Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Incorporating Conditional Ss-Mean Based Equity Metric In Coverage Based Facility Location Problems, Rohan Sirupa

Dissertations and Theses

A classical maximum coverage facility location problem (MCLP) tries to maximize the coverage by serving all possible demands within the specified coverage radius. Depending on the applications, several families of MCLP variants have been developed - each with its unique set of additional constraints. One specific application is locating Emergency medical service (EMS) units. EMS units such as ambulances or drones with emergency supplies are located using models such as the maximum expected survival location problem (MEXSLP). However, a classical MEXSLP model tends to locate EMS units near densely populated regions, resulting in increased response times for lowly populated regions. …

Tensile Strength Evaluation Of Glulam Connection With Screw Fasteners, Bradley Sharpshair

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Multiple knife plate and external steel plate deep-beam glulam connections were investigated in a series of destructive tests within the Infrastructure Testing and Applied Research laboratory at Portland State University. The goal of these tests was to better understand the failure mode and ultimate load capacity of the large-scale glulam moment connections. Two different types of tests were performed on each connection; one with axial loading, and another loaded in flexure. The first, smaller, axial tests were conducted to inform the later, much larger, bending tests. The results of these tests helped to develop future designs as well as provide …

Development Of A Design Guideline For Pile Foundations Subjected To Liquefaction-Induced Lateral Spreading, Milad Souri

Dissertations and Theses

Extensive loss of stiffness and strength in liquefied soils can cause large ground deformations during strong earthquake shaking. One of the major sources of damage in pile foundations in liquefied soil is the excessive deformation due to lateral spreading. Pile-supported wharves subjected to earthquake motions are expected to accommodate inertial loads imposed at pile head from the superstructure as well as the kinematic loads imposed on piles from the lateral ground deformations. Current design codes significantly vary on how to combine inertia and kinematic demands. Recent research on soil-foundation-structure interaction suffers from lack of experiment-based data. There is a serious …

Measuring Pedestrian Level Of Stress In Urban Environments: Naturalistic Walking Pilot Study, Seth Lajeunesse, Paul Ryus, Wesley Kumfer, Sirisha Kothuri, Krista Nordback

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Walking is the most basic and sustainable mode of transportation, and many jurisdictions would like to see increased walking rates as a way of reducing congestion and emission levels and improving public health. In the United States, walking trips account for 10.5% of all trips undertaken. To increase this rate, additional research on what makes people feel more comfortable while walking is needed. Research on pedestrian quality of service (QOS) has sought to quantify the performance of the pedestrian facilities from a pedestrian’s perspective. However, the impact of pedestrian safety countermeasures on pedestrian QOS for roadway crossings is largely unknown. …

Distributionally Robust Optimization Utilizing Facility Location Problems, Elijah Kling

Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Facility location problems are used in widespread application in transportation, freight, supply chain, and logistics problems. Models can be developed as deterministic, where all parameters are known, or robust, where a parameter has uncertainty. This thesis explores a new method for developing robust formulation and compares the implications of assuming values for this uncertain parameter. Two models are solved, and both are compared against their deterministic counterparts using numerical analysis. By manipulating the input parameters and considering real world implications of the solutions, either the robust or deterministic can show better performance.

The Critical Energy Infrastructure (Cei) Hub: A Look Into The Seismic Fragility Of Oregon’S Fuel, Annecy Bal

Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research evaluates the seismic vulnerability of the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub and the associated fuel repercussions for the expected 9.0 magnitude earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The tanks in the CEI hub are analyzed based on size and content. The owners and secondary containment areas are discussed using the same parameters. Various analysis techniques are reviewed to determine the most appropriate seismic fragility estimate for the site. The seismic vulnerability is analyzed using fragility curves by Hazus, American Lifeline Alliance, and D'Amico. The fragility curves are applied to the CEI Hub to determine expected damage and the …

Cei Hub Failure Following A Cascadia Earthquake Event: Preliminary Modeling Of A Liquid Fuel Spill In The Lower Willamette And Columbia Rivers, Mike Du Bose

Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub in Northwest Portland, OR spans a six-mile stretch of the Lower Willamette River and stores 90% of Oregon’s liquid fuel supply and 100% of the jet fuel for PDX. The CEI Hub is also built entirely on liquefiable soils which are likely to fail during a Cascadia earthquake event. The purpose of this project was to model a liquid fuel spill in the Lower Willamette and Columbia Rivers using the CE-QUAL-W2 model. Several scenarios were developed to account for different environmental conditions, (e.g., high and low discharge years) and varying spill durations (e.g., rapid …

The Influence Of Channel Deepening On Tides, River Discharge Effects, And Storm Surge, Stefan A. Talke, Ramin Familkhalili, David A. Jay

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We combine archival research, semi-analytical models, and numerical simulations to address the following question: how do changes to channel geometry alter tidal properties and flood dynamics in a hyposynchronous, strongly frictional estuary with a landward decay in tidal amplitudes? Records in the Saint Johns River Estuary since the 1890s show that tidal range has doubled in Jacksonville, Florida. Near the estuary inlet, tidal discharge approximately doubled but tidal amplitudes increased only ~6%. Modeling shows that increased shipping channel depths from 5-6 to ~13m drove the observed changes, with other factors like channel shortening and width reduction producing comparatively minor effects. …

Maximum Coverage Facility Location Drone Routing Problem With Multiple Trip Stops, Marie Roza

Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Integer linear optimization can be used to formulate routing problems as models to find optimal solutions given a set of inputs and constraints. In this research, Chauhan et al.'s publication, "Maximum coverage capacitated facility location problem with range constrained drones," is expanded upon by modeling a facility location problem with two-to-one drone deliveries. The model analyzes a set of potential facilities that are available to meet the demands of a set of demand points. The drone delivery routes are modeled with the assumption that each opened facility is assigned one drone that can fulfill up to two demand points’ demands …

A Comparison Of Particulate Matter Deposition Onto Green Roof Species And White Roof In Portland, Oregon, Amelia Drake

University Honors Theses

This study explores the following question: how do different green roof vegetation species contribute to particulate matter deposition relative to a white roof in Portland, Oregon? To answer this question, rinse water from two species of vegetation and rinse water from a white roof were filtered to measure the mass of particles found on these leaves. Leaf area was then determined in order to calculate the density of particles found on each surface. The resulting conclusions from this process clearly indicate that a larger density of particles collected on vegetative surfaces as opposed to the surface of the white roof. …

An Analysis Of Suspended Sediment Dynamics In A Partially Mixed Estuary, Riyadh Hamad Muttaleb

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this work is to investigate via data analysis and numerical modeling the SPM (suspended particulate matter) dynamics of a heavily contaminated partially urban estuary, the Lower Passaic River estuary (LPR), NJ. Accordingly, I investigate the quantity and mechanics of variation of fine and coarse SPM in the LPR via data analysis. Data analysis focuses on the parameters that affect SPM dynamics at six moored stations occupied during the Fall and Spring seasons, from near the estuary mouth to tidal freshwater. A 3D hydrodynamic model (Delft3D-FM) is used to analyze the effects of estuary topography on the dynamic …

Evolving Tides Aggravate Nuisance Flooding Along The U.S. Coastline., Sida Li, Thomas Wahl, Stefan A. Talke, David A. Jay, Philip M. Orton, Xinghui Liang, Guocheng Wang, Lintao Liu

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nuisance flooding (NF) is defined as minor, nondestructive flooding that causes substantial, accumulating socioeconomic impacts to coastal communities. While sea-level rise is the main driver for the observed increase in NF events in the United States, we show here that secular changes in tides also contribute. An analysis of 40 tidal gauge records from U.S. coasts finds that, at 18 locations, NF increased due to tidal amplification, while decreases in tidal range suppressed NF at 11 locations. Estuaries show the largest changes in NF attributable to tide changes, and these can often be traced to anthropogenic alterations. Limited long-term measurements …

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

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

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

Accuracy Assessment Of Global Internal-Tide Models Using Satellite Altimetry, Loren Carrere, Brian K. Arbic, Brian Dushaw, Gary D. Egbert, Svetlana Erofeeva, Florent Lyard, Richard D. Ray, Clément Ubelmann, Edward Zaron, Zhongxiang Zhao, Jay F. Shriver, Maarten C. Buijsman, Nicolas Picot

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Altimeter measurements are corrected for several geophysical parameters in order to access ocean signals of interest, like mesoscale or sub-mesoscale variability. The ocean tide is one of the most critical corrections due to the amplitude of the tidal elevations and to the aliasing phenomena of high-frequency signals into the lower-frequency band, but the internal-tide signatures at the ocean surface are not yet corrected globally.

Internal tides can have a signature of several centimeters at the surface with wavelengths of about 50–250 km for the first mode and even smaller scales for higher-order modes. The goals of the upcoming Surface Water …

Mit-S1 Constitutive Model Calibration For A Portland-Area Soil, Steven Ryan Young

Dissertations and Theses

Soils that are intermediate to sands and clays are a challenge for geotechnical engineers since most methods for interpreting soil properties or soil behaviors are based on sands or clays and do not address behaviors of intermediate soils. This is a particular challenge for engineers in the Portland-area where many of the major soil units are composed of intermediate soils. Analysis of intermediate soils is further challenged since many standard constitutive models are based on sandy or clay-like soils. However, the MIT-S1 constitutive model is capable of capturing intermediate soil behavior. A calibration of the MIT-S1 constitutive model for Portland-area …

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

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

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

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

Dissertations and Theses

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

Small Scale Plasma Gasification Of Municipal Solid Waste, Keith Male

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

The goal of this project was to develop a prototype plasma gasification system to treat municipal solid waste (MSW) with minimal regulated emissions in a footprint small enough to be transported for a wide range of applicability. This project started with a review of current MSW treatment methods and of the emissions produced from thermal breakdown of MSW. A review of air quality regulations and emission control technologies was then used to select the emission control systems to be used for a small-scale plasma gasification system.

This plasma gasification system began with a plasma torch and cooling system being designed, …

High-Temperature Performance Of Ambient-Cured Alkali- Activated Binder Concrete, Kruthi Kiran Ramagiri, Darshan Chauhan, Shashank Gupta, Arkamitra Kar, Dibyendu Adak, Abhijit Mukherjee

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Owing to their lower carbon footprint and efficient performance compared to portland cement (PC), alkali-activated binders (AAB) show promising potential as an alternative to PC. The present paper investigates the high-temperature performance of AAB concrete through compressive and bond strength tests. Four different AAB concrete mixes with varying proportions of fly ash: slag (100:0, 70:30, 60:40, and 50:50) cured under ambient conditions are exposed to elevated temperatures. The mechanical performance of AAB concrete is corroborated with microstructural changes. The results show that AAB concrete with fly ash: slag ratio of 70:30 exhibits the best mechanical performance after exposure to elevated …

'Menthol-Plus’: A Major Category Of Cigarette Found Among ‘Concept’ Descriptor Cigarettes From Mexico, James F. Pankow, Wentai Luo, Kevin J. Mcwhirter, Samantha M. Gillette, Joanna E. Cohen

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background Tobacco companies are offering cigarettes with ‘concept’ descriptor names that suggest sensation and/or flavour properties (eg, Marlboro ‘Velvet Fusion’). Little has been known about the identities and levels of flavour chemicals in such cigarettes.

Methods Thirty-three filter cigarette variants from 27 packs (including two sampler packs with four variations each) from Canada and Mexico were analysed (rod + filter) for 177 flavour chemicals plus triacetin, a filter plasticiser and possible flavourant. Five brands of US mentholated filter cigarettes were also analysed.

Results Twenty-seven of the 33 cigarettes (all were Mexican variants) were categorised as ‘menthol-plus’: significant menthol (3.0–11.9 mg/cigarette), …

Exploring The Impact Of Socio-Demographic Characteristics, Health Concerns, And Product Type On Home Delivery Rates And Expenditures During A Strict Covid-19 Lockdown Period: A Case Study From Portland, Or, Miguel Figliozzi, Avinash Unnikrishnan

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

E-commerce volumes and home deliveries have experienced steady growth in the last two decades. Strict COVID-19 lockdowns made home delivery an essential service and a lifeline for many households that, for travel restrictions or health concerns, were not able to utilize traditional shopping methods. This research studies the impact of socio-demographic variables and e-commerce attitudes on household deliveries for seven product categories (groceries, meals, electronics, household and office goods, recreational items, and fashion, beauty and personal care products, and medicine/health-related products) during the lockdown period in the greater Portland metropolitan region. To understand these impacts, exploratory factor analysis and …

Spatial Accessibility And Equity Analysis Of Amazon Parcel Lockers Facilities, Jaclyn S. Schaefer, Miguel Figliozzi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the growth of e-commerce and home 32 deliveries. Automated parcel lockers are a way to improve delivery efficiency, but despite their 33 rapid growth, little is known about their accessibility and equity impacts. Among e-commerce 34 players in the U.S., Amazon stands out by its large market share. This research studies the 35 location of Amazon lockers in Portland, Oregon utilizing highway, land use, employment, and 36 sociodemographic datasets. Geographical tools and cluster analysis are utilized to estimate 37 accessibility and equity metrics. Lockers tend to be located in mixed-use areas and …

Examining Bicycle And Motorized Vehicle Speeds And Their Relationships In The Context Of Urban Roadways, Jaclyn Sue Schaefer

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis presents a compilation of papers exploring passenger car and bicycle speeds through their interactions with each other and with urban roadway factors.

First, following a concern raised in part of the traffic literature that a large mode shift toward bicycling may cause travel time delays and potentially exacerbate congestion instead of alleviate it unless bicycle lanes are installed, an empirical study detailing how the presence of bicycles on urban roads without bicycle lanes may affect passenger car speeds is presented. Pneumatic tube data from six predominantly low speed, low volume roads in Portland, Oregon were utilized to identify …

Relationships Between In-Situ Tests And Soil Cyclic Strength For Earthquake Hazard Characterization In The Pacific Northwest, Tanner Scott Bryantt

Dissertations and Theses

Strong earthquake shaking is a natural hazard threat in the Pacific Northwest. Soil failure due to strong earthquake shaking -- known as cyclic soil failure or liquefaction -- is expected to cause large ground deformations and damage to roads, bridges, and other civil infrastructure. Cyclic soil strength (CRR) is often characterized with in-situ geotechnical tests including the cone penetration test (CPT). Relationships between CRR and in-situ test data are not well established for soils in the Pacific Northwest. Portland State University, in partnership with New Albion Geotechnical has compiled a database of cyclic lab tests for Pacific Northwest soils to …

Tensile Behavior Of Frp Anchors Made From Cfrp Ropes Epoxy-Bonded To Uncracked Concrete For Flexural Strengthening Of Rc Column, Yasir Saeed, Wisam Amer Aules, Franz N. Rad, Anis M. Raad

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

One of the major problems with using fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) in strengthening reinforced concrete (RC) structures is FRP premature debonding. Anchoring FRP materials to concrete has become associated with most of the strengthening techniques. One of the anchoring techniques is using handmade anchors made from FRP materials. In previous studies, most FRP anchors were made from rolling pre-cut FRP sheets and had short embedment (mm) as they were used for flexural or shear strengthening of RC beams. In the present study, FRP anchors were made from carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) ropes and had long embedment to be used …

Robust Maximum Coverage Facility Location Problem With Drones Considering Uncertainties In Battery Availability And Consumption, Darshan Chauhan, Avinash Unnikrishnan, Miguel Figliozzi, Stephen D. Boyles

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Given a set of spatially distributed demand for a specific commodity, potential facility locations, and drones, an agency is tasked with locating a prespecified number of facilities and assigning drones to them to serve the demand while respecting drone range constraints. The agency seeks to maximize the demand served while considering uncertainties in initial battery availability and battery consumption. The facilities have a limited supply of the commodity being distributed and also act as a launching site for drones. Drones undertake one-to-one trips (from located facility to demand location and back) until their available battery energy is exhausted. This paper …

Methodologies To Quantify Transit Performance Metrics At The System-Level Using High-Resolution Gps, Stop-Level, And Gtfs Archived Transit Data, Travis Bradley Glick

Dissertations and Theses

Performance metrics have typically focused at two main scales: a microscopic scale that focuses on specific locations, time-periods, and trips; and, a macroscopic scale that averages metrics over longer times, entire routes, and networks. When applied to entire transit systems, microscopic methodologies often have computational limitations while macroscopic methodologies ascribe artificial uniformity to non-uniform analysis areas. These limitations highlight the need for a middle approach.

This dissertation presents a mesoscopic analysis based around timepoint-segments, which are a novel application of an existing system for many transit agencies. For this research, routes are divided into a consecutive group of bus stops …

Use Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (Cfrp) Including Sheets, Rods, And Ropes In Strengthening And Repairing Long Reinforced Concrete Columns, Yasir Matloob Saeed

Dissertations and Theses

The use of FRP materials in strengthening and repairing of reinforced concrete (RC) structures has increased in the past two decades. Recently, FRP materials have become one of the most used materials in rehabilitation engineering. For seismic retrofitting of RC structures, usually the process involves strengthening or repairing the vertical support elements of the buildings or bridges. Several studies focused on the use of FRP materials in strengthening and repairing RC columns. Externally bonded (EB) FRP sheets or laminates and near-surface-mounted (NSM) FRP rods have been used for enhancing the strength and ductility of RC columns. Although glass FRP (GFRP) …

An Equity Focused Study On The Trip Temporal Distributions Of Vulnerable Road Users, Santiago Espinosa Wild

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

The United States is a megadiverse nation with a transportation system that, for decades, was designed to serve primarily able-bodied, white, male motorists. This legacy creates a situation in which varying socio-demographic groups experience the transportation system differently with contrasting safety, accessibility, and convenience outcomes. This project introduces descriptive statistics and binary logistic models that provide transportation professionals and policy makers with a quantitative understanding on how, why, and when certain socio-demographic groups are more likely to engage in a trip. This project provides tools to measure and understand the equity implications of a wide array of transportation policy decisions. …

Rapid Repair Of Seismically Vulnerable Bridge Columns Following Earthquake Induced Damage, Gregory H. Norton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

The Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake has a high probability of occurrence within our lifetime, threatening bridges across the Pacific Northwest. Damage is expected to be geographically spread throughout the region and will have a nearly simultaneous impact on transportation through several important corridors. While bridge repair and replacement will ultimately be needed, priority will be placed on resuming mobility such that repairs will need to be implemented quickly. In an effort to anticipate this need, a repair method is being developed for rapid repair with the goal of achieving semi-permanent installation that also considers the different bridge damage states …