Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Juxtaposing Nasa’S Aeronet Aod With Carb Pm Data Over The San Joaquin Valley To Facilitate Multi-Angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (Misr) Pm Pollution Research, John Kanemoto

STAR Program Research Presentations

Airborne particulate matter (PM) has been shown to increase the risk for asthma, chronic bronchitis, cardiopulmonary complications, and respiratory cell membrane damage/infection/leakage. PM levels are currently analyzed from two perspectives: stationary land-based monitoring (LBM) sites and total Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) atmospheric column measurements. Both perspectives often leave miles of space between measuring locations and will have a continually increasing cost from introducing/maintaining sites. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) satellite team hopes to begin investigating/archiving PM levels comprehensively via inputting MISR AOD measurements into a function/model which predicts the amount of ground level PM.

In the future, multivariable spatial correlations …

Risk Assessment Model For Pipe Rehabilitation And Replacement In A Water Distribution System, Jan C. Devera

Master's Theses

The efficient delivery of potable water for a community through its distribution system has historically been the backbone of nearly all metropolitan developments. Much of these systems are comprised of pipe networks made of various materials including concrete, iron, PVC, and even steel. As these communities expand and urbanize, water demand and population density simultaneously increase. This develops higher strains and stresses in the community‟s water distribution network causing pipes to corrode, crack, or rupture prematurely while in service. As a result, the deterioration of water distribution systems in growing cities is increasingly becoming a major concern for our nation. …

Weighing The Financial And Sustainable Benefits Of High Performance Structures In Seismically Active Regions, Alia Talina Barajas

Master's Theses

This thesis investigated the potential advantages and disadvantages of high performance structures by comparing the financial and environmental impacts of a performance based four-story office building to one designed to meet minimum code-level requirements.

To generate a comparison, the lateral system of a four-story structure utilizing buckling restrained braced frames was designed to meet code-level requirements per the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE 7-05) and again to meet the immediate occupancy criteria defined by ASCE 41-06 Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings. The following was then performed:

• Test the structural performance of …

Airport Runway Heating System, Greg Wang, Curtis Reedy

Electrical Engineering

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, flight delays cost airlines $22 billion annually (Rapajic 16). Snow and ice buildup on the tarmacs are a major contributor to these delays in regions where freezing weather conditions are common. Current solutions such as anti-freeze chemicals and snowplows are ineffective and costly. Implementing a radiant heating system, specifically pipes running hot liquid within or below the runways, can help maintain the surface above freezing temperatures. Such a system has yet to be installed in a functioning airport because of its complexity and high cost. However, the FAA provides funding for infrastructure improvements, and …

Seismic Performance Comparison Of A Fixed-Base Versus A Base-Isolated Office Building, Nicholas Reidar Marrs

Master's Theses

The topic of this thesis is base isolation. The purpose of this thesis is to offer a relative understanding of the seismic performance enhancements that a typical 12-story steel office building can achieve through the implementation of base isolation technology. To reach this understanding, the structures of a fixed-base office building and a base-isolated office building of similar size and layout are designed, their seismic performance is compared, and a cost-benefit analysis is completed. The base isolation system that is utilized is composed of Triple Friction Pendulum (TFP) bearings.

The work of this thesis is divided into four phases. First, …

Seismic Rehabilitation Of Steel Moment Frames Vulnerable To Soft-Story Failures Through Implementation Of Rocking Cores, Juan Carlos Sanchez

Master's Theses

During seismic events, inefficient steel moment frame building systems may exhibit soft-story failures. This thesis focuses on development and validation of a seismic retrofit strategy for avoiding soft-story failures in low-rise and mid-rise steel moment frame buildings. The considered retrofit strategy consists of a sufficiently stiff Rocking Core (RC) pinned to the foundation and pin connected to the existing frame. For demonstration purposes, two representative benchmark steel moment frames, which are modified from the three- and nine-story pre-Northridge steel moment frames designed for Los Angeles in the SAC Steel Project, are considered. Finite Element (FE) models of the benchmark buildings …

Residential Fire Sprinkler Design For The Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity House, Nolan Frost

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design of a residential fire sprinkler system for a local fraternity house. The design follows NFPA 13D code, and contains design calculations, design drawings, material specifications, and cost analysis. The design was completed with the intention of being used for the installation of a fire sprinkler system in the house.

Dairy Manure Flushwater Treatment By Packed-Bed Anaerobic Digesters, Neal Cary Adler

Master's Theses

Wastewater treatment performance of three pilot-scale packed-bed anaerobic digesters with walnut shell medium was researched for treating dairy freestall barn flushwater. Reciprocation mixing was evaluated as a means to lessen channelization in the media bed and to improve biogas production and organic matter removal at ambient temperatures. Reciprocation has been used in biological nitrogen removal systems to introduce air into the system to repeatedly oxygenate nitrifying biofilm along with mixing (Behrends et al. 2003), but the anaerobic systems benefit from mixing. Two tanks were used in each system, where one was full and one was empty at any given time. …

Nutrient Removal Using Microalgae In Wastewater-Fed High Rate Ponds, Matthew N. Rodrigues

Master's Theses

This thesis discusses the mechanisms associated with the removal of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus in wastewater-fed high rate algae ponds (HRAP) designed to operate as triplicates. Research was conducted at the San Luis Obispo Water Reclamation Facility (SLOWRF) as a pilot-scale study of nine 30-square meter ponds one foot in depth. During period of study, triplicates were operated at hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 4, 3 or 2-days. Main objectives for the study were to determine minimum HRTs required to achieve secondary and tertiary treatment. Experimental conditions such as CO₂ supplementation, nighttime aeration and operation of ponds in …

Boundary Retracement Survey Of Cal Poly’S Serrano Ranch, John Lanfranki

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Design, Construction, And Evaluation Of A Hydraulic Oil Filtration Cart, Eric Steiger

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This report discusses the design, construction, and evaluation of a hydraulic oil filtration car sponsored by Papich Construction Inc. This company developed the need for a filter cart system to service equipment by flushing and cleaning the oil in hydraulic reservoirs and systems. The opportunity of reviewing an existing product from Caterpillar was taken to obtain basic design parameters. This car however, did not meet all the needs preferred by the service technicians of Papich; thus leading to the idea of a custom filter cart.

The filter cart is composed of a square tube frame sitting on pneumatic no-flat castor …

Seismic Rehabilitation Of Steel Concentrically Braced Frames Vulnerable To Soft-Story Failure Through Implementation Of Rocking Cores, Francisco Sanchez-Zamora

Master's Theses

Recent research reports that steel Concentrically Braced Frames (CBFs) (even the code-compliant ones) may be susceptible to soft-story failures during strong earthquakes. Such a failure mode causes catastrophic outcomes and should be definitely avoided in practice. This thesis focuses on development and validation of a seismic retrofit strategy for low-rise and mid-rise steel CBFs vulnerable to soft-story failures. The considered retrofit strategy consists of a sufficiently stiff rocking core (RC) pinned to foundation and connected to the existing frame. For demonstration purpose, two representative benchmark steel CBF buildings, which are the three-and six-story CBFs designed forLos Angelesin the SAC Steel …

Seismic Design Manual For Interlocking Compressed Earth Blocks, Nicholas Edwards Kennedy

Master's Theses

Seismic Design Manual for Interlocking Compressed Earth Blocks

Nicholas Edwards Kennedy

This thesis presents a comprehensive seismic design manual to be used to design and construct simple Interlocking Compressed Earth Block (ICEB) structures in seismically active regions. ICEBs are earth blocks made primarily of soil and stabilized with cement. They have female and male stud mechanisms designed to interlock when stacked, eliminating the need for mortar. The blocks can accept reinforcement and grout after they are placed. While ICEB construction is similar to conventional masonry construction, current design code standards for masonry only partially capture the actual behavior of ICEB …

Comparison Of Biofilm Media In Reciprocating Biofilters Treating Dairy Flushwater, Kyle Keoki Tatsuo Fooks

Master's Theses

Reciprocating biofilters known as ReCip is a viable technology to manage nutrients, mainly nitrogen, problems at livestock operations such as swine farms and dairies. Past studies have demonstrated that ReCip is more adept at total nitrogen (TN) removal than traditional subsurface flow wetland systems. The traditional substrate used to attach biomass was rock aggregate; this media may be hard to obtain for some agricultural projects, so alternate substrates are tested and compared with the rock aggregate. The purpose of the study was twofold: first, different biofilm media were tested and compared in terms of treatment performance and, second, the long-term …

Settling Performance In Wastewater Fed High Rate Algae Ponds, Elliott Blake Ripley

Master's Theses

Although high rate algae ponds (HRAPs) are a proven wastewater treatment technology with numerous environmental, social, and economic benefits, their widespread use has been hindered by inconsistent and unreliable settling performance. Hence, the goal of this thesis is to investigate how specific operational parameters affect the settling performance of HRAPs. Nine HRAPs (30 m² surface area, 0.3 m depth) were operated as three triplicate sets, with each set run on either a 2, 3, or 4 day HRT continuously from January 25, 2012 through April 11, 2013. Settling performance was determined (i) by measuring the TSS of Imhoff cone …

Shear-Wave Velocity–Based Probabilistic And Deterministic Assessment Of Seismic Soil Liquefaction Potential, R. Kayen, R. E.S. Moss, E.M. Thompson, R. B. Seed, K. O. Cetin, A. Der Kiureghian, Y. Tanaka, K. Tokimatsu

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Shear-wave velocity (Vs) offers a means to determine the seismic resistance of soil to liquefaction by a fundamental soil property. This paper presents the results of an 11-year international project to gather new Vssite data and develop probabilistic correlations for seismic soil liquefaction occurrence. Toward that objective, shear-wave velocity test sites were identified, and measurements made for 301 new liquefaction field case histories in China, Japan, Taiwan, Greece, and the United States over a decade. The majority of these new case histories reoccupy those previously investigated by penetration testing. These new data are combined with previously published case histories to …

Liquifaction At Strong Motion Stations And In Urayasu City During The 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake, Brady R. Cox, Ross W. Boulanger, Kohji Tokimatsu, Clinton M. Wood, Akio Abe, Scott Ashford, Jennifer Donahue, Kenji Ishihara, Robert Kayen, Kota Katsumata, Tadahiro Kishida, Takaji Kokusho, H. Benjamin Mason, Robb Moss, Jonathan P. Stewart, Kazushi Tohyama, Dimitios Zekkos

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The 2011 M_W = 9.0 Tohoku-oki earthquake generated a large number of unique soil liquefaction case histories, including cases with strong ground motion recordings on liquefiable or potentially liquefiable soils. We have compiled a list of 22 strong motion stations (SMS) where surface evidence of liquefaction was observed and 16 SMS underlain by geologically recent sediments or fills where surface evidence of liquefaction was not observed. Pre-earthquake standard penetration test data and borehole shear wave velocity (V_s) profiles are available for some stations, but critical information, such as grain size distribution and fines plasticity, are often …

Modeling Flood Reduction Scenarios For A Small Coastal Community, Evan J. Perez

Master's Theses

The Arroyo Grande Creek Watershed, an approximately 170 mi² watershed located on the central coast of California, drains to the Pacific Ocean via the Arroyo Grande Creek that passes through several coastal cities including the community of Oceano. At the mouth of the Creek is the Arroyo Grande Lagoon, which is connected to another lagoon known as the Oceano Lagoon, by a tidal flap-gate whose hydraulics is a function of water levels in the two lagoons. Historically the Oceano Lagoon has played a part in floods that have occurred in the community of Oceano. The most recent flooding occurred …

System Identification Of A Bridge-Type Building Structure, Pablo D. Ramos Jr.

Master's Theses

The Bridge House is a steel building structure located in Poly Canyon, a rural area inside the campus of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The Bridge House is a one story steel structure supported on 4 concrete piers with a lateral force resisting system (LFRS) composed of ordinary moment frames in the N-S direction and braced frames in the E-W direction and vertically supported by a pair of trusses. The dynamic response of the Bridge House was investigated by means of system identification through ambient and forced vibration testing. Interesting findings such as diaphragm flexibility, foundation flexibility and …

Hydrologic Modeling Of The San Joaquin Valley Watershed For Purposes Of Nitrate Analysis, Stephen Carl Clayton

Master's Theses

The San Joaquin Valley is regarded as one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. This extensive agriculture has, however, caused extensive pollution of both ground water and surface water. This thesis develops a hydrologic model of the surface and ground waters of the San Joaquin Valley. Such modeling is useful in the development and implementation of water quality regulations such as Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). A properly validated watershed simulation model can supplement data collection and can account for watershed characteristics including topography, soils, climate, land cover, anthropogenic activities, as well as simulate watershed responses including …

Cloth Filter For Disaster Relief Water Treatment, Shasta Le'ja Billings

Master's Theses

Relief organizations and governments strive to provide safe drinking water to natural disaster survivors as quickly as possible. However, drinking water is typically provided either as bottled water or via mobile water treatment equipment, both of which can be difficult or expensive to transport rapidly into disaster zones. An alternative is the waterbag point-of-use treatment device developed at Cal Poly that allows survivors to produce safe drinking water from contaminated local sources. The waterbag is a 10-L bladder designed for use with Procter & Gamble Purifier of Water (PŪR^®) sachets, which contain coagulant and chlorine compounds. Following treatment …

Rainwater To Flush Toilets On A Volcano, Robert A. Buchan

STAR Program Research Presentations

Objective: Investigate the feasibility of a rainwater collection system to provide for a sustainable source of non-potable or potable water at a potentially isolated solar observatory site (likely Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii).

Introduction: The National Center for Atmospheric Research/High Altitude Observatory (NCAR/HAO) proposes to build a solar observatory comprising a trio of instruments for studying solar coronal magnetism.

Methods: Each square foot of collection surface will experience approximately 0.62 gallons of runoff from 1 inch of rainfall (12 in x 12 in x 1 in = 0.62 gallons). Some water will be lost to evaporation, splashing, overflows, and other …

The Effect Of Sensor Mass, Sensor Location, And Delamination Location Of Different Composite Structures Under Dynamic Loading, Albert Darien Liu

Master's Theses

This study investigated the effect of sensor mass, sensor location, and delamination location of different composite structures under dynamic loading. The study pertains to research of the use of accelerometers and dynamic response as a cost-effective and reliable method of structural health monitoring in composite structures. The composite structures in this research included carbon fiber plates, carbon fiber-foam sandwich panels, and carbon-fiber honeycomb sandwich panels. The composite structures were manufactured with the use of a Tetrahedron MTP-8 heat press. All work was conducted in the Cal Poly Aerospace Structures/Composites Laboratory. Initial delaminations were placed at several locations along the specimen, …

Investigation Of Out-Of-Plane Properties Of Interlocking Compressed Earth Block Walls, Nicholas Anthony Herskedal

Master's Theses

Interlocking compressed earth blocks (ICEBs) are cement stabilized soil blocks that allow for dry stacked construction. The incomplete understanding of the inelastic performance of ICEB building systems limits widespread acceptance of this structural system in earthquake prone areas. This thesis presents results from an experimental program designed to explore the behavior of ICEB walls, built according to current design practice in Indonesia and Thailand, and subjected to out-of-plane loading. A total of five reinforced and grouted ICEB walls were constructed and tested.

Results from experimentation show the current masonry design code, ACI 530, adequately predicts the yield strength of these …

Laboratory Investigation Of The Effects Of Temperature And Moisture On Interface Shear Strength Of Textured Geomembrane And Geosynthetic Clay Liner, Taki Stavros Chrysovergis

Master's Theses

A laboratory investigation was conducted to determine the effects of temperature and moisture on the shear strength of textured geomembrane (T-GM) and geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) interface. Several landfill slope failures involving geosynthetics have occurred within the past three decades. Interface shear strength of T-GM/GCL is well documented for testing conducted at laboratory temperatures and at moisture contents associated with GCLs in submerged conditions. However, in-service conditions for landfill liner systems include a wide range of temperatures (extending from below 0 °C to above 40 °C) and a wide range of moisture conditions. Large-scale interface direct shear tests were performed …

Implementation And Validation Of Fault-Rupture Response Spectrum Analysis Procedure In Csibridge For Bridges Crossing Earthquake Fault Ruptures, Jennifer Evelyn Tures

Master's Theses

This thesis evaluates the application of a simplified analysis procedure as implemented in version 16 of CSiBridge^TM for design of bridges crossing earthquake fault ruptures. The fault-rupture response spectrum analysis (FR-RSA) approximation method has been proved adequate for both straight and curved ordinary bridges, but lacked a comfortable interface to accommodate the method users. Computers and Structure, Inc. has implemented the FR-RSA procedure into CSiBridge^TM, a user-friendly integrated 3-D bridge design software, as an added seismic design feature. By combining the response of the bridge due to the quasi-static displacement from the fault strike-slip rupture and the …

Seismic Performance Of Symmetric Steel Moment Frames With Random Reactive Weight Distributions, Conner F.F. Williamson

Master's Theses

When a structure undergoes seismic excitation, the intensities and spatial distributions of the reactive weights on the structure may not be the same as those assumed in original design. Such a difference is inevitable due to many facts with the random nature (e.g., redistribution of live load), resulting in accidental eccentricity and consequently torsional response in the system. The added torsion can cause excessive deformation and premature failure of the lateral force resisting system and its detrimental effect is typically accounted for in most building design codes with an arbitrarily specified accidental eccentricity value. While it tends to amplify drift …

Pervious Pavement Infiltrometer, Madeline Musgrove

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This project tests infiltration rates on three different slabs of pervious pavement. A methodology was put in place to ensure that all three slabs were tested the same way. The test that is used for the infiltration rates is a constant head test. A steel ring is placed on the surface of the pervious pavement and sealed with Plumbers Putty around the bottom of the ring. A mark is then sketched on the inside of the ring at 2 inches above the surface of the pavement for a constant backpressure that is equal in all scenarios. Five gallons of water …

Pullout Strength Of Epoxy Anchors Installed Underwater, Jeffrey Lee Blanchette

Master's Theses

This work presents the development of a test program and the results from the final round of testing to better understand the effect a submerged anchor installation has on the pullout strength of epoxy anchors. Two different epoxies were tested at embedment depths of two, four, and six bar diameters. These tests utilized three distinct installation procedures under dry and submerged conditions. The testing program occurred over five phases, with the final round used in analysis consisting of 24 anchor pullout tests. These tests showed that the presence of water did not have an effect on the epoxy bond when …

Bioflocculation Of Wastewater Treatment Pond Suspended Solids, Louis Lefebvre

Master's Theses

Bioflocculation of Wastewater Treatment Pond Suspended Solids

Louis Lefebvre

Wastewater treatment lagoons and high rate algae ponds (HRAPs) can provide cost effective wastewater treatment, but they commonly have high effluent concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS). In this thesis algae pond effluent was treated in a beaker testing apparatus (mixed and aerated) with various mixtures of activated sludge and primary effluent simulating differing activated sludge aeration basin compositions then was allowed to settle to assess settleability. Conventionally, microalgal suspended solids are removed by chemical coagulation followed by separation methods that often have a high cost relative to the low cost …