Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

A Prediction Method For Scale Of Karst Cave Water Inrush And Mud Outburst Based On Comprehensive Advanced Geological Prediction, Yang Weilin, Xiao Huabo, Meng Lubo, Zhang Caihong, Chen Weidong, Wang Hao

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To improve the accuracy of water inrush and mud outburst disaster prediction during tunnel construction through karst caves, a method of first forecasting the unfavorable geological conditions of karst caves and subsequently predicting water inrush and mud outburst geological disasters was proposed in this paper. First, a karst cave advanced prediction model based on the polynomial naive Bayes algorithm was established to predict the scale grade of karst caves. Secondly, taking the scale prediction results of karst caves as the input condition for water inrush and mud outburst, a support vector machine (SVM) grade prediction model for karst cave water …

Research On Recognition Of Highway Toll Vehicles Based On Dual-View Feature Fusion Network, Xiao Qiang, Chen Xinjia, Chen Jing, Zhao Bin, Yan Kaifeng, Ding Hongwei

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To solve the practical problems in vehicle type classification on toll roads, a deep learning network based on dual-view feature fusion, named ETCLNet, was proposed in this paper. A dual-branch architecture was adopted by the network to extract the features of vehicle head and side body images, respectively, and combined with an innovatively designed multi-scale feature extraction module, namely IPFE, and an adaptive weighting-based bilinear feature fusion (AWBF) mechanism, efficient and fine-grained vehicle feature representation was achieved. Through the design of parallel multi-scale convolutions and residual connections, the problem of gradient vanishing was effectively alleviated, and the adaptability to complex …

Analysis Of Traffic Congestion Patterns In Continuous Bottleneck Construction Zones Of Highways Under Mixed Traffic Of Passenger And Freight Vehicles, Han Hailong, Song Tailong, Ma Tianyong, Fan Zhaodong, Chen Zhexin, Chen Liang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To investigate the traffic congestion pattern changes in continuous bottleneck sections of highway construction zones under mixed passenger and freight traffic conditions, the spatio-temporal evolution laws of vehicle speed and lane-changing trajectory distribution in construction sections with successive lane-narrowing bottlenecks were studied. Based on measured highway data, traffic flow simulation parameters were calibrated using a genetic algorithm. By taking traffic volume and the proportion of passenger and freight vehicles as entry points, a traffic simulation experiment for continuous bottleneck construction zones under multi-factor coupling effects was constructed, and the spatio-temporal variation characteristics of speed and lane-changing trajectory distribution in the …

Analysis Of Temperature Field Of Steel Box Girders During Steam Curing Construction Process Of Steel-Uhpc Composite Bridge Decks, Wu Shang, Zhang Yongjian

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To clarify the influence of high-temperature steam curing of steel-ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) lightweight composite bridge deck paving on the temperature field of the steel box girder, taking a certain bridge in Hunan Province as an example, finite element numerical simulation and actual bridge testing were conducted on the temperature field of the steel box girder during the high-temperature steam curing process of the bridge deck paving. The numerical calculations were generally consistent with the test results. The analysis results indicate that under the superimposed effect of solar radiation heating and high-temperature steam curing heating, the maximum temperature of the …

Road Design Methods For Brt Projects Based On French Standard System : A Case Study Of A Project In West Africa, Wang Meng, Wu Cheng

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

With the continuous advancement of China ’s “Belt and Road Initiative”, Chinese enterprises have become increasingly involved in international engineering markets, undertaking numerous transportation infrastructure projects, particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia. However, international engineering projects commonly face the challenge of inconsistent design standard systems across different countries, posing significant difficulties for Chinese enterprises during project implementation. To address this issue, the differences in BRT road design under Chinese and French standards were focused on in this study, and their respective design philosophies and methods were analyzed. Taking a BRT project in a West African country as an example, field …

Material Point Method Simulation Of Soil Landslide Considering Interface Friction Effect, Zuo Zhipeng, Hu Shengliang, Li Maowen, Tong Chenxi, Li Haichao

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

During the high-speed and long-runout sliding failure process of large landslides, severe friction and heat generation in the sliding zone induce an interface friction effect between the debris flow and the bedrock, influencing the final accumulation morphology of the landslide. In this paper, a two-dimensional landslide model of the Yangbaodi landslide in Shenzhen was established using the material point method. A contact algorithm was introduced through a multi-background grid method to conduct numerical simulations on the initiation, sliding, and accumulation processes of the landslide. The results show that after initiation, the landslide moves over a long distance in a flow-like …

Stratified Multi-Well Pumping Tests And Back-Analysis Of Hydraulic Conductivity In Ultra-Deep Circular Foundation Pits, Luo Renkun, Wang Jie

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Dewatering prior to foundation pit excavation is a critical measure to prevent engineering hazards such as slope instability at the pit top, seepage around the pit, and bottom heave. As a key parameter in dewatering design, hydraulic conductivity directly influences the risk control in foundation pit engineering. Based on the east anchor foundation pit project of the Shiziyang Passageway, single-well pumping tests and stratified multi-well pumping tests were conducted. The water level variations in the internal dewatering wells and the external observation wells were monitored in stages. Accordingly, a finite difference numerical model for the pumping tests was established. The …

Research On Mechanical Properties And Particle Breakage Of Construction Solid Waste Concrete Under Cyclic Loading, Li Xuejian, Song Yang, Dong Chenxi, Li Shengkai, Li Wangyuan

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To investigate the mechanical properties and particle breakage effect of construction solid waste, a series of static and dynamic direct shear tests were carried out using a dynamic interface shear tester. Different coarse particle contents (40%, 50%, and 60%), amplitudes (45 kPa, 60 kPa, and 75 kPa), and frequencies (0.5 Hz, 1 Hz, and 2 Hz) were used as variables, and the variation rules of shear stress‒shear displacement curves, shear strength parameters, and particle breakage under three normal stresses (50 kPa, 100 kPa, and 150 kPa) were analyzed. The results indicate that under the same initial normal stress, with the …

Study On Mechanical Properties Of Ultra-High Performance Concrete With Granite Manufactured Sand After Heating And Cooling Treatment, Li Gang, Zhou Feilong, Lu Qiuju, Du Kun, Liu Kai

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Due to the frequent occurrence of building fires, the mechanical properties of concrete, as the most widely used construction material, are severely challenged under high temperatures. To explore the effect of granite manufactured sand content on the performance of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) after heating and cooling treatment, three types of UHPC specimens with different manufactured sand contents (0, 50%, and 100%) were prepared in this study. Then, the effects of manufactured sand content, heating temperature, and cooling regime on the P-wave velocity and uniaxial compressive strength of UHPC were obtained through experiments. The results indicate that the P-wave velocity …

Characteristic Analysis Of Detection Profiles For Internal Moisture Content Of Asphalt Pavements Based On Ground Penetrating Radar, Yang Li, He Pingping, Liu Weizhen, Fu An

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

As a novel non-destructive testing method for roads, ground penetrating radar (GPR) can effectively prevent road water damage by regularly detecting the internal moisture condition of roads. However, when the moisture data of GPR are analyzed, the moisture conditions obtained by relying solely on the analysis of a single profile characteristic may be misjudged. To improve the accuracy and reliability of GPR in detecting the internal moisture content of pavements, focus was placed on the time-frequency domain analysis of GPR moisture content detection profiles in this paper. Simulation tests were conducted, and the influencing factors and results of moisture detection …

Research On Mechanical Properties Of Concrete At High Temperatures Based On Machine Learning, Liu Junhua, Liu Bin, Cao Haifeng, Liu Zhiguang, Li Zhiyong

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Structural safety is directly affected by the mechanical properties of concrete at high temperatures. Firstly, based on the existing compression and tension test data of concrete at high temperatures, the Abaqus finite element software was adopted for numerical simulation reproduction, and the reliability of the simulation method was verified. Secondly, by simulating the uniaxial tension-compression and confining pressure tests of normal concrete with different strength grades under high temperatures of 20‒800 ℃, the influence rules of temperature on the compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, elastic modulus, and stress ‒ strain relationship of concrete were elucidated. Finally, based on three commonly …

Research On Dic Monitoring Of Dynamic Deflection And Damage Identification Method For Small And Medium-Span Bridges, Wang Yong, Li Derui, Tang Haotian, Yan Xingfei, Cheng Bin

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

A large number of built small and medium-span bridges in China are facing the problem of increasingly degrading structural performance. Therefore, it is of great significance to carry out lightweight intelligent monitoring and realize damage identification and early warning, so as to ensure the safe operation of these bridges. For typical small and medium-span simply supported beam bridges, a damage analysis method based on measured dynamic deflection data was established by combining the influence line theory and mechanical constitutive equations. Furthermore, based on the high-precision monitoring algorithm and instruments of digital image correlation (DIC), the real-time dynamic deflection data of …

Comparative Study On Pouring Timing Of Sealing Hinge Concrete For Concrete-Filled Steel Tube Arch Bridge, Wang Xiaoliang, Fu Kaige, Zhang Song, Wang Zhongqiang, Chen Zhuoyi

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

The pouring timing of sealing hinge concrete for concrete-filled steel tube arch bridges directly affects the construction duration and the stress state of arch ribs. To clarify the structural response differences at different pouring timings, the Beiliuhe Extra-large Bridge on the Pingxi ‒ Cenxi Expressway in Guangxi Province was taken as the engineering background in this paper. A finite element model was established using Midas Civil, and the following four pouring timings of sealing hinge concrete were comparatively analyzed: immediately after the butt welding of sealing hinge steel pipes; after the closure of arch ribs and before the pouring of …

Study On Calculation Method For Incremental Launching Based On Nonlinear Analysis, Mo Shanfeng, Huang Cailiang, Qin Hui

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

In view of the shortcomings of traditional incremental launching calculation methods and the assembly construction control of incremental launching beams, an incremental launching calculation method based on nonlinear analysis was proposed in this paper. This method could truly simulate the running state where the incremental launching pier remains stationary, and the beam moves forward. The assembly alignment of all segments of the beam and the real alignment of the beam under specified working conditions could be directly output. The prefabricated alignment of the main beam (i.e., unstressed alignment) did not need to be consistent with the slide alignment. When the …

Summary And Prospect Of Typical Diseases In Energy Transport Channels In Winter Cold Regions Over Past 20 Years, Jia Qinlong, Hou Zhongfei, Yin Yanping

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To investigate the typical disease characteristics of energy transport channels in winter cold regions and guide the design for extending road service life, the causes of diseases such as pavement reflective cracks, continuous potholes on bridge decks, and failures of bridge drainage systems were analyzed based on the 20-year operation data of a 531 km in-service expressway in the coal energy region of northern Shaanxi. The research results indicate that when the asphalt pavement thickness reaches 22 cm, the reflective crack spacing of the expressway operated for 15 years can be controlled to over 50 m. Basically, no base layer …

Rheological Protocol To Assess And Optimize Latex Coagulation Dynamics For The Thin Glove Coagulant Dipping Process, Monday U. Okoronkwo, Kok Kong Ng, Wolfram Franke, Gaurav Sant

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Many products that directly impact the quality of human life today — gloves, catheters, condoms, and baby bottle teats — are made through the latex-dipping technology. While a variety of methods have been developed – e.g., particle counting, turbidimetry, microscopy, and light scattering – which are suitable for studying the coagulation of latex at very low concentrations, much less work has focused on methods suitable for in-situ characterization of latex coagulation in concentrated solutions (e.g., as relevant to the dipping process). This paper presents a process-relevant rheological protocol for assessing and optimizing latex coagulation dynamics for the thin glove coagulant …

Optimization Of Sea Transportation Services In The Kepulauan Seribu Using The Vehicle Routing Problem (Vrp) Model, Darmadi Darmadi, Sutanto Soehodho, Nahry Nahry

Smart City

The Kepulauan Seribu regency relies heavily on sea transportation for passenger mobility and goods distribution. However, current systems face efficiency challenges, high operational costs, and potential imbalances between demand and service capacity. This study proposes a framework to optimize sea transportation services in the Kepulauan Seribu using the Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) method, especially the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem – Many Single Depot (CVRP–MSD) model with heterogeneous fleets and mixed cargo (passenger and goods). The main objective is to minimize total operating costs, which include fixed costs of using the vessel and variable travel costs, and unmet demand, both passenger …

Development Of An Adaptive Pelican Crossing Model Using Fuzzy Logic In Mixed Traffic Conditions, Manazil Adam, Andyka Kusuma, R. Jachrizal Sumabrata

Smart City

Traffic management at at-grade pedestrian crossing facilities (pelican crossings) in highly populated areas, such as the Universitas Indonesia Station, faces significant inefficiency challenges. During peak hours, the fixed-time system is frequently disabled and replaced with subjective manual control by security personnel, thereby triggering irregular stop-and-go cycles and a high accumulation of vehicle delays. This study aims to develop a hybrid adaptive control model integrating Computer Vision, Genetic Algorithm (GA), and Fuzzy Logic to optimize intersection performance under mixed traffic conditions. The research methodology begins with the extraction of traffic and pedestrian characteristic data, calculated manually through recorded field observations. This …

Investigation Of Portland Limestone Cement Blended With Biochar From Downdraft Gasification: Hydration Kinetics, Microstructure, Rheology, And Performance Mechanisms, Ugochukwu Ewuzie, Paul C. Ani, Abdulkareem O. Yusuf, Joseph D. Smith, Monday Uchenna Okoronkwo

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The widespread adoption of Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) in U.S. concrete production has necessitated research into commercially available supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) for formulating high-performance, low-carbon blended binders with PLC. This study investigated the influence of biochar (BC) in biochar-PLC composites (CBCs), focusing on hydration kinetics, microstructure, rheology, pore-solution chemistry, compressive strength, and the underlying mechanisms. Biochar was produced via downdraft gasification at 850 °C and incorporated into PLC at 5, 7, and 10% substitution by mass. Isothermal calorimetry and hydration data modeled using the Knudsen equation revealed that BC retarded early hydration but improved hydration degree and later-age heat …

Can Generative Ai Make Farming Decisions? Current Status And Future Pathways: A Case Study In Row Crop Production With Chatgpt, Nipuna Chamara, Yufeng Ge, Joe Luck, Yu Pan, Saleh Taghvaeian, Cory Walters, Christopher Proctor, Daran Rudnick, Daren Redfearn

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The agricultural decision-making process is experience-based, knowledge-dependent, time-sensitive, complex, and driven by historical data. Planting, fertilization, irrigation, and chemigation are key categories in farm decision-making, and currently there is no one-shot decision-support tool that covers all these activities. Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) models are more advanced than traditional machine learning and deep learning models. These models have been trained on vast amounts of data from the internet, allowing them to accept unstructured data in various forms and generate human-like text, solutions to problems, and scenario predictions. Given this capability, we became interested in exploring the potential of generative AI in …

Characterization Of The Thermally Driven Red Hue Effect In Coated And Uncoated Concrete Systems: Implications For Post-Fire Assessment In Wildland Urban Interface Communities, Juan C. Palominos Jr

Master's Theses

The increasing frequency and intensity of Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) wildfires, such as the destructive 2025 Pacific Palisades Fire that destroyed over 6,000 structures, have underscored the urgent need for rapid post-fire safety assessment methodologies. This study sought to quantitatively characterize the Thermally Driven Red Hue Effect (TRHE), a unique, irreversible color shift observed in architectural coatings and concrete substrates, to determine its reliability as a permanent visual record of thermal exposure. Concrete substrates were formulated with three distinct coarse aggregates: gold granite (14.7% Fe), red cinder (22.4% Fe), and green rock (33.6% Fe) and coated with a 20 PVC waterborne …

Mechanics And Physical Attributes Of Nature-Based Alterations: Rock Reinforcement And Urban Heat Island Assessment, Mary Chikondi Ngoma

Dissertations

Ground improvement is critical to geotechnical and geo-engineering systems, where modification of the properties of geomaterials (rocks and soils) is required to maintain stability and prevent failure of infrastructure installed within and around them. This need has become increasingly important with rapid urbanization and population growth, which intensify demands on surface and subsurface systems and further challenge the performance of supporting geomaterials. As a result, there is growing interest in nature-based solutions, particularly biologically mediated processes such as biocementation, which can enhance the physical, hydraulic, and mechanical properties of geomaterials while offering environmentally sustainable alternatives to conventional ground improvement techniques. …

An Analytical Framework For Quantifying Urban And Community Resilience To Natural Hazards From Cell-Phone Gps-Location And Traffic-Flow Data, Georgios Chatzikyriakidis

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Urban areas are increasingly exposed to natural hazards while accommodating a growing share of the global population, yet a consistent science-based framework for quantifying urban and community resilience remains lacking. This dissertation develops a physics-based analytical framework grounded in statistical mechanics and the quantitative theory of Brownian motion. A city is conceptualized as a complex medium in which citizens move analogously to Brownian particles within a viscoelastic environment, influenced by socioeconomic interactions and infrastructure functionality.

A central premise is that urban resilience, interpreted as engineering resilience (an outcome), can be quantified through a single metric: the mean-square displacement MSD=⟨r²(t)⟩, of …

Incorporating Sustainable Strategies And Practices Into The City Improvements Plan Of Madisonville, Kentucky To Better Suit It For The Changing World, Cade R. Howell

Honors College Theses

This project aims to make the case for city improvements in Madisonville, Kentucky by using successful strategies implemented by other cities across the region. These strategies include sidewalk improvements, the installation of roundabouts and parking garages, increased walkability and beautification, and a restructuring of the types of cars predominantly used in the area. The strategies would be implemented from least expensive to most expensive, and in a way that gets the communities involved as much as possible. By using these strategies, Madisonville can better prepare itself for a more sustainable future.

Inconsistencies Emerge Between Regional And Local-Scale Water Security Metrics At Military Installations, Abigail Birnbaum, Michael L. Berg, Caitlin Grady, Daniel J. Weeks, Christopher M. Chini

Faculty Publications

Recent United States federal policy for military installations has emphasized the importance of developing a standardized approach for water security assessment to monitor changes in water resources and the ability for an installation to meet both its civilian and mission needs. For military installations in the United States, these assessments must consider demands both inside and outside the installation’s fence line, as regional resources are required to meet mission readiness. Focusing on physical water scarcity, this study compares four water security metrics with unique formulations and spatial resolutions, including an installation-scale metric and multiple regional metrics defined for either baseline …

Adsorption Of Pfas On Bridged Functionalized Organosilica Materials, Elisha Lawerh Kabutey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

PFAS are hazardous contaminants that have a devastating impact on human health and the environment. Their hazardous nature has led to the development of various adsorption methods for removing these contaminants from water sources. In this study, functionalized organosilica materials were synthesized from bis[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl] amine using the sol-gel method. The surface amino groups of the organosilica were converted into amine hydrochloride groups. Their adsorption properties were evaluated using salts of perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid. Results showed excellent adsorption capacity of the materials. Adsorption of PFAS leads to particle agglomeration and flotation of the spent material. A column …

Robustness Of Vision Language Models For Pedestrian Detection Tasks, Ostonya K. Thomas

All Theses

Autonomous vehicle (AV) systems typically employ modular systems in which discrete components handle separate tasks such as perception, computation, and path planning. While flexible, this approach allows errors to propagate and compound across the pipeline, and many AI systems offer little transparency into their internal decision-making. Such limitations are particularly concerning in safety-critical domains where failures can carry lethal consequences. Vision Language Models (VLMs) have emerged as a promising alternative because they support end-to-end implementations that bypass compounding error risks and provide natural language explanations of their outputs. Despite these advantages, prior research has demonstrated that both computer vision systems …

Optimization Of The Baffle Geometry Of A Circular Culvert Outlet Structure To Maximize Energy Dissipation, Kiarash Shirmahi

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

High-velocity flow at culvert outlets can lead to significant soil erosion and damage to downstream infrastructure, particularly in agricultural regions where land protection is critical. Circular culverts, commonly used in transportation systems, are especially susceptible to this issue due to flow acceleration caused by geometric constraints and installation angles. Despite extensive research on energy dissipation in rectangular culverts, limited attention has been given to circular configurations. This study addresses this gap by evaluating the hydraulic performance of baffle systems designed to reduce outlet energy in circular culverts.

A series of laboratory experiments was conducted using a scaled physical model of …

2026 Workshop On Bridging The Gaps: Tackling Microplastics And Nanoplastics Challenges In Coastal Ecosystems, Shenghua Wu, Kaushik Venkiteshwaran, Melike Dizbay-Onat, Alexandra Stenson, Jinhui Wang, Tina Miller-Way, Ebenezer Nyadjro, Bhuvnesh Bharti, John Weinstein, Yi Bao, Shihui Shen, Valerie Longa, Shenghua Zha, John Cleary, Marty Lind

Workshops

This report presents the findings from the 2026 Workshop on Tackling Microplastics and Nanoplastics (MNPs) in Coastal Ecosystems, which took place in Mobile, Alabama. More than 140 experts from universities, government, industry, and community organizations gathered to address the increasing issue of MNPs in coastal regions.

Model Stormwater Standards 2026, Unh Stormwater Center

UNH Stormwater Center

The purpose of post-construction stormwater management standards is to provide reasonable guidance for the regulation of stormwater runoff to protect local natural resources from degradation and prevent adverse impacts to adjacent and downstream land, property, facilities, and infrastructure. These standards regulate discharges from stormwater and runoff from land development projects and other construction activities to control and minimize increases in stormwater runoff rates and volumes, soil erosion, stream channel erosion, and nonpoint source pollution associated with stormwater runoff.