Engineering Commons^™

Enhancing Local Hydrological Services With The Geoglows Ecmwf Global Hydrologic Model, Jorge Luis Sanchez Lozano

Theses and Dissertations

Global hydrological models can fill crucial gaps for providing essential information on water resources management, flood and drought forecasting, and assessing the impacts of climate change. However, these models face several challenges that must be addressed to ensure their applicability at local scales. These challenges include effectively managing Big Data, proper communication, adoption, and achieving accuracy in their results. Achieving accuracy in global hydrological models is critical for acceptance in decision-making, but poses the most significant challenge due to the extensive amount of observed data required and the complexity of obtaining and preparing such data for model evaluation. In this …

Ranking And Analysis The Strategies Of Crowd Management To Reduce The Risks Of Crushes And Stampedes In Crowded Environments And Ensure The Safety Of Passengers, Waleed Tawfiq Al-Nami

Neutrosophic Systems with Applications

Public gatherings, transit hubs, stadiums, and crowded retail malls are just a few examples of places where crowd management has become an urgent issue in recent years. Effective crowd management strategies have been required due to the increasing population, urbanization, and frequency of large-scale meetings. These strategies are used in dynamic, sometimes chaotic, circumstances to protect people and facilitate their free movement. The purpose of this study is to analyze and rank various strategies for crowd management to reduce the risks of crushes and stampedes, improve security, and facilitate smoother traffic flow. This study used the single-valued neutrosophic set to …

Assessment Of Light Weight Deflectometer For Low Volume Roads Experiencing Rapidly Increased Traffic Levels, Margarita Ordaz

Theses and Dissertations

When evaluating low volume roads (LVRs), structural capacity emphasis is minimal since deterioration typically results from environmental factors. However, in cases where LVR’s experience rapidly increased traffic loading, structural condition becomes important. The research objective was to determine whether the Light Weight Deflectometer (LWD) can be used as a structural evaluation tool for LVRs in the aforementioned conditions. This study explored the capability of LWD equipment in evaluating major factors that influence flexible pavement structural capacity: load induced deterioration, soil moisture, and asphalt temperature. Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) and LWD tests were performed to measure pavement structural condition. LWD was …

Performance Of Geopolymer Mortar Using Developed Dry Geopolymer-Cement By A Combination Of Alkaline Solid Activators, Mariam Farouk Ghazy, Metwally Abd-Allah Abd-Elaty, Sara Mohamed Mostafa

Mansoura Engineering Journal

This experimental study investigates the possibility of using a combination of solid activators to produce dry powder geopolymer cement. Fly ash (FA) and/or ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) were employed as precursors. Sodium metasilicate pentahydrate (NSP), calcium hydroxide (CH) and sodium carbonate (NC) were used as alkaline solid activators. Meanwhile, the effect of using a combination of solid activators to prepare one-part geopolymer mortars was studied by using three different curing methods and compared with the traditional corrosive alkali solutions that are used as activators in two-part geopolymer mortar, and also compared with Portland cement (PC) mortar mix. Fresh …

A Method For Economic Expansion Planning Of Transmission Networks Using Heuristic Rules And Non-Linear Optimization Model, Maged Gamal Lotfy, Mahmoud Ali Farrag, Mohamed Shibl Albags, Ahmed Hamdy Khalil

Mansoura Engineering Journal

This paper presents a method for economic planning of transmission networks in an iterative manner. The method is capable of solving large scale networks where the most "worst" new lines are deleted iteratively using heuristic rules. In each iteration, a relatively small size non-linear mathematical Programming model is built to enhance the deletion process. The non-linear model is based on full AC load flow where only the reactive power injected from different available reactive power sources are controlled plus the reference bus voltage magnitude. The deletion process is stopped when the deleting of any line from the rest set of …

The Impact Of Improper Solid Waste Management On Public Health Of African Cities. The Case Of Addis Ababa City, Ethiopia., Tesfaye Abebe Alemu

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Many African cities are generating an ever-increasing amount of waste and the effectiveness of their solid waste collection and disposal systems is currently declining. Therefore, research has been striving to develop a sustainable and integrated solid waste management system that fits the current challenges facing the local environment. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of improper solid waste management that affects the air and water quality of the near Koshe open dump site and around the Addis Ababa City, and their adverse effect on the public health living around them. The rapid increase of population in …

The Road Map For Sustainable Waste Management In The Federal Democratic Republic Of Ethiopia, Assegid Yimenu

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Solid Waste Management (SWM) is a global issue from its social, environmental, and economic aspects. Poor SWM is one of the significant causes of resource degradation, environmental pollution, and public health problems. In this study, households’ solid waste generation and characterization were determined for selected cities in Ethiopia. Quantitative and qualitative study methods were applied to collect primary and secondary data to assess the household’s MSW generation rate and characterize the waste type's physical composition. The households’ daily MSW generation rates in Bole and Kirkos sub-cities, Addis Ababa, were found to be 0.54 and 0.26 Kg/capita/day, respectively, and the average …

The Influence Of Diversity Dimensions On Student’S Collaboration Success: What It Means For Workforce Development In Manufacturing, Oyinkansola Adeite

All Theses

Manufacturing productivity is measured by labor productivity which is the hourly output of the manufacturing economy. The recent reduction in productivity numbers by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics emphasizes the need for workforce development. With globalization and technological advancements, diversity has emerged as a critical aspect for the workplace. By encompassing dimensions such as education, race, and age, diversity creates a tapestry of unique perspectives and experiences. This study’s aim is to figure out the effect of a diversity dimension on team performance using intelligent systems, and in addition, if extra dimensions of diversity further impact team performance. …

The Effect Of Package Types On Fresh Peaches In The Direct-To-Consumer Distribution Environment, Brennan Lytle

All Theses

The direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipping mode presents new opportunity for fresh peach sales in North America where demand over the past four decades has steadily declined. The hazards in this distribution mode are severe, and fresh peaches are fragile emphasizing the need for proper protection. A full analysis that not only encompasses the effects of the direct-to-consumer distribution environment, but also incorporates analyses of the environmental and economic impact of the packages utilized for transit of peaches is necessary. In this study, we use the metrics of peach grade, firmness, soluble solids concentration, and percent softness before and after the distribution …

Analysis Of The Impact Of Covid-19 On Construction Cost And Schedule Overruns, Nikhitha Adepu

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The construction industry, renowned for its dynamic nature, encountered unprecedented uncertainties throughout its history. However, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic served as a powerful catalyst, underscoring the urgent need for a deeper comprehension of the challenges it introduced and their potential implications for the industry's future. While numerous studies have explored this topic, a comprehensive understanding of the specific factors that disrupted the construction sector during the pandemic remains elusive. To bridge this knowledge gap, this study identifies, categorizes, and ranks these challenges, while also proposing effective management strategies to mitigate their detrimental impact on construction projects. To lay …

Low Internal Air Space In Plants With Crassulacean Acid Metabolism May Be An Anatomical Spandrel, Alistair Leverett, Anne Borland, Emma Inge, Samantha Hartzell

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) is a photosynthetic adaptation found in at least 38 plant families. Typically, the anatomy of CAM plants is characterised by large photosynthetic cells and a low percentage of leaf volume comprised of internal air space (% IAS). It has been suggested that reduced mesophyll conductance (g_m) arising from low % IAS benefits CAM plants by preventing the movement of CO₂ out of cells and ultimately minimising leakage of CO₂ from leaves into the atmosphere during day-time decarboxylation. Here, we propose that low % IAS does not provide any adaptive benefit to …

Cislunar Navigation Techniques And Navigation Performance Optimization, Quinn P. Moon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nova-C is a lunar lander developed by the private company Intuitive Machines to deliver commercial payloads to the Moon. The IM-1 mission set for 2023 will launch and land the Nova-C near the Moon's south pole. In this research, various navigation techniques are explored to determine the lander's position and velocity during key segments. This process is studied for key mission events including trajectory correction maneuvers (TCMs), lunar orbit insertion (LOI), and descent orbit insertion (DOI). Each mission segment, referred to as an Orbit Determination Segment (OD), is analyzed with three different navigation techniques: Monte Carlo Analysis, Linear Covariance Analysis, …

Non-Energy Circular Economy Potential Of Rice Husks: A Techno-Eco-Environmental Assessment, Winfred Oppong Yeboah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The non-energy circular bioeconomy potential of rice husks was examined via sustainability assessments, namely life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle impact cost assessment (LCICA), and techno-economic assessment (TEA). The study was conducted with three objectives. The first objective was to review previous studies on the non-energy utilization potential of rice husks by the method of meta-analysis. This review followed a systematic approach where research papers were collected following a defined set of criteria. The study revealed 16 key utilization pathways, all of which showed promising results. However, a comprehensive sustainability assessment was lacking in all of the pathways. The second …

How Active Rainwater Harvesting May Help Reduce Nuisance Flooding: Flood Analysis And Social Barriers To Adoption, Isabel Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As urbanization continues to expand, fewer pervious surfaces are available to help reduce stormwater runoff from rainfall. The impacts of urbanization are becoming evident through sunny day flooding - flooding that occurs in areas not designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as flood zones. Nevertheless, water accumulates in low-lying areas and compromises street intersections and other parts of neighborhoods. Some methods can help alleviate the impacts of unexpected heavy rains, such as passive and active rainwater harvesting. As a pilot study, in a selected area in the northeast of El Paso, the level of adoption (e.g., what percentage …

European Feedback On Post-Mining Seismicity, Isabelle Contrucci, Dalija Namjesnik, Peter Niemz, Paloma Primo, Andrzej Kotyrba, Grzegorz Mutke, Petr Konicek, Pascal Dominique, Tobias Rudolph, Stefan Möllerherm, Jannes Kinscher, Emmanuelle Klein, Simone Cesca

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Following the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015, Europe has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, the abandonment of coal as an energy source, both in terms of consumption and production, will lead to the closure of many mines in the years to come.

Mine closure guidelines to manage residual mining risks already exist in European countries. However, they do not include post-mining seismic risk management due to a lack of sufficient studies and knowledge on this subject. After mining closure, the flooding of the mining works leads to hydromechanical loading of the underground and, in the …

Removing Ilmenite-Based Filter Cakes Using Hydrochloric Acid And Chelating Agent – Experimental Study, Jianping Su, Omar Mahmoud, Hisham A. Nasr-El-Din

Future Engineering Journal

Ilmenite is often used as a weighting agent in drilling fluids to increase the fluid density, but the formation of a filter cake on the borehole wall can impact cementing operations and reduce well productivity. To remove the filter cake, various techniques can be employed such as chemical treatments, mechanical methods, or a combination of both. The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of chemical removal of ilmenite-based filter cake using 7.5 wt.% hydrochloric acid (HCl) and hydroxyethyl ethylenediamine triacetic acid (HEDTA) – chelating agent. The filter cakes were generated using API filter press under harsh conditions …

Understanding The Effects Of Wind Intensity, Forward Speed, And Wave On The Propagation Of Hurricane Harvey Surges, Madinah Shamsu, Muhammad Akbar

Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Faculty Research

Hurricane storm surges are influenced by wind intensity, forward speed, width and slope of the ocean bottom, central pressure, angle of approach, shape of coastal lines, local features, and storm size. A numerical experiment is conducted using the Advanced Circulation + Simulation and Simulating Waves Nearshore (ADCIRC + SWAN) coupled model for understanding the effects of wind intensity, forward speed, and wave on the storm surges caused by Hurricane Harvey. The ADCIRC + SWAN is used to simulate hurricane storm surges and waves. The wind fields of Hurricane Harvey were reconstructed from observed data, aided by a variety of methodologies …

Exploration Of Efficient Dewatering Methods In Stimulus-Responsive Hydrogels And Their Potential For Desalination, Weiliang Sun

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Addressing global freshwater scarcity is a pressing challenge, and desalination has emerged as a viable solution to generate high-quality water without compromising natural freshwater ecosystems. In comparison to conventional desalination methods such as thermal distillation and membrane-based processes, hydrogels offer distinct advantages including strong water absorption, water retention, well-defined pore structures, customizable functional groups, and responsive properties to external stimuli. These unique characteristics position hydrogels as promising candidates for water treatment applications. Hydrogel-based desalination involves the utilization of hydrogels to absorb water from saltwater, and then discharge low-concentration solutions to obtain reclaimed water. The fundamental principle underlying the desalination ability …

Controls On The Stratiform Copper Mineralization In The Western Syncline, Upper Peninsula, Michigan, William C. Williams, Theodore J. Bornhorst

Michigan Tech Publications

The Western Syncline hosts reduced-facies, or Kupferschiefer-type, sedimentary rock-hosted stratiform Cu deposits (SSC) in the lowermost meters of the Nonesuch Formation, which is part of a thick section of clastic sedimentary rocks that comprise the upper fill of the Mesoproterozoic Midcontinent Rift of North America. Located in the Porcupine Mountains Cu district in Upper Peninsula, Michigan, these blind deposits were discovered in 1956, but are not yet developed, although recent renewed interest may result in near-term production. The deposits are distinguished by their relatively undeformed nature and lack of superposed hydrothermal events. Prior to lithification, chalcocite mineralization replaced diagenetic pyrite …

Optimizing The Membrane-Assisted Recovery Of Solids (Mars) Technology For Nutrient Removal And Recovery From Concentrated Waste Streams, Ben Yamin Hoque

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The effective management of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, in decentralizedwastewater treatment environments is a pressing challenge. These nutrients pose significant risks to the environment and public health when discharged into water bodies, while their recovery and reuse can help alleviate nutrient shortages in various industries, including agriculture. Conventional biological treatment methods used in centralized facilities are not suitable for decentralized systems due to operational complexities and space limitations. Chemical treatment mechanisms, such as adsorption, ion exchange, precipitation, and air-stripping, offer potential solutions but are accompanied by challenges like high costs and logistical issues. Therefore, finding a sustainable and …

Situational Analysis Of Gold Processing Practices At Artisanal And Small-Scale Gold Mining In Tanzania, Sospeter Maganga

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This study reports the state-of-art situation of gold processing practices at artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Tanzania. It involved literature review, document review of public domain reports, and field survey during data collection. This was followed by screening of literature, reports, and field data relevant to the study topic. Further, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges (SWOC) analysis of ASGM was conducted and discussed. The study indicates that ASGM subsector in Tanzania continues growing with people involved directly in ASGM ranging between 1 to 1.5 million. Further, the study indicates that ASGM in Tanzania contributes about 90% of …

Improved Burned Area Mapping Using Monotemporal Landsat-9 Imagery And Convolutional Shift-Transformer, Seyd Teymoor Seydi, Mojtaba Sadegh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Satellite imagery, specifically Landsat, have been widely used for mapping and monitoring wildfire burned areas. The new Landsat-9 satellite – with higher radiometric resolution compared to its predecessors, and improved temporal resolution when combined with Landsat-8 (∼8 days) – enables a wide range of applications, particularly burned area mapping (BAM). We propose a novel deep learning BAM model that leverages the strengths of the convolutional layers for deep feature generation from Landsat-9 imagery and shift-transformer block for burned area classification. The performance of the model is evaluated in five large fire case studies across the globe. BAM results are also …

Exploring The Impact Of Students Demographic Attributes On Performance Prediction Through Binary Classification In The Kdp Model, Issah Iddrisu, Peter Appiahene, Obed Appiah, Inusah Fuseini

Knowledge Engineering and Data Science

During the course of this research, binary classification and the Knowledge Discovery Process (KDP) were used. The experimental and analytical capabilities of Rapid Miner's 9.10.010 instructional environment are supported by five different classifiers. Included in the analysis were 2334 entries, 17 characteristics, and one class variable containing the students' average score for the semester. There were twenty experiments carried out. During the studies, 10-fold cross-validation and ratio split validation, together with bootstrap sampling, were used. It was determined whether or not to use the Random Forest (RF), Rule Induction (RI), Naive Bayes (NB), Logistic Regression (LR), or Deep Learning (DL) …

Conceptual Design And Preliminary Safety Analysis Of A Proposed Nuclear Microreactor For Mobile Application, A. S. M. Fakhrul Islam

Theses and Dissertations

Conceptual design and preliminary safety analysis of a proposed helium-cooled Micro Nuclear reactor In ONe megawatt (MINION) thermal output is done through three-dimensional computational analysis. Compared with the conventional high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR) that use tri-structural or bi-structural isotropic (TRISO or BISO) fuel particles, MINION uses traditional clad fuel pellets. This greatly simplifies the core design and allows for a substantially more compact design thanks to the fuel’s signif-icantly higher U-235 atom density. Uranium carbide (UC) enriched up to 19.75% in U-235 is used as fuel. In the power-flattened design, U-235 enrichment varies radially between 19.75% and 10.5% in …

Neurocomputing And Interfacing Digital Tasting System: Research, Design, And Evaluation, Amira J. Zaylaa, Ahmad El Hajj

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

The continuous evolution in computing and interfacing has been extended to develop multi-sensory experiences in many domains such as neurological, auditory, vision, and haptic domains. So far, only a few remarkable system approaches have been approved to be serving the taste sensation digitally. Although taste sensation is linked to the brain, there is a lack of optimal neurocomputing digital taste sensation systems. Our study provides a new neurocomputing method to digitally stimulate the sense of taste by electrical stimulation on the human tongue. We aim to link chemical stimulation and electrical stimulation in order to design an electronic interface for …

Methods And Surface Materials Repair For Concrete Structures – A Review, Lelian W. Elkhatib, Adel Elkordi, Jamal Khatib

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Concrete is a very critical material that may require maintenance and possible repair periodically, especially in important structure such as bridges. In general, concrete in structures (e.g. reinforced concrete) may be subjected to cracks due to a variety of reasons. These include, design and external environments such as the ingress of harmful ions into the concrete, unexpected extra loads including earthquakes. These cracks can affect not only the appearance of the structure but more importantly the structural performance of concrete and the integrity of the concrete structure. Therefore, when cracks occur a proper repair method should be selected, based on …

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Of Palladium Parallelepiped Nanoparticles, Salem Marhaba, Nourhan El Kawni

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of palladium parallelepiped nanoparticle have been investigated using Finite Element Method (FEM) in the frame of COMSOL Multiphysics Software. Spectral characteristics (magnitude, peak position and width) of LSPR of a single Pd nanoparticle having the shape of a parallelepiped are investigated in two different cases. The first case studied the size effect on LSPR by fixing the height with varying both length and width. However, the second case studied the shape effect on the LSPR by rounding the corners of the parallelepiped for different radii while fixing its dimensions. The extinction cross-section spectra of these …

On The Use Of Wireless Technologies For Wildlife Monitoring: Wireless Sensor Network Routing Protocols, Lilian Mutalemwa

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Traditional methods for wildlife monitoring are labor-intensive and time-consuming. Therefore, advanced technologies and remote monitoring methods are becoming increasingly popular. This paper presents a study on wireless technologies for wildlife monitoring. In the study, a review of the literature was done to identify the most commonly used wireless technologies. Various technologies were explored including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Internet of Things (IoT), wireless sensor networks (WSNs), artificial intelligence (AI), global positioning system (GPS), and very high frequency (VHF) radio. Then, a more detailed study was done on WSN technology. Investigations were done to observe the performance of routing protocols in …

Product Costing And Pricing In Small And Medium Enterprises In Tanzania, Cosmas F Kindole

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

metalwork small and medium enterprises located in Dar es Salaam with the aim of establishing methods used by SMEs in Tanzania in setting selling prices of their products. The study was necessitated by the apparent discrepancy of prices for similar products from SMEs. The approach used to gather information was mainly through direct interview and the use of questionnaires. Direct observation and literature review were also used to establish the whole costing and pricing practices in metal manufacturing SMEs. The findings of the study established that product selling practices of the surveyed SMEs were based on instinct and appearance of …

A Perspective Into Development Of Pavement Design Methods For Low Volume Roads: A Review, Mwajuma Lingwanda

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The definition of low volume roads (LVRs) is not time static and it varies from place to place around the world. The importance of such roads for providing access, in connecting communities and link farms to markets is well appreciated worldwide. LVRs are credited as the direct source of social economic development in rural communities, growth, reduction of poverty and sustaining livelihood. Nevertheless, the LVR network is growing at an unsatisfactory rate especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. The slow rate in developing LVR network is attributed to the high cost of construction and maintenance. To the author’s perspective, research has a …