Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Retesting Of Liquefaction/Nonliquefaction Case Histories In The Imperial Valley, Robb E.S. Moss, Brian D. Collins, Daniel H. Whang

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This paper describes the retesting of liquefaction and nonliquefaction field case histories in the Imperial Valley using the electric cone penetration test (CPT). Subsurface testing of the River Park and Heber Road sites first occurred following the 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake (Bennett et al. 1981, Youd and 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 layers have appreciable fines content, and the sites contain a number of high-quality non-liquefied data points. The recent liquefaction case history database for …

Extension Of Modal Pushover Analysis To Compute Member Forces, Rakesh K. Goel, Anil K. Chopra

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This paper extends the modal pushover analysis (MPA) procedure for estimating seismic deformation demands for buildings to compute member forces. Seismic demands are computed for six buildings, each analyzed for 20 ground motions. A comparison of seismic demands computed by the MPA and nonlinear response history analysis (RHA) demonstrates that the MPA procedure provides good estimates of the member forces. The bias (or error) in forces is generally less than that noted in earlier investigations of story drifts and is comparable to the error in the standard response spectrum analysis (RSA) for elastic buildings. The four FEMA-356 force distributions, on …

Response To B. Maison's Discussion Of "Evaluation Of Modal And Fema Pushover Analyses: Sac Buildings", Rakesh K. Goel, Anil K. Chopra

Civil and Environmental Engineering

No abstract provided.

Probabilistic Liquefaction Triggering Based On The Cone Penetration Test, Robb E.S. Moss, Raymond B. Seed, Robert E. Kayen, Jonathan P. Stewart, Kohji Tokimatsu

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Performance-based earthquake engineering requires a probabilistic treatment of potential failure modes in order to accurately quantify the overall stability of the system. This paper is a summary of the application portions of the probabilistic liquefaction triggering correlations proposed recently proposed by Moss and co-workers. To enable probabilistic treatment of liquefaction triggering, the variables comprising the seismic load and the liquefaction resistance were treated as inherently uncertain. Supporting data from an extensive Cone Penetration Test (CPT)-based liquefaction case history database were used to develop a probabilistic correlation. The methods used to measure the uncertainty of the load and resistance variables, how …

Thermal Analysis Of Gcls At A Municipal Solid Waste Landfill, James L. Hanson, Nazli Yesiller, G. E. Swarbrick

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This study was conducted to determine long-term thermal regime of landfill liner systems using a field temperature monitoring program and numerical analysis of heat transfer. Temperatures in liner systems that contain geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) were monitored prior and subsequent to waste placement. Data were collected in three cells at a landfill in Midwestern USA for more than five years. The liner system in one of the cells was left exposed (not covered with waste) for a period exceeding one year subsequent to cell construction. The lowest and highest GCL temperatures were .1°C and 35°C, respectively and the localized temperature …

Thermal Analysis Of Gcls At A Municipal Solid Waste Landfill, J. L. Hanson, Nazli Yesiller, G. E. Swarbrick

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This study was conducted to determine long-term thermal regime of landfill liner systems using a field temperature monitoring program and numerical analysis of heat transfer. Temperatures in liner systems that contain geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) were monitored prior and subsequent to waste placement. Data were collected in three cells at a landfill in Midwestern USA for more than five years. The liner system in one of the cells was left exposed (not covered with waste) for a period exceeding one year subsequent to cell construction. The lowest and highest GCL temperatures were –1°C and 35°C, respectively and the localized temperature …

Governors Highway Safety Associations And Transportation Planning: Exploratory Factor Analysis And Structural Equation Modeling, Sudeshna Mitra, Simon Washington, Eric Dumbaugh, Micael D. Meyer

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 mandated the consideration of safety in the regional transportation planning process. As part of National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 8-44, "Incorporating Safety into the Transportation Planning Process," we conducted a telephone survey to assess safety-related activities and expertise at Governors Highway Safety Associations (GHSAs), and GHSA relationships with metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and state departments of transportation (DOTs). The survey results were combined with statewide crash data to enable exploratory modeling of the relationship between GHSA policies and programs and statewide safety. The modeling objective was to illuminate current hurdles …

Spatiotemporal Variation Of Risk Preceding Crashes On Freeways, Anurag Pande, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Liang Hsia

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Research into the application of freeway loop detector data for traffic safety has gained momentum in recent years. The incompleteness of data from loop detectors has been a common problem in both the development and the implementation of models. The effect of individual crash precursors, obtained one at a time from a series of loop detectors, on relative risk of crash occurrence was examined through within-stratum one-covariate logistic regression models. The hazard ratio (resultant change in log odds of observing a crash by changing the covariate by one unit) was used as the measure of risk. The log of coefficient …

Split Models For Predicting Multivehicle Crashes During High-Speed And Low-Speed Operating Conditions On Freeways, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Nizam Uddin, Anurag Pande

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The future of traffic management and highway safety lies in proactive traffic management systems. Crash prediction models that use real-time traffic flow variables measured through a series of loop detectors are the most important component of such systems. A previous crash prediction model was developed with the matched case-control logistic regression technique. Although the model achieved reasonable classification accuracy, it remained open to improvement because of the limited study area, sample size, and transferability issues. Therefore, the previous work had been extended. Multivehicle freeway crashes under high- and low-speed traffic conditions were found to differ in severity and in their …

A Freeway Safety Strategy For Advanced Proactive Traffic Management, Anurag Pande, Mohamed Abdel-Aty

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Reactive traffic management strategies such as incident detection are becoming less relevant with the advancement of mobile phone usage. Freeway management in the 21st century needs to shift focus toward proactive strategies that include anticipating incidents such as crashes. A simple approach to identify freeway locations with high probability of crashes through real-time traffic surveillance data is presented here. The crash and loop detector data for the study was collected from 36-mile corridor of Interstate-4 in Orlando, Florida. The analysis is based on simple (one covariate) logistic regression models developed under a matched study design. Individual traffic parameters obtained one …

Identifying Crash Propensity Using Specific Traffic Speed Conditions, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Anurag Pande

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Introduction: In spite of recent advances in traffic surveillance technology and ever-growing concern over traffic safety, there have been very few research efforts establishing links between real-time traffic flow parameters and crash occurrence. This study aims at identifying patterns in the freeway loop detector data that potentially precede traffic crashes.

Method: The proposed solution essentially involves classification of traffic speed patterns emerging from the loop detector data. Historical crash and loop detector data from the Interstate-4 corridor in the Orlando metropolitan area were used for this study. Traffic speed data from sensors embedded in the pavement (i.e., loop …

Characterization Of Surface Topography Of Sand, Nazli Yesiller, James L. Hanson, Donald K. Cohen

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This study was conducted to investigate surface characteristics of sand particles. Surface topography of sand particles was determined in 3-D using a commercially available optical profiler. Measurements were made on areas that had side dimensions on the order of 0.1 mm at a lateral resolution of 0.3 μm and height resolution of less than 6 nm. The 3-D representation of a surface obtained using the measurement system is analyzed to determine 3-D as well as 2-D surface texture parameters. The parameters included amplitude, spacing, hybrid (amplitude and spacing), and functional (performance related) parameters. Tests were conducted on two silica sands: …

Core Thickness And Asperity Height Of Textured Geomembranes: A Critical Review, Nazli Yesiller

Civil and Environmental Engineering

No abstract provided.

Decision Support For Watershed Management Using Evolutionary Algorithms, Misgana K. Muleta, John W. Nicklow

Civil and Environmental Engineering

An integrative computational methodology is developed for the management of nonpoint source pollution from watersheds. The associated decision support system is based on an interface between evolutionary algorithms (EAs) and a comprehensive watershed simulation model, and is capable of identifying optimal or near-optimal land use patterns to satisfy objectives. Specifically, a genetic algorithm (GA) is linked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for single objective evaluations, and a Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm has been integrated with SWAT for multiobjective optimization. The model can be operated at a small spatial scale, such as a farm …

Standard Penetration Test-Based Probabilistic And Deterministic Assessment Of Seismic Soil Liquefaction Potential, K. Onder Cetin, Raymond B. Seed, Armen Der Kiureghian, Kohji Tokimatsu, Leslie F. Harder, Jr., Robert E. Kayen, Robb E. S. Moss

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This paper presents new correlations for assessment of the likelihood of initiation (or “triggering”) of soil liquefaction. These new correlations eliminate several sources of bias intrinsic to previous, similar correlations, and provide greatly reduced overall uncertainty and variance. Key elements in the development of these new correlations are (1) accumulation of a significantly expanded database of field performance case histories; (2) use of improved knowledge and understanding of factors affecting interpretation of standard penetration test data; (3) incorporation of improved understanding of factors affecting site-specific earthquake ground motions (including directivity effects, site-specific response, etc.); (4) use of improved methods for …

Inspection And Deterioration Of Bridge Decks Constructed Using Stay-In-Place Metal Forms And Epoxy-Coated Reinforcement, Nabil Grace, James L. Hanson, Hany I. Abdelmessih

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A comprehensive research investigation was conducted to evaluate the use of Stay-in-Place Metal Forms (SIPMFs) in construction of concrete bridge decks. The objectives of this research project were to establish the state-of-the-practice for use and performance of SIPMFs for bridge decks, to evaluate the field performance of bridge decks with and without SIPMFs, and to investigate the behavior of environmentally conditioned large-scale laboratory bridge deck specimens with and without SIPMFs. A survey was developed and administered to all DOTs to examine the state-of-the-practice of using SIPMFs for concrete bridge deck construction. Additionally, a field investigation was conducted to evaluate the …

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 …

Ultrasonic Testing For Geomembranes, Nazli Yesiller

Civil and Environmental Engineering

No abstract provided.