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Full-Text Articles in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Laboratory Measurements Of Bed Shear Stress In Open Channel Flow And Soil Erosion Rate In Cohesive Soils, Gunnar Schurmann Kern Jan 2021

Laboratory Measurements Of Bed Shear Stress In Open Channel Flow And Soil Erosion Rate In Cohesive Soils, Gunnar Schurmann Kern

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between soil erosion rate and bed shear stress is an important problem in sediment transport and scour. However, reliable measurements of the soil erosion function are challenging, both in the field and in the laboratory. The objective of this study is to investigate an experimental setup for conducting bed shear stress and soil erosion rate measurements using an open channel flume with a rough bed. These experiments were performed in an A-8 Hydraulic Channel with a fixed gravel bed. The flow discharge was kept constant at 0.158 ft.3/s, and bed shear stress was varied by changing the channel …

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An Exploration Of The Application Of Spatial Network Screening Methods On Iowa Rural Road Crashes, Rosanna Maria Novellino Suarez Jan 2021

An Exploration Of The Application Of Spatial Network Screening Methods On Iowa Rural Road Crashes, Rosanna Maria Novellino Suarez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Safety on the roadway system is important due to its usage on mobility and accessibility, especially on rural roads in the state of Iowa. Single vehicle run off road crashes have been increasing in the United States and studies and research has increased due to the concern with those. For this effort, a spatial-temporal method of traffic safety network screening is utilized in order to evaluate the concerning type of crashes in particular locations. The study of single vehicle run off road crashes using the proposed method is important since distributions and clusters of crashes along roadways can be observed …

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A Hydrologic Climate Study For An Arid Region, Ali Alsubeai Jan 2021

A Hydrologic Climate Study For An Arid Region, Ali Alsubeai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water is the most precious natural resource in arid regions due to the limitation of water resources, expanding population, and increasing volumes of industrial and domestic waste. The purpose of this research was to evaluate methods to estimate water quantity in an arid region. The research consisted of three separate studies. In the first study, hydrologic models used to estimate water quantity were evaluated for suitability of use in arid regions. Most hydrologic models that have been used in arid regions were originally developed for humid regions. Rainfall events in arid regions can be characterized as short-term, high intense rainstorms …

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Effectiveness Of Seismic Bearings On A Typical Isolated Two-Column Rc Bridge Pier Located In North Mississippi, Hemant Raj Joshi Jan 2021

Effectiveness Of Seismic Bearings On A Typical Isolated Two-Column Rc Bridge Pier Located In North Mississippi, Hemant Raj Joshi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The 2020 ASCE infrastructure report card has assigned a letter grade of D- for bridges in Mississippi based on poor to fair condition ratings with many approaching the end of their useful service lives. Bridges in northern Mississippi lie up to 100 miles from the New Madrid Fault and fall into the Region 3 Seismic Performance Category defined by AASHTO. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of commercially available bridge bearings on a common bridge pier type used in northern MS under the combined action of superstructure gravity and lateral seismic loads. The use of …

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Long Term Evaluation Of E. Coli Removal From Stormwater Using Recycled Steel Byproducts, Brenden Olevson Jan 2021

Long Term Evaluation Of E. Coli Removal From Stormwater Using Recycled Steel Byproducts, Brenden Olevson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stormwater runoff often carries a variety of pollutants and pathogens that can endanger public health and wildlife. One contaminant of concern often highlighted in stormwater quality is Escherichia Coli (E.Coli) because its presence indicates microbial contamination in water. Different types of media filtration are being studied to reduce contaminant concentrations in stormwater. In this study, steel byproducts were examined as a potential material to use in media filtration to remove E. Coli and other contaminants from stormwater. Batch scale studies were conducted in laboratory to evaluate the E. Coli removal potential of steel chips and steel slag over a 24-hour …

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Mechanically Spliced Precast Bridge Columns, Ted Sjurseth Jan 2021

Mechanically Spliced Precast Bridge Columns, Ted Sjurseth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mechanical bar splices provide an alternative to the traditional method of lap splicing to achieve reinforcement bar continuity in reinforced concrete. Even though mechanical bar splices can be used as new precast column connections to accelerate the bridge construction (ABC), The use of bar couplers in the plastic hinge region of bridge columns is prohibited by the current US codes since the effects of bar couplers on the seismic behavior of columns is not fully investigated. A bridge column including precast columns with couplers located in a high seismic region must be designed to handle large inelastic lateral deformations. The …

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A Speciation Modeling Study Of Heavy Metal Adsorption To Plastic In Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Units, Kaitlyn Hague Jan 2021

A Speciation Modeling Study Of Heavy Metal Adsorption To Plastic In Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Units, Kaitlyn Hague

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microplastics are an emerging concern due to their harmful effect to organisms and their ability to facilitate transport of contaminants including heavy metals. Microplastics can enter the environment through wastewater treatment plants, landfill leachate, and littering. Once in the environment microplastics can be distributed throughout rivers, the ocean, and lakes. In order to understand the adsorption of heavy metals to microplastics a geochemical modeling study was completed using Visual Minteq. Lab tests were completed to better understand what constituents are available in wastewater at four different locations: influent, clarifiers, digesters, and effluent. These constituents were then used to observe how …

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Seismic Performance Of Mechanically Spliced Precast Bridge Columns With New Couplers, Evan Greeneway Jan 2021

Seismic Performance Of Mechanically Spliced Precast Bridge Columns With New Couplers, Evan Greeneway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lap splicing is not always the most economical or practical approach to achieve reinforcement bar continuity. Mechanical bar splices, or bar couplers, are one alternative that may be far more practical. Currently, the US codes do not allow for the use of bar couplers in the plastic hinge region for RC members in areas of high seismic activity. There has not been enough research into the couplers behavior when subjected to significant inelastic lateral deformations. The Lohr Structures Laboratory was used to conduct an experimental study on campus of South Dakota State University to evaluate the seismic performance of mechanically …

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Computational Modeling Of Climate Attributes And Condition Deterioration Of Concrete Highway Pavements, Salma Sultana Jan 2021

Computational Modeling Of Climate Attributes And Condition Deterioration Of Concrete Highway Pavements, Salma Sultana

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An efficient and safe road network secures the nation’s economy and prosperity by providing public mobility and freight transport. Maintenance and rehabilitation of the road network cost billions of dollars annually. Road and highway infrastructures performance in any country is impacted by load repetitions and it is further compromised by climate attributes and extreme weather events. Damages to roads and bridges are among the infrastructure failures that have occurred during these extreme events. If maintenance and rehabilitation are not done promptly, the damages to the road caused by heavy traffic and extreme climate may lead to life-threatening conditions for road …

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Forecasting Geotechnical Parameters From Electrical Resistivity And Seismic Wave Velocities Using Artificial Neural Network Models, Fatema Tuz Johora Jan 2021

Forecasting Geotechnical Parameters From Electrical Resistivity And Seismic Wave Velocities Using Artificial Neural Network Models, Fatema Tuz Johora

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Geotechnical measurements of soil parameters used in the design of infrastructure provide information at a specific point of the ground. The use of limited point data may result in greater uncertainty and less reliability in design. Geophysical methods are non-invasive, less time-consuming, and provide continuous spatial information about the soil. However, geophysical information is not in terms of engineering parameters. Correlations between geotechnical parameters and geophysical parameters are needed to facilitate the use of geophysical information in geotechnical designs. The current research is focused on two geophysical methods; electrical resistivity (ER) and seismic wave velocity (S-wave and P-wave). Artificial neural …

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A Hydrologic Study Of Climate Variability In Arid Region, Abdullah Alzaydani Jan 2021

A Hydrologic Study Of Climate Variability In Arid Region, Abdullah Alzaydani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate variability is an important subject to study. It is the change of climate over a long time, which could have a positive or negative impact on humans, soil, and wildlife. Many environments, such as arid environment could be affected by climate variability. The research goal is studying and examining climate variability in arid environment. The research includes three different studies. The first study includes reviewing and understanding of climate variability over extended time through existing studies in arid environments. In addition, this study includes knowledge about climate negative or positive impact on the environment. This study will be reviewing …

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Electromagnetic Survey Design Using Artifical Neural Networks, Shariful Islam Sharif Jan 2021

Electromagnetic Survey Design Using Artifical Neural Networks, Shariful Islam Sharif

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Acquiring geophysical information requires selection of the geophysical method based upon the defining physical property and a survey design with adequate resolution but cost effective based upon the size of the area to be surveyed. The objective of this study is to use artificial neural nets (ANNs) to design an optimal survey. The developed approach is tested for the case of soil pipe surveying using electromagnetics. Soil pipes are tortuous voids located within 1.5 m depth of the ground surface. They trend perpendicular to the slope and have cross-sectional dimensions on the order of millimeters to tens of centimeters. The …

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Quantification Of Climate Variability And Extreme Events In The Great Plains, Angelinah Ntsieng Rasoeu Jan 2021

Quantification Of Climate Variability And Extreme Events In The Great Plains, Angelinah Ntsieng Rasoeu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate variability and extreme events continue to worsen resulting in significant impacts to society and the environment. Quantifying precipitation variability, streamflow, and extreme events at local scale is crucial for local planning and management due to spatial and temporal precipitation variability which influences streamflow and thus, water resources. This study uses statistical tools to analyze 1895-2019 (125 years) of historical precipitation data to examine how long-term precipitation varies annually, seasonally, and monthly, and create climate classifications. The results show that annual precipitation is increasing linearly over time ranging from 13.2 in (1976) to 43.1 in (2010) and 5 climate classes …

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Evaluating And Predicting The Risk Of Algal Blooms In A Freshwater Lake Through A 4-Dimensional Approach: A Case Study On Lake Mitchell, Sumit Kumar Ghosh Jan 2021

Evaluating And Predicting The Risk Of Algal Blooms In A Freshwater Lake Through A 4-Dimensional Approach: A Case Study On Lake Mitchell, Sumit Kumar Ghosh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Excessive algal growth in freshwater lakes can negatively impact ecosystems, recreation, and human health. Though algae are a natural part of freshwater ecosystems, elevated nutrient loading from anthropogenic and natural sources can lead to algal blooms. Both algae and blue-green algae (BGA) are responsible for algal blooms; however, BGA (cyanobacteria) is more dangerous. The first objective of this research was to prepare a conceptual model to understand how various environmental variables affect algae. This conceptual model was used to choose the environmental variables that help increase or decrease algae in the water environment. The second objective was to develop empirical …

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Impacts Of Environmental And Hydrologic Factors On Urban Stream Water Quality., Jason Patrik Ingram Dec 2020

Impacts Of Environmental And Hydrologic Factors On Urban Stream Water Quality., Jason Patrik Ingram

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urban streams can be impacted by a multitude of hydrologic and environmental factors, making maintaining these water sources difficult. Urbanization can exacerbate these impacts creating new challenges in preserving suitable urban stream water quality. Urbanization is the development of city landscape and suburban living within an otherwise natural region. For this environmental impact study, the effects of city development on urban stream water quality was monitored for Mill Creek in Louisville, Kentucky. To study the effects of urbanization on Mill Creek, this project was completed utilizing the BACI method for comparing impacts. The results of the water quality monitoring were …

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Hydration, Shrinkage, Cracking, And Mechanical Properties Of Cementitious Materials With Lignocellulosic Biomass Wastes., Aofei Guo Dec 2020

Hydration, Shrinkage, Cracking, And Mechanical Properties Of Cementitious Materials With Lignocellulosic Biomass Wastes., Aofei Guo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The disposal of lignocellulosic biomass wastes imposes a huge economic and environmental burden on this society. Recycling lignocellulosic biomass wastes and applying them to cementitious materials provides a sustainable and value-added way for both agriculture and concrete industries. To comprehensively identify the effect of lignocellulosic biomass wastes at different scales on cementitious materials, the hydration, shrinkage, cracking, and mechanical properties of cementitious materials with lignocellulosic biomass wastes were studied. Given the three different forms (powders, chips, and fibers) of lignocellulosic biomass wastes in this study, the research was implemented in three stages. In the first stage, hemp powders were collected …

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Susceptibility Assessment Of Bank And Floodplain Erosion In Stream Restoration Using A Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamic., Fereshteh Noorbakhsh May 2020

Susceptibility Assessment Of Bank And Floodplain Erosion In Stream Restoration Using A Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamic., Fereshteh Noorbakhsh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the design of stream restorations, boundary shear stress (shear stress) and velocity during high flow events are the key parameters in the assessment of the risk of morphological failure associated with channel bank and bed erosion and sediment transport. The use of two-dimensional hydrodynamic models (2D Models) is becoming more common to estimate critical shear stress and velocity for stream restoration projects. These models can give detailed distribution of shear stress and velocity over floodplain surfaces and channel. Obtaining reliable and correct estimates of stress and velocity require an accurate digital terrain model, estimates of input flows at the …

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Effects Of Cellulose Nano-Fiber As An Additive On Performance Of Asphalt Binders And Mixes, Marco Paulo Pereira Castro Jan 2020

Effects Of Cellulose Nano-Fiber As An Additive On Performance Of Asphalt Binders And Mixes, Marco Paulo Pereira Castro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Findings of a study conducted on asphalt binders and mixes modified by addition of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) to evaluate the feasibility of them as an additive is presented in the current thesis. Cellulose Acetate (CA) is an ester of cellulose and is obtained by the reaction of cellulose with acetic anhydride and acetic acid in the presence of sulfuric acid. Due to its high temperature sensitivity, high ductility, large surface area, high strain resistance, and low electrical resistivity, cellulose acetate can be used for several application. The question is if CNF can be used as an additive in the asphalt, …

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Monitoring Methods And Performance Assessment For Implementation Of Low Impact Development Practices In South Dakota, Farhana Akhter Jan 2020

Monitoring Methods And Performance Assessment For Implementation Of Low Impact Development Practices In South Dakota, Farhana Akhter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization increases impervious surface area, which changes the hydrology of a watershed. Impervious surfaces prevent the infiltration of stormwater water into the ground surface which results in a higher volume of stormwater runoff and higher peak flow. Low Impact Development (LID) practices help to restore pre-development hydrology by increasing infiltration, evaporation, and transpiration. While the hydrologic performance of LID practices has been studied extensively and continues to be an area of active research, there has been very limited monitoring or demonstration of LID practices in South Dakota. In addition, municipalities in South Dakota and elsewhere that implement new LID practices …

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Structural Performance Evaluation Of Dynamic Message Signs With Adhesive And Welded Joints, Ibin Amatya Jan 2020

Structural Performance Evaluation Of Dynamic Message Signs With Adhesive And Welded Joints, Ibin Amatya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ultimate objective of this study was to determine the structural performance of the Dynamic Message Sign (DMS) bonded with chemical adhesive in terms of ultimate strength and fatigue strength. To achieve this objective, this study first investigated the effects of various parameters, including humidity and temperature on tensile, shear, peel, and cleavage strength through small-scale tests of adhesive specimens with variation in specimen width. The tensile, shear, peel, and cleavage specimens were conditioned in a temperature-humidity controlled chamber prior to its testing. The tensile, shear, peel, and cleavage specimens with different widths were tested according to American Society for …

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Data Driven Synthetic Load Modeling For Smart City Energy Management Studies, Fernando Bereta Dos Reis Jan 2020

Data Driven Synthetic Load Modeling For Smart City Energy Management Studies, Fernando Bereta Dos Reis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary aim of this dissertation is to provide synthetic residential load models with granular level information on the customers having information about the appliances that constitute each individual residential customer through time. The synthetic load model is capable of being widely utilized by the power system research community since only publicly available data is utilized for its generation. This gives researcher’s access to how the synthetic load was made and also how accurate the model is in representing real power system regions. As the title of the dissertation suggests, the synthetic residential load models are intended for smart city …

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Seismic Performance Of Mechanically Spliced Bridge Columns Through Analytical Studies, Mathew Ray Lavoy Jan 2020

Seismic Performance Of Mechanically Spliced Bridge Columns Through Analytical Studies, Mathew Ray Lavoy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reinforcement continuity in concrete members is traditionally achieved through lap splicing. Mechanical bar splices are an alternative to traditional lap splices. Mechanical bar splices utilize mechanical devices known as bar coupler to connect the ends of reinforcing bars. Bar couplers are common in accelerated bridge construction applications at non-critical members but are not allowed in the plastic hinge region of bridge columns probably due to a lack of knowledge on how they affect seismic performance of columns. A comprehensive analytical study was carried out to determine how bar couplers used at the base of bridge columns affect: 1) column lateral …

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Potable Water Leakage Prediction And Detection Using Geospatial Analysis, Jacob Tittle Dec 2019

Potable Water Leakage Prediction And Detection Using Geospatial Analysis, Jacob Tittle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to increasing water treatment costs and conservation needs, traditional water loss analysis and acoustic leak detection methods are becoming heavily scrutinized by water utilities. This study explores water loss in Johnson City, Tennessee and how geospatial data analysis techniques improve water loss mitigation. This project uses sample water system pressure data and ordinary kriging spatial interpolation methods to identify leakage areas for further investigation. Analysis of existing geographic information system (GIS) water utility datasets with interpolated hydraulic grade values at sample water pressure points produce manageable survey areas that pinpoint areas with possible water leakage. Field detection methods, including …

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Design And Predicting Performance Of Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Cementitious Materials : Mechanical Properties And Dispersion Characteristics., Mahyar Ramezani Aug 2019

Design And Predicting Performance Of Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Cementitious Materials : Mechanical Properties And Dispersion Characteristics., Mahyar Ramezani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently, Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) are drawing considerable attention of researchers for reinforcing cementitious materials due to their excellent mechanical properties and high aspect ratio (length-to-diameter ratio). However, CNTs might not disperse well within the cement matrix, resulting in little improvement or even degradation of concrete properties. The uncertainty in producing the consistent results in different studies might be attributed to multiple interactions between the experimental variables affecting the nanotube dispersion and the final properties of CNT-cement nanocomposites. Therefore, this research mainly focused on proposing equations that can reliably capture these interactions in order to correlate CNT dispersion with the mechanical …

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Development Of Daily, Monthly, Inter-Annual, And Mean Annual Hydrological Models Based On A Unified Runoff Generation Framework, Marwan Kheimi May 2019

Development Of Daily, Monthly, Inter-Annual, And Mean Annual Hydrological Models Based On A Unified Runoff Generation Framework, Marwan Kheimi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main goal of this dissertation develops a unified model structure for runoff generation based on observations from a large number of catchments. Furthermore, obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the physical controlling factors that control daily, monthly, and annual water balance models. Meanwhile, applying the developed Unified model on different climate conditions, and comparing it with different well-known models. The proposed model was compared with a similar timescale model (HyMOD, and abcd) and applied on 92 catchments from MOPEX dataset across the United States. The HyMOD and abcd are a well-known daily and monthly hydrological model used on a variety …

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Analysis Of Hydrodynamic And Bathymetric Gradients In Canaveral National Seashore Following Living Shoreline And Oyster Restorations, David Spiering May 2019

Analysis Of Hydrodynamic And Bathymetric Gradients In Canaveral National Seashore Following Living Shoreline And Oyster Restorations, David Spiering

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal vulnerability has been gaining recognition as a critical issue, especially with the increasing predictions of sea level rise. Susceptibility to extreme events, eutrophication, and shoreline modification has left many coastal regions in a degraded state. Shoreline protection has traditionally taken the form of seawalls and offshore breakwaters which can be detrimental to both the local ecosystems and adjoining shorelines. The objective of this thesis is to analyze the hydrodynamic and bathymetric variation that occurs within Mosquito Lagoon, Florida following living shoreline and oyster reef restorations. The shoreline sites were sampled using a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) design and data were analyzed …

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Applications Of Deep Learning Models For Traffic Prediction Problems, Rezaur Rahman May 2019

Applications Of Deep Learning Models For Traffic Prediction Problems, Rezaur Rahman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Deep learning coupled with existing sensors based multiresolution traffic data and future connected technologies has immense potential to improve traffic operation and management. But to deal with complex transportation problems, we need efficient modeling frameworks for deep learning models. In this study, we propose two different modeling frameworks using Deep Long Short-Term Memory Neural Network (LSTM NN) model to predict future traffic state (speed and signal queue length). In our first problem, we present a modeling framework using deep LSTM NN model to predict traffic speeds in freeways during regular traffic condition as well as under extreme traffic demand, such …

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Evaluating The Water Quantity And Quality Performances Of Underground Gravel Filter Basins., Jihad A. Hallany May 2019

Evaluating The Water Quantity And Quality Performances Of Underground Gravel Filter Basins., Jihad A. Hallany

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Underground gravel filter basins (UGF basins) are subsurface structures that are used for detention, filtration, and infiltration of stormwater runoff in urbanized areas. The application of these structures is recommended in highly developed urban areas, where land is not available or it is too expensive for surface-level green infrastructures such as stormwater ponds, bio-retention, and infiltration trenches. Objectives of this study are to assess and analyze the effectiveness of two (2) UGF basins in reducing the stormwater runoff peak flow, and to assess water quality parameters in a high-density residential area. The experimental site is located at Red Mile Village, …

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Point Cloud Technology For Analysis Of Existing Structures, Jacob Cano May 2019

Point Cloud Technology For Analysis Of Existing Structures, Jacob Cano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For this thesis, a study was completed on two different structures on the UCF Orlando campus through the use of both structural plans and point cloud technology. The results sought to understand the viability of point cloud technology as an accurate tool for the static and dynamic modal analysis of existing structures. For static analysis, a portion of the framing of Spectrum Stadium was rendered, modeled, analyzed and compared to a previous case study. The results emphasized how different users can render dissimilar member sizes and lengths due to human judgment on point cloud visuals. The study also found that …

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Forward Osmosis For Algae Dewatering And Electrical Field-Driven Membrane Fouling Mitigation, Faris Munshi May 2019

Forward Osmosis For Algae Dewatering And Electrical Field-Driven Membrane Fouling Mitigation, Faris Munshi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Efficient and low-energy microalgae harvesting is essential for sustainable biofuel production. Forward osmosis (FO) can provide a potential alternative for algae separation with low energy consumption by using osmotic pressure. In this study, an aquaporin-based polyethersulfone (PES) membrane was evaluated for algae dewatering using FO with three different types of draw solutions (DSs: NaCl, KCl and NH4Cl), and under different cross flow velocities (CFVs). 81% of algae dewatering was achieved with a 29% flux drop. Among three different DSs, although NH4Cl was the best candidate for improved water flux and low reverse salt flux (RSF), it could accelerate cell division, …

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