Engineering Commons^™

Covid-19 And Traffic Safety: Exploring Exposure, Crash Frequency And Severity, And Roadway And Network Design, Nicholas N. Ferenchak Ph.D

Publications

Early COVID-19 lockdowns in the first half of 2020 largely kept people at home, thereby reducing motor vehicle traffic levels. Theoretically, reduced traffic exposure should have resulted in reduced motor vehicle crashes. However, a variety of factors may have complicated this relationship. In order to better understand the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on traffic safety outcomes, we explore fatalities, injuries, and total crashes before and during the lockdowns on both the national and state levels. We provide descriptive statistics and create negative binomial regressions exploring the role of vehicle, user, and built environment factors on traffic safety outcomes. Findings suggest …

Increasing Bridge Durability And Service Life With Lidar Enhanced Unmanned Aerial Systems (Uas), Fernando Moreu, Mahsa Sanei, Chris Lippitt

Publications

Bridge construction inspections require quantitative measurements and location information. The conventional approach is visual inspection, which in general, is rather time-consuming, expensive due to traffic closure, subjective, and needs special access. Therefore an automated rebar layout detection algorithm was developed to quickly extract quantitative rebar layout information from the LiDAR data. This systematic method can automatically cluster the bridge elements from a 3D point cloud by using LiDAR-equipped UAS data collection and unsupervised machine learning techniques. A new automated inspection system using a LIDAR-equipped UAS can eventually if developed and tested be more reliable as well as less expensive. In …

Effectiveness Assessment Of E-Ticketing Technology In Construction Of Transportation Projects, Sharareh Kermanshachi, Karthik Subramanya

Publications

The construction of highway infrastructure has devoted significant resources towards e-Construction to reduce the paperwork and automate the tasks in daily operations. Electronic Ticketing (e-Ticketing) is one such component of e-Construction that aids in the digital transfer of material tickets such as asphalt and concrete which accounts for more than fifty per cent of construction costs. Despite the benefits of e-Ticketing, many state departments and agencies are unwilling to transition into this technology. No studies have identified the cause of the delay in the implementation process, developed a framework to comprehend the platform's full potential, quantified savings, and suggested strategies …

Development Of Distress Index Prediction Models For Rehabilitation Treatments In Louisiana Using Advanced Machine Learning Techniques, Momen R. Mousa, Marwa Hassan

Publications

Performance prediction models are used by state agencies to predict future trends in distress indices, hence, determining the required maintenance and/or rehabilitation treatment as well as the deterioration rate and remaining pavement service life. However, most of these models are based on a limited number of parameters and cannot predict the performance distress indices reliably. Such limitation resulted in having, most of the time, a maximum prediction period of five years. As a solution and coping with the ever-increasing size of pavement data, machine learning techniques have become a promising alternative. The objective of this study was to develop a …

Using Rice Husk Ash (Rha) As Stabilizing Agent For Problematic Subgrade Soils And Embankments, Zahid Hossain, Rifat Bulut, Fares Tarhuni, Hussein Al-Dakheeli

Publications

Arkansas produces the most of the rice in the United States. About 20% of poddy is rice husk (RH), which is burnt under controlled conditions to produce rice rusk ash (RHA). The RHA is considered an environmental hazard and a significant challenge for rice millers. However, RHA is rich in pozzolanic material, which is mainly silica. In this study, RHA is used to stabilize poor soils. Another commonly used stabilizer, hydrated lime (HL), has also been evaluated for comparison purposes. Thus, this study aimed to determine the optimum percentages of RHA, HL, or a combination of these two agents by …

A Deep Learning Tool For The Assessment Of Pavement Smoothness And Aggregate Segregation During Construction, Mostafa Elseifi, Ramchandra Paudel, Md Tanvir Ahmed Sarkar, Hossam Abohamer, Nirmal Dhakal

Publications

Pavement construction monitoring and quality assurance (QA) practices are mostly based on costly, discrete, and destructive methods. Most quality assurance programs are based on pavement construction procedures encompassing in-situ coring for layer thickness determination, density measurements, laboratory testing to measure volumetric properties, and smoothness measurements in case of the availability of a profiler. The main objective of this study was to develop a machine learning-based classifier for predicting pavement roughness and aggregate segregation based on digital image analysis, image recognition, and deep learning machine models. The developed Convolution Neural Networks (CNN) models were trained, tested, and validated using 600-pavement surface …

Predicting The Impact Of Covid-19 On Air Transportation Volumes, Dothang Truong

Publications

COVID-19 has significant impacts on air transportation. This paper aims to predict domestic and international transportation volumes during the pandemic. Daily trips by distance are novel variables in the prediction. Additionally, COVID-19 severity, vaccination, and economic index are other predictors. Artificial Neural Networks and Monte Carlo simulations were used to develop and validate the predictive models using data from various sources in 2021. The findings confirm the importance of daily trips by distance and vaccination as significant predictors. Airlines can use the models to predict air transportation volumes and formulate appropriate strategies to meet the air travel demand and improve …

Preliminary Study Of Shape-Memory Alloy Torsional Tubes As Thermal Management Actuators Under Non-Ideal Conditions, Paula Sanjuan Espejo, Samuel Desloover, Devon Hardy, Mark Ricklick, Frederick Calkin, David Foutch

Publications

Shape-memory alloys (SMAs) have been used in many engineering applications because of their shape-memory effect and pseudoelasticity. SMA behavior is well understood under steady and constant temperature and loading conditions, whereas transient and non-ideal conditions effects should be further investigated. In this research, SMA torque tubes are studied for use in thermal management applications as self-regulated actuators responding to a process fluid with changes in temperature, with the goal of improved system efficiency by keeping components at an optimal temperature. When utilized in a thermal management configuration, it is likely that the SMA’s thermal environment will be different than that …

Can Language Models Capture Graph Semantics? From Graphs To Language Model And Vice-Versa, Tarun Garg, Kaushik Roy, Amit Sheth

Publications

Knowledge Graphs are a great resource to capture semantic knowledge in terms of entities and relationships between the entities. However, current deep learning models takes as input distributed representations or vectors. Thus, the graph is compressed in a vectorized representation. We conduct a study to examine if the deep learning model can compress a graph and then output the same graph with most of the semantics intact. Our experiments show that Transformer models are not able to express the full semantics of the input knowledge graph. We find that this is due to the disparity between the directed, relationship and …

Knowledge-Driven Drug-Use Namedentity Recognition With Distant Supervision, Goonmeet Bajaj, Ugur Kursuncu, Manas Gaur, Usha Lokala, Ayaz Hyder, Srinivasan Parthasarathy, Amit Sheth

Publications

As Named Entity Recognition (NER) has been essential in identifying critical elements of unstructured content, generic NER tools remain limited in recognizing entities specific to a domain, such as drug use and public health. For such high-impact areas, accurately capturing relevant entities at a more granular level is critical, as this information influences real-world processes. On the other hand, training NER models for a specific domain without handcrafted features requires an extensive amount of labeled data, which is expensive in human effort and time. In this study, we employ distant supervision utilizing a domain-specific ontology to reduce the need for …

Numerical Implementation And Validation Of A Viscoelastic-Plastic Material Model For Predicting Curing Induced Residual Stresses In Adhesive Bonded Joints, Akshat Agha, Fadi Abu-Farha

Publications

One of the main challenges in the joining of multi-material components is the assessment of the nature and magnitude of the residual stresses developing in the adhesive bond during the heat curing manufacturing process. Numerical modeling of these residual stresses can provide insights for making informed decisions related to (i) material substrate properties; (ii) adhesive properties i.e., low, medium, or high stiffness; (iii) bondline geometry i.e., bondline width and bead thickness; (iv) curing cycle characteristics; and (v) fixation design i.e., type, spacing, the number of joints. This work presents a cure history-dependent viscoelastic-plastic material description for the modeling of adhesive …

Student Understanding Of Kinematics: A Qualitative Assessment, Andrew Cashman, Tom O'Mahony

Publications

In engineering, kinematics is widely regarded as a fundamental topic with the literature agreeing that students possess a wide range in understanding of the topic. This study aims to take a second-order approach by understanding and exploring the qualitatively different ways in which students approach solving kinematics problems. Phenomenography was used to collect data through ten semi-structured interviews with early-stage mechanical engineering students. Following data analysis, four distinct categories of students’ approaches were identified; unstructured, framing the problem, strategic, and conceptual. It was found that these categories could be arranged in a hierarchy and were also supported by secondary epistemic …

Challenges In Kinetic-Kinematic Driven Musculoskeletal Subject-Specific Infant Modeling, Yeram Lim, Victor Huayamave, Tamara Chambers, Christine Walck, Safeer Siddicky, Erin Mannen

Publications

Musculoskeletal computational models provide a non-invasive approach to investigate human movement biomechanics. These models could be particularly useful for pediatric applications where in vivo and in vitro biomechanical parameters are difficult or impossible to examine using physical experiments alone. The objective was to develop a novel musculoskeletal subject-specific infant model to investigate hip joint biomechanics during cyclic leg movements. Experimental motion-capture marker data of a supine-lying 2-month-old infant were placed on a generic GAIT 2392 OpenSim model. After scaling the model using body segment anthropometric measurements and joint center locations, inverse kinematics and dynamics were used to estimate hip ranges …

Vulnerable Vegetables And Efficient Fishers: A Study Of Primary Production Food Losses And Waste In Ireland, Tracey O'Connor, Rosanna Kleeman, Jennifer Attard

Publications

From 2022, the European Union Waste Framework Directive (WFD) requires member states to report annual food waste from each food supply chain stage. Comprehensive food losses and waste (FLW) data can be challenging to obtain for the primary production stage, i.e., farming and fishing. However, this information is vital in developing FLW mitigation actions appropriate to each country. This study describes the nature and extent of FLW from primary production in Ireland, using methods approved for WFD reporting. Causes of FLW and FLW as a proportion of total production were determined through interviews with Irish primary production stakeholders and using …

The Effect Of Pre-Thermal And -Load Conditions On In-718 High Temperature Fatigue Life, Paulina De La Torre, Alberto Mello

Publications

Ni-based superalloys are largely used in the aerospace industry as critical components for turbine engines due to their excellent mechanical properties and fatigue resistance at high temperatures. A hypothesis to explain this atypical characteristic among metals is the presence of a cross-slip mechanism. Previous work on the role of thermal activation on cubic slip has shown strain accommodation in two sets of slip planes, which resembled the activation of {100} cubic slip systems along of the octahedral slip planes {111} in Ni-based superalloys under high strain and temperature, exhibiting a more homogeneous strain distribution and less strain localization. Following those …

Using Machine Learning In Estimating Changing Bed Shear Over A Flume Test Box, Ghada S. Ellithy, Siddharth S. Parida

Publications

A dam or levee breach caused by overflow erosion is difficult to evaluate during an overtopping event due to difficulty in accessibility and quickly changing conditions. However, for assessment of risk associated with breach time and ensuing downstream consequences, the erosion rate of embankment soils during this process needs to be evaluated. Soil erosion and water depth measurements were taken during flume tests using a Shallow Water Lidar (SWL) system scans. The tests were conducted in a 1-m-wide tilting flume on three cleans and gravel soil mixes with a median grain size D50of 2, 5,and 20 mm. The box measured …

Influence Of Cold Expansion And Aggressive Environment On Crack Growth In Aa2024-T3, Ken Shishino, Christopher Leirer, Alberto Mello

Publications

This research aims to establish the effect of hole cold expansion on fatigue life of pre-cracked material under aggressive environment. A relationship between crack propagation and secondary crack initiation was established for AA2024-T3 cold worked holes subjected to cyclic loads to determine the impact on fatigue life of joints in presence of saline solution. Galvanic corrosion of a steel fastener/aluminum plate assembly was investigated assuming the presence of cracks in the aluminum plates, whose growth will be monitored in-situ with a digital microscope throughout the fatigue process. The cold expansion treatment improved the fatigue life fourfold under a corrosive environment, …

Field Retrofit And Testing Of A Corroded Metal Culvert Using Gfrp, Mahmoud Reda Taha, Susan Bogus, Mohammed Abdellatef, Daniel Heras Murcia

Publications

One of the current pressing problem for all DOTs is the corrosion-oriented deterioration of the existing metal culverts. These metal culverts typically are designed for a life of 50 years. However, corrosion is making them last no longer than 30years. Here we propose use of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers (GFRP) pipe section as a fit-in GFRP profile liner for complete repair and rehabilitation of the corroded metal culvert with an expected life of 75 years. This is mainly because of the corrosion free nature of the GFRP material. In the current study, the design method for using glass fiber-reinforced polymer …

The Breathing Human Infrastructure: Integrating Air Quality, Traffic, And Social Media Indicators, Heather O'Leary, Scott Parr, Marwa El-Sayed

Publications

Outdoor air pollution is a complex system that is responsible for the deaths of millions of people annually, yet the integration of interdisciplinary data necessary to assess air quality's multiple metrics is still lacking. This case study integrates atmospheric indicators (concentrations of criteria pollutants including particulate matter and gaseous pollutants), traffic indicators (permanent traffic monitoring station data), and social indicators (community responses in Twitter archives) representing the interplay of the three critical pillars of the United Nations' Triple Bottom Line: environment, economy, and society. During the watershed moment of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in Florida, urban centers demonstrated the gaps …

Thermoforming Process Effects On Structural Performance Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composite Parts Through A Manufacturing To Response Pathway, Madhura Limaye, Sai Aditya Pradeep, Anmol Kothari, Sushil Savla, Akshat Agha, Srikanth Pilla, Gang Li

Publications

Thermoforming process of thermoplastic-based continuous CFRP's offer a major advantage in reducing cycle times for large-scale productions, but it can also have a significant impact on the structural performance of the parts by inducing undesirable effects. This necessitates the development of an optimal manufacturing process that minimizes the introduction of undesirable factors in the structure and thereby achieves the targeted mechanical performance. This can be done by first establishing a relationship between the manufacturing process and mechanical performance and successively optimizing it to achieve the desired targets. The current study focuses on the former part, where a manufacturing-to-response (MTR) pathway …

Application Of Nonlinear Time Series And Machine Learning Algorithms For Forecasting Groundwater Flooding In A Lowland Karst Area, Bidroha Basu, Patrick Morrissey, Laurence Gill

Publications

In karst limestone areas interactions between ground and surface waters can be frequent, particularly in low lying areas, linked to the unique hydrogeological dynamics of that bedrock aquifer. In extreme hydrological conditions, however, this can lead to wide-spread, long-duration flooding, resulting in significant cost and disruption. This study develops and compares a nonlinear time-series analysis based nonlinear autoregressive model with exogenous variables (NARX), machine learning based near support vector regression as well as a linear time-series ARX model in terms of their performance to predict groundwater flooding in a lowland karst area of Ireland. The models have been developed upon …

Data Types Structure And Data Preparation Process, Leila Halawi, Amal Clarke, Kelly George

Publications

Learning Objectives

• Identify the different data types and measurements

• Identify the need for data and data sources

• Explain data partitioning and honest assessment

• Identify the necessity of data preparation and curation

• Identify the data preparation process

• Explore SAS VIYA platform and import data

Resilience Attributes Of Certificated Flight Instructors, David Cross, Kristine Kiernan

Publications

The aviation industry has extensive vocabulary, data sources, and theoretical models to investigate human errors. However, the industry does not have commensurate ways to think about and analyze human success. Learning from successful routine operations is challenging because the corresponding common language and data streams are less robust. This paper explores the use of the critical incident debrief method to collect data on routine resilient performance among Certificated Flight Instructors (CFI). CFI thoughts and behaviors were coded in accordance with resilience theory. The critical incident debrief method is a valuable source of data for exploring resilient performance as it provides …

Assessing Unstabilized Approaches: A Phenomenology Study Of The Risk Perceptions And Decision-Making Thought Process Of General Aviation Pilots., Shlok Misra, Jorge L. D. Albelo Ph.D., Victor Fraticelli Rivera

Publications

The Federal Aviation Administration emphasized the need to focus on and develop human factors training as early as 1993 in official Human Factors Policy Order 9550.8. The purpose of this study was to conduct a detailed qualitative phenomenological analysis of the risk perceptions and decision-making model of collegiate aviation pilots for unstabilized approaches. The study focused on understanding how collegiate aviation pilots perceive unstable approaches, the risk associated with unstable approaches, and the factors that trigger pilots to execute a go-around. The International Air Transportation Association warns that continuing an unstabilized approach can lead to runway excursions, hard landings causing …

A Qualitative Single-Case Exploring The Impact Of A Mentor And Cohort On Students’ Academic And Career Decisions., Kevin Adkins, Samantha Bowyer, Jorge L. D. Albelo Ph.D.

Publications

Exposure to research is known to play a positive role in undergraduate education. However, robust research responsibilities are oftentimes not formally incorporated into a student’s academic experience until master level studies. Further, a variety of intimidation factors often inhibit many undergraduate students from participating on a research team. In this case study, the research team evaluated a unique group of undergraduate researchers who matriculated to the same university after beginning to participate in research as concurrently enrolled students. Following matriculation, each student continued to participate in research throughout the entirety of their undergraduate studies. All of the study’s students were …

Pediatric Cardiac Devices: Recent Progress And Remaining Problems, Kyle Crawford, Martine Leberge, Dan Simionescu, Naren Vyavahare

Publications

Pediatric cardiology is a field that largely relies on translation of innovation in its adult counterpart in order to improve patient outcomes and introduce new technology to the field. Few FDA-approved pediatric cardiac devices are available for clinical use, thus leading to widespread off-label use within the field. Nonetheless, adaption of devices and technology from the adult field has proven to improve patient outcomes and overall wellness. However, the diversity of congenital heart disease, in terms of basic anatomy and treatment response, continues to complicate results. The combination of diversity of anatomy and small population size make it difficult for …

Advanced Anti-Buckling Device Coupled With Real-Time Digital Image Correlation For Complex Cyclic Tension-Compression Testing Of Lightweight Materials, Akshat Agha, Fadi Abu-Farha

Publications

In sheet metal forming and stamping operations, modeling the behavior of sheet metal alloys for springback prediction is known to be very challenging, not only because of the complex models needed to account for kinematic hardening (such as the Yoshida-Uemori Model) but more importantly because of the experimental limitations of our ability to perform the complex tests needed to calibrate such models. For instance, reliable monotonic uniaxial compression tests and then cyclic tension-followed-by-compression tests are essential for characterizing the response of the material under those loading conditions, providing quantitative evaluation of the Bauschinger Effect and tension/compression asymmetry in the material, …

Tunable Blood Shunt For Neonates With Complex Congenital Heart Defects, Ellen Garver, Christopher B. Rodell, Kristen Shema, Krianthan Govender, Samantha E. Cassel, Bryan Ferrick, Gabriella Kupsho, Ethan Kung, Kara L. Spiller, Randy Stevens, Amy L. Throckmorton

Publications

Despite advancements in procedures and patient care, mortality rates for neonatal recipients of the Norwood procedure, a palliation for single ventricle congenital malformations, remain high due to the use of a fixed-diameter blood shunt. In this study, a new geometrically tunable blood shunt was investigated to address limitations of the current treatment paradigm (e.g., Modified Blalock-Taussig Shunt) by allowing for controlled modulation of blood flow through the shunt to accommodate physiological changes due to the patient’s growth. First, mathematical and computational cardiovascular models were established to investigate the hemodynamic requirements of growing neonatal patients with shunts and to inform design …

The Extended Effect Of Top-Dressed Recovered Struvite Fertiliser On Residual Irish Grassland Soil Phosphorus Levels Compared To Commercial Phosphorus Fertiliser, Ciarán O’Donnell, Denise Barnett, Joe Harrington, Niamh Power

Publications

Phosphorus (P) is an essential growth-limiting nutrient that cannot be synthetically produced. Mineral P fertilisers are typically applied to crops to sustain modern farming practice and food production. These fertilisers are generally derived from finite phosphate ore, for which there is much concern over long-term sustainability. To address these concerns, various technologies have been developed to recover P from municipal wastewater treatment plants. One product recovered from these processes is struvite, which is a precipitate formed of magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate. To analyse the fertilisation value of the recovered struvite, field trials were conducted on perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) over …

Investigating The Performance Of Green Roof For Effective Runoff Reduction Corresponding To Different Weather Patterns: A Case Study In Dublin, Ireland, Arunima Sarkar Basu, Bidroha Basu, Francesco Pilla, Srikanta Sannigrahi

Publications

This article aims to analyse the performance of green roof in runoff reduction. A case study has been conducted through a deployed green roof at the custom house quay building in Dublin, Ireland. Modular green roofs have been deployed which have IoT scales associated to it for measuring the effective reduction in runoff. Hydro-meteorological variables such as rainfall, temperature, relative humidity and wind speed values were corresponded to the amount of runoff reduction by means of a regression-based relationship. Comparison of the observed runoff reduction from a modular green roof and that estimated based on the developed regression relationship yielded …