Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Feasibility Of Epoxy Bond Enhancement On High-Strength Concrete, Amanda A. Lewis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While fiber-reinforced polymer materials have many applications in various industries,when used structurally, many cases, such as flexural and shear strengthening, are considered bond critical. Interfacial bond quality between a fiber-reinforced polymer system and the substrate is dependent on two mechanisms: chemical bonding and mechanical interlock, with mechanical interlock having the greater effect on bond quality. Mechanical interlock describes the type of bond that occurs as a result of surface roughness and substrate porosity and can be significantly affected by surface preparation methods and surface moisture. This study aims to explore the possibility of enhancing bond quality between carbon-fiberreinforced polymers and …

Soil Improvement By Electro-Osmotic Consolidation: Laboratory Testing, Yenni Mariana Ramírez-Mazo, Juan Pablo Osorio, Sergio C. Agudelo-Flórez

Conference papers

Electro-osmotic consolidation is a ground improvement technique that has been successfully implemented on the field and at laboratory scale since the 30s. However, its application has been done primarily through empirical procedures and experience. The determinant variables in the effectiveness and efficiency of the improvement are numerous and require further studies. This paper presents the evaluation of the improvement process of an inorganic low plasticity clay subjected to a 150 V/m voltage during 5780 minutes. The special analysis of the strains showed differential settlements, as well as cracking at the surface and with depth. The consolidations curves obtained follow the …

A Non-Destructive Electromagnetic Sensing Technique To Determine Chloride Level In Maritime Concrete, Goran Omer Dr, Patryk Kot Dr, William Atherton Dr, Magomed Muradov Dr, Michaela Gkantou Dr, Andy Shaw Prof, Michael Riley Prof, Khalid Hashim Dr., Ahmed Al-Shamma’A

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Deterioration of concrete due to the corrosion of reinforcement is a serious durability problem faced by the construction industry. This study aims to develop a non-destructive and real-time technique to monitor the chloride level at an early stage to prevent the development of the reinforcement’s corrosion using electromagnetic spectroscopy. The experimental work was performed on 5 concrete specimens with different chloride levels at three different concrete depths (18, 40, and 70mm) using the sensor system (2-12GHz frequency range) and a chlorometer. The LM algorithm was selected to develop a prediction model for the detection of chloride ions. The results demonstrated …

The Prospect Of Microwave Heating: Towards A Faster And Deeper Crack Healing In Asphalt Pavement, Shi Xu, Xueyan Liu, Amir Tabakovic, Erik Schlangen

Articles

Microwave heating has been shown to be an effective method of heating asphalt concrete and in turn healing the damage. As such, microwave heating holds great potential in rapid (1–3 min) and effective damage healing, resulting in improvement in the service life, safety, and sustainability of asphalt pavement. This study focused on the microwave healing effect on porous asphalt concrete. Steel wool fibres were incorporated into porous asphalt to improve the microwave heating efficiency, and the optimum microwave heating time was determined. Afterwards, the microwave healing efficiency was evaluated using a semi–circular bending and healing programme. The results show that …

The Effect Of Cement And Blast Furnace Slag Characteristics On Expansion Of Heat-Cured Mortar Specimens, Jair G. Burgos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Delayed ettringite formation (DEF) is a durability issue that typically occurs in concrete exposed to high temperatures at an early age such as precast elements and massive concrete structural elements. There are many advantages to precast concrete such as its quality control, better safety control, and reusable forms, which make them cheaper than casting on site [1]. Heat curing of precast concrete is conducted to obtain high early-strength. However, in doing so, durability issues can arise in the form of internal sulfate attack also known as DEF, if the internal temperature of concrete exceeds 70°C. Past this threshold, ettringite decomposes …

Machine Learning Methods To Map Stabilizer Effectiveness Based On Common Soil Properties, Amit Gajurel, Bhaskar Chittoori, Partha Sarathi Mukherjee, Mojtaba Sadegh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Most chemical stabilization guidelines for subgrade/base use unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of treated soils as the primary acceptance criteria for selecting optimum stabilizer in laboratory testing. Establishing optimal additive content to augment UCS involves a resource-intensive trial-and-error procedure. Also, samples collected from discrete locations for laboratory trials may not be representative of the overall site. This study aims to minimize the number of laboratory trials and help strategize sampling locations by developing spatial maps of UCS at different treatment levels for lime and cement. These spatial maps were developed using machine-learning techniques, and using a database compiled from various reported …

Accelerated Controller Tuning For Wind Turbines Under Multiple Hazards, Aly Mousaad Aly, Milad Rezaee

Faculty Publications

During their lifecycle, wind turbines can be subjected to multiple hazard loads, such as high-intensity wind, earthquake, wave, and mechanical unbalance. Excessive vibrations, due to these loads, can have detrimental effects on energy production, structural lifecycle, and the initial cost of wind turbines. Vibration control by various means, such as passive, active, and semi-active control systems provide crucial solutions to these issues. We developed a novel control theory that enables semi-active controller tuning under the complex structural behavior and inherent system nonlinearity. The proposed theory enables the evaluation of semi-active controllers’ performance of multi-degrees-of-freedom systems, without the need for time-consuming …

A Comparison Of Porphyrin Photosensitizers In Photodynamic Inactivation Of Rna And Dna Bacteriophages, Joe Heffron, Matthew Bork, Brooke K. Mayer, Troy Skwor

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Effective broad-spectrum antiviral treatments are in dire need as disinfectants and therapeutic alternatives. One such method of disinfection is photodynamic inactivation, which involves the production of reactive oxygen species from dissolved oxygen in response to light-stimulated photosensitizers. This study evaluated the efficacy of functionalized porphyrin compounds for photodynamic inactivation of bacteriophages as human virus surrogates. A blue-light light emitting diode (LED) lamp was used to activate porphyrin compounds in aqueous solution (phosphate buffer). The DNA bacteriophages ΦX174 and P22 were more resistant to porphyrin TMPyP photodynamic inactivation than RNA bacteriophage fr, with increasing rates of inactivation in the order: ΦX174 …

A Decision-Support System For The Deployment Tasking Process Of U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Officers, Kenneth A. Neal

Theses and Dissertations

The Armed Forces frequently deploy their personnel to expeditionary locations around the world. For example, the Air Force tasks its personnel to deploy based on a six-month rotational cycle. In the current tasking process, the deployment makes its way down from combatant commanders to squadron commanders through the chain of command. The commander then has a few days to select an individual from their unit to fill the tasking. The commander may consider an individuals’ dwell time, home-station position, and upcoming significant life events; however, because commanders have little time and information, minimum requirements selection criteria often become the driving …

Investigating Manufacturer Selection Decisions For Built Infrastructure Assets Using A Technical Performance Metric, Sarah L. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Facility and built infrastructure asset management are necessary functions of any organization that utilizes buildings to operate their businesses. However, most organizations require facility managers to ensure the successful operation of their assets without providing sufficient resources to accomplish this task. Therefore, in resource-scarce environments, facility managers require data-driven solutions to manage their assets and make the best decisions. Facility managers need novel solutions to help make asset life-cycle decisions. This research provides such a solution. Capitalizing on available data, a technical performance metric is created, allowing facility managers to calculate their assets' operational performance. This performance metric provides a …

The Effects Of Waste Marble Powder On Sustainable Concrete, Jeremy S. Tennesen

Construction Management

Sustainability has been growing consistently more popular in construction, with projects introducing innovative ideas to build greener every year. One material that has not experienced many innovations since emerging in building use is concrete. The reason behind this could be the chemical process of curing concrete being unique compared to most materials. While concrete can be broken down into some of its original components, water, cement, and admixtures used are not retainable. This makes it difficult to recycle the material, and the aggregates recovered from recycling also experience a loss in strength. With admixtures being involved in most concrete mixes …

Bs News March/April

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Initial Assessment Of Liquefied Scrap Tire Concrete, Abdulkareem Kuaryouti, Christopher D. Eamon

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research Publications

A new approach to incorporate scrap tire material into concrete was investigated, where two reclaimed waste tire components, carbon black and fuel oil, were used to replace a portion of water. The effect of “liquid tire” content to water ratios from 5-40% on an otherwise typical concrete mix were assessed, where compressive and flexural strength, flexural toughness, modulus of elasticity, and several fresh concrete properties were determined. Results were compared to typically expected results of traditional shredded tire mixes with equivalent tire content. It was found that the liquid tire mixes experienced significantly less losses of compressive strength and workability …

Adaptive Signal System Safety Impacts Final Report, Mashrur Chowdhury, Weiman Jin, M. Sabbir Salek, Sakib Mahmud Khan, Katherine Brunk, Patrick Gerard, Nathan Huynh, Mohammad Torkjazi

Publications

The research team conducted a literature review and a nation-wide survey at the beginning of the research. The literature review revealed that Adaptive Signal Control System (ASCS) was effective in reducing crashes in some studies, while in other studies, the crash reduction due to ASCS was not statistically significant. Twenty-eight states participated in the nation-wide survey and helped the research team identify corridor characteristics, such as the design speed and Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) of an ASCS corridor, which would allow for the best operational and safety outcomes. Then, to determine the safety effects of ASCS, the research team …

Virus Isoelectric Point Estimation: Theories And Methods, Joe Heffron, Brooke K. Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Much of virus fate, both in the environment and in physical/chemical treatment, is dependent on electrostatic interactions. Developing an accurate means of predicting virion isoelectric point (pI) would help to understand and anticipate virus fate and transport, especially for viruses that are not readily propagated in the lab. One simple approach to predicting pI estimates the pH at which the sum of charges from ionizable amino acids in capsid proteins approaches zero. However, predicted pIs based on capsid charges frequently deviate by several pH units from empirically measured pIs. Recently, the discrepancy between empirical and predicted pI was attributed to …

Behavior And Modeling Of Circular Large Rupture Strain Frp-Confined Ice Under Axial Compression, Yanlei Wang, Guipeng Chen, Baolin Wan, Gaochuang Cai, Baoguo Han

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The application of concrete is severely limited in construction in cold areas. However, the local ice has functioned as a potential substitute for concrete for a long time. In order to make efficient use of ice to overcome its weaknesses of low strength and poor ductility, an innovative type of ice-filled large rupture strain (LRS) fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) tube column was developed. The system consists of external LRS FRP tubes filled with plain ice or sawdust-reinforced ice. This paper presents an experimental investigation into the axial compressive behavior of such composite stub columns with circular sections. The test results confirmed …

Multiscale Legacy Responses Of Soil Gas Concentrations To Soil Moisture And Temperature Fluctuations, Anthony J. Parolari, Joseph Sizemore, Gabriel Katul

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The sensitivity of soil carbon dynamics to climate change is a major uncertainty in carbon cycle models. Of particular interest is the response of soil biogeochemical cycles to variability in hydroclimatic states and the related quantification of soil memory. Toward this goal, the power spectra of soil hydrologic and biogeochemical states were analyzed using measurements of soil temperature, moisture, oxygen, and carbon dioxide at two sites. Power spectra indicated multiscale power law scaling across subhourly to annual timescales. Precipitation fluctuations were most strongly expressed in the soil biogeochemical signals at monthly to annual timescales. Soil moisture and temperature fluctuations were …

Quantifying Materials Waste In The Egyptian Construction Industry: A Critical Analysis Of Rates And Factors, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman, Ahmed Osama Daoud Dr., Obas John Ebohon, Ali Bayyati

Architectural Engineering

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a critical challenge facing the construction industry. It leads to deterioration of the triple bottom line of sustainability. Unfortunately, the CDW management research in Egypt lacks studies investigating (1) the variations in CDW generation (CDWG) among different types of construction projects, and (2) the factors affecting CDW reduction (CDWR). Based on a benchmarking approach, this research (1) quantifies CDW in terms of generation rates and costs among different construction project types in Egypt, and (2) investigates the relationship between CDWG and different adopted CDWR factors. Using structured interviews, a comparative case study was conducted …

Modeling The Effectiveness Of Cooling Trenches For Stormwater Temperature Mitigation, Scott A. Wells

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Due to elevated runoff stormwater temperatures from impervious areas, one management strategy to reduce stormwater temperature is the use of underground flow through rock media termed a cooling trench. This paper examines the governing equations for the liquid phase and media phases for modeling the temperature leaving a cooling trench assuming that changes in temperature occurred longitudinally through the cooling trench. This model is dependent on parameters such as the media type, porosity, media initial temperature, inflow rate, and inflow temperature. Several approaches were explored mathematically for evaluating the change in temperature of the water and the cooling trench media. …

Quality Assessment Of Flexible Pavement Automated Cracking Data In Louisiana, Mostafiz Emtiaz

LSU Master's Theses

Pavement distress survey is the most critical and integral part of pavement management system. Transportation agencies all over the world depends on the accurate pavement distress survey to take major decisions like pavement rehabilitation or reconstruction. Pavement management at the network level requires accurate pavement distress survey to decide the allocation of budget for pavement maintenance, rehabilitation and reconstruction. This study started collected network-level cracking distress data through manual measurements on high-resolution pavement images and the results were used as the ground truth measurements to evaluate the corresponding automated distress data from the Pavement Management System database. Results showed that …

Implementation Of A Novel Inertial Mass System And Comparison To Existing Mass-Rig Systems For Shake Table Experiments, Alvaro Lopez, Peter Dusicka

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Shake table testing is one of the more effective experimental approaches used to study and evaluate seismic performance of structures. Reduced-scale models can still result in large-scale specimens where incorporating the required inertial mass effectively and safely can be challenging. This study proposes a new system of arranging the mass in the experiments that combines the realism of mass participation during earthquake excitation when supported by the shake table with laboratory practicality considerations of the mass positioned off the specimen. The characteristics and dynamic motion equations for the proposed system are described and applied to shake table experiments involving large-scale …

Numerical Simulation Of Continuous Cone Penetration And Interpretation Of Cptu Dissipation Tests, Andrew Phillip Eugene Huffman

Dissertations and Theses

The piezocone penetration test (CPTu) is a commonly used method of geotechnical site investigation. The CPTu is especially useful because it provides a nearly continuous data profile of in-situ soil behavior, which can be correlated to useful engineering parameters. However, limitations exist for interpretation of geotechnical properties from CPTu data and for numerical analysis of cone penetration problems. The research presented in this thesis examines interpretation of coefficient of consolidation from CPTu dissipation test data and implementation of an algorithm to advance numerical simulation of cone penetration problems. This thesis presents analysis of CPTu dissipation responses from field-measured and numerically …

A Critical Analysis Of The Application Of Augmented Reality (Ar) For Monitoring And Documentation Of Construction Site Progress In The Irish Aec Industry., Bim Tudublin, Lukasz Sarnot

Capstone Reports

Sarnot, L. (2021) A critical analysis of the application of augmented reality (AR) for monitoring and documentation of construction site progress in the Irish AEC industry, Capstone Project from the MSc in aBIMM

An Examination Of The Use Of Geotechnical Bim To Provide Value Engineering Solutions For Coastal Infrastructure., Bim Tudublin, Eric Brennan

Capstone Reports

The digitisation of construction is taking root as Building Information Modelling is becoming more prevalent across the industry. From an Irish context, the adoption rate of BIM has been slow; nationally its advantages and merits have been welcomed and the appropriate government support is either available, soon to be implemented or in the early conceptual stage. Within the Irish governments Project Ireland 2040 framework there are significant infrastructure developments looming ahead, in particular regarding ports and harbours. The importance of this type of infrastructure is only further compounded due to the UK’s departure from the EU and the need for …

Climate Resilience: Examination Of Revised Heat Transfer Models In The Enhanced Integrated Climatic Model For Pavement Temperature Prediction, Austin Michael Jarrell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) is commonly referenced as the state-of-the-practice for the analysis and design of new and rehabilitated pavement assets. The Enhanced Integrated Climatic Model (EICM) incorporated within the MEPDG is a well-recognized and standardized method for estimating temperature profiles in pavements; temperature is a portion of the climate inputs in the MEPDG. Many have already begun to convert atmospheric temperature predictions from externally based climate models into the MEPDG to create robust designs for climate change. As pavement designers and researchers seek robust solutions while formulating resilient pavement designs, it is likely that the EICM …

Studying The Relationship Between Indigenous Microbial Communities, Urease Activity, And Calcite Precipitation In Artificial Mixes Of Clay And Sand, Somaye Asghari, Bhaskar C. S. Chittoori, Malcolm Burbank, Nick Hudyma

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is evolving as a new method of improving the mechanical properties of soil. This environmentally friendly technique is a bio-geo-chemical process where microbes play a key role in increasing soil strength through precipitating calcium carbonate. Past studies at Boise State University have indicated that MICP via bio-stimulation could be a viable alternative for expansive clayey soil treatments. However, these studies raised a new question about the relationship between soil composition, urease activity, and calcite precipitation. To answer this question, batch studies were conducted using autoclaved-sterilized sand mixed with different percentages of non-sterile natural clay and …

An Analysis Of A Hybrid Steel Bridge, Andrew Iglehart

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The American Institute of Steel Construction hosts a competition for graduating college seniors each year. The competition is designing and fabricating a scaled steel bridge within certain parameters. Each year the parameters change to allow different seniors to face similar challenges without copying the previous year’s work. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, a bridge was fabricated as per the rules in the 2020, and the same bridge was used for the 2021 competition. With a bridge already fabricated and being used for the competition, a question arose about analyzing the bridge.

This thesis encompasses the entire analysis of the steel …

Northeast Florida: A New Hotspot For Hurricane Damage?, William R. Dally, Raphael Crowley, Nick Hudyma

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Until recent Hurricanes Matthew and Irma struck northeast Florida, Hurricane Dora had been the first and only hurricane-strength storm in recorded history to strike the region. The area had gradually become regarded as a safe spot as storms at that latitude generally curved away from Jacksonville and northeast Florida, and turned north to make landfall in the Carolinas. Unknown to most, Vilano Beach had been experiencing steady yet chronic beach erosion and was already in a highly vulnerable state in many places when the recent storms struck. The cause of the ongoing background erosion continues to be a source of …

To What Extent Can Innovative International Project Delivery Strategies (Which Leverage Bim) Improve The Cost Certainty Of Large Complex Public Procurement Projects In The Context Of Irish Public Procurement?, Bim Tudublin, Roqaya Abouklaib

Capstone Reports

Cost overrun is one of the biggest issues in the construction sector, and cost certainty is one of the main aims of the public construction sector in Ireland. Studies have shown that multi-disciplinary collaboration will benefit a construction project throughout its lifecycle. BIM, Lean, and IPD are independent methodologies that encourage collaborative work, and there are existent effective synergies among these concepts. The synergetic innovative international strategies were utilised for delivering large complex projects successfully globally, and many authors have studied large complex public projects that have adopted innovative international project delivery strategies collaboratively and have shown that the cost …

Opportunities In The Irish Reinforced Concrete Industry For Lean And Bim Adoption, Bim Tudublin, Kieran Mcconnell

Capstone Reports

The Irish Reinforced Concrete (RC) sector has yet to realise the full potential of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Lean construction. The positive impacts and benefits of both BIM and Lean in the wider Architecture, Engineering and Construction sector are widely recognised; many of these are transferable to the RC sector, but there is limited research and knowledge on practical transference, uses and advantages. This research aims to fill some of the existing knowledge gaps by examining BIM and Lean adoption and awareness in the Irish RC sector across sub-sectors, professions, and organisational levels, and by exploring opportunities for increasing …