Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Amplification Of Streamflow Impacts Of El Niño By Increased Atmospheric Greenhouse Gases, Edwin P. Maurer, Seran Gibbard, Philip B. Duffy

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

Some El Niño events produce unusually large precipitation amounts in Northern and Central California. We use a high-resolution global model of the atmosphere coupled to a physically-based model of surface hydrology to investigate effects of increased atmospheric CO2 and this type of El Niño, both individually and in combination, on monthly river flows in California. Increased CO2 changes the seasonal timing of river flows and increases their variability. SST anomalies typical of a strong El Niño SST increase monthly-mean flows. The two perturbations together result in increased mean flows and increased variability, raising the possibility of both increased flood risk …

Optimal Management Of Groundwater Over Space And Time, Nicholas Brozovic, David L. Sunding, David Zilberman

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

For nearly half a century, groundwater has been portrayed in the economic literature as a typical common property resource. Numerous studies of groundwater extraction have analyzed the externalities imposed by users on each other. A large body of work offers clear prescriptions in the form of optimal policy instruments, and a similarly large body of work advocates the needlessness of any centralized intervention. Yet existing theoretical models of groundwater extraction implicitly make two strong assumptions about the underlying behavior of the resource. First, the spatial distribution of resource users is assumed to be irrelevant. Second, path-independence of the resource is …

Transient Heat Partition Factor For A Sliding Railcar Wheel, T C. Kennedy, C Plengsaard, Robert F. Harder

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

During a wheel slide the frictional heat generated at the contact interface causes intense heating of the adjacent wheel material. If this material exceeds the austenitising temperature and then cools quickly enough, it can transform into martensite, which may ultimately crack and cause wheel failure. A knowledge of the distribution of the heat partitioned into the wheel and the rail and the resulting temperature fields is critical to developing designs to minimize these deleterious effects. A number of theoretical solutions have appeared in the literature to model the thermal aspects of this phenomenon. The objective of this investigation was to …

Performance Evaluation Of The Midwest Guardrail System – Update To Nchrp 350 Test No. 3-11 With 28" C.G. Height (2214mg-2), Karla A. Polivka, Ronald K. Faller, Dean L. Sicking, John R. Rohde, Robert W. Bielenberg, John D. Reid

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Based on the proposed changes to the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report No. 350 guidelines, NCHRP Project 22-14(2) researchers deemed it appropriate to evaluate a strong-post W-beam guardrail systems prior to finalizing the new crash testing procedures and guidelines. For this effort, the Midwest Guardrail System (MGS) was selected for evaluation. One full-scale vehicle crash test was performed on the longitudinal barrier system in accordance with the Test Level 3 (TL-3) requirements presented in the Update to NCHRP Report No. 350. For this test, a 2270P pickup truck vehicle, which was a 1⁄2-ton, four-door vehicle with a 711 …

Trees And Ice Storms: The Development Of Ice Storm–Resistant Urban Tree Populations (Second Edition), Richard J. Hauer, Jeffrey O. Dawson, Les P. Werner

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Severe ice storms occur every year in the United States and Canada, particularly in the midwestern and eastern regions of the United States. Along with fires and wind, ice storms are a frequent and major natural disturbance factor in eastern deciduous forests. Likewise ice storms are responsible for deaths and injuries of people and cause dramatic damage and tree loss to urban forests. Ice storms annually result in millions of dollars in loss, and potentially billions of dollars in losses for extreme and widespread ice storms. Damage to electric distribution systems, blocked roadways, and property damage from fallen trees and …

Addressing The Challenges That Are Emerging In The Continued Increase In Ppp Use In The Republic Of Ireland, Louis Gunnigan, David Eaton

Conference papers

The Irish Government’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) programme of pilot projects is now reaching its conclusion and PPP has become established as a key element in the strategy for provision of public sector facilities. Compiled through a literature review as part of a PhD level research project, this paper examines organisational culture differences between the public and private sectors and assesses the potential affect of these differences on the future development of the Irish PPP programme. By relating organisational culture differences to the emerging challenges relating to risk, value and innovation, it is evident that the lack of a partnering environment …

Renewable Materials And Construction Waste Management, Samuel A. Vigil

Civil and Environmental Engineering

No abstract provided.

Renewable Energy, Samuel A. Vigil

Civil and Environmental Engineering

No abstract provided.

Comprehensive Analysis Of The Relationship Between Real-Time Traffic Surveillance Data And Rear-End Crashes On Freeways, Anurag Pande, Mohamed Abdel-Aty

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Rear-end collisions are the single most frequent type of crash on freeways. Their impact on freeway operation is also most noticeable because almost all of them occur during periods of medium to heavy demand. Preliminary explorations of average traffic speeds before a crash measured at loop detector stations surrounding the crash location showed that rear-end crashes can be placed into two mutually exclusive groups: first, those that occur under extended congestion and, second, those that occur with relatively free-flow conditions prevailing 5 to 10 min before the crash. With loop detector data preceding these two groups of rear-end crashes contrasted …

Water Conservation And Wastewater Treatment, Samuel A. Vigil

Civil and Environmental Engineering

No abstract provided.

Controlling Performance Of Crumb Rubber-Modified Binders Through Addition Of Polymer Modifiers, Magdy Abdelrahman

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The use of tire rubber as a modifier to enhance the properties of asphalt mixes through the wet process has proved to be a successful procedure, but full control of the properties of crumb rubber-modified binders has been a challenge. The literature indicates a wide variation on adding rubber to asphalt and that the degree of success of rubber modification in AC mixes depends on several factors, the majority of which relate to the method of mixing, storing, and transporting and to construction technologies. Understanding the nature of the interaction process between asphalt cement and crumb rubber-modifier (CRM) helps explain …

Earthquake Hazard Input For Loss Estimation Study: St. Louis Highway System, Ronaldo Luna, David J. Hoffman, William T. Lawrence

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The long recurrence period and high consequence earthquakes events in the New Madrid Seismic Zone have caused some federal agencies (e.g., NEHRP, FHWA) to look at the more densely populated areas where higher seismic risk is present. This paper presents the data collection, interpretation, and analysis of the geotechnical information required for an earthquake loss estimation study in St. Louis metro area. The loss estimation study was limited to the highway transportation system, where only the major highways were considered. The project information was processed using a GIS, and the subsequent loss analysis was executed using the HAZUS-MH program.

Bridge Dynamics And Loading, Colin C. Caprani, Eugene O'Brien, Arturo Gonzalez, Yingyan Li, Paraic Rattigan, Niall Harris

Conference papers

Recent UCD research on dynamic bridge-truck interaction and bridge traffic loading in general is reported. The accuracy of bridge traffic load assessment has been significantly improved by identifying the differences in the sources of traffic loading on short- to medium-span bridges and treating them separately. It is shown that results can be significantly improved by treating 1-,2-,3- and 4-truck loading events separately. Gaps between trucks are also identified as a critical issue that strongly influences the frequency of key3-and 4-truck events. Trends in the dynamics of traffic loading are identified using simple force models on simply supported beams. It is …

Estimating Risk Of Failure Of Engineering Structures Using Predictive Likelihood, Colin C. Caprani, A. Bordallo-Ruiz, E. J. O'Brien

Conference papers

It has been common engineering practice to define characteristic values for loading and capacity of structures in order to assess the structural capacity of existing structures. This approach, yet practical and intuitive, lead to the comparison of deterministic values (characteristic values) that had to represent all the variability of the problem and is considered to be conservative, as usually loading is overestimated and capacity underestimated, yielding to calculations with high safety margins for the extreme events. Probabilistics methods have tried to overcom e this limitation by computing the overall probability of failure (Pf) for the lifetime of the structure, taking …

Determination Of Characteristic Bridge Daf Using Dynamic Finite Element Analysis Of Critical Static Loading Scenarios, Colin C. Caprani, Paraic Rattigan, Arturo Gonzalez, E. J. O'Brien

Conference papers

The development of accurate codes for the design of bridges and the evaluation of existing structures requires adequate assessment of site-specific heavy traffic loading and also the dynamic interaction that may occur as this traffic traverses the structure. Shortcomings in current design codes occur due to the relatively independent manner in which critical static loading values and the corresponding allowance for dynamic amplification factor (DAF) are obtained. It is important that an approach is adopted that allows for the reduced probability of both high static loading and high dynamic amplification occurring simultaneously. Consideration of only relevant critical loading events will …

Cee3030 - Uncertainty In Engineering Analysis, Spring 2006, Gilberto E. Urroz

Civil and Environmental Engineering - OCW

This course on uncertainty in engineering analysis can also be referred to as probability and statistics for engineers. In particular, we will deal with the applications of probability and statistics to problems related to civil and environmental engineering. Note: Technical Requirements, Maple 10 by Maplesoft

Cee3500 - Fluid Mechanics, Spring 2006, Gilberto E. Urroz

Civil and Environmental Engineering - OCW

Explores fluid properties, hydrostatics, fluid dynamics, similitude, energy and momentum principles, closed conduit flow, open channel flow, and flow measurement. Includes laboratory exercises in flow measurement, open channel flow, pipe friction, physical modeling, and data collection.

Cee6510 - Numerical Methods In Civil Engineering, Spring 2006, Gilberto E. Urroz

Civil and Environmental Engineering - OCW

Engineering applications of approximation and interpolation, solution methods for ordinary differential equations, numerical solution of partial differential equations, nonparametric and parametric probability and regression estimation, and Monte Carlo and uncertainty analysis.

Technical Requirements: Maple 10 by Maplesoft,

Matlab

Strength And Durability Characteristics Of A 70% Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (Ggbfs) Concrete Mix, David Newton Richardson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

For a bridge pier and abutment mass concrete project, three mixes were studied: an ordinary portland cement (OPC) mix (Type I PC) and two 70% by weight ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) mixes (Type II Low Heat PC). One of the slag mixes contained a high range water reducer (HRWR). Tests for compressive strength, freezethaw durability, rapid chloride permeability, and salt scaling were conducted on field samples. Results showed that the strengths of the slag mixes were lower than the OPC mix at all ages up to one year, although the use of HRWR did improve the strength somewhat. …

Implementation Of The Biological Opinion For The Missouri River Mainstem System, Missouri River Bank Stabilization And Navigation Project, And Kansas River Reservoir System

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that the Corps of Engineers (Corps), in coordination with the appropriate resource agencies, will ensure that any action authorized, funded or carried out is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any federally listed threatened or endangered species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat. On November 30, 2000, formal consultation between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Corps under Section 7 of the ESA culminated with the "Biological Opinion on the Operation of the Missouri River Main Stem System, Operation and Maintenance of the Missouri …

Liquefaction Effects On Lateral Pile Behavior For Bridges, Wei Zheng, Ronaldo Luna

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A coupled pile-soil-structure interaction (SPSI) analysis method is presented to study the liquefaction effects on lateral pile behavior of the highway bridges. Pile-soil interaction is simulated by the dynamic nonlinear p-y method including the effect of liquefaction. The liquefaction effects to the pile-soil interaction are taken into account by introducing a degradation multiplier to the p-y curve. The degradation multiplier is related to the excess pore water pressure buildup at the pile-soil interface. The SPSI analysis method is implemented into a Missouri highway bridge site near the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) rift complex for future earthquake scenarios of Mw …

A Derivation Of An Empirical Equation For Estimating The Acoustical Shadow Zone Length Of Roadway Noise Barriers, Wayne Arner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research was to derive an empirical equation that estimates the acoustical shadow zone length (SZL) of roadway noise barriers. The acoustical shadow zone is the area behind a noise barrier of reduced sound levels, generally to some stated level at or near background. The ability to predict the SZL can be used as a method to evaluate the performance, and possibly the design, of roadway noise barriers. The current federally required roadway noise model is the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Traffic Noise Model (TNM). TNM uses insertion loss (IL) to evaluate the effectiveness of a barrier. …

Origin-Destination (O-D) Trip Table Estimation Using Traffic Movement Counts From Vehicle Tracking System At Intersection, S. Lee, Hojong Baik

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A new video-based vehicle tracking system is proposed to provide accurate information on directional traffic counts at intersections. The extracted counts are fed to estimate an origin- destination trip table which is necessary information for traffic impact study and transportation planning. The system utilizes a fisheye lens to expand the area covered by a single camera and uses a particle filtering method to track an individual vehicle. The filter is designed to handle environmental changes and multiple motion dynamics. Experimental results show its strong ability on tracking in various conditions. The paper shows how to use the tracking outputs in …

Composting Of Biodegradable Municipal Waste In Ireland, Niamh Power, Jerry D. Murphy

Publications

The implementation of the Landfill Directive (96/31/EC) will lead to a massive reduction in quantities of Biodegradable Municipal Waste (BMW), which may be landfilled. In 2016, an estimated 2.6 million tonnes of BMW will require diversion from landfill in Ireland. Recycling of dry paper, reuse of textiles and home composting will divert significant quantities of BMW. However, to divert the quantities required to comply with the Directive a significant proportion of the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) will require treatment in centralised biological facilities. A survey was undertaken of composting facilities in Ireland to ascertain present capacity, present …

Effect Of Seeding Materials And Mixing Strength On Struvite Precipitation, Jun Wang, Joel Gerard Burken, Xiaoqi Zhang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Struvite Precipitation Has Increasing Interest as a Technology for Removing and Recovering Phosphorus from Wastewater Streams. Many Chemical Factors Have Been Studied, Such as Optimum PH Values and Component-Ion Molar Ratios, Yet, Understanding of Physical Aspects is Lacking. Two Physical Parameters Were Tested: (1) Seeding Material Addition and (2) Mixing. Objectives Were to Evaluate Three Seeding Materials and to Optimize Mixing Conditions for Struvite-Crystal Precipitation, Growth, and Subsequent Sedimentation. Results Confirm that Mixing Strength and Proper Seeding Materials Increase Crystal Size and Improve Settleability. for Unseeded Solutions, Optimum Phosphorus Removal Was Achieved at a Mixing Strength of G = 76 …

U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers Omaha District Monthly Drought Report, June 2006

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Current Conditions

Water Year 2006 Mountain Snow

Drought Outlook

Ft. Peck, Montana

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Garrison, North Dakota

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Boat Ramp Information

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Other Areas of Interest/Concern

Oahe, South Dakota

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Mainstem Reservoir Information, Weekly Elevation Comparison 3 APR 2006 through 24 APR 2006

Mainstem Reservoir Storage Comparison Water Years 2004, 2005, 2006

Ft. Peck, MT

Garrison, ND

Oahe, SD

U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers Omaha District Monthly Drought Report, May 2006

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Current Conditions

Water Year 2006 Mountain Snow

Drought Outlook

Ft. Peck, Montana

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Garrison, North Dakota

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Boat Ramp Information

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Other Areas of Interest/Concern

Oahe, South Dakota

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Mainstem Reservoir Information, Weekly Elevation Comparison 3 APR 2006 through 24 APR 2006

Mainstem Reservoir Storage Comparison Water Years 2004, 2005, 2006

Ft. Peck, MT

Garrison, ND

Oahe, SD

U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers Omaha District Monthly Drought Report, October 2006

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Current Conditions

Drought Outlook

Ft. Peck, Montana

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Garrison, North Dakota

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Boat Ramp Information

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Other Areas of Interest/Concern

Oahe, South Dakota

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Mainstem Reservoir Information, Weekly Elevation Comparison 7 AUG 2006 through 28 AUG 2006

Mainstem Reservoir Storage Comparison Water Years 2004, 2005, 2006

Ft. Peck, MT

Garrison, ND

Oahe, SD

U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers Omaha District Monthly Drought Report, September 2006

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Current Conditions

Drought Outlook

Ft. Peck, Montana

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Garrison, North Dakota

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Boat Ramp Information

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Other Areas of Interest/Concern

Oahe, South Dakota

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Mainstem Reservoir Information, Weekly Elevation Comparison 7 AUG 2006 through 28 AUG 2006

Mainstem Reservoir Storage Comparison Water Years 2004, 2005, 2006

Ft. Peck, MT

Garrison, ND

Oahe, SD

Changes In Manganese And Lead In The Environment And Young Children Associated With The Introduction Of Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl In Gasoline—Preliminary Results, Brian Gulson, Karen Mizon, Alan Taylor, Michael Korsch, Jennifer Stauber, J. Michael Davis, Honway Louis, Michael Wu, Hilton Swan

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

A 4-year longitudinal study is being conducted to evaluate potential changes to the environment and exposure of young children associated with the introduction of methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) into Australia in 2001. The cohort consists of 57 females and 56 males, with an age range of 0.29–3.9 years. Samples are collected every 6 months from children in residences located at varying distances from major traffic thoroughfares in Sydney. Environmental samples include air, house, and daycare center dustfall, soil, dust sweepings, and gasoline; samples from the children include blood, urine, handwipes prior to and after playing outdoors, and a 6-day duplicate …