Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Mat-760: Comparison Of Laboratory Performance Tests Used To Assess Alkali-Silica Reactivity, Farideh Golmakani, R. Douglas Hooton

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Alkali-silica reaction of certain concrete aggregates can lead to premature deterioration and maintenance problems in concrete structures. The CSA A23.1-14A/ASTM C1293 concrete prism test (CPT) and the CSA A23.2-25A/ASTM C1260/ASTM C1567 accelerated mortar bar test (AMBT) are the two main procedures used in CSA and ASTM standards for examining the potential alkali-silica reactivity (ASR) of aggregates and also for assessing the effectiveness of supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) in suppressing ASR. The long testing duration of the CPT and the unreliability of the rapid AMBT have led to development and evaluation of a third method, the accelerated concrete prism test (ACPT). …

Mat-761: The Effect Of Temperature On The Lateral Response Of Unbonded Fiber-Reinforced Elastomeric Isolators, Alexander N. Sciascetti, Yasser M. Al-Anany, Michael J. Tait

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Base isolation is a method that can be employed to significantly reduce the demands on a structure during a seismic event. This method has shown considerable success in reducing the adverse effects of earthquakes, including damage and loss of life. The main concept of base isolation is to reduce the seismic demand on a structure by placing isolators beneath the superstructure at points where load is transferred to the foundation. One of the most commonly used types of isolator is the elastomeric isolator. These isolators are traditionally comprised of layers of elastomer and steel. More recently, research has been completed …

Mat-762: Building Sustainable Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement Using Gfrp Bars: Case Study-Highway 40 West-Montreal, Canada, Abdoulaye Sanni B., Hamdy M. Mohamed, Denis Thébeau, Brahim Benmokrane

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Continuously reinforced concrete pavement designs (CRCP) are premium pavement designs that are often used on heavily-trafficked roadways and urban corridors. Although CRCP typically is an effective, long-lasting pavement design, it can develop performance problems when the aggregate-interlock load transfer at the transverse cracks is degraded. The prevalence of wide cracks in CRCP has frequently been associated with ruptured steel and significant levels of corrosion. Because of that, there has been recent interest in identifying new reinforcing materials that can prevent or minimize corrosion-related issues in CRCP. Glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars are one product being investigated for use in CRCP …

Mat-763: Assessment Of Ultra-High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete- Normal Strength Concrete Or High Strength Concrete Composite Members In Chloride Environment, Luaay Hussein, Lamya Amleh

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of composite members of ultra-high performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) and normal strength or high strength concrete (NSC/HSC) in chloride environments. Experimental studies were carried out on UHPFRC-NSC/HSC prisms in order to investigate the effect of dry and wet cycles on the flexural capacity of those composite members. Each prism specimen was designed with the UHPFRC layer in tension and the NSC/HSC layer in compression. Three fibre volume contents (1%, 1.5%, and 2%) were investigated. The test results revealed that the degradation in the flexural capacity of UHPFRC-NSC/HSC specimens after exposure …

Ncma Groundwater Model Using Usgs Modflow-2005/Pest, Brian Matthew Wallace

Master's Theses

A numerical model for the NCMA aquifer complex is presented. The objective of the study is to develop a numerical groundwater model for the NCMA aquifer system to enhance the understanding of subsurface groundwater flow. Infiltration, streamflow, pumping, and return flows are implemented to characterize the aquifer complex over time. The numerical model is calibrated to municipal and monitoring well data, average monthly water balances, and hydraulic contours. Transient aquifer inflows and outflows are assessed in the results of the study and are compared to balance terms from previous studies. The 2007 Todd Engineers Study subsurface inflows and outflows generate …

Structural Calculations For Nepal Vocational Learning Center, Nicholas Petrarca

Architectural Engineering

This project goal is to build a Leadership Vocational School for youth, women, differently abled, and local leaders of rural and Kathmandu Nepal. The client for this project is an organization called Sakcham Rural Nepal and they partnered with a humanitarian organization called Journeyman International to find Architecture and Architectural Engineering students to design a safe, attractive and functional building to fit their needs.

Beyond The Scs-Cn Method: A Theoretical Framework For Spatially Lumped Rainfall-Runoff Response, Mark Bartlett, Anthony J. Parolari, Jeffrey Mcdonnell, Amilcare Porporato

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Since its introduction in 1954, the Soil Conservation Service curve number (SCS-CN) method has become the standard tool, in practice, for estimating an event-based rainfall-runoff response. However, because of its empirical origins, the SCS-CN method is restricted to certain geographic regions and land use types. Moreover, it does not describe the spatial variability of runoff. To move beyond these limitations, we present a new theoretical framework for spatially lumped, event-based rainfall-runoff modeling. In this framework, we describe the spatially lumped runoff model as a point description of runoff that is upscaled to a watershed area based on probability distributions that …

Removal Of Trace Metal Contaminants From Potable Water By Electrocoagulation, Joe Heffron, Matt Marhefke, Brooke K. Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This study investigated the effects of four operational and environmental variables on the removal of trace metal contaminants from drinking water by electrocoagulation (EC). Removal efficiencies for five metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and nickel) were compared under varying combinations of electrode material, post-treatment, water composition and pH. Iron electrodes out-performed aluminum electrodes in removing chromium and arsenic. At pH 6.5, aluminum electrodes were slightly more effective at removing nickel and cadmium, while at pH 8.5, iron electrodes were more effective for these metals. Regardless of electrode, cadmium and nickel removal efficiencies were higher at pH 8.5 than at pH …

Experimental Building Demonstration Model With Viscous Fluid Dampers, Blake Thomas Reeve, Brianna Jean Kufa, Aden Malek Stepanians, Sophie Carmion Ratkovich

Architectural Engineering

The Architectural Engineering major places a heavy emphasis on structural dynamics and the role of wind and seismic loading in building analysis and design. Buildings of high importance that are critical to community function, such as hospitals, often utilize supplemental damping devices like supplemental viscous fluid dampers or base isolators to reduce the overall demands on the structural system. The design and analysis of these dampers are typically not taught at the undergraduate level, and is frequently performed by mechanical engineers, in lieu of structural engineers.

To better understand and research building behavior with supplemental damping devices, our multi-disciplinary team …

A Comparison Of Risk Assessment Models For Pipe Replacement And Rehabilitation In A Water Distribution System, Lyle John Nemeth

Master's Theses

A water distribution system is composed of thousands of pipes of varying materials, sizes, and ages. These pipes experience physical, environmental, and operational factors that cause deterioration and ultimately lead to their failure. Pipe deterioration results in increased break rates, decreased hydraulic capacity, and adverse effects on water quality. Pipe failures result in economic losses to the governing municipality due to loss of service, cost of pipe repair/replacement, damage incurred due to flooding, and disruptions to normal business operations. Inspecting the entire water distribution system for deterioration is difficult and economically unfeasible; therefore, it benefits municipalities to utilize a risk …

Design Of Magnesium Phosphate Cement Based Composite For High Performance Bipolar Plate Of Fuel Cells, Wenbin Hao, Hongyan Ma, Zeyu Lu, Guoxing Sun, Zongjin Li

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this work, we report a comprehensive study on a magnesium phosphate cement (MPC) based composite as the construction material for high performance bipolar plates of fuel cells. MPC with partial replacement of fly ash was employed as the binding matrix. Some carbon-based materials, such as graphite, carbon black, carbon fiber, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes were used to construct the conductive phase. A simple hot-press process was applied to produce the composite. The formula and the structure of the composite was modified and adjusted to optimize the properties of the composite to meet the US DOE 2015 technical targets, including …

Connected Vehicles And Rural Road Weather Management, Rhonda Young

PSU Transportation Seminars

Changing weather patterns and increases in extreme weather events has led to the deployment of more weather responsive traffic management strategies. As the transportation system moves towards a connected vehicle environment, questions arise as to how connected vehicle technology can support weather responsive systems. The presentation will discuss the use of connected vehicles in a rural environment as providers of mobile weather data. Two projects will be highlighted - a recently completed research project using passenger vehicle CAN-BUS data as weather surrogates, and the ongoing USDOT CV Pilot Deployment Project in Wyoming.

Cost-Effectiveness Of Rubber And Polymer Modified Asphalt Mixtures As Related To Sustainable Fatigue Performance, Mena I. Souliman, Michael Mamlouk, Annie Eifert

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Load associated fatigue cracking is one of the major distress types occurring in flexible pavements. Flexural bending beam fatigue laboratory test has been used for several decades and is considered an integral part of the Superpave advanced characterization procedure. One of the most significant solutions to sustain the fatigue life for an asphaltic mixture is to add sustainable materials such as rubber or polymers to the asphalt mixture. A laboratory testing program was performed on three gap-graded mixtures: unmodified, Asphalt Rubber (AR) and polymer-modified. Strain controlled fatigue tests were conducted according to the AASHTO T321 procedure. The results from the …

Approximation Assessment Of Photocatalytic Air Cleaning Pavements, James E. Alleman, Joel K. Sikkema, Peter C. Taylor

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

This paper examines an approximation method to qualitatively assess the air-cleaning performance (i.e., specifically the elimination of aerial nitrogen oxide, NO, released within vehicular exhaust) by full-scale pavements which contain photo-catalytically reactive titanium dioxide under optimal conditions. Two hypothetical road configurations were considered using this method, including both a two-lane, low traffic density (i.e., 4,000 full-day AADT) and a four-lane, moderate traffic density (i.e., 10,000 full-day AADT) design. These options were then comparatively examined on the basis of expected European Union or United States vehicular emission levels. In each case, this method’s day-time-only percentile elimination approximation results were derived using …

Seismic Design Of A Prestressed Concrete Bridge, Alperen Ozel

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Latest advancements in software have become an indispensable tool in structural analysis. The main goal of this thesis is to examine dynamic responses of bridges in seismic activity with the help of such tool as CSi Bridge. Therefore, throughout this study, a prestressed concrete bridge model will be thoroughly designed. In the first section, the required materials and structural components will be introduced. The following section will cover calculations required for modeling. The actual modeling of the structure will be carried out in Section 3. In Section 4, the set of required analysis for seismic design such as modal, pushover …

Assessment Of Soil Washing For Simultaneous Removal Of Heavy Metals And Low-Level Petroleum Hydrocarbons Using Various Washing Solutions, Deok-Hyun Moon, Jae-Woo Park, Agamemnon Koutsospyros, Kyung Hoon Cheong, Yoon-Young Chang, Ki-Tae Baek, Raehyun Jo, Jeong-Hun Park

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Bench-scale soil washing experiments were conducted for simultaneous removal of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn) and low-level petroleum hydrocarbon contaminants from soils. Various washing solutions including hydrochloric acid (HCl), nitric acid (HNO₃), sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), tartaric acid (C₄H₆O₆) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (C₁₀H₁₆N₂O₈, EDTA) were used. The concentration of the washing solutions ranged from 0.1 to 3M with a liquid-to-solid ratio of 10. The soil washing results showed that hydrochloric acid (HCl) was the best washing solution at 3M for heavy …

Analysis Of Bridge Deck Sections By Pseudo-Compressibility Method Based On Fdm And Les: Improving Performance Through Implementation Of Parallel Computing, Blandine Therese Mbianda Kemayou

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The incidence of wind on bridges produces static and dynamic loading that must be adequately addressed when designing bridges. Dynamic loading is the primary concern, as the amplitude of the structures response to the applied loading may be greatly amplified. Ideally, the bridge's properties should be designed to avoid dynamic loading. Previous investigations of wind loading on bridges consisted of measuring forces produced on scaled models of bridges within wind tunnels. However, these wind tunnel tests are costly and time consuming due to cost to fabricate and instrument the bridge cross sections. Recent advancements in computational power of computers allow …

Quantification And Characterization Of Fracture Resistance In Asphalt Concrete Based On R-Curve Method, Shu Yang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The application of fracture energy is widely applied in the evaluation of cracking in the laboratory for asphalt concrete. However, this single number does not provide information on the characterization of the initiation and propagation of cracks. The Resistance Curve method, or R-Curve, is widely applied in characterizing various materials including, but not limited to, metal, polymer, rock, and composite. This research R-Curve method introduces asphalt concrete through a stepwise approach. First, in chapter one, there is a literature review of the history of fracture mechanics, fracture research in asphalt concrete, and an examination of the role of R-Curve application …

Exploring The Black Space Of Compressive And Shear Modulus, Airam Marlee Morales Vega

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Uniaxial dynamic modulus is a standard test used to determine the viscoelastic behavior of asphalt pavement materials, with the standard analysis generating a Master Curve. One alternative to the master curve approach is a Black Space diagram, which is a rheological plot that can delineate either dynamic modulus |E*| or shear modulus |G*| vs. phase angle (δ). In this study, four asphalt binders were tested with one aggregate blend. One of these four binders was unmodified and the other three were modified with polymers and acids. Additionally, Polyphosphoric acid (PPA) is compared to the more traditional SBS polymer modification. PPA …

Impact Of Extreme Summer Temperatures On Bridge Structures, Ryan Hagedorn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change and its effect on weather in the United States is a well-documented phenomenon. In particular, extreme heat waves have become more intense, more frequent, and longer lasting, especially in the southern United States. As with much of America’s transportation infrastructure, prestressed concrete bridge girders experience the effects of these heat waves. Uneven heating of optimized bridge girder sections results in large non-linear temperature gradients. In this study, temperature was monitored in three different AASHTO I-girders to determine the vertical and transverse temperature gradients in a pre-deck placement condition. It was determined that the current design standard, which uses …

Nanofiltration Rejection Of Contaminants Of Emerging Concern From Municipal Water Resource Recovery Facility Secondary Effluents For Potable Reuse Applications, Steven Michael Jones

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As reuse of municipal water resource recovery facility (WRRF) effluent becomes vital to augment diminishing fresh drinking water resources, concern exists that conventional barriers may prove deficient and the upcycling of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) could prove harmful to human health and aquatic species if more effective and robust treatment barriers are not in place.

There are no federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) regulations in place specifically for direct potable reuse (DPR) of WRRF effluent. Out of necessity, some states are developing their own DPR reuse regulations. Currently, reverse osmosis (RO) is the default full advanced treatment (FAT) …

Structural Identification Of An Elevated Water Tower, James Thomas Norris

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Elevated water tanks are generally located at higher elevations within a particular geographic area. The location and height of these structures often makes them desirable for installing wireless and cellular communications antennas. The impact of this practice on the long-term serviceability performance of the primary structure is not clear and could be an important consideration deserving further analysis. This paper presents a case study of an elevated water tank that was motivated by this particular consideration. The structure had been retrofitted with cellular antennas during its service and later experienced fatigue cracking at the fill pipe-tank interface. The owner wished …

Field Observations And Computer Modeling Of Tornado-Terrain Interaction And Its Effects On Tornado Damage And Path, Nawfal Shihab Ahmed

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tornado forces on structures have been a research focus for the past decades, and some comparisons have been made to distinguish between straight boundary layer (SBL) wind and tornado wind forces on specific structures. However, very little attention has been paid to terrain effects on tornado damage and path. Available damage investigation data for four tornado locations (Joplin-2011, Tuscaloosa-2011, Parish-2011 and Mayflower-2014) is utilized to explore terrain effects on tornado damage and path. Google Earth, site visits and aerial images are employed to study the influence of terrain on an extent of damage and path variation. Additionally, a three dimensional …

Development Of The Masw Method For Pavement Evaluation, Benjamin J. Davis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to establish a recommended procedure for performing multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) on pavements as well as evaluating the ability of MASW to detect a change in shear wave velocity as damage in concrete increases. The tests for establishing a recommended procedure for performing MASW on pavements was conducted at five sites at the University of Arkansas Engineering Research Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The five sites consisted of three materials: asphalt, concrete, and soil (two sites were on asphalt, two were on concrete, and one was on soil). The methods evaluated at these …

Strengthening Of Lightweight Reinforced Concrete Beams Using Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (Cfrp), Tariq Al Jaafreh

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

This research aimed to investigate the effect of utilizing “Fiber Reinforced Polymer” (FRP) on the light weight concrete beams. The main hypothesis is that such utilization of the FRP will lead to strengthened lightweight beams. The research that has been done on this relationship is somewhat broad in the scope and have mostly focused on the normal-weight concrete. However, only few studies that have considered the light weight concrete. Eight Beams were tested in this research under four point bending test. Two beams were taken as a control beams without any external bonding of Carbon Fiber Reinforced polymer. Another two …

Comparison Of Methane Production From Household Waste, Sunita Baniya

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Anaerobic digestion is a biochemical process in which various microorganisms transform complex organic compounds to methane, along with carbon dioxide, water vapor and a small amount of other trace gases in absence of oxygen. Methane from anaerobic digestion processes is being increasingly utilized as an alternative energy source in developing as well as developed countries. These days the energy crisis is very acute in rural communities of developing countries, where fuelwood has been and still is the major source of daily used fuel. Through anaerobic digestion, clean-burning fuel for cooking can be produced from degradation of household organic wastes, solving …

Impact Of Weather Factors On Go-Around Occurrence, Bharath Donavalli

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

A “go-around” occurs when an aircraft, which is on final approach, aborts it landing due to unsatisfactory conditions. Go-arounds have a significant impact on the capacity of the airports and pose a serious concern at large airports, especially for airports with diagonal runways. Go-arounds occur due to manual errors, mechanical faults and weather factors. This study focuses on the impact of weather factors on go-around occurrence. The study includes wind gust, storm events (thunderstorm, rain and snow) and visibility as the weather factors under investigation. The author uses a factorial sampling strategy where these factors are segmented into additional categories …

Sustainable Reuse Of Fly Ash To Mitigate Landfill Methane, Sharon Priyadarshini

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

According to US, EIA 2014 coal alone produces nearly 40% of electricity more than another source in US. Out of the 110 million tons of Coal combustion by-products (CCBs) generated per year as a result of coal combustion, 47% is reused whereas 53% is stored on-site or sent to landfills. There are a number of adverse economic and environmental impacts associated with storage and disposal of coal. Methane (CH4) is a powerful greenhouse gas (GHG), contributing 32% of current climate forcing (US EPA, 2015). Landfill gas comprises of 50-55% CH4 and 40-45% CO2. Global warming potential of CH4 is 28 …

Air Dispersion Modeling Of Multiple Natural Gas Well Pads At Different Terrain Conditions And Determination Of Inverse Distance Weighting Function Exponent, Fatemeh Khalaj

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Natural gas production and development has been widely spreading all over the United States. Texas has been leading the nation in natural gas production by holding approximately twenty three percent of the nation’s natural gas reserves. However, natural gas exploration, drilling, production and distribution process have impacts on air quality and human health. The emissions from natural gas processes could be categorized as volatile organic compounds (including Hazardous Air Pollutants), methane, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxides, particulate matter and some other minor emitted pollutants, which have the potential of causing serious health problems and also impact air quality from an environmental …

Safety Aspects Of Bicyclists In A Connected Vehicle Environment, Ajaykumar Patil

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The revival in the number of bicyclists, bike infrastructure investments and bike policies in the U.S. in the last two decades has escalated the importance of bicycling as a mode of transportation. With the proliferating role of the bicycle mode, bike fatalities continue to grow, too. In response to the increase in fatalities and crashes caused by human driven vehicles, the automobile industry and governments seek to develop autonomous vehicles that can address most of the human related crash causes. While increasing safety remains the primary goal of autonomous vehicles (AV) innovation, the difficulty of bicyclist and pedestrian detection using …