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Full-Text Articles in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Scheduling Of Container Handling Equipment In Marine Container Terminals, Narges Kaveshgar Dec 2014

Scheduling Of Container Handling Equipment In Marine Container Terminals, Narges Kaveshgar

Theses and Dissertations

To improve the competitiveness of marine container terminals, it is critical to minimize the makespan of a container vessel. The makespan is defined as the latest completion time among all handling tasks of the container vessel. Lower makespan (i.e. lower vessel turn time) can be achieved through better scheduling of the container handling equipment during vessel operations. The scheduling of terminal equipment is an operational problem, and a detailed schedule for each type of equipment operating in the terminal is necessary. Several studies have applied operations research techniques to optimize the processes of equipment in a terminal. This dissertation investigates …

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Numerical Modeling Of Free Surface Flows Using Depth Averaged And 3d Models, Khaled Mamdouh Mohamed Abdo Dec 2014

Numerical Modeling Of Free Surface Flows Using Depth Averaged And 3d Models, Khaled Mamdouh Mohamed Abdo

Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of the research presented in this dissertation are to develop and apply numerical models to study free surface flows under different boundary conditions, bedform geometry and channel configuration. A 2D depth-averaged model is developed by solving the Saint Venant or the shallow water equations using a finite volume method. An existing 3D model, developed in-house, that solves the Reynoldsaveraged Navier-Stokes equations and conservation equations for suspended sediment and conservative species is adapted for free surface flows by solving the volume of fluid (VOF) equation using a compressive interface capturing scheme for arbitrary meshes, CICSAM. The depth-averaged or shallow …

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An Engineering Approach For The Design Of Archaeological Reburial Systems, Angel Ari Perez Mejia Dec 2014

An Engineering Approach For The Design Of Archaeological Reburial Systems, Angel Ari Perez Mejia

Theses and Dissertations

Archaeological sites are a non-renewable resource which is often our only link to the past. However, sites are under constant threat of destruction due to construction activities. Civil engineers and archaeologists must the work together to ensure both the continued survival of archaeological sites while allowing for development to continue. Reburial systems, when properly designed and constructed, allow for the protection of archaeological sites while allowing the continued use of the land. However, because reburial as an intentional conservation technique is relatively modern, practice is fragmented and there are no universally accepted guidelines. Current reburial system design relies on prescriptive …

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Crash Prediction Modeling For Curved Segments Of Rural Two-Lane Two-Way Highways In Utah, Casey Scott Knecht Dec 2014

Crash Prediction Modeling For Curved Segments Of Rural Two-Lane Two-Way Highways In Utah, Casey Scott Knecht

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contains the results of the development of crash prediction models for curved segments of rural two-lane two-way highways in the state of Utah. The modeling effort included the calibration of the predictive model found in the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) as well as the development of Utah-specific models developed using negative binomial regression. The data for these models came from randomly sampled curved segments in Utah, with crash data coming from years 2008-2012. The total number of randomly sampled curved segments was 1,495. The HSM predictive model for rural two-lane two-way highways consists of a safety performance function …

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Lateral Resistance Of Piles Near 15 Foot Vertical Mse Abutment Walls Reinforced With Ribbed Steel Strips, Jarell Han Dec 2014

Lateral Resistance Of Piles Near 15 Foot Vertical Mse Abutment Walls Reinforced With Ribbed Steel Strips, Jarell Han

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACTLateral Resistance of Piles near 15 Foot Vertical MSE AbutmentWalls Reinforced with Ribbed Steel StripsJarell Jen Chou HanDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, BYUMaster of ScienceA full scale MSE wall was constructed and piles were driven at various distances behind the wall. Lateral load tests were conducted to determine the effect of pile spacing from the wall on the lateral resistance of the piles and the force resisted by the MSE reinforcement. The piles used for this study were 12.75 inch pipe piles and the reinforcements were ribbed steel strips.Load-deflection curves were developed for piles located behind the wall at …

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Axial Compression Behavior Of Unidirectional Carbon/Epoxy Tubes And Rods Before And After Impact, Ian Michael Oxborrow Dec 2014

Axial Compression Behavior Of Unidirectional Carbon/Epoxy Tubes And Rods Before And After Impact, Ian Michael Oxborrow

Theses and Dissertations

Compression tests were performed on damaged and undamaged rods and tubes made from unidirectional carbon/epoxy composite and lightweight core materials. Tested samples represent local members in an open, three-dimensional, composite lattice structure. Testing was performed in order to establish effective core materials to use in order to increase the buckling length of local IsoTruss® members while maintaining low weight. Members were formed from T700SC-12K-50C carbon fiber with UF6639-100 resin. Core materials consisted of 3/8-inch (0.953 cm) outside diameter Teflon® rods, Teflon® tubes, nylon rods, nylon tubes, Ertalyte® rods, and Duratron® rods. All 3/8-inch (0.953-cm) cores were each surrounded by 50 …

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Shear-Dominated Bending Behavior Of Carbon/Epoxy Composite Lattice Isobeam Structures, Kirsten Bramall Hinds Dec 2014

Shear-Dominated Bending Behavior Of Carbon/Epoxy Composite Lattice Isobeam Structures, Kirsten Bramall Hinds

Theses and Dissertations

Composite lattice structures known as the IsoBeam™ made with unidirectional carbon/epoxy were manufactured and tested in shear-dominated bending. The manufacturing process consisted of placing tows of carbon fiber pre-impregnated with epoxy resin onto a pin-type mandrel to create members with interwoven joints. The members were consolidated with a half spiral aramid sleeve. The IsoBeam structure consists of two main types of members: longitudinal and diagonal members measuring nominally 0.4 in. (10.2 mm) and 0.2 in. (5.1 mm) in diameter, respectively. The hand-manufactured specimens measured nominally 6 in. (152.4 mm) high by 3 in. (76.2 mm) wide by 2 ft (0.61 …

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Evaluation Of Current Empirical Methods For Predicting Lateral Spread-Induced Ground Deformations For Large Magnitude Earthquakes Using Maule Chile 2010 Case Histories, Ginger Emily Tryon Dec 2014

Evaluation Of Current Empirical Methods For Predicting Lateral Spread-Induced Ground Deformations For Large Magnitude Earthquakes Using Maule Chile 2010 Case Histories, Ginger Emily Tryon

Theses and Dissertations

Improving seismic hazard analysis is an important part of building safer structures and protecting lives. Since large magnitude earthquakes are rarer than other earthquakes, it is harder to model seismic hazards such as lateral spread displacements for these events. Engineers are often required to extrapolate current lateral spreading models when designing utilities, bridges, and piers to withstand the ground displacements caused by earthquakes with magnitudes larger than 8.0. This study uses three case histories from the Maule Chile 2010 earthquake (Mw =8.8) to develop recommendations on which models are most accurate for large earthquake events and how to improve the …

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Latin American Data Drought: An Assessment Of Available River Observation Data In Select Latin American Countries And Development Of A Web-Based Application For A Hydrometerological Database System In Spanish, Stephen Joseph Bolster Dec 2014

Latin American Data Drought: An Assessment Of Available River Observation Data In Select Latin American Countries And Development Of A Web-Based Application For A Hydrometerological Database System In Spanish, Stephen Joseph Bolster

Theses and Dissertations

The demand and collection of hydrometeorological data is growing to support hydrologic and hydraulic analyses, and other studies. These data can amount to extensive information that requires sound data management to enable efficient storage, access, and use. While much of the globe is using technology to efficiently collect and store hydrometeorological data, other parts, such as developing countries, are unable to do so. This thesis presents an assessment of available river observations data in Latin American countries in Central America and the Caribbean. The assessment analyzes 1) access to available data, 2) spatial density of data, and 3) the temporal …

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Design And Implementation Of An Inverse Modeling Framework Using The Method Of Anchored Distributions, Carlos Andres Osorio Murillo Dec 2014

Design And Implementation Of An Inverse Modeling Framework Using The Method Of Anchored Distributions, Carlos Andres Osorio Murillo

Theses and Dissertations

Estimation of spatial random fields (SRFs) such as transmissivity or porosity is required for predicting groundwater flow and subsurface contaminant movement. Similarly, distributed parameter fields such as terrain roughness and evapotranspiration coefficients are required by other areas of environmental and earth sciences modeling. This dissertation presents an inverse modeling framework for characterizing SRFs called MAD#, which is an end-user software implementation of the Bayesian inverse modeling technique Method of Anchored Distributions (MAD). The MAD# framework allows modelers to “wrap” existing simulation modeling tools using an extensible driver architecture that exposes model parameters to the inversion engine. A compelling aspect of …

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Lateral-Torsional Buckling Capacity Of Tapered-Flange Moment Frame Shapes, Leah O'Neill Dec 2014

Lateral-Torsional Buckling Capacity Of Tapered-Flange Moment Frame Shapes, Leah O'Neill

Theses and Dissertations

While moment frames are a popular lateral-force resisting system, their constant cross-section can lead to inefficiencies in energy absorption and stiffness. By tapering the flange width linearly toward the center of the beam length, the energy absorption efficiency can be increased, leading to a better elastic response from the beam and more elastic stiffness per pound of steel used. Lateral-torsional buckling is an important failure mode to be considered for tapered-flange moment frame shapes. No closed-form or finite element solutions have yet been developed for tapered-flange I-beams with a non-uniform, linear moment gradient and intermediate bracing conditions. In this study, …

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Full-Scale Testing Of Blast-Induced Liquefaction Downdrag On Auger-Cast Piles In Sand, Joseph Erick Hollenbaugh Dec 2014

Full-Scale Testing Of Blast-Induced Liquefaction Downdrag On Auger-Cast Piles In Sand, Joseph Erick Hollenbaugh

Theses and Dissertations

Deep foundations like auger-cast piles and drilled shafts frequently extend through liquefiable sand layers and bear on non-liquefiable layers at depth. When liquefaction occurs, the skin friction on the shaft decreases to zero, and then increases again as the pore water pressure dissipates and the layer begins to settle, or compact. As the effective stress increases and the liquefiable layer settles, along with the overlaying layers, negative skin from the soil acts on the shaft. To investigate the loss of skin friction and the development of negative skin friction, soil-induced load was measured in three instrumented, full-scale auger-cast piles after …

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Lateral Resistance Of Piles Near Vertical Mse Abutment Walls, Cody Hatch Dec 2014

Lateral Resistance Of Piles Near Vertical Mse Abutment Walls, Cody Hatch

Theses and Dissertations

A full scale MSE wall was constructed and piles were driven at various distances behind the wall. Lateral load testing was conducted and the performance of the pile, wall, and reinforcement were measured. The piles were 12.75 inch pipe piles, and the wall was reinforced with welded wire grid reinforcement. The objective of the testing was to characterize the relationship between the lateral pile resistance and the distance of the pile behind the back face of the MSE wall. Load-displacement curves are presented for the piles located behind the wall at 66 inches (5.3 diameters), 55 inches (4.3 diameters), 41 …

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Influence Of Pile Shape On Resistance To Lateral Loading, Guillermo Bustamante Dec 2014

Influence Of Pile Shape On Resistance To Lateral Loading, Guillermo Bustamante

Theses and Dissertations

The lateral resistance of pile foundations has typically been based on the resistance of circular pipe piles. In addition, most instrumented lateral load tests and cases history have involved circular piles. However, piles used in engineering practice may also be non-circular cross-section piles such as square and H piles. Some researchers have theorized that the lateral resistance of square piles will be higher than that of circular piles (Reese and Van Impe, 2001; Briaud et al, 1983; Smith, 1987) for various reasons, but there is not test data to support this claims. To provide basic comparative performance data, lateral load …

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Optimizing Operation Of A Campus Energy System For Economic And Environmental Considerations, John Imperatore Iii Sep 2014

Optimizing Operation Of A Campus Energy System For Economic And Environmental Considerations, John Imperatore Iii

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to determine effective costs of campus utilities, optimal operation of energy conversion and production subsystems through minimization of economic and environmental costs, and to evaluate how changing electrical grid costs and sources will affect future optimal operations at a campus. Characteristic days were developed to typify campus activities and their impact on energy consumption. At current grid electricity and natural gas prices, utilization of a cogeneration unit, a form of combined heat and power plant, is less expensive than purchasing equivalent amounts of electric and gas to produce steam, as long as there is …

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Developing Pavement Preservation And Mitigation Strategies Using Pavement Me Design Guide For Rhode Island Dot, Sean Coffey Sep 2014

Developing Pavement Preservation And Mitigation Strategies Using Pavement Me Design Guide For Rhode Island Dot, Sean Coffey

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the study is to develop pavement preservation strategies using Pavement ME. The International Roughness Index (IRI), Longitudinal Cracking, and Permanent Deformation (Rutting) in both the asphalt layer and the total structure were predicted using Pavement ME to determine the sensitivity of flexible pavement performance with varying pavement parameters, such as thickness of the surface and existing hot mix asphalt (HMA) layers, traffic volume, binder grade of the surface HMA layer and the base layer modulus. The surface HMA layer thickness and traffic volume were significant at 95% confidence level for both types of rutting and terminal IRI. …

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Sediment Transport Conditions Near Culverts, Kyle Jay Rowley Aug 2014

Sediment Transport Conditions Near Culverts, Kyle Jay Rowley

Theses and Dissertations

Relatively little work has been done to understand how coarse grained sediments behave near culverts. Particularly for embedded culverts, sediment transport must be understood to achieve sustainable culvert designs for aquatic organism passage and peak discharge requirements. Several culvert sites in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah were studied through the spring flood season of 2014. Data obtained from the culvert sites were used to create numerical models with the Sedimentation and River Hydraulics Two-Dimensional model. The field sites and numerical model were used to study deposition of sediments at the entrance to culverts, sediment replenishment inside culverts, and lateral fining …

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Source Apportionment Of Wastewater Using Bayesian Analysis Of Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Daniel B. Blake Jul 2014

Source Apportionment Of Wastewater Using Bayesian Analysis Of Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Daniel B. Blake

Theses and Dissertations

This research uses Bayesian analysis of fluorescence spectroscopy results to determine if wastewater from the Heber Valley Special Service District (HVSSD) lagoons in Midway, UT has seeped into the adjacent Provo River. This flow cannot be directly measured, but it is possible to use fluorescence spectroscopy to determine if there is seepage into the river.Fluorescence spectroscopy results of water samples obtained from HVSSD lagoons and from upstream and downstream in the Provo River were used to conduct this statistical analysis. The fluorescence 'fingerprints' for the upstream and lagoon samples were used to deconvolute the two sources in a downstream sample …

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Effect Of High Percentages Of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement On Mechanical Properties Of Cement-Treated Base Material, Jacob Clark Tolbert Jul 2014

Effect Of High Percentages Of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement On Mechanical Properties Of Cement-Treated Base Material, Jacob Clark Tolbert

Theses and Dissertations

Full-depth reclamation (FDR) is an increasingly common technique that is used to rehabilitate flexible pavements. Implementation of FDR on rehabilitation projects produces several desirable benefits. However, these benefits are not fully realized due to the fact that state department of transportation specifications typically limit the reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) content of pavement base material to 50 percent. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of RAP content, cement content, temperature, curing time, curing condition, and moisture state on the strength, stiffness, and deformation characteristics of cement-treated base (CTB) mixtures containing high percentages of RAP.For this research, one …

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An Investigation Of Project Delivery Methods Relating To Repetitive Commercial Construction, Donald A. Patterson Jul 2014

An Investigation Of Project Delivery Methods Relating To Repetitive Commercial Construction, Donald A. Patterson

Theses and Dissertations

The Design/Bid/Build (DBB) delivery method has historically been the most popular and the most effective means of determining the least cost for building a project based upon a set of construction documents. In recent years, however, other project delivery methods, including but limited to Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) and Design/Build (DB), have slowly taken a share of the construction market away from the DBB delivery method. The choice of delivery method that will produce the best value for an owner in the measurements of efficiency in quality, cost, and timeliness depends upon the type of project and the business culture …

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Investigation Of Compaction Characteristics Of Subbase Material Using The Superpave Gyratory Compactor, Craig Kumpel Jul 2014

Investigation Of Compaction Characteristics Of Subbase Material Using The Superpave Gyratory Compactor, Craig Kumpel

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to complete an in-depth analysis of data from both the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) full-scale testing and Superpave Gyratory Compactor testing to determine if the SGC is a valuable tool for the prediction of airport pavement performance and design. The practicality of the SGC was based on extensive laboratory and field testing of three unbound materials including P-154, P-209, and DGA, which are the subbase and base materials used by the FAA at the National Airport Pavement Test Facility (NAPTF). During the past construction cycles at the NAPTF, it has been found that the …

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Creating Total Value Engineering Through Combining Design For Manufacturing And Design For Six Sigma Constructs, David Ryan Christensen Jul 2014

Creating Total Value Engineering Through Combining Design For Manufacturing And Design For Six Sigma Constructs, David Ryan Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

The modern manufacturing world has been driven to compete in a more international and interconnected system. This has led to increased focus upon frameworks and architectures to guarantee quality, high market acceptance, and reduce cost. Modern manufacturing design processes evolved largely from Henry Ford at Ford Motor Company, and Alfred Sloan at General Motors. Their structures embody two different focuses on quality and value engineering which have influenced many recent design frameworks. In the 1970s a heavy emphasis was placed upon Design for Manufacturing, which uses group technology, commonality of processes, and continual focus to reduce part count. Some companies …

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A Model For Analyzing Heating And Cooling Demand For Atria Between Tall Buildings, Samuel David Christensen Jul 2014

A Model For Analyzing Heating And Cooling Demand For Atria Between Tall Buildings, Samuel David Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

The heating and air-conditioning energy demand of skyscrapers with atria between buildings is explored. Radiation, conduction, convection, and ventilation were evaluated to determine annual heating and cooling energy demands for a 100-building city located in Provo, Utah. Spreadsheets models were developed and calibrated with a computational fluid dynamics model. Three spreadsheet model cases were examined: a baseline no-atrium case, a conditioned atrium case, and an unconditioned atrium case. The energy demands and atrium temperatures were compared between the different cases. The research concludes that atria can be used between buildings to reduce the heating and cooling energy demands. The exposed …

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In-Plane Lateral Load Capacities Of Vertically Oriented Interlocking Timber Panels, Brandon T. Decker Jul 2014

In-Plane Lateral Load Capacities Of Vertically Oriented Interlocking Timber Panels, Brandon T. Decker

Theses and Dissertations

The Vertically Oriented Interlocking Timber (VOIT) panel is a new solid wood panel similar to Interlocking Cross Laminated Timber (ICLT) and the more commonly known Cross Laminated Timber (CLT). Like ICLT, VOIT panels use timber connections instead of the adhesives or metal fasteners common to CLT. The difference of VOIT is the orientation of the layers. Where CLT and ICLT panels alternate the orientation of each layer, VOIT panels orient all the layers in the same direction. The vertically oriented layers are then attached to one another by smaller horizontal dovetail members.Two types of VOIT panels were provided to be …

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Analysis Of Data Center Network Convergence Technologies, Robert-Lee Daniel Leblanc Jul 2014

Analysis Of Data Center Network Convergence Technologies, Robert-Lee Daniel Leblanc

Theses and Dissertations

The networks in traditional data centers have remained unchanged for decades and have grown large, complex and costly. Many data centers have a general purpose Ethernet network and one or more additional specialized networks for storage or high performance low latency applications. Network convergence promises to lower the cost and complexity of the data center network by virtualizing the different networks onto a single wire. There is little evidence, aside from vendors' claims, that validate network convergence actually achieves these goals. This work defines a framework for creating a series of unbiased tests to validate converged technologies and compare them …

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The Effect Of Learning And Cost Optimization On Line Of Balance Scheduling, Kareem Essam Zahran Jul 2014

The Effect Of Learning And Cost Optimization On Line Of Balance Scheduling, Kareem Essam Zahran

Theses and Dissertations

The increase in populations throughout the past years introduced the need for improving and increasing countries’ infrastructure. Moreover, there has been an increasing demand for dwelling units ranging from small economic housing blocks to high-rise buildings and residential villa compounds. These projects are known by their repetitive nature, where a constant unit is repeated several times. Scheduling techniques that consider the learning effect as an influencing parameter in calculating productivity rates can improve the effectiveness of the scheduling process. This achieves more realistic forecasts resulting in optimum utilization of resources and better control during implementation phases. Linear scheduling techniques are …

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Passive Force On Skewed Bridge Abutments With Reinforced Concrete Wingwalls Based On Large-Scale Tests, Kyle Mark Smith Jul 2014

Passive Force On Skewed Bridge Abutments With Reinforced Concrete Wingwalls Based On Large-Scale Tests, Kyle Mark Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Skewed bridges have exhibited poorer performance during lateral earthquake loading when compared to non-skewed bridges (Apirakvorapinit et al. 2012; Elnashai et al. 2010). Results from small-scale laboratory tests by Rollins and Jessee (2012) and numerical modeling by Shamsabadi et al. (2006) suggest that skewed bridge abutments may provide only 35% of the non-skewed peak passive resistance when a bridge is skewed 45°. This reduction in peak passive force is of particular importance as 40% of the 600,000 bridges in the United States are skewed (Nichols 2012). Passive force-deflection results based on large-scale testing for this study largely confirm the significant …

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Effect Of Video Camera-Based Remote Roadway Condition Monitoring On Snow Removal-Related Maintenance Operations, Seishi Yamagata Jun 2014

Effect Of Video Camera-Based Remote Roadway Condition Monitoring On Snow Removal-Related Maintenance Operations, Seishi Yamagata

Theses and Dissertations

Remote monitoring through the use of cameras is widely utilized for traffic operation, but has not been utilized widely for roadway maintenance operations. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has implemented a new remote monitoring system, referred to as a Cloud-enabled Remote Video Streaming (CRVS) camera system for snow removal-related maintenance operations in the winter. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of the CRVS camera system in snow removal-related maintenance operations. This study was conducted in two parts: opinion surveys of maintenance station supervisors and an analysis on snow removal-related maintenance costs. The …

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Evaluation Of Passive Force Behavior For Bridge Abutments Using Large-Scale Tests With Various Backfill Geometries, Jaycee Cornwall Smith Jun 2014

Evaluation Of Passive Force Behavior For Bridge Abutments Using Large-Scale Tests With Various Backfill Geometries, Jaycee Cornwall Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Bridge abutments are designed to withstand lateral pressures from thermal expansion and seismic forces. Current design curves have been seen to dangerously over- and under-estimate the peak passive resistance and corresponding deflection of abutment backfills. Similar studies on passive pressure have shown that passive resistance changes with different types of constructed backfills. The effects of changing the length to width ratio, or including MSE wingwalls determine passive force-deflection relationships. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of the wall heights and of the MSE support on passive pressure and backfill failure, and to compare the field results …

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Investigating Virtual Globes For A Prototype Community Archive Of 3d Subsurface Data, Derek C. Whitman Jun 2014

Investigating Virtual Globes For A Prototype Community Archive Of 3d Subsurface Data, Derek C. Whitman

Theses and Dissertations

Geoscience data sharing and processing is very advanced in terms of surface data. Subsurface data sharing has not received the attention that surface data sharing has received and so there are fewer applications or software packages which focus on it. This research is funded by the NSF EarthCube GEO Domain program in an effort to develop a continental-scale repository of 3D subsurface data to facilitate the sharing of complex 3D data and to enable the development of geoprocessing tools and workflows that operate on that data. The work in this thesis is a small part of the EarthCube project with …

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