Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Travel Time Reliability Estimation: Use Of Median Travel Time As Measure Of Central Tendency, M. Arezoumandi, Ghulam H. Bham

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes use of median travel time compared to mean travel time as the measure of central tendency to calculate Buffer Time Index (BTI), one of the most important measures of travel time reliability. This study examined gamma, exponential, largest extreme value, smallest extreme value, logistic, Weibull, lognormal and log-logistic distributions to determine the best fit to travel time data for two cases: 24 hours and peak hours for a highway with Variable Speed Limit (VSL) conditions. the goodness-of-fit tests indicated that the log-normal distribution best represented the travel time data for peak periods and log-logistic distribution better fitted …

Slip Ramp Spacing Design For Truck Only Lanes Using Microscopic Simulation, Ghulam H. Bham, Manoj Vallati

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

For the Corridors of the Future project, slip ramps will provide access to trucks between the proposed truck-only lanes (TOLs) and general-purpose lanes (GPLs) for trucks to exit using at-grade interchanges. This paper proposes recommendations for slip ramp spacing between the TOLs and the general GPLs along Missouri rural interstate highways using a microscopic simulation model, VISSIM. Simulation of peak period traffic conditions indicated that heavy vehicle speeds were directly proportional to the lengths of the merge, diverge, and link sections. the proposed design recommendations for slip ramp spacing are based on the results of these section lengths. Central composite …

Wave Passage And Ground Motion Incoherency Effects On Seismic Response Of An Extended Bridge, Aman M. Mwafy, Oh Sung Kwon, Amr Elnashai, Youssef M.A. Hashash

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper investigates the implications of ground motion spatial variability on the seismic response of an extended highway bridge. an existing 59-span, 2,164-meter bridge with several bearing types and irregularity features was selected as a reference structure. the bridge is located in the New Madrid Seismic Zone and supported on thick layers of soil deposits. Site-specific bedrock input ground motions were selected based on a refined probabilistic seismic hazard analysis of the bridge site. Wave passage and ground motion incoherency effects were accounted for after propagating the bedrock records to the ground surface. the results obtained from inelastic response-history analyses …

Develop Energy Dashboard For Real-Time Campus Energy Use Monitoring, Hsui-Lin Winkler, Charlene Hoegler, William Batina

Cornerstone 3 Reports : Interdisciplinary Informatics

No abstract provided.

An Empirical Comparison Of Life Cycle Cost Of Green School Buildings And Non-Green School Buildings, Nitisha Pushpala

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

One of the major economic concerns today of the world is reduction of energy consumption because of depleting energy sources in the world. The construction sector in the United States is also contributing in reducing the energy consumption and construction cost of the buildings by constructing cost and energy efficient buildings with energy efficient materials and techniques. The U.S Department of Energy introduced the Building Technologies Program that develops techniques, tools and technologies for making buildings more energy efficient. Other private bodies like the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), which is developed by the U.S. Green Building Council …

Bs News May/June

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

How Much Do U.S. University Students Know, And Want To Know, About Sustainability And Green Building? The Findings Of A Survey, And Possible Implications For General Elective Curriculum., Jeremy R. Farner

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Using the survey approach, this investigation examined the attitudes and interest of college students at two universities in different geographic locations within the United States.  Approximately 24,000 students from all disciplines and majors at Weber State University (WSU) in Utah, and 4,000 at Purdue University in Indiana, were invited to participate in a study to determine current knowledge, familiarity, and interest in topics within the sustainability and Green Building educational arena. The goal of this study was to determine what students already know, would like to know, and how much interest there would be in developing …

Environmental Value Engineering Assessment Of Horizontal Directional Drilling And Open Cut, Lameck Onsarigo

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

There has been a growing concern over the rate of deterioration of wastewater collection and water distribution systems in the United States. The ever-growing need for rehabilitation and replacement of these systems has led to the birth of a research program by the United States Environmental Protection Agency focused on addressing the water infrastructure needs. This program-Innovation and Research for Water Infrastructure for the 21st Century-lays emphasis on research focused on system rehabilitation. There is a marked change in the way that the public view the environmental needs with ‘green’ becoming ‘the new gold’. Man has been blamed, and rightfully …

Stochastic Hybrid Embodied Co2-Eq Analysis: An Application To The Irish Apartment Building Sector, Adolf Acquaye, Aidan Duffy, Biswajit Basu

Articles

Although embodiedCO2-eq analysis has seen recent developments as evident in the establishment of the ISO14040 and 14044 LCA standards, it is recognized that due to weaknesses in gathering data on product-related emissions,embodiedCO2-eq values are probabilistic. This paper presents a stochastic analysis of hybrid embodied CO2-eq in buildings to account for this weakness in traditional methods and, by way of example, applies it to an Irish construction-sector case study. Using seven apartment buildings, 70,000 results are simulated with Monte Carlo analysis and used to derive probabilistic and cumulative embodied CO2-eq intensity distributions for apartment buildings in Ireland. A Wakeby distribution with …

Asce 7–05 Design Rule For Relative Strength In A Tall Buckling-Restrained Braced Frame Dual System, Lisa J. Aukeman

Master's Theses

In mid- to high-rise structures, dual systems (DS) enable a structural designer to satisfy the stringent drift limitations of current codes without compromising ductility. Currently, ASCE 7-05 permits a variety of structural systems to be used in combination as a dual system yet the design requirements are limited to the following statement: Moment frames must be capable of resisting 25% of the seismic forces while the moment frames and braced frames or shear walls must be capable of resisting the entire seismic forces in proportion to their relative rigidities.

This thesis assesses the significance of the 25% design requirement for …

Postearthquake Recovery Of A Water Distribution System: Discrete Event Simulation Using Colored Petri Nets, Ronaldo Luna, Nandini Balakrishnan, Cihan H. Dagli

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Planning and preparedness is essential for any resilient infrastructure system. Modeling and simulation give engineers and planners a better understanding of the system and help them make better decisions. the objective of this study is to demonstrate an improved model for the disaster restoration process by using a discrete event simulation approach. the study also aims to help improve the post-earthquake restoration process by simulating restoration curves. in this paper, colored Petri nets are used to model the system and to simulate its behavior. the resource allocation after a rare event such as an earthquake differs from the resource allocation …

Bs News March/April

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

A Financial Impact Assessment Of Ld 1725: Stream Crossings, New England Environmental Finance Center, Muskie School Of Public Service

Water

This report looks at the potential financial impact of LD 1725 on the estimated 30,000 stream crossings in the State of Maine that would be affected by the law. Our research for this report included the analysis of nearly 2000 stream crossings and the data collection necessary for the development of extensive stream crossing replacement cost models. We found that the 1.2 bankfull requirements in LD 1725 would result in a 75% ‐ 250% increase in structure widths for stream crossing projects across the state. An upsize of this magnitude would increase the cost of replacing stream crossings statewide by …

A Financial Impact Assessment Of Ld 1725: Stream Crossings Presentation, New England Environmental Finance Center

Economics and Finance

This report looks at the potential financial impact of LD 1725 on the estimated 30,000 stream crossings in the State of Maine that would be affected by the law. Our research for this report included the analysis of nearly 2000 stream crossings and the data collection necessary for the development of extensive stream crossing replacement cost models. We found that the 1.2 bankfull requirements in LD 1725 would result in a 75% ‐ 250% increase in structure widths for stream crossing projects across the state. An upsize of this magnitude would increase the cost of replacing stream crossings statewide by …

Physical Impact Of Waterjet-Based Sediment Remediation On Benthic Organisms, Grace Harper, Andrew Curtis Elmore, Christopher Redell, Gavin Risley, Joel Gerard Burken

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Adding Activated Carbon to Sediments Has Been Shown to Be an Effective Means of Reducing the Bioavailability of Certain Contaminants. the Current State of the Practice is to Mechanically Mix Activated Carbon to a Target Concentration of 3 Percent at Depths of Approximately 30 Cm using a Rotovator or Similar Construction Equipment. Waterjets Have Been Used to Cut Hard Material using a Mixture of Water and an Abrasive. If Activated Carbon is Substituted for the Abrasive, Waterjets Have the Potential to Use Surface Injection as a Replacement for Mechanical Mixing during Sediment Remediation. a Perceived Benefit of Waterjet-Based Sediment Remediation …

Development Of A Waterjet System For Direct Delivery Of Granular Iron And Activated Carbon To Remediate Contaminated Aqueous Sediments, Gavin H.R. Risley, Andrew Curtis Elmore, Joel Gerard Burken, Grzegorz (Greg) Galecki

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

While the Techniques and Technologies Associated with Contaminated Sediment Remediation Are Relatively Mature, There Are Several Issues Associated with These Practices that Make Them Unattractive. the Inability of Currently Used Mechanical Mixing Implements to Place Amendments in Aqueous Environments and their Intrusive Behavior toward Benthic Communities Are Just Two Examples of a Necessity for an Improved Delivery Method. Waterjets May Be a Viable Option for Placement of Particulate Remediation Amendments, Such as Activated Carbon and Granular Iron, at Depth. a Custom Waterjet Nozzle and Injection System Has Been Fabricated by the Authors to Examine This Delivery Concept. the Developed Injection …

Special Section On Advanced Modeling And Numerical Simulations In Geomechanics, Louis Ge, Dar Hao Chen, Rafiqul Alam Tarefder

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

A Web-Based Learning Module For Teaching Gis Within The Context Of Environmental Engineering, Sirjana Dahal, Richard H. Hall, Glenn Morrison, Seth Paul Lamble, Ronaldo Luna

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

There is a Growing Need for Teaching Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in Engineering Disciplines, Such as Environmental. However, There Has Been Limited Focus on GIS in Undergraduate Programs, Since It's Difficult to Fit a GIS Class into the Large Number of Class Requirements Already Included in Engineering Curricula. the Purpose of This Research is the Evaluation of Web-Based Learning Module Created by a Multidisciplinary Team at a Midwestern Technological Research University, Which Allows Instructors to Integrate GIS Instruction into Existing Courses. This Module is One Part of a Large-Scale National Science Foundation Funded Project in Which GIS Modules Are Being …

Localization Of Free-Spanning Damage Using Mode Shape Curvature, Guirong Yan, Xuelin Peng, Hong Hao

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Study Proposes a Damage Indicator based on Mode Shape Curvature to Localize Free-Spanning Damage of Submarine Pipeline Systems. the Feasibility of Curvatures of Low-Frequency Mode Shapes for Localizing Free-Spanning Damage of Pipeline Systems is Discussed, and Damage Indicators based on Mode Shape Curvatures Are Proposed. the Efficacy of the Proposed Damage Indicators is Demonstrated by Numerical Simulations of Dynamic Responses of a Submarine Pipeline under Ambient Conditions with Considering the Real Subsea Environment. the Proposed Approach is Simple, Which Does Not Require Baseline Data, and Thus is Promising in Practical Applications. © 2011 Published under Licence by IOP Publishing …

High-Strength Selfconsolidating Concrete Girders Subjected To Elevated Compressive Fiber Stresses, Part 2: Structural Behavior, Jared E. Brewe, John J. Myers

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The design of prestressed concrete members is restricted by the requirement that the extreme compressive fiber stress at midspan be less than 60% of the concrete compressive strength at release of prestressing. the purported purpose of this limit is to provide serviceability performance, but it places unnecessary limits on the capability of the materials. for this research program, six prestressed concrete girders were produced with high-strength, self-consolidating concrete and subjected to elevated compressive fiber stress levels ranging from 65% to 84% of initial concrete compressive strength at release of prestressing. Part 1 of this series analyzed time-dependent prestress losses and …

Reaction Rates Of Ozone And Terpenes Adsorbed To Model Indoor Surfaces, M. Springs, J. R. Wells, Glenn Morrison

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Reaction rates and reaction probabilities have been quantified on model indoor surfaces for the reaction of ozone with two monoterpenes (Δ3-carene and d-limonene). Molar surface loadings were obtained by performing breakthrough experiments in a plug-flow reactor (PFR) packed with beads of glass, polyvinylchloride or zirconium silicate. Reaction rates and probabilities were determined by equilibrating the PFR with both the terpene and the ozone and measuring the ozone consumption rate. to mimic typical indoor conditions, temperatures of 20, 25, and 30°C were used in both types of experiments along with a relative humidity ranging from 10% to 80%. the molar surface …

Material And Energy Flow Analysis Of The Irish Construction Sector, Rachel Woodward

Theses

A national flow model for concrete was developed using the framework of material and energy flow analysis. Using this framework, the Irish concrete material and energy cycles for the year 2007 were constructed by firstly analysing the material life cycle of concrete which consists of the three phases of production (including extraction of raw materials and manufacture of cement), usage into stock (ready-mix and other concrete products), and waste management. In this year, approximately 35Mt of raw materials were extracted to produce both 5Mt of cement and 33Mt of concrete, with 4.5Mt of cement going into the production of concrete. …

Methodology To Convert A Transportation Planning Origin-Destination Matrix Into A Microscopic Traffic Simulation Origin-Destination Matrix, Jose Osiris Vidana-Bencomo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Microscopic traffic simulation (MTS) is a cost-effective approach for the evaluation of traffic conditions in urban highways networks. In MTS models, traffic demand that is entered into the network is specified by one or several Origin-Destination (O-D) matrices. A major challenge in the application of MTS for large urban networks is the specification of the O-D matrices. This dissertation proposes a methodology that may be used to transform a O-D matrix from a transportation planning model (which is based on Traffic Analysis Zone, or TAZ, and is readily available) into a O-D matrix for a MTS model (which is traffic …

Sustainable Design Optimization Of Rural Houses In North China, Mingliang Li

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

With the rapid economic development of China, the living standards in rural areas have been experiencing improvement over the past two decades. One important aspect of the improved living standards is housing, which has been transformed from traditional adobe or stone structures into modern brick and concrete ones. In the meantime, active heating and cooling systems are gradually being incorporated and residents are requiring more comfortable indoor air temperatures during cold winters and hot summers. However, most rural houses have no insulation in their exterior walls and roofs. The question is whether or not it is economically viable to build …

Bs News January/February

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Hydraulic Efficiency Of Disinfection Systems Based On Residence Time Distribution Curves, Jordan M. Wilson, Subhas K. Venayagamoorthy

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Hydraulic efficiency is a vital component in evaluating the disinfection capability of a contact system. Current practice evaluates these systems based upon the theoretical detention time (TDT) and the rising limb of the residence time distribution (RTD) curve. This evaluation methodology is expected because most systems are built based on TDT under a "black box" approach to disinfection system design. Within recent years, the proliferation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has allowed a more insightful approach to disinfection system design and analysis. Research presented in this study using CFD models and physical tracer studies shows that evaluation methods based upon …

Evaluation Of Compacted Silt Characteristics By Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity Testing, Desislava Z. Slavova, David M. Weidinger, Adam F. Sevi, Louis Ge

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Unintrusive measurement of field modulus and moisture content of roadway subgrade and fill materials greatly enhances field control during construction. Establishing a measurement method in a laboratory setting provides an initial assessment of a tool's possible usefulness in the field. an ultrasonic test system was used in this research in order to determine the wave velocities of cylindrical soil specimens in a laboratory setting in support of a Briaud Compactive Device (BCD) research project. the BCD is a non-destructive test method that can quickly determine soil modulus both in the laboratory and the field. Cylindrical soil samples of silt were …

Design Charts For Retaining Walls In Seismic Areas, Yingwei Wu, Shamsher Prakash

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Retaining walls have failed either by sliding away from the backfill or due to combined action of sliding and rocking displacements, during earthquakes. Performance based design of the retaining walls in seismic areas must account for the likely displacements, in addition to calculating the usual factors of safety against failure in bearing, sliding and overturning. a realistic model for estimating dynamic displacement has been developed, which accounts for the combined action of sliding and rocking and takes into consideration, non-linear soil stiffness in sliding, and rocking, geometrical and material damping in sliding, and rocking, and coupling effects. This model was …

Web-Based Intelligent Computational Argumentation Based Conflict Resolution In Air Traffic Management, Xiaoqing Frank Liu, Ravi Santosh Arvapally, Hojong Baik, Rubal Wanchoo

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Collaborative decision making (CDM) is a process of reaching consensus on a potential solution of an issue through the evaluation of the different possible alternatives. the web-Based intelligent computational argumentation system allows concerned stakeholders to post their arguments on different alternatives, assign weights and priorities to the arguments and reach the most favorable alternative using fuzzy intelligent techniques over the Internet. Exchange of information among the stakeholders improves the collaboration and drives towards the collective intelligence. in this paper, we show how our tool facilitates resolution of conflicts in air traffic management. It could enhance the Ground Delay Program (GDP) …

Seismic Performance Of Square Rc Bridge Columns Under Combined Loading Including Torsion With Low Shear, Q. Li, Abdeldjelil Belarbi, S. S. Prakash

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

During earthquake excitations, reinforced concrete bridge columns can be subjected to a combination of axial load, shear force, flexural moments, and torsional moments. the torsional moment can be much more significant in columns of bridges that are skewed, curved, have unequal spans, or unequal column heights. Combined loading including torsion can result in complex flexural and shear failure of these bridge columns. This paper presents an experimental study on the seismic behavior of square reinforced concrete columns under combined cyclic flexural and torsional moments. the columns in this study were designed with an aspect ratio of six and tested under …