Engineering Commons^™

Quantitative Risk Assessment As Applied To Natural Terrain Landslide Hazard Management In A Mid-Levels Catchment, Hong Kong, Ian Muir, K. K. S. Ho, H. W. Sun, T. H. H. Hui, Y. C. Koo

Geohazards

This paper presents a case study of the application of quantitative risk assessment techniques to a site-specific natural terrain hazard study in Hong Kong. The development of the landslide hazard and susceptibility models is described and salient details of the consequence model are given, including the assessment of debris flowpaths and runout using state-of-the-art Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and debris runout computer models. A synthesis of the risk quantification process and schematic design of risk mitigation works is presented.

Studies Of The Gaviota Slide Offshore Southern California, Mark Zumberge, Jeff Babcock, Hugh H. Banon, John Blum, C. D. Chadwell, Jeff Dingler, Neal Driscoll, Gerald D'Spain, Philippe Jeanjean, Graham Kent, Graham Openshaw, John Orcutt

Geohazards

We are engaged in a study of a seafloor landslide off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. A large scar there remains from the Goleta slide, a well studied feature (1.51 km3 of failed material) that likely failed several thousand years ago. A smaller neighboring feature, the Gaviota slide (0.02 km3 of failed material), was probably triggered during the 1812 Santa Barbara earthquake. Our investigations started in 2004 with a chirp sonar survey. The survey revealed a relationship between a “crack” in the sediment propagating from the Gaviota slide’s headwall and a thrust fault clearly seen in the subsurface layers. …

A Hydrodynamics Perspective For The 2004 Megatsunami, Costas E. Synolakis

Geohazards

The megatsunami of 26 December 2004 was the first tsunami with transoceanic impact since the 1960 Great Chilean and 1964 Great Alaskan tsunamis. Because of the distribution of deaths among a large portion of the nations of the world, the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami is the first universal natural disaster of modern times. For the purpose of adequate mitigation of future tsunamis, it is important to understand which factors control most critically the final characteristics of the flooding, namely runup and inundation. Their successful modeling requires not only a credible database of inundation parameters, against which models can be tested …

Disasters And Decision Processes, Carsten Felgentreff

Geohazards

One of the most important topics in hazard and disaster related research is the effective reduction of vulnerability. Despite the fact that our knowledge about several physical and human dimensions of disasters has grown rapidly in recent decades, there is ample evidence that casualties and damages due to natural disasters have grown even faster. Apparently, there is no such formula like ‘more data = better knowledge = less casualties and damages’.

Purpose of this paper is the identification of some potential reasons for this obvious dilemma. After briefly addressing selected social science concepts of hazards, disasters, and risks, it is …

Probabilistic Seismic Loss Estimation For Eskisehir, Turkey, M. S. Yucemen, N. Y. Ozturk, A. Deniz

Geohazards

Stochastic methods are utilized for the assessment of seismic hazard for the Eskisehir region. A comprehensive earthquake catalog, in which earthquakes in different scales are converted to a common scale, is compiled. Seismic source zones near the region with revised boundaries and various attenuation relationships are employed. Uncertainties related to the seismicity parameters and different assumptions are taken into consideration by using the logic tree procedure. Seismic hazard maps in terms of peak ground acceleration and MSK intensity, corresponding to a return period of 475 years are developed for Eskisehir. At the end of the study, the expected earthquake damage …

Dealing With Tsunami Risk - A Case Study For Thailand, Kjell Karlsrud, Farrokh Nadim, Hilmar Bungum, Carl B. Harbitz

Geohazards

The December 26 2004 tsunami event devastated large areas along the coastlines of Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and India, and even some parts of the east African coastline. It is a great challenge to the authorities in the countries affected by the tsunami to deal with the future risk of tsunami events and how to rehabilitate the devastated areas under consideration of that risk. On initiative from the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), a project has been initiated to help develop a rehabilitation strategy in Thailand, but it is also intended as serve as an example project for other countries …

A First-Order Second-Moment Framework For Probabilistic Estimation Of Vulnerability To Landslides, Marco Uzielli, S. Duzgun, B. V. Vangelsten

Geohazards

The object of the present paper, which synthesises a broader research effort by ICG (2006a), is the development of a probabilistic framework for the quantitative estimation of the vulnerability of the built environment to landslides. The method draws inspiration from an existing 3-dimensional qualitative framework proposed earlier by ICG (2005). As vulnerability is directly included in quantitative risk analysis (QRA), it would be beneficial to convert the conceptual framework to a quantitative perspective. It should be recognised that, in real investigations, the input parameters and the models used in vulnerability assessment are necessarily vague and imprecise, and are subjective to …

Remote Sensing Technologies For Monitoring Climate Change Impacts On Glacier- And Permafrost-Related Hazards, Andreas Kääb, C. Huggel, L. Fischer

Geohazards

Glacier- and permafrost-related hazards represent a continuous threat to human lives and infrastructure in high mountain regions. Because the surface and subsurface ice involved is generally close to melting conditions, glacier and permafrost hazards are particularly sensitive to climate changes. The present shift of cryospheric hazard zones due to atmospheric warming, process interactions and chain reactions, and the potential far reach of glacier disasters make it necessary to apply modern remote sensing techniques for the assessment of glacier and permafrost hazards in high mountains. In this contribution we provide an overview of different hazard types and how air- and space-borne …

Back Analysis Of The Lower San Fernando Dam Slide Using A Multi-Block Model, C. A. Stamatopoulos, P. Petridis

Geohazards

A multi-block sliding system model has been developed to simulate the displacement of sliding geo-masses. This model is a useful tool, especially when displacements are very large and computer codes based on the Finite Element Method cannot be applied. The paper investigates the ability of the model to predict the response of the well-documented Lower San Fernando Dam slide. The predicted movement, and deformation agreed reasonably well with that of the upper part of the slide. Yet, the lower part of the slide slid more that the model prediction. The multi-block model was applied a second time. This 2-slide approach …

Instability In Soft Sensitive Clays, V. Thakur, G. Grimstad, S. Nordal

Geohazards

Soft sensitive clays like quick clays are well known in Scandinavia and in some regions in Canada. The salt pore water of these marine clays has been leached out since last glaciations and left a brittle mineral structure. Slides in quick clays can be extremely disastrous, as in Verdal, Norway in 1893 or Rissa in 1978. The slides may be initiated by local overloading, river erosion or similar and can escalate in size in a retrogressive manner in which large volumes of clay finally may liquefy. Norwegian quick clay has a very low permeability and hence pore water pressure becomes …

An Introduced Methodology For Estimating Landslide Hazard For Seismic Andrainfall Induced Landslides In A Geographical Information System Environment , M. D. Ferentinou, M. Sakellariou, V. Matziaris, S. Charalambous

Geohazards

The demand for estimating landslide hazard has evolved during the last decade. Landslides are characterised among the most severe natural hazards, which can cause casualties, fatalities, harm or detriment in natural and man-made environment.

In the first part of this paper the results of the research conducted on slope deformation due to seismic loading are presented. According to field observations deformation and displacement of natural and man-made slopes in strong earthquakes are common phenomena, even though they are associated to moderate magnitude seismic events. These permanent displacements are due to seismic loading, and are produced because the material, through which …

On Tsunami Risk Assessment For The West Coast Of Thailand, Farrokh Nadim, Thomas Glade

Geohazards

The catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami of 26 December 2004 raised a number of questions for scientists and politicians on how to deal with the tsunami risk in coastal regions. This paper discusses the challenges in tsunami risk evaluation and presents the results of a tsunami risk mitigation study for the west coast of Thailand. It is argued that a scenario-based approach is particularly well suited for evaluation of the risk posed by tsunamis. The approach consists of considering scenarios of plausible extreme, tsunami-generating events, computing the tsunami inundation levels caused by these events, estimating the possible range of casualties for …

Project-Based Introductory To Materials Engineering Modules On Biomaterials, Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Non-Volatile Memory, And Fiber Reinforced Plastics, Stacy Gleixner, Elliot Douglas, Olivia Graeve

Faculty Publications

PRIME Modules, Project Based Resources for Introduction to Materials Engineering, are being developed that utilize modern materials science and engineering technologies and proven education methodologies of active learning and open ended projects. The modules are designed for use in a freshmen/ sophomore level Introduction to Materials Engineering course. This course is required by most engineering programs and is an ideal place to excite students about their engineering majors and expose them to real world engineering experiences. Currently four of the classroom modules have been developed and utilized in Introduction to Materials classes. There is a non-volatile memory module where students …

How To Weave Entrepreneurship Into Engineering Education: The Experience At San Jose State University, Minnie Patel, Anuradha Basu

Faculty Publications

There is a growing consensus about the need for engineers and scientists to have entrepreneurial skills to be successful in their careers. However, there is a continued debate as to how best to impart these skills at the undergraduate level. It is possible to identify two routes to accomplish this objective. One route is to offer courses in engineering entrepreneurship and the other is to encourage students to participate in extracurricular activities that help to foster entrepreneurial skills. The most common approach adopted by a growing number of universities is to offer courses in entrepreneurship to engineering students. A more …

Curricula To Educate The 2020 Mse Engineering Professional: Simple But Powerful Changes In The Way That Mse Is Taught, Linda Vanasupa, Blair London, Katherine C. Chen, Richard Savage

Materials Engineering

National leaders in science and technology sectors speak in unison as they call for engineers who are not only technically competent in their fields, but who possess the abilities to communicate well, to work on teams, to apply systems thinking, to operate in the global business environment, to design within a greater set of constraints (environmental, health and safety, sustainability, economic, societal, political, manufacturability, and ethical). In short, our challenge is to educate an engineering professional who is far more sophisticated than the engineer of the 20^th century. Additionally, challenges brought on by the overuse of natural resources put …

Laying The Foundation For Nanoscience And Nanotechnology With An Introductory Module For High School Students, Maynard Valerie, Hsu Mathew, Katherine C. Chen, R. H. Chang

Materials Engineering

In response to the need to create a skilled workforce in nanotechnology and to excite young students with the wonders and potentials of science, the National Center for Learning and Teaching in Nanoscale Science and Engineering, is developing educational materials for grades 7 – 16. Learning theory and cutting-edge research are used in the development of modules on nanoscience and nanotechnology. This paper describes the rationale for such materials and describes an introductory module in which students are lead through a series of inquiry-based and hands-on activities, which lead to a design project. Its goal is to teach an underlying …

The Role Of Industry In Supporting Education In Environmentally Responsible Engineering, Andrew Borchers, David Rinard, Trevor S. Harding, Terri Lynch-Caris

Materials Engineering

Achievement of a sustainable future implies a collaborative effort between a variety of stakeholders including industry, government, and academia. We are traveling in unfamiliar waters where the course is not always clear and the goals are sometimes daunting. To develop the environmental wisdom we need to help us know the “right answers,” we must bring together the knowledge we get from our academic pursuits with the experience we obtain through trial and error. Bringing together the academic world and the business world not only helps us solve the immediate engineering need, it more importantly builds a partnership that will produce …

Student Competitions - The Benefits And Challenges, Peter Schuster, Andrew Davol, Joseph Mello

Mechanical Engineering

Intercollegiate design competitions are a popular means to engage students in design activities that extend beyond the curriculum. When students gather around a project in their spare time and use their classroom skills to design, build, and test a product for an intercollegiate competition, something amazing happens: They develop a passion for engineering. This paper discusses the key benefits to engineering undergraduate students that flow from involvement in a team design competition. Advisor involvement plays a key role in both project success and student learning throughout the process. Different approaches to advising student competition teams are compared. Specific examples are …

The 1999 Colorado Springs, Colorado Landslides – Federal, State And Local Government Response; Public Involvement; And Future Long-Term Risks And Challenges, Mark W. Squire

Geohazards

In the spring of 1999, heavy rain precipitated landslides in over 12 developed areas in Colorado Springs. The landslide damage and destruction exceeded $80 million dollars. A combined federal, state and local response included active participation by property owners in an open and transparent public process. The resulting federally funded mitigation project was a success, but this can only be considered an interim objective for an inherent serious local problem. Colorado Springs is normally an arid environment but high moisture years, like 1999, can result in activation of new landslides and reactivation of existing landslides. Residential neighborhoods continue to expand …

A Capacity Spectrum Method For Seismic Risk Assessment, Sergio Molina, Conrad D. Lindholm

Geohazards

Although earthquakes and the associated damage occur in a fundamentally deterministic way, the processes are so complex that our prediction scenarios are basically uncertain approximations. In the first attempts to model hazard and risk, point estimates based on empirical data were used, however, for quite some time the more advanced seismic hazard modelling has been based on models in which the variability/uncertainty of the input parameters are consistently carried through the computations so that the results are probabilistically combined to give a median value and confidence levels that reflect on the input parameter uncertainty. For seismic damage scenarios the first …

Homework As An Outcome Assessment: Relationships Between Homework And Test Performance, Abel Fernandez, Camilla M. Saviz, Jeffrey S. Burmeister

All Faculty Presentations - School of Engineering and Computer Science

Homework imposes a significant load on undergraduate engineering students and faculty, and typically represents 10 to 30 percent of a student’s final course grade. One of the fundamental purposes of homework is to help students master the course material, mastery ultimately assessed through quizzes, tests and a final examination. To understand whether homework grades are a significant factor in determining student performance on tests, a study was conducted to examine the correlation between individual student scores on homework, quizzes, tests and final examination. Data from four courses taught by three different instructors showed very weak correlation between homework and quiz, …

Cosmm: An Undergraduate Laboratory For Engineering And Manufacturing Complex, Organic Shapes Using Nature As A Template, Daniel Walsh, Lanny Griffin, Robert Crockett

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Research In The Undergraduate Environment, Charles Birdsong, Peter Schuster

Mechanical Engineering

The benefits of research experiences for undergraduates are significant. For many faculty, these were the experiences that convinced us to pursue further education and a career in academia. However, performing research at an undergraduate institution carries with it certain challenges. In traditional research institutions, doctoral students perform most of the research activities, led by the faculty. These students have completed at least their undergraduate courses and can be expected to remain on the research team for four to six years. In contrast, at an undergraduate institution students may start in the group with only one or two engineering courses completed, …

Algan/Gan/Algan Double Heterostructure For High-Power Iii-N Field-Effect Transistors, C. Q. Chen, J. P. Zhang, V. Adivarahan, A. Koudymov, H. Fatima, Grigory Simin, J. Yang, M. Asif Khan

Faculty Publications

We propose and demonstrate an AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN double heterostructure (DH) with significantly improved two-dimensional (2D) confinement for high-power III-N heterostructurefield-effect transistors(HFETs). The DH was grown directly on an AlN buffer over i-SiC substrate. It enables an excellent confinement of the 2D gas and also does not suffer from the parasitic channel formation as experienced in past designs grown over GaN buffer layers. Elimination of the GaN buffer modifies the strain distribution in the DH, enabling Al contents in the barrier region well over 30%. For the AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN DH design, the 2D electron gasmobility achieved was 1150 cm²/V s at …

Assessing The Safety Impacts Of Access Management Techniques, Jeff S. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

Access management techniques such as raised median installation and driveway consolidation improve safety conditions for motorists. Several locations where these access management techniques have been installed in the state of Utah were selected for analysis of the safety impacts. Although crash rates were not necessarily reduced as a result of the access management techniques, other safety improvements were observed. The raised medians generally reduced the more serious types of collisions, which resulted in a decrease in the severity of crashes. The fatality rates generally decreased as crashes became less severe. Because fatalities and the overall severity of crashes decreased, the …

Alterations In Regional Vascular Geometry Produced By Theoretical Stent Implantation Influence Distributions Of Wall Shear Stress: Analysis Of A Curved Coronary Artery Using 3d Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling, John F. Ladisa, Lars E. Olson, Douglas Anthony Hettrick, David C. Warltier, Judy R. Kersten, Paul S. Pagel

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background

The success of stent implantation in the restoration of blood flow through areas of vascular narrowing is limited by restenosis. Several recent studies have suggested that the local geometric environment created by a deployed stent may influence regional blood flow characteristics and alter distributions of wall shear stress (WSS) after implantation, thereby rendering specific areas of the vessel wall more susceptible to neointimal hyperplasia and restenosis. Stents are most frequently implanted in curved vessels such as the coronary arteries, but most computational studies examining blood flow patterns through stented vessels conducted to date use linear, cylindrical geometric models. It …

Dynamic Characteristics Of Wide Exponential Film-Shape Slider Bearings Lubricated With A Nonnewtonian Couple Stress Fluid, Jaw-Ren Lin, Rong-Fang Lu, Chi-Ren Hung

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

On the basis of the Stokes micro-continuum theory, the nonNewtonian effects of couple stress fluids upon the dynamic characteristics of wide exponential-shaped slider bearings are presented in this paper. To take into account the couple stress effects arising from a Newtonian lubricant blended with various additives, the nonNewtonian couple-stress dynamic Reynolds-type equation is applied to calculate the bearing dynamics. According to the results obtained, the effects of couple stresses signify a decrease in the friction parameter and the volume flow rate, as well as an increase in the loadcarrying capacity, the dynamic stiffness coefficient and the dynamic damping coefficient for …

An Experimental Investigation Of Humidity And Temperature Effects On The Mechanical Properties Of Persfluorosulfonic Acid Membrane, Y. L. Tang, Anette M. Karlsson, Michael H. Santare, Michael Gilbert, Simon Cleghorn, William B. Johnson

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The mechanical properties of a perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membrane have been investigated at different humidities and temperatures in a custom-designed environmental chamber. Tensile tests were conducted to determine Young’s modulus, the proportional limit stress (“yield strength”), break stress, and break strain. In-plane dimensional changes of the membrane at different temperature and humidities were also determined. The results indicate that Young’s modulus and the proportional limit stress of the PFSA membrane decrease as humidity and temperature increase. Higher temperature leads to lower break stress and higher break strain. However, humidity has little effect on the break stress and break strain. A …

Modeling The Effective Elastic Modulus Of Rc Beams Exposed To Fire, Jui-Hsiang Hsu, Cherng-Shing Lin, Chang-Bin Huang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This work combines thermal and structural analyses to study the effect of fire on the elastic modulus of reinforced concrete beams. The thermal analysis uses the finite difference method to model the temperature distribution of a reinforced concrete beam maintained at high temperature. The structural analysis, using the lumped method, is utilized to calculate the effective elastic modulus of reinforced concrete beams. The results of the thermal analysis are compared to the experimental results in the literature, and the analytically derived structural results are also compared with experimental data on the flexural behaviors of RC beams exposed to fire. The …

Reinforcing Effects And Mechanical Properties Of Rc Beam With Cfs Under Static And Running Loads, Ming-Chien Hsu, Tadashi Abe, Tetsukazu Kida, Toshiaki Sawano, Kazuhiko Minakuchi

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Through a series of experiments on RC beams reinforced with the carbon fiber sheet (CFS) under the static and running loads, the authors verified the effects of the aspect ratio (ratio of beam width to depth) and CFS reinforcement on the failure mechanism. The experiments revealed that: (1) CFS can effectively reinforce beams subjected to static loads in the flexural region, and increase the strength of beams subjected to running loads but such beams failed in shear, and (2) the tensile strength of CFS is greatly influenced by the aspect ratio. The authors evaluated how the aspect ratio influences the …