facilities. The impacts of individual reservoir operations on ecosystem health are often masked by the compounding influence of multiple upstream impoundments, making it difficult to analyze an individual facility’s impact within the larger system. This study presents an optimization model that investigates the value of …

A Hazard-Based Risk Analysis Approach To Understanding Climate Change Impacts To Water Resource Systems: Application To The Upper Great Lakes, Paul Markert Moody

Open Access Dissertations

Water resources systems are designed to operate under a wide range of potential climate conditions. Traditionally, systems have been designed using stationarity-based methods. Stationarity is the assumption that the climate varies within an envelope of variability, implying that future variability will be similar to past variability. Due to anthropogenic climate change, the credibility of the stationarity-based assumptions has been reduced. In response, climate change assessments have been developed to quantify the potential impacts due to climatic change. While these methods quantify potential changes, they lack the probabilistic information that is needed for a risk-based approach to decision-analysis. This dissertation seeks …

Investigation Of Microalgae Cultivation And Anaerobic Codigestion Of Algae And Sewage Sludge For Wastewater Treatment Facilities, Meng Wang

Open Access Dissertations

The main goals of this research are to investigate the anaerobic digestibility of algae and to investigate the effects of growth media on the growth rates, nutrient removal kinetics, and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) characteristics of wild type green algae. Anaerobic co-digestion of algae with sewage sludge is proposed to improve the digestibility of algae. It is hypothesized that the addition of sewage sludge improves the hydrolysis rate of algae, which is often the rate-limiting step for anaerobic digestion. It is also hypothesized that the composition and concentration of nutrients in growth media will affect the kinetics of nutrient removal …

Development Of Miniature Full Flow And Model Pipeline Probes For Testing Of Box Core Samples Of Surficial Seabed Sediments, Adriane G. Boscardin

Open Access Dissertations

The box corer is a relatively new tool used in the geotechnical community for collection of soft seabed sediments. Miniature full flow and model pipeline probes were developed as tools to characterize and obtain soil parameters of soft seabed sediments collected in the box core for design of offshore pipelines and analysis of shallow debris flows. Probes specifically developed for this study include the miniature t-bar, ball, motorized vane (MV), and toroid. The t-bar, ball, and MV were developed to measure intact and remolded undrained shear strengths (s_u and s_ur). The t-bar and ball can obtain continuous …

Measurement Of The Hydraulic Conductivity Of Gravels Using A Laboratory Permeameter And Silty Sands Using Field Testing With Observation Wells, Aaron Judge

Open Access Dissertations

A new laboratory permeameter was developed for measuring the hydraulic conductivity of gravels ranging from 0.1 to 2 m/s. The release of pneumatic pressure applied to the test specimen induces an underdamped oscillatory response of the water level above the permeameter, similar to an underdamped in situ slug test response in monitoring wells. A closed form model was derived to calibrate the hydraulic minor losses in the permeameter and the hydraulic conductivity of the specimen by performing tests without and with a specimen. The majority of each test series performed on individual specimens produced hydraulic conductivity values within 10% of …

Using Ce-Qual-W2 To Model A Contaminant Spill Into The Wachusett Reservoir, Lillian M. Clark

Environmental & Water Resources Engineering Masters Projects

This research was done to understand the potential fate and transport of a contaminant spill into the Wachusett Reservoir utilizing the model CE-QUAL-W2 V3.6. The Wachusett Reservoir, located in central Massachusetts, is the main water supply for the Boston, MA metropolitan area. The reservoir has a capacity of approximately 65 billion gallons and receives about half of its total inflow from the Quabbin Reservoir, which has a capacity of 412 billion gallons. Water is transferred from the Quabbin Reservoir to the western end of the Wachusett Reservoir intermittently through the Quabbin Aqueduct typically from June through November to meet higher …

Mesostructural Characterization And Probabilistic Modeling Of The Design Limit States Of Parallel Strand Lumber, Alireza Amini

Open Access Dissertations

Over recent decades, the public tendency toward using the structural composite lumber (SCL), a common composite of wood made of wood strands or veneers glued and compressed together, as structural members (especially the main load bearing members such as beams and columns) has risen considerably. In contrast to the fast-paced market growth of these products, development is slow. The experimental development is gradual and time-consuming and the computational development is even slower. The objective of this project is to introduce appropriate numerical models for limit state analysis of a certain type of SCL material called PSL.

Parallel strand lumber (PSL), …

A Computational Model For Full Or Partial Damage Of Single Or Multiple Adjacent Columns In Disproportionate Collapse Analysis Via Linear Programming, Simos Gerasimidis, C. Bisbos, C. Baniotopoulos

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publication Series

The evaluation of the sensitivity or insensitivity of structures to local damage has been a major research field during the last decades, mainly provoked due to the series of aging structures and infrastructures. Many researchers have described this property as redundancy, others as the resistance to disproportionate collapse or robustness and still others as the ability of structural systems to display alternate load paths in case of a local damage. In any case, the problem for the evaluation of this property is increasingly alarming since many systems experience similar collapses (American Society of Civil Engineers (2009). Proceedings of Structures Congress …

Campus-Wide Parking Vision Plan, Dennis Swinford, Niels P. La Cour, Vhb

Campus Planning Master Plans

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Parking Vision Plan is a key component of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Campus Master Plan 2012. With the campus in the midst of a $1 billion capital improvement program, the Campus Master Plan looks 40 years into the future, matching academic vision with upgraded facilities to strengthen the sense of community and enhance the campus's beauty. The Parking Vision Plan articulates a parking system vision and guiding principles that support the vision of the Master Plan; it institutes a blueprint for parking-related decisions and policies on the UMass Amherst campus. The report discusses …

University Of Massachusetts Amherst 2012-2021 Capital Improvement Projects, Douglas Vigneau, Juanita Holler, University Of Massachusetts Building Authority, John Mathews, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Ezra Small

Campus Planning Master Plans

In 2013 the University of Massachusetts, on behalf of the University of Massachusetts Building Authority and Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), submitted an Expanded Environmental Notification Form for the University's 2012 - 2021 Capital Improvement Plan to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office (MEPA).

Taken individually, the majority of the Projects, comprising of 13 building/space, 7 site/landscape, and 5 facility/ utility scale improvement projects, do not require MEPA review as most of the Project sites are confined to infill areas on campus that are currently or …

Study Of Minimum Void Ratio For Soils With A Range Of Grain-Size Distributions, Zhenning Yang

Geotechnical Engineering Masters Projects

Minimum void ratio or maximum packing density is an important soil property in geotechnical engineering. It apply to volume change tendency control, fluid conductivity control and particles movement.

Previous researchers have attempted to predict maximum packing density by empirical/graphic method, rock correction method, alpha method. Based on the concepts of F. de Larrard in concrete mixture research, we have developed a mathematic model that can predict the minimum void ratio for soils with a wide range of particle size.

Probability density function-lognormal distribution was tested and used to provide a reasonable representation for soils with a range of grain-size distribution. …

Hydrogeologic Characterization Of A Till Mantled Leaky Fractured Bedrock Aquifer, William Lukas

Geotechnical Engineering Masters Projects

In glaciated areas till can serve as a leaky aquitard for fractured bedrock aquifers. The characterization of a leaky till mantled fractured bedrock aquifer is presented. Multiple high resolution data sets were collected in response to unprecedented changes in the hydraulic head at a research site in eastern Massachusetts. Local scale aquifer and aquitard hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity and storativity values are determined through the analysis of purge recovery tests using Ostendorf and DeGroot (2010) and Cooper et al (1967) theories. The local scale parameters are in turn used to determine large scale aquifer transmissivity and storativity through an analysis of …

Umass Amherst Green Building Guidelines 2013, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Ted Mendoza, Ezra Small, Patricia O'Flaherty, Nariman Mostafavi, Mohamed Farzinmoghadam, Somayeh Tabatabaee Pozveh

Campus Planning Reports and Plans

Facilities & Campus Services, Sustainable UMass and Campus Planning support sustainability and energy conservation initiatives by providing in-house resources to campus staff as well as designers and contractors working with the University. The UMass Amherst Green Building Guidelines provide a framework for approaching new construction and major renovation projects at UMass Amherst that are undergoing LEED certification by focusing the conversation on green building aspects that are most important to the campus. They are intended to be the beginning of a dynamic conversation between designers, environmental consultants and constructors, university stakeholders, and users of new high performance buildings.

Preferred Sensor Selection For Damage Estimation In Civil Structures, Matthew Styckiewicz

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Detecting structural damage in civil structures through non-destructive means is a growing field in civil engineering. There are many viable methods, but they can often be time consuming and costly; requiring large amounts of data to be collected. By determining which data are the most optimal at detecting damage and which are not the methods can be better optimized. The objective of this thesis was to adapt an existing method of data optimization, used for damage detection in mechanical engineering applications, for use with civil structures. The existing method creates Parameter Signatures based on characteristics from the system being analyzed, …

Evaluating At-Grade Rail Crossing Safety Along The Knowledge Corridor In Massachusetts, Timothy P. Horan

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Highway-rail grade crossings are safer than ever, but collisions between motor vehicles and trains persist. Some collisions could be prevented by actively maintaining such grade crossings, yet many at-grade rail crossings are only evaluated following collisions. Those crossings that experience no collisions may go decades without being inspected. In recent years, the Congress has allocated funds for a national High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail program, and it is in the public’s interest for state road/highway agencies to inspect all highway-rail crossings in high-speed rail corridors to ensure that the warning systems in place are commensurate with the crossings’ needs. The objectives …

The Effect Of Roadside Elements On Driver Behavior And Run-Off-The-Road Crash Severity, Cole D. Fitzpatrick

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Roadside vegetation provides numerous environmental and psychological benefits to drivers. Previous studies have shown that natural landscapes can effectively lower crash rates and cause less stress and frustration to the driver. However, run-off-the-road crashes resulting in a collision with a tree are twice as likely to result in a fatality, thus reinforcing the need to examine the placement of vegetation within the clear zone. This study explores the relationship between the size of the clear zone and the presence of roadside vegetation on selected driver attributes, including both driver speed and lateral positioning. To evaluate the effect on the driver …

Operational And Safety-Based Analyses Of Varied Toll Lane Configurations, Ian A. Mckinnon

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Toll plaza operation is a critical component of roadway operations throughout the United States, as tolls provide both revenue for expansion and opportunity for demand management. Originally cash or physical currency based, tolling has morphed to meet the twentieth century demand in terms of throughput and efficiency in the form of electronic toll collection. Electronic tolling has introduced a new form of driver decision making at toll plazas due to the additional payment choice. Despite the user convenience these facilities provide to consumers, this form of collection has not come without safety and operational concerns. Confusion at the toll plaza, …

Multi Rotor Wind Turbine Design And Cost Scaling, Preeti Verma

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The current generation wind turbines are upscaled into multi megawatt range in terms of output power. However, the energy benefit from the turbine is offset by the increased mass and cost. Twenty MW wind turbines are now feasible with rotor diameters up to 200 m, according to a new report from the EU-funded UpWind project in 2011. The question is, how much bigger can wind turbines get realistically? One concept worth considering, and the one that is the subject of this thesis, is to have more than one rotor on a single support structure. Such turbines could have a greater …

A Unified Perspective On Traffic Flow Theory. Part Iii: Validation And Benchmarking, Daiheng Ni, Haizhong Wang

Daiheng Ni

Over more than half a century, traffic flow theorists have been pursuing two goals: (1) simple and efficient models to abstract vehicular traffic flow and (2) a unified framework in which existing traffic flow models fit and relate to each other. Continuing these efforts, we report our humble understanding in a trio of papers. The first paper (Part I) introduced a Field Theory with an emphasis on traffic flow modeling at the microscopic level. The second paper (Part II) uses the Field Theory as a framework to relate existing microscopic and macroscopic models to each other and summarizes the relations …

A Unified Perspective On Traffic Flow Theory. Part I: The Field Theory, Daiheng Ni

Daiheng Ni

Over more than half a century, traffic flow theorists have been pursuing two goals: (1) simple and efficient models to abstract vehicular traffic flow and (2) a unified framework in which existing traffic flow models fit and relate to each other. Continuing these efforts, we report our humble understanding in a trio of papers. This paper (Part I) introduces a Field Theory with an emphasis on traffic flow modeling at the microscopic level. In this theory, highways and vehicles are perceived as a field by a subject driver whose driving strategy is to navigate through the field along its valley. …