Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Investigation Of Hydrocarbon Phytoremediation Potential Of Lupinus Chamissonis In Laboratory Microcosms, Wendy Martin, Yarrow M. Nelson, Kenneth Hoffman

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Controlled laboratory microcosms were used to research the phytoremediation potential of lupines (Lupinus chamissonis) for hydrocarbon-contaminated groundwater at a former oil field near Guadalupe, California. During oil production in the Guadalupe Oil Field, a kerosene-like hydrocarbon mixture was used as a diluent to improve the flow of the heavy crude oil. Leaking tanks and pipes resulted in diluent contamination in the soil and groundwater. Native plant species were planted at a pilot-scale field site to investigate the feasibility of using phytoremediation to remediate the groundwater contamination. In the field, biological and hydrological factors make it difficult to determine the specific …

Preliminary Report On September 28, 2004 Parkfield Earthquake, Rakesh K. Goel, Charles Chadwell

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.0 (M_w) struck the Central Coast of California at 10:15:24 AM PST (17:15:24 UTC) on Tuesday, September 28, 2004. The epicenter (Figure 1) was 11 km (7 mile) SSE of Parkfield, at a depth of approximately 8 km (5 mile). The main shock was followed by a strong aftershock of magnitude 5.0 roughly four minutes later. As expected, numerous smaller aftershocks continue to strike to epicentral region. At the time of this report, no injuries have been reported and the damage is light, mostly limited to nonstructural damage. This preliminary report presents …

Design Of Zebra Mussel Control Measures For Hydro-Electric Power Projects, G. Inci, C. J. Miller, N. Yesiller

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, is a biofouling organism that lives generally in freshwater ecosystems. Zebra mussel infestation has occurred at various freshwater structures and systems including raw water intakes, industrial and domestic distribution pipelines, and hydropower facilities at its native regions as well as distant locations. A study was conducted to perform risk assessment and to develop preventive measures for zebra mussel infestation at a planned hydroelectric power plant (Alpaslan II HEPP) in southeast Turkey. Zebra mussel is native to Anatolia region and existing hydropower facilities have significantly been affected by mussel infestation. The risk assessment was conducted by …

Geotechnical Reconnaissance Of The 2002 Denali Fault, Alaska, Earthquake, Robert E. Kayen, Eric Thompson, Diane Minasian, Robb E.S. Moss, Brian D. Collins, Nicholas Sitar, Douglas Dreger, Gary Carver

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The 2002 M7.9 Denali fault earthquake resulted in 340 km of ruptures along three separate faults, causing widespread liquefaction in the fluvial deposits of the alpine valleys of the Alaska Range and eastern lowlands of the Tanana River. Areas affected by liquefaction are largely confined to Holocene alluvial deposits, man-made embankments, and backfills. Liquefaction damage, sparse surrounding the fault rupture in the western region, was abundant and severe on the eastern rivers: the Robertson, Slana, Tok, Chisana, Nabesna and Tanana Rivers. Synthetic seismograms from a kinematic source model suggest that the eastern region of the rupture zone had elevated strong-motion …

Evaluation Of A Modified Mpa Procedure Assuming Higher Modes As Elastic To Estimate Seismic Demands, Anil K. Chopra, Rakesh K. Goel, Chatpan Chintanapakdee

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The modal pushover analysis (MPA) procedure, which includes the contributions of all significant modes of vibration, estimates seismic demands much more accurately than current pushover procedures used in structural engineering practice. Outlined in this paper is a modified MPA (MMPA) procedure wherein the response contributions of higher vibration modes are computed by assuming the building to be linearly elastic, thus reducing the computational effort. After outlining such a modified procedure, its accuracy is evaluated for a variety of frame buildings and ground motion ensembles. Although it is not necessarily more accurate than the MPA procedure, the MMPA procedure is an …

A Modal Pushover Analysis Procedure To Estimate Seismic Demands For Unsymmetric-Plan Buildings, Anil K. Chopra, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

An Erratum has been published for this article in Earthquake Engng. Struct. Dyn. 2004; 33:1429.

Based on structural dynamics theory, the modal pushover analysis (MPA) procedure retains the conceptual simplicity of current procedures with invariant force distribution, now common in structural engineering practice. The MPA procedure for estimating seismic demands is extended to unsymmetric‐plan buildings. In the MPA procedure, the seismic demand due to individual terms in the modal expansion of the effective earthquake forces is determined by non‐linear static analysis using the inertia force distribution for each mode, which for unsymmetric buildings includes two lateral forces and torque at …

Predicting Traffic Crashes Using Real-Time Traffic Speed Patterns, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Anurag Pande

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Despite of the recent advances in traffic surveillance technology and ever-growing concern over traffic safety, there have been very few research efforts establishing Jinks between the real-time traffic flow parameters and crash occurrence. This study aims at the identification of the patterns in the freeway loop detector data, which potentially precede traffic crashes. This would have impOltant implications for Advanced Traffic Management Centers (ATMC). ATMCs could then be able to predict the potential for crashes on freeways and take action to reduce this hazard by warning drivers or introducing variable speed limits. Solution approach to this research problem essentially involves …

Development And Calibration Of A Large-Scale Thermal Conductivity Probe, James L. Hanson, Stefan Neuhaeuser, Nazli Yesiller

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A large-scale probe has been developed for measuring the thermal conductivity of geomaterials. The large probe was designed to conduct tests on materials containing large particles, materials with high heterogeneity, and materials with high stiffness. The probe has dimensions of 680 mm length and 15.9 mm diameter and was constructed of stainless steel tubing. The probe operates on the principle of heating an infinite line source in an infinite medium. Initially, parametric evaluations were conducted to determine the operational and test conditions for the large probe, including power level, heating duration, and zone of heating influence. Then, tests were conducted …

Evaluation Of Nonlinear Static Procedures Using Strong-Motion Building Records, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the FEMA-356 Nonlinear Static Procedure (NSP) and a recently developed Modal Pushover Analysis (MPA) procedure using recorded motions of buildings that were damaged during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. It is found the FEMA-356 NSP typically underestimates the drifts in upper stories and overestimates them in lower stories. The MPA procedure provides much-improved estimates of the response compared to the FEMA-356 NSP. In particular, the MPA procedure, unlike the FEMA-356 NSP, is able to capture the effects of higher modes.

Evaluation Of Nonlinear Static Procedures Using Strong-Motion Building Records, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the FEMA-356 Nonlinear Static Procedure (NSP), the Sum-Difference procedure, and the Modal Pushover Analysis (MPA) procedure using recorded motions of buildings that were damaged during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. It is found the FEMA-356 NSP and the Sum-Difference procedures typically underestimates the drifts in upper stories and overestimates them in lower stories. The MPA procedure provides estimates of drifts that are better compared to the FEMA-356 NSP and the Sum-Difference procedure. In particular, the MPA procedure is able to capture the effects of higher modes.

Characterization Of Aerobic And Anaerobic Microbial Activity In Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil, Lynne C. Maloney, Yarrow M. Nelson, Christopher L. Kitts

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Microbial activity in hydrocarbon-contaminated soil was characterized and quantified to determine the potential for natural attenuation at a former oil field in California. Plate counts, direct microscopic counts, and carbon dioxide and methane production rates were used to quantify the populations and activity of soil microorganisms. Terminal restriction fragment (TRF) analysis provided preliminary identification of dominant microorganisms and community shifts as depth and contaminant concentrations changed. Plate counts under aerobic conditions resulted in 1.5 to 22 × 10⁶ colony-forming units (CFU) per gram of soil, and direct microscopic counts of total bacteria were 3 to 33 × 10^{6 …}

Biological Feasibility And Optimization Of Biosparging At A Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Site, Jason G. Waudby, Yarrow M. Nelson

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The purpose of this study was to identify any biological/chemical factors which may be limiting the biodegradation of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contaminants at a biosparge site located at a former oil field near Guadalupe, California. Laboratory experiments using a combination of respirometry and TPH analyses were conducted to determine if biodegradation of TPH at the site is limited by a lack of hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms, depleted inorganic nutrient concentrations, insufficient dissolved oxygen supply, or the chemical composition of the partially biodegraded petroleum constituents in the groundwater. No increase in total CO₂ production was observed in samples with added nutrients, …

Biodegradability And Toxicity Of Hydrocarbon Leachate From Land Treatment Units, Sandy L. Scott, Yarrow M. Nelson

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The biodegradability of leachate from the land treatment of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil was investigated in the laboratory using respirometry and toxicity testing in combination with total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) measurements. Soil in land treatment units (LTU) had been contaminated with a diesel-like hydrocarbon mixture formerly used as a diluent for crude oil at an oil field in California. Leachate was collected from two different LTUs for treatability testing in a respirometer under aerobic conditions. Only about 12% reduction in TPH concentration was observed after aeration for 161 days, indicating limited biodegradability of the hydrocarbon constituents in the leachate. Similarly, Microtox® toxicity …

Cm Facilities Update, Construction Management Department

Construction Management

No abstract provided.

Structural Health Monitoring And Damage Detection Using An Intelligent Parameter Varying (Ipv) Technique, Soheil Saadat, Mohammad N. Noori, Gregory D. Buckner, Tadatoshi Furukawa, Yoshiyuki Suzuki

Office of the Dean (CENG) Scholarship

Most structural health monitoring and damage detection strategies utilize dynamic response information to identify the existence, location, and magnitude of damage. Traditional model-based techniques seek to identify parametric changes in a linear dynamic model, while non-model-based techniques focus on changes in the temporal and frequency characteristics of the system response. Because restoring forces in base-excited structures can exhibit highly non-linear characteristics, non-linear model-based approaches may be better suited for reliable health monitoring and damage detection. This paper presents the application of a novel intelligent parameter varying (IPV) modeling and system identification technique, developed by the authors, to detect damage in …

Ultrasonic Testing For Geomembranes, Nazli Yesiller

Civil and Environmental Engineering

No abstract provided.

Preliminary Report On The 22 December 2003, M 6.5 San Simeon, California Earthquake, Jeanne L. Hardebeck, John Boatwright, Douglas Dreger, Rakesh K. Goel, Vladimir Graizer, Kenneth Hudnut, Chen Ji, Lucile Jones, John Langbein, Jian Lin, Evelyn Roeloffs, Robert Simpson, Keith Stark, Ross Stein, John C. Tinsley

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The M_w 6.5 San Simeon earthquake struck the central California coast on 22 December 2003 at 19:15:56 UTC (11:15:56 am local time.) The epicenter was located 11 km northeast of the town of San Simeon, and 39 km west-northwest of Paso Robles (Figure 1), as reported by the California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN, the California region of the Advanced National Seismic System [ANSS]). The mainshock nucleated at 35.702°N, 121.108°W and a depth of 7.1 km, and the rupture propagated unilaterally to the southeast. The strong directivity of the rupture resulted in a concentration of damage and aftershock...

Evaluation Of Modal And Fema Pushover Analyses: Sac Buildings, Rakesh K. Goel, Anil K. Chopra

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This paper comprehensively evaluates the Modal Pushover Analysis (MPA) procedure against the ‘‘exact’’ nonlinear response history analysis (RHA) and investigates the accuracy of seismic demands determined by pushover analysis using FEMA-356 force distributions; the MPA procedure in this paper contains several improvements over the original version presented in Chopra and Goel (2002). Seismic demands are computed for six buildings, each analyzed for 20 ground motions. It is demonstrated that with increasing number of ‘‘modes’’ included, the height-wise distribution of story drifts and plastic rotations estimated by MPA becomes generally similar to trends noted from nonlinear RHA. The additional bias and …

Global Shear Wave Velocity Database For Probabilistic Assessment Of The Initiation Of Seismic-Soil Liquefaction, Robert Kayen, Raymond B. Seed, Robb E.S. Moss, Onder K. Cetin, Y. Tanaka, Kohji Tokimatsu

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Engineering practitioners commonly use penetration-based methods (SPT & CPT) for assessment of seismic liquefaction triggering hazard. On the horizon, shear wave velocity (V_s) may offer engineers a third tool that is lower cost and provides more physically meaningful measurements. Development of the shear wave velocity liquefaction method has been hampered by a paucity of published velocity profiles; particularly in deeper soil deposits (>10m) and deposits subjected to high cyclic stress ratios (CSR > 0.3). A review of the literature reveals that most historic liquefaction sites fitting this depth and CSR criteria are located in Asia, though most of …

Retesting Of Liquefaction And Non-Liquefaction Case Histories In The Imperial Valley Using Cpt, Robb E.S. Moss, Brian D. Collins, Daniel H. Whang, Jonathan P. Stewart

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This report documents the retesting of liquefaction and non-liquefaction field case histories in the Imperial Valley with the cone penetration test (CPT). The River Park and Heber Road sites were originally tested using a mechanical cone following the 1979 Imperial Valley Earthquake (Bennett et al., 1981; Youd & Bennett, 1983). These two sites are rich in information because they have experienced several earthquakes in recent history, have been subjected to moderate levels of strong ground shaking, the liquefiable soils have appreciable fines content, and the sites contain a number of non-liquefied data points.

Recent liquefaction case histories databases (Moss et …

Predicting Freeway Crashes From Loop Detector Data By Matched Case-Control Logistic Regression, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Nizam Uddin, Anurag Pande, Fathy M. Abdalla, Liang Hsia

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Growing concern over traffic safety has led to research into prediction of freeway crashes in an advanced traffic management and information systems environment. A crash likelihood prediction model was developed by using real-time traffic flow variables (measured through a series of underground sensors) potentially associated with crash occurrence. The issues related to real-time application, including range of stations and time slice duration to be examined, were also addressed. The methodology used, matched case-control logistic regression, was adopted from epidemiological studies in which every crash is a case and corresponding noncrashes act as controls. The 5-min average occupancy observed at the …

Joint Application Of Artificial Neural Networks And Evolutionary Algorithms To Watershed Management, Misgana K. Muleta, John W. Nicklow

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have become common data driven tools for modeling complex, nonlinear problems in science and engineering. Many previous applications have relied on gradient-based search techniques, such as the back propagation (BP) algorithm, for ANN training. Such techniques, however, are highly susceptible to premature convergence to local optima and require a trial-and-error process for effective design of ANN architecture and connection weights. This paper investigates the use of evolutionary programming (EP), a robust search technique, and a hybrid EP–BP training algorithm for improved ANN design. Application results indicate that the EP–BP algorithm may limit the drawbacks of using …

Preliminary Report On December 22, 2003 San Simeon Earthquake, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.5 ( M_w) struck the Central Coast of California at 11:15:56 AM PST (19:15:56 UTC) on Monday, December 22, 2003. The epicenter (Figure 1) was 11 km (7 mile) NE of San Simeon, at a depth of about 8 km (5 mile). Two people were killed and about 40 buildings collapsed or severely damaged at Paso Robles which is located about 39 km (24 mile) from the epicenter. At least 40 people were reported to be injured in the Paso Robles-Templeton area. This preliminary report presents basic information on the epicenter location, intensity …

Evaluation Of Nonlinear Static Procedures Using Strong-Motion Records Of Buildings, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the FEMA-356 Nonlinear Static Procedure (NSP) and a recently developed Modal Pushover Analysis (MPA) procedure using recorded motions of four buildings that were damaged during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. For this purpose, the motions at non-instrumented floors are “derived” from the motions at instrumented floors by using cubic spline interpolation procedure. Analytical models of the four buildings are developed using the computer program D2DX and calibrated by matching the computed vibration periods and the “elastic” periods identified form the recorded motions. Accuracy of the computer model is evaluated by comparing the computed …

A Modal Pushover Analysis Procedure To Estimate Seismic Demands For Unsymmetric-Plan Buildings: Theory And Preliminary Evaluation, Anil K. Chopra, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Based on structural dynamics theory, the modal pushover analysis procedure (MPA) retains the conceptual simplicity of current procedures with invariant force distribution, now common in structural engineering practice. The MPA procedure for estimating seismic demands is extended to unsymmetric-plan buildings. In the MPA procedure, the seismic demand due to individual terms in the modal expansion of the effective earthquake forces is determined by nonlinear static analysis using the inertia force distribution for each mode, which for unsymmetric buildings includes two lateral forces and torque at each floor level. These “modal” demands due to the first few terms of the modal …

A Multiobjective Sdss For Management Of Urbanizing Watersheds: The Case Of The Lower Kaskaskia Basin, Illinois, Kyle O. Allred, John W. Nicklow, Misgana K. Muleta, Leslie A. Duram

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The conversion of natural and agriculturally dominated watersheds to industrial, commercial and residential developments leads to a cascade of adjustments in runoff quantity and stream quality at locations further downstream. The use of sophisticated hydrologic simulation models and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has become the standard for evaluating these impacts of urban sprawl on water resources systems. Simulation and GIS models alone, however, are incapable of directly revealing optimal land development patterns that meet specified objectives. This paper describes the development of a multi-objective Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) designed to overcome this limitation. The SDSS is created by integrating …

Engineering The World: Hands-On Experimentation For Civil Engineering K-12 Outreach, James L. Hanson, Donald D. Carpenter, Tarek Rizk

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This paper details the development and application of a community outreach program designed to teach children about math, science, and the world in which they live. The program was titled “Engineering the World” and emphasized civil engineering applications. The program was offered in an inner-city middle school in Detroit, Michigan. The program was developed by civil engineering professors at Lawrence Technological University with the assistance of undergraduate engineering students. The activities were categorized by civil engineering discipline including construction, environmental, geotechnical, hydraulics, structural, surveying, and transportation. The paper describes details of several of the hands-on experiments and provides an assessment …

Optimization Of High-Strength Hydrocarbon Biodegradation Using Respirometry, Bunkim G. Chokshi, Yarrow M. Nelson

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Laboratory respirometry experiments were conducted on mixtures of soil and oily sludge to estimate biodegradation rates by CO₂ production rates and determine optimum conditions for biodegradation of high-strength hydrocarbon waste products. These experiments were used to determine a suitable range of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration for biological treatment and to optimize for nutrient addition and moisture content. CO₂ production rates from biological respiration of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil were maximized at concentrations of 3-9% TPH (30,00090,000 mg/kg TPH). CO₂ production rates decreased dramatically at concentrations above 9% TPH, indicating that either these concentrations are lethal to microbes present, …

Phytostimulation Of Hydrocarbon Biodegradation By Arroyo Willows In Laboratory Microcosms, Kenneth M. Hoffman, Yarrow M. Nelson

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Controlled laboratory microcosms with and without Arroyo Willows (Salix lasiolepis) were used to elucidate potential mechanisms of phytoremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated groundwater at a contaminated oil field near Guadalupe, CA. Laboratory control allows us to examine the synergistic effects between the plants themselves and the rhizobial bacteria associated with them. Laboratory microcosms were set up in triplicate with (1) sodium azide-inhibited soil, (2) soil with active bacteria, and (3) soil with active bacteria and willows. Hydrocarbon-contaminated groundwater was recirculated through the root zone for 105 days. Biodegradation rates were estimated by measuring total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration and monitoring chemical oxygen …

Experimental Investigation Of Dynamic Response Of Compacted Clayey Soils, Gokhan Inci, Nazli Yesiller, Takaaki Kagawa

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A study was conducted to determine the dynamic properties of compacted clayey soils subjected to low amplitude vibration. A fast and simple ultrasonic pulse transmission method was used. Tests were conducted on three clayey soils with low to high plasticity compacted using standard and modified Proctor effort over a range of water contents. The samples were allowed to dry after compaction and P-wave velocity, S-wave velocity, Poisson's ratio, and shear modulus were determined. The effects of soil type, compaction conditions, and degree of saturation on the dynamic response of the soils were investigated. The elastic wave velocities and the dynamic …