Engineering Commons^™

A Review Of Electrically Conductive Cement Concrete Pavement For Sustainable Snow-Removal And Deicing: Road Safety In Cold Regions, Mohammad Anis, Mohamed Abdel-Raheem

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Within cold U.S. regions, winter storms can cause interruptions in transportation networks, affecting transportation entities’ revenue streams. Conventional snow-removal methods on roadways efficiently remove snow and ice, yet their adverse environmental impacts further make winter maintenance more challenging. In response to these concerns, electrically conductive cement concrete (ECCC) pavement has become an effective alternative for deicing and snow melting on road surfaces. ECCC utilizes the Joule heating principles to effectively melt snow and ice by incorporating conductive elements into conventional concrete. This paper comprehensively reviews the current literature on ECCC pavement. Previous studies have diligently explored various aspects of ECCC …

Real-Time Vehicle And Lane Detection Using Modified Overfeat Cnn: A Comprehensive Study On Robustness And Performance In Autonomous Driving, Monowar Hossain Saika, Sonjoy Paul Avi, Kazi Toriqul Islam, Tanjida Tahmina, Md Shahriar Abdullah, Touhid Imam

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This examination researches the use of profound learning methods, explicitly utilizing Convolutional Brain Organizations (CNNs), for ongoing recognition of vehicles and path limits in roadway driving situations. The study investigates the performance of a modified Over Feat CNN architecture by making use of a comprehensive dataset that includes annotated frames captured by a variety of sensors, including cameras, LIDAR, radar, and GPS. The framework shows heartiness in identifying vehicles and anticipating path shapes in 3D while accomplishing functional rates of north of 10 Hz on different GPU setups. Vehicle bounding box predictions with high accuracy, resistance to occlusions, and efficient …

Forecasting Future Research Trends In The Construction Engineering And Management Domain Using Machine Learning And Social Network Analysis, Gasser G. Ali, Islam H. El-Adaway, Muaz O. Ahmed, Radwa Eissa, Mohamad Abdul Nabi, Tamima Elbashbishy, Ramy Khalef

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) is a broad domain with publications covering interrelated subdisciplines and considered a key source of knowledge sharing. Previous studies used scientometric methods to assess the current impact of CEM publications; however, there is a need to predict future citations of CEM publications to identify the expected high-impact trends in the future and guide new research efforts. To tackle this gap in the literature, the authors conducted a study using Machine Learning (ML) algorithms and Social Network Analysis (SNA) to predict CEM-related citation metrics. Using a dataset of 93,868 publications, the authors trained and tested two …

Improvement Of Subgrade California Bearing Ratio (Cbr) Using Recycled Concrete Aggregate And Fly Ash, Safkat Tajwar Ahmed, Mozaher Ul Kabir, Chowdhury Zubayer Bin Zahid, Tahsin Tareque, Seyedali Mirmotalebi

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The study aims to understand the effect of different admixtures on improving the quality of flexible pavement subgrades. In this paper, recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) and Fly Ash were used as the admixtures in improving the maximum dry density (MDD), swelling potential, and California bearing ratio (CBR) of subgrade soil. The percentages of RCA and fly Ash used were 5%, 10%, and 15%. With the upscaling in fly ash dosage, the optimum moisture content and the California bearing ratio increased. However, the MDD of soil decreased for higher fly ash contents. On the contrary, the optimum moisture content (OMC) of …

Interdependencies Between Wildfire-Induced Alterations In Soil Properties, Near-Surface Processes, And Geohazards, Farshid Vahedifard, Masood Abdollahi, Ben A. Leshchinsky, Timothy D. Stark, Mojtaba Sadegh, Amir Aghakouchak

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The frequency, severity, and spatial extent of destructive wildfires have increased in several regions globally over the past decades. While direct impacts from wildfires are devastating, the hazardous legacy of wildfires affects nearby communities long after the flames have been extinguished. Post-wildfire soil conditions control the persistence, severity, and timing of cascading geohazards in burned landscapes. The interplay and feedback between geohazards and wildfire-induced changes to soil properties, land cover conditions, and near-surface and surface processes are still poorly understood. Here, we synthesize wildfire-induced processes that can affect the critical attributes of burned soils and their conditioning of subsequent geohazards. …

Towards Sustainability: A New Construction Method For Electrically Heated Rigid Pavement System, Mohamed Abdel-Raheem, Mohammad Anis

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Snow and ice damage to U.S. airport pavements, particularly in colder regions, poses an ongoing challenge, resulting in significant annual economic losses. Traditional snow removal methods are often perceived as cost-prohibitive, driving the quest for cost-effective alternatives to mitigate the adverse impacts on pavement sustainability. In response, this research investigates an innovative construction approach utilizing an electrically conductive composite (ECC) comprised of waterborne polyurethane (WPU) and graphite (Gp). The ECC is applied to a portland cement concrete (PCC) substrate using the parallel stripe technique, safeguarded by an additional layer of conventional concrete to withstand the friction caused by tires. This …

Statistical And Deep Learning Models For Reference Evapotranspiration Time Series Forecasting: A Comparison Of Accuracy, Complexity, And Data Efficiency, Arman Ahmadi, Andre Daccache, Mojtaba Sadegh, Richard L. Snyder

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reference evapotranspiration (ETo) is an essential variable in agricultural water resources management and irrigation scheduling. An accurate and reliable forecast of ETo facilitates effective decision-making in agriculture. Although numerous studies assessed various methodologies for ETo forecasting, an in-depth multi-dimensional analysis evaluating different aspects of these methodologies is missing. This study systematically evaluates the complexity, computational cost, data efficiency, and accuracy of ten models that have been used or could potentially be used for ETo forecasting. These models range from well-known statistical forecasting models like seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) to state-of-the-art deep learning (DL) algorithms like temporal fusion transformer …

Comprehensive Analysis Of The Effects Of Superplasticizer Variation On The Workability And Strength Of Ready-Mix Concrete, Tahsin Tareque, Fahmid Tousif, Mirza Addaito Billah, Abdullah Al Masum Jabir, Seyedali Mirmotalebi

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This experimental study aims to examine the influence of many crucial parameters on the workability and compressive strength of Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC). The study utilized two distinct varieties of superplasticizers obtained from the local market. The fine aggregates utilized in this study were sourced from Sylhet sand, whereas the coarse aggregates were comprised of boulder crushed stone chips. The experimental procedures adhered to the requirements outlined by ASTM. A comprehensive investigation was conducted on a range of concrete compositions that used diverse chemical admixtures. The slump test was performed at regular intervals of 15 minutes until the slump value reached …

Assessment Of The Mechanical And Durability Characteristics Of Bio-Mineralized Bacillus Subtilis Self-Healing Concrete Blended With Hydrated Lime And Brick Powder, Mohd Abu Bakr, Birendra Kumar Singh, Ahmed Farouk Deifalla, Shatrudhan Pandey, Ahmed Hussain, Sahir Sultan Alvi, S.M. Mozammil Hasnain

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Highlights

• The present paper studied the effect of biomineralization on the properties of HBr concrete.

• Strength and durability properties are improved by calcite precipitation produced by bacteria.

• CaCO3 Precipitation was confirmed in the microstructure analysis through FESEM and EDS.

Abstract

Cement is the main constituent of the concrete structure. Using rejected brick as pozzolana in replacement of cement reduced the utilization of natural resources, conserved the environment, and controlled waste disposal. Hydrated lime has been utilized as a chemical additive to improve the pozzolanic reaction of finely ground waste brick particles. This research investigates the process of biomineralization to enhance …

Social Vulnerability Of The People Exposed To Wildfires In U.S. West Coast States, Arash Modaresi Rad, John T. Abatzoglou, Erica Fleishman, Miranda H. Mockrin, Volker C. Radeloff, Yavar Pourmohamad, Megan Cattau, J. Michael Johnson, Philip Higuera, Nicholas J. Nauslar, Mojtaba Sadegh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding of the vulnerability of populations exposed to wildfires is limited. We used an index from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess the social vulnerability of populations exposed to wildfire from 2000–2021 in California, Oregon, and Washington, which accounted for 90% of exposures in the western United States. The number of people exposed to fire from 2000–2010 to 2011–2021 increased substantially, with the largest increase, nearly 250%, for people with high social vulnerability. In Oregon and Washington, a higher percentage of exposed people were highly vulnerable (>40%) than in California (~8%). Increased social vulnerability of …

Predicting University Campus Parking Demand Using Machine Learning Models, Sohil Paudel, Matthew Vechione, Okan Gurbuz

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Parking demand at university campuses has been an issue for decades and is gradually increasing each year. With limited capacity, space, and funds to expand parking facilities, there is a dire need to better understand parking behavior on a university campus so that universities can better utilize the limited resources available. One methodology that has been used by Metropolitan Planning Organizations to predict traveler behavior is known as travel demand modeling, where the most common modeling technique is a four-step procedure that utilizes socioeconomic data to predict current and future traffic volumes in a network (e.g., a city). This study …

Shrinkage And Consolidation Characteristics Of Chitosan-Amended Soft Soil: A Sustainable Alternate Landfill Liner Material, Romana Mariyam Rasheed, Arif Ali Baig Moghal, Sai Sampreeth Reddy Jannepally, Ateekh Ur Rehman, Bhaskar C. S. Chittoori

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Kuttanad is a region that lies in the southwest part of Kerala, India, and possesses soft soil, which imposes constraints on many civil engineering applications owing to low shear strength and high compressibility. Chemical stabilizers such as cement and lime have been extensively utilized in the past to address compressibility issues. However, future civilizations will be extremely dependent on the development of sustainable materials and practices such as the use of bio-enzymes, calcite precipitation methods, and biological materials as a result of escalating environmental concerns due to carbon emissions of conventional stabilizers. One such alternative is the utilization of biopolymers. …

Machine Learning-Enabled Regional Multi-Hazards Risk Assessment Considering Social Vulnerability, Tianjie Zhang, Donglei Wang, Yang Lu

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The regional multi-hazards risk assessment poses difficulties due to data access challenges, and the potential interactions between multi-hazards and social vulnerability. For better natural hazards risk perception and preparedness, it is important to study the nature-hazards risk distribution in different areas, specifically a major priority in the areas of high hazards level and social vulnerability. We propose a multi-hazards risk assessment method which considers social vulnerability into the analyzing and utilize machine learning-enabled models to solve this issue. The proposed methodology integrates three aspects as follows: (1) characterization and mapping of multi-hazards (Flooding, Wildfires, and Seismic) using five machine learning …

Electric Vehicle Adoption Behavior And Vehicle Transaction Decision: Estimating An Integrated Choice Model With Latent Variables On A Retrospective Vehicle Survey, Fatemeh Nazari, Mohamadhossein Noruzoliaee, Abolfazl (Kouros) Mohammadian

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Electric vehicles (EVs) promise a sustainable solution to mitigating negative emission externalities of transportation systems caused by fossil-fueled conventional vehicles (CVs). While recent developments in battery technology and charging infrastructure can help evolve the niche market of EVs into the mass market, EVs are yet to be widely adopted by the public. This calls for an in-depth understanding of public adoption behavior of EVs as one dimension of vehicle decision making, which itself may be intertwined with other vehicle decision-making dimensions, especially vehicle transaction. This study presents an integrated choice model with latent variables (ICLV) to investigate households’—as a decision-making …

Mapping Ecotourism Potential In Bangladesh: The Integration Of An Analytical Hierarchy Algorithm And Geospatial Data, Muhallil Abtahee, Afra Anika Islam, Md. Nazmul Haque, Hasan Zonaed, Samiha Mahzabin Ritu, S. M. Imdadul Islam, Atiq Zaman

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The significance of ecotourism has been increasing due to its potential for biodiversity preservation, economic advancement, and the promotion of sustainability awareness. In this research, geospatial analysis and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to identify feasible ecotourism sites in Bangladesh. The study applied Geographical Information System–Remote Sensing (GIS-RS) parameters and weighted overlay techniques for selected ecotourism characteristics, such as natural attractiveness, topographic features, accessibility, proximity to facilities, and community characteristics. The study found that a significant proportion (around 44%) of Bangladesh’s land exhibits high potential for ecotourism. Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, and Rangamati are particularly favorable ecotourism locations. However, …

Streamflow Reconstructions Using Tree-Ring-Based Paleo Proxies For The Sava River Basin (Slovenia), Glenn Tootle, Abdoul Oubeidillah, Emily Elliott, Giuseppe Formetta, Nejc Bezak

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Sava River Basin (SRB) extends across six countries (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, and Montenegro) and is a major tributary of the Danube River (DR). The Sava River (SR) originates in the alpine region of Slovenia, and, in support of a Slovenian government initiative to increase clean, sustainable energy, multiple hydropower facilities have been constructed within the past ~20 years. Given the importance of this river system for varying demands, including energy production, information about past (paleo) drought and pluvial periods would provide important information to water managers and planners. Seasonal (April–May–June–July–August–September—AMJJAS) streamflow data were obtained for …

Field Application Of A High-Power Density Electromagnetic Energy Harvester To Power Wireless Sensors In Transportation Infrastructures, Anil Agrawal, Mohsen Amjadian, Wai Yan Tun, Hani Nassif, Hongfan Wang

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Finding an efficient source of energy has always been a big challenge for humans on Earth. Fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, have traditionally been considered as major sources of energy. These energy sources are not only nonrenewable but are also harmful to our health and environment. A large portion of this energy is consumed by vehicles moving daily in big cities, causing significant pollution of the environment. However, the motion of vehicles through the transportation infrastructures can also be a significant source of kinetic energy, which can be harvested to power transportation system components, such as sensors, street …

Machine-Learning-Based Model For Hurricane Storm Surge Forecasting In The Lower Laguna Madre, Cesar E. Davila Hernandez, Jungseok Ho, Dong-Chul Kim, Abdoul Oubeidillah

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

During every Atlantic hurricane season, storms represent a constant risk to Texan coastal communities and other communities along the Atlantic coast of the United States. A storm surge refers to the abnormal rise of sea water level due to hurricanes and storms; traditionally, hurricane storm surge predictions are generated using complex numerical models that require high amounts of computing power to be run, which grow proportionally with the extent of the area covered by the model. In this work, a machine-learning-based storm surge forecasting model for the Lower Laguna Madre is implemented. The model considers gridded forecasted weather data on …

Machine Learning Technique For Damage Detection Of Rails On Steel Railroad Bridges Subjected To Moving Train Load, Md Masnun Rahman, Mohsen Amjadian, Mahesh Pokhrel, Constantine Tarawneh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rail is one of the key elements of the railway system, and its role is to transmit the wheel load to the track bed and guide the train cars along the track. Rail is susceptible to rolling contact fatigue and wear due to being repeatedly subjected to the moving load of the train. This can eventually result in broken-rail damage and train derailment, which if happens on a railroad bridge, it can severely damage the bridge, such as the structural failure of the Tempe Town Lake steel railroad bridge in July 2020 that costed $11 million to repair. Therefore, early …

Quantifying The Impact Of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement On The Skid Resistance Of Surface Mixtures, Sheng Hu, Fujie Zhou, Tom Scullion, Emmanuel Fernando, Mena I. Souliman

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Pavement skid resistance is critical for public safety, especially in wet-weather conditions. In Texas, as the population grows and the likelihood of wet-surface crashes and fatalities increases, the use of Surface Aggregate Classification A (SAC-A) aggregate has significantly increased each year to improve pavement skid resistance. Texas Department of Transportation specifications allow for the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) to conserve natural resources and save costs. However, the impact of RAP on the skid resistance of the surface mixture was unknown or not quantitatively studied. Currently, all RAPs are categorized as Surface Aggregate Classification B aggregate in Texas. This …

Vibration Control Of A Two-Story Base-Isolated Building Using A New Tuned Mass Multi-Sliding Friction Damper, Mohsen Amjadian, Syed Muhammad Bilal Haider

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper studies the use of a new Tuned Mass Multi-Sliding Friction Damper (TMMSFD) to increase the damping capacity of seismic isolators installed on a two-story base-isolated building to limit their lateral deformations. The proposed TMMSFD consists of a set of several masses that are laterally attached to the superstructure floor through linear springs. These masses are placed on top of each other one by one and are allowed to slide with respect to each other during the earthquake. The bottom mass that carries the weight of upper masses is in contact with the superstructure floor. The damping of system …

Analytical Method For Predicting Lateral Facing Deflection Of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil Abutment Walls, Thang Pham, S. Mustapha Rahmaninezhad, Andres Palma, Truc Phan, Thuy Vu

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) walls have been recently used as bridge abutments to directly support spread footings on the reinforced soil mass. This application reduces the requirement for using traditional deep foundations, such as piles or drilled shafts, to support bridge beams. GRS abutment walls are generally subjected to high footing loads that are close to the wall facing. Although GRS abutment walls with modular block facing have been the subject of a number of studies, there are limited methods to predict the profile of the lateral facing deflections along the height of the GRS abutment walls. Lateral deflections along the …

Application Of Connected Vehicle Data To Assess Safety On Roadways, Mandar Khanal, Nathaniel Edelmann

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Using surrogate safety measures is a common method to assess safety on roadways. Surrogate safety measures allow for proactive safety analysis; the analysis is performed prior to crashes occurring. This allows for safety improvements to be implemented proactively to prevent crashes and the associated injuries and property damage. Existing surrogate safety measures primarily rely on data generated by microsimulations, but the advent of connected vehicles has allowed for the incorporation of data from actual cars into safety analysis with surrogate safety measures. In this study, commercially available connected vehicle data are used to develop crash prediction models for crashes at …

Behavioral Acceptance Of Automated Vehicles: The Roles Of Perceived Safety Concern And Current Travel Behavior, Fatemeh Nazari, Mohamadhossein Noruzoliaee, Abolfazl (Kouros) Mohammadian

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

With the prospect of next-generation automated mobility ecosystem, the realization of the contended traffic efficiency and safety benefits are contingent upon the demand landscape for automated vehicles (AVs). Focusing on the public acceptance behavior of AVs, this empirical study addresses two gaps in the plethora of travel behavior research on identifying the potential determinants thereof. First, a clear behavioral understanding is lacking as to the perceived concern about AV safety and the consequent effect on AV acceptance behavior. Second, how people appraise the benefits of enhanced automated mobility to meet their current (pre-AV era) travel behavior and needs, along with …

Exploring The Role Of Perceived Range Anxiety In Adoption Behavior Of Plugin Electric Vehicles, Fatemeh Nazari, Abolfazl (Kouros) Mohammadian, Thomas Stephens

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A sustainable solution to negative externalities imposed by road transportation is replacing internal combustion vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs), especially plug-in EV (PEV) encompassing plugin hybrid EV (PHEV) and battery EV (BEV). However, EV market share is still low and is forecast to remain low and uncertain. This shows a research need for an in-depth understanding of EV adoption behavior with a focus on one of the main barriers to the mass EV adoption, which is the limited electric driving range. The present study extends the existing literature in two directions; First, the influence of the psychological aspect of driving …

Finite Element Analysis Of Compaction Load To Investigate The Stress-Deformation Behavior Of Soil Geosynthetic Composite Mass: A Case Study, Truc Phan, Meen-Wah Gui, Thang Pham

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

When building Soil Geosynthetic Composite (SGC) walls, fill compaction is normally carried out by operating a compactor in a general direction parallel to the wall face. In other words, a moving point or area load is often used to apply a compaction load on a newly installed soil lift. Pham (2009) and Wu and Pham (2010) demonstrated that the compaction-induced stress (CIS) caused by multiple passes of a compactor moving toward or away from a section can be calculated by taking into account the compaction load applied directly above the section under consideration using a simplified stress path proposed by …

Privately-Owned Versus Shared Automated Vehicle: The Roles Of Utilitarian And Hedonic Beliefs, Fatemeh Nazari, Yellitza Soto, Mohamadhossein Noruzoliaee

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Transportation systems will be likely transformed by the emergence of automated vehicles (AVs) promising for safe, convenient, and efficient mobility, especially if used in shared systems (shared AV or SAV). However, the potential tendency is observed towards owning AV as a private asset rather than using SAV. This calls for a research on investigating individuals’ attitude towards AV in comparison with SAV to recognize the barriers to the public’s tendency towards SAV. To do so, the present study proposes a modeling framework based on the theories in behavioral psychology to explain individuals’ preference for owning AV over using SAV, built …

Structural Health Assessment Of Pavement Sections In The Southern Central United States Using Fwd Parameters, Nitish R. Bastola, Mena Souliman, Samer Dessouky, Raja Daoud

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Various Departments of Transportation in the South-Central States and elsewhere have made extensive use of the Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) surface deflection bowl data. The falling weight deflectometer (FWD) test is a popular NDT-based test used by transportation authorities to evaluate the performance of flexible pavement. Nevertheless, it is rare to develop a method for evaluating pavement sections using FWD data from all sensors. There is a constant demand for DOTs and highway agencies to have a streamlined approach that can be applied directly to their databases. This research focuses on extending and verifying the concept of previously published area ratio …

Geospatial Analysis Of Impact On Evacuation Routes And Urban Areas In South Texas Due To Flood Events, Layda B. Spor Leal, Jungseok Ho, Sara E. Davila

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Lower Rio Grande Valley has historically faced a variety of hurricanes and tropical storms that have led to sever flooding. As a consequence, waves of mass evacuation of the local population with the means of transportation occur frequently. While evacuation is encouraged in some cases of disaster, the routing is not always available as water takes to roads and drainage capacities are overwhelmed. In order to dissert the most appropriate evacuation routes, it is necessary to analyze the areas that will be affected in the future based on urban locations, elevation, and historical information. This project utilizes a semi-coupled …

Mechanical Responses Of Soil-Geosynthetic Composite (Sgc) Mass Under Failure Load, Meen-Wah Gui, Truc Phan, Thang Pham

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is an increasing awareness on the major benefits of using soil-geosynthetic composite (SGC) to achieve and maintain the stability of earth-filled embankment. Unlike the mechanically stabilized earth wall, the mechanism of the composite mass is still not fully understood. For examples, current analyses have been limited to an SGC mass with a reinforcement spacing Sv of 0.2 m only; the combined effect of reinforcement and backfill properties is rarely studied; the equation for the estimation of the load-carrying capacity of the SGC mass has only been validated for backfill with maximum particle size dmax between 10 mm and 33 …