Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Ultrasonic Testing For Geomembranes, Nazli Yesiller

Civil and Environmental Engineering

No abstract provided.

Ground Vibration Associated With Pipe Bursting, Alan Atalah, Paul Hadala, Ray Sterling

Construction Management Faculty Publications

Pipe bursting is a trenchless pipe replacement technique that offers advantages of low cost, reduced surface disturbance, and the ability to replace an old pipe with a new pipe of equal or larger diameter and capacity. Concerns about the use of the method have centered principally on the ground movements and vibrations produced by the technique - particularly when existing pipe is being replaced by a larger diameter pipe- and also on any damage experienced by the replacement pipe as it is being pulled into the ground. These concerns motivated the Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) to conduct a research project …

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

Civil and Environmental Engineering

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

Characterization Of Microbial Processes That Degrade Chlorinated Solvents In A Constructed Wetland Using Organic Acid And Inorganic Anion Concentration Profiles, Chad B. Bondurant

Theses and Dissertations

Chlorinated solvents have been used in industrial cleaning and degreasing processes in the United States since the early 1900s, and their induction into the environment increased significantly with the growth of industrial processes over the past century. PCE, TCE and their daughter products have been associated with a number of human health concerns and are currently the most common contaminants found in groundwater in the United States. Wetlands possess characteristics necessary for the complete degradation of chlorinated ethenes by microorganisms via anaerobic and aerobic regions that foster the necessary oxidation-reduction conditions. Organic acid and inorganic anion concentrations were evaluated in …

Application Of Horizontal Flow Treatment Wells For In Situ Treatment Of Mtbe-Contaminated Groundwater, Preston F. Rufe

Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a three-dimensional numerical model to evaluate the potential application of HFTWs to manage MTBE-contaminated groundwater. HFTWs consist of two dual-screened treatment wells. One well operates in an upflow mode, with MTBE-contaminated water extracted from an aquifer through a screen in the deep portion of an aquifer and injected into the aquifer through a shallow well screen, while the adjacent well operates in a downflow mode, extracting water from the shallow zone of the aquifer and injecting it into the deep zone. As the MTBE-contaminated water flows through the wells, an electron acceptor and/or another electron donor is …

Evaluation Of Traffic Information And Prediction System (Tips) As Work Zone Traffic Control, Jerry G. Pigman, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

As part of a pavement rehabilitation project on I-64, the Traffic Information and Prediction System (TIPS) was installed as a means of providing real-time data for motorists in advance and through the work zone. This system collects real-time data using roadside non-contact (microwave) sensors, processes the data in a personal computer, calculates travel time between different points on the roadway, and displays the travel time information on several portable changeable message signs positioned at pre-determined locations along the roadway. The system displays information in the form of travel time and distance through the work zone. The objective of this report …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Current Automated Civil Engineer System Non-Appropriated Funds Project Programming Procedures, Joshua C. Ligday

Theses and Dissertations

It is essential that businesses continually improve their automated information systems (AIS) to support the changing needs of the organization. The Air Force civil engineering organization is no exception since they have drastically improved their Automated Civil Engineer System (ACES) through end user support since its implementation in 2000. However, there are many problems associated with the non-appropriated funds (NAF) project programming business rules within ACES. These problem areas were not addressed until recently when an integrated process team met and proposed numerous changes to how NAF programming is accomplished in ACES. This research effort, through a web-based survey, focuses …

Modeling A Field Application Of In Situ Bioremediation Of Perchlorate-Contaminated Groundwater Using Horizontal Flow Treatment Wells (Hftws), Peter G. Chosa

Theses and Dissertations

Perchlorate contaminated groundwater is rapidly becoming a significant environmental remediation issue for the Department of Defense. In this study, an existing numerical model that simulates the operation of a Horizontal Flow Treatment Well (HFTW) system to effect the in situ biodegradation of perchlorate through the addition of an electron donor is modified to include a submodel that describes bioclogging. Bioclogging restricts flow out of the HFTW due to the accumulation of biomass directly adjacent to the well. The modified model is then applied to an existing perchlorate contaminated site that will be used for an evaluation of the HFTW technology. …

Making The Business Case For Sustainable Design In The Department Of Defense, David M. Warnke

Theses and Dissertations

Buildings are one of the largest consumers of natural resources, a major source of ecological pollution, and occasionally toxic to human health. Sustainable design is the common term associated with buildings which, during their construction, use, and eventual disposal, seek to minimize their negative impact on the environment and human health. The U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system helps to assess a building's sustainability level. In the Federal Government's push to set the example for the rest of the nation, nearly every Federal Agency has chosen to adopt the LEED assessment tool. Each …

Structural Analysis Of Sign Bridge Structures And Luminaire Supports, Christopher Foley, Raymond Fournelle, Scott J. Ginal, John L. Peronto

Transportation Reports with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has experienced failures of a high-mast luminaire (HML) support structure and a full-span overhead sign support structure. Furthermore, cracking has been found in many sign support structures composed of welded round hollow structural shapes (HSS). The purpose of the research conducted was to provide fatigue life estimates for these structures, which could then shed light onto the causes of the cracking found and the failures experienced. The analytical and experimental effort conducted was also used to establish rational inspection intervals for these structures and recommend changes (as required) to the procedures for design of high-mast …

Modeling Of The Interactions Between Forest Vegetation, Disturbances, And Sediment Yields, Erkan Istanbulluoglu, David G. Tarboton, Robert T. Pack, Charles H. Luce

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The controls of forest vegetation, wildfires, and harvest vegetation disturbances on the frequency and magnitude of sediment delivery from a small watershed (∼3.9 km2) in the Idaho batholith are investigated through numerical modeling. The model simulates soil development based on continuous bedrock weathering and the divergence of diffusive sediment transport on hillslopes. Soil removal is due to episodic gully erosion, shallow landsliding, and debris flow generation. In the model, forest vegetation provides root cohesion and surface resistance to channel initiation. Forest fires and harvests reduce the vegetation. Vegetation loss leaves the land susceptible to erosion and landsliding until the vegetation …

Effects Of Earthquake Excitation On The Strength Properties Of Newly Poured Concrete, Jen-Hui Su, Tsong Yen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study examines the 28-day strength properties of concrete under shaking, such as from an earthquake, during its strength development period. With a concrete strength of 20.59 MPa (3,000 psi), groups of concrete cylinders were made and tested on a shaking table. The peak value of ground acceleration (PGA) level of the simulated earthquake and the cylinder age are the two variables considered. The test results are as follows. If the concrete is older than three days, the earthquake excitation will not significantly reduce its 28-day strength. At younger than two days, earthquake excitation will reduce the strength of the …

Laterial Performance Of Drilled Shaft Considering Nonlinear Soil And Structure Material Behavior, Chao-Kuang Hsueh, San-Shyan Lin, Shuh-Gi Chern

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

In addition to nonlinear soil behavior has been assumed in conventional analytical method, performance of the laterally loaded drilled-shaft is also strongly influenced by possible concrete cracking, steel yielding, and shaft/soil separation and interaction. However, these factors are often neglected in the most of available methods and studied results. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of the above-mentioned effects on lateral performance of drilled reinforced-concrete shaft. The finite element code, ABAQUS, which is available in the three-dimensional analysis is adopted for taking into account the nonlinearity in shaft and soil materials, pilesoil interaction and nonlinear …

Selection Of Area Suitable For Performing Partial-Depth Repair Of Corner Damage Of Concrete Paving Slab Under Wheel Load, Chau Lee, Xin-Hua Huang, Jhao-Bin Lin

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study reveals the characteristics of using different repair materials and different repair outline designs for the partial-depth repair of the damage to corners of concrete paving slabs under wheel load. 3D finite element models were used to study how the changes to the outlines of the repaired area affect the maximum-stress and lowstress proportions in concrete elements that are attached to repaired interface when different repairing materials are used. The results indicate that the maximum stress increased but the proportion of lowstress shrank as the repaired area became larger. When cementitious repair materials were used, the depth of a …

Evaluation Of Interlayer Bonding In Hot Mix Asphalt Pavements, Stephen M. Gomba

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the potential of falling weight deflectometer (FWD) data for use in quantifying the level of interlayer bonding achieved in pavements. Data was obtained and used from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) National Airport Pavement Test Facility located in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In this test facility, a section of the pavement had encountered a loss of bond between lifts of the surface hot mix asphalt (HMA) layer. FWD tests had been performed at locations throughout the pavement, on a monthly basis for the duration of the loading period. The FWD data, along with detailed material property data, …

Ccfss Technical Bulletin Spring 2004, Wei-Wen Yu Center For Cold-Formed Steel Structures

CCFSS Technical Bulletins (1993 - 2020)

No abstract provided.

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

Civil and Environmental Engineering

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

2003 Motor Carrier Survey, Ronald E. Langley, Ted Grossardt

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The goal of this study was to conduct a survey to evaluate usage and satisfaction with the KYTC’s new program allowing motor carriers to credential vehicles and pay taxes via the Internet. Specifically, the study was to examine how many Kentucky motor carriers took advantage of this capability, why they did or did not, what improvements could be made to the system, and what incentives could be offered or obstacles removed to entice more motor carriers to use it.

Effect Of Supplementary Cementitious Materials On The Compressive Strength And Durability Of Short-Term Cured Concrete, H. Toutanji, Norbert Delatte, S. Aggoun, R. Duval, A. Danson

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This research focuses on studying the effect different supplementary cementitious materials (silica fume, fly ash, slag, and their combinations) on strength and durability of concrete cured for a short period of time—14 days. This work primarily deals with the characteristics of these materials, including strength, durability, and resistance to wet and dry and freeze and thaw environments. Over 16 mixes were made and compared to the control mix. Each of these mixes was either differing in the percentages of the additives or was combinations of two or more additives. All specimens were moist cured for 14 days before testing or …

Ccfss News Spring 2004, Wei-Wen Yu Center For Cold-Formed Steel Structures

CCFSS Newsletters (1999 - 2008)

No abstract provided.

Collapse Of 2000 Commonwealth Avenue: Punching Shear Case Study, Suzanne King, Norbert Delatte

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

On January 25, 1971, two thirds of a 16-story apartment building collapsed while under construction at 2000 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. Four workers died after a failure on the roof instigated a progressive collapse all the way to the basement, where the men were found. Fortunately, the collapse occurred slowly enough for most of the other workers to run to safety. An investigation, conducted by a commission assembled by the Mayor of Boston, painted a picture of a troubled project, with considerable confusion about responsibility for structural safety. The surviving workers’ descriptions of the failure provide a textbook definition of …

Effect Of Pavement Resurfacing On Traffic Safety, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman, Eric R. Green

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objectives of this study were to analyze the before and after crash history and speeds on routes which have been resurfaced , inspect resurfacing projects, make recommendations to improve the resurfacing process, and determine improvements which could be made in conjunction with the resurfacing project to improve the overall safety of the roadway.

An analysis of the before and after crash data did not show a reduction in total crashes after resurfacing. There was a reduction in crashes which occurred on a wet pavement. A comparison of speeds before and after resurfacing did not find a major change in …

Access Management For Kentucky, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Barry House, Jeremy Brickey, Donald L. Hartman, Mei Chen, Jerry G. Pigman, Kavita Boddu, Emily Elwood

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Access Management Manual published by the Transportation Research Board in 2003 defines access management as the ?systematic control of the location, spacing, design, and operation of driveways, median openings, interchanges, and street connections to a roadway1.? The purpose of access management is to provide vehicular access to land development in a manner that preserves the safety and efficiency of the transportation system. Access management principles stress mobility for higher-class roadways and safety for lower-class roadways. An effective access management program can reduce crashes as much as 50 percent, increase roadway capacity by 23 to 45 percent, and reduce travel …

Analysis Of Inconsistencies Related To Design Speed, Operating Speed, And Speed Limits, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Huafeng Gong

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this research was to examine the relationship among design speeds, operating speeds and speed limits and address safety and operational concerns regarding the presence of disparities among these speed metrics. Roadway sections were selected throughout Kentucky based on the relationship between design speed and posted speed limit (greater or lower) and on the number of lanes (2 or 4). Speed data and roadway geometry data were collected along these sites to allow for the development of the appropriate models. The general conclusion for 2-lane highways is that the operating speed is different than the design speed indicating …

Construction Of Shopping Malls In Egypt, Ramez Wageih Shafik

Archived Theses and Dissertations

This thesis entitled "Construction of Shopping Malls in Egypt: Reasons For Delay and Estimated Duration" was prepared by Ramez W ageih Shafik under the supervision and guidance of Dr. Samer Ezz El Din at the American University in Cairo The construction industry is one of the most important and essential industries in the economy of any country. Time delay is one of the major problems facing the construction projects in Egypt. Facing the fact that the construction of shopping malls has picked up in Egypt during the last ten years, research is needed to identify the different factors that affect …

Neural Networks For Estimating The Productivity Of Brick Works And Plastering Works In Egypt, Mohamed Aly Masoud

Archived Theses and Dissertations

Neural networks have proven apparent success in solving a wide variety of problems. Various engineering applications in particular were studied using these powerful tools.

The Neural network resembles the function of the human brain. A training

process has to be applied first in order that the network acquires knowledge through learning. Then the network can generalize predicted solutions based on the a mount and accuracy of the training data. The target of this research is to develop two neural networks that can predict the productivity of two common construction-finishing activities, which are brick and plaster works. In order to adequately …

Recycled Concrete Properties And Feasibility, Mourad Nabil Shenouda

Archived Theses and Dissertations

As conventional good quality aggregates are becoming scarce in some zones in Egypt and many areas worldwide, and as environmental concerns are raised on dumping old and fresh concrete in landfills, recycled concrete has been receiving increased interest worldwide for its potential environmental, economic and technical merits. In fact, many countries have adopted such concrete in their codes and the majority of their old concrete is being recycled. An attempt is being made to trigger factors and means that enhance the economic feasibility of recycled concrete. The overall goal of this work is to pinpoint strength and deficiencies in this …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Implications Of On-Ground Nitrogen Loading And Soil Transformations On Ground Water Quality Management, M. Almasri, Jagath J. Kaluarachchi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents a modeling approach based on a geographic information system (GIS) to estimate the variability of on-ground nitrogen loading and the corresponding nitrate leaching to ground water. The methodology integrates all point and nonpoint sources of nitrogen, the national land cover database, soil nitrogen transformations, and the uncertainty of key soil and land use-related parameters to predict the nitrate mass leaching to ground water. The analysis considered 21 different land use classes with information derived from nitrogen sources such as fertilizer and dairy manure applications, dairy lagoons, septic systems, and dry and wet depositions. Simulations were performed at …