Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Strain Sensitive Coax Cable Sensors For Monitoring Structures, Genda Chen, James L. Drewniak, Huimin Mu, David Pommerenke

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The invention provides increased structural monitoring systems that have sensitive continuous coaxial cable sensors. A preferred embodiment sensor cable of the invention includes an inner conductor, a dielectric jacket, and an outer conductor that is configured to passively deform responsively to strain in an associated structure. The deformation can be aided by the physical structure of the dielectric jacket, the outer conductor, or a combination of both. The deformation translates strain into a measurable change in a reflection coefficient associated with the outer conductor.

2008 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2008 semester ENGR333 project assessed the feasibility of a Green Revolving Fund for Calvin College. I asked the students “What would it take to implement a Calvin Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF)?”

The project emerged from the work of the previous year’s students who uncovered the concept of green revolving funds.

Immediately after the Fall 2008 semester, I went on sabbatical to South Africa for all of 2009. While I was away, the Calvin administration established the Calvin Energy Recovery Fund (CERF). Over the next decade, CERF saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy costs and was …

Application Of The Modified Log-Wake Law In Open-Channels, Junke Guo, Pierre Y. Julien

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

The modified log-wake law, which was developed for turbulent boundary layers and pipe flows, is extended to turbulent flows in open-channels. Turbulent velocity profiles in open-channels can be approximated with three components: (1) the law of the wall that results from the constant bed shear stress; (2) the law of the wake that reflects the effects of gravity, secondary currents and bed roughness; and (3) the cubic correction near the maximum velocity. A procedure to determine the four model parameters from velocity measurements while keeping κ = 0.41 is presented. The modified log-wake law compares very well with experimental data …

Spatial Variability Of Waste Temperatures In Msw Landfills, James L. Hanson, Nazli Yesiller, Nicolas K. Oettle

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Spatial variability of waste temperatures in MSW landfills was determined over different physical and temporal scales. Data have been obtained at four landfills located in different climatic regions in North America: Alaska, British Columbia, Michigan, and New Mexico. Temperatures were measured using 100 to over 250 sensors at each site. Data were obtained for 5 to 10 year periods at the sites. Temperatures were measured in wastes with a broad range of ages: newly-placed and old (up to 40-year old). The characteristic shape of waste temperature vs. depth relationships consists of a convex temperature profile with maximum temperatures observed at …

Experimental Determination Of Cover Surface Temperature Functions At Msw Landfills, Nicolas K. Oettle, James L. Hanson, Nazli Yesiller

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Cover temperatures were measured at four MSW landfills located in different climatic regions in North America: Michigan, New Mexico, Alaska, and British Columbia. Temperature measurements were made on a weekly basis throughout the depth of the cover profiles extending from the surface into the top layers of the underlying wastes. Bias was produced in the surface temperature data due to the combined effects of the time of day that weekly surface measurements were taken and the high diurnal variations at the surface. Analytical methods were used to obtain representative surface temperature functions for the covers from experimental data. Mean cover …

Watershed Management And Water Production Study For State Of Utah, Ibrahim Nourein Mohammed, David G. Tarboton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The amount of water produced from a watershed depends on the climate, soils, geology, land cover and land use. Precipitation water inputs in the form of rain or snow are partitioned by the watershed into evapotranspiration, runoff and groundwater recharge. This study has examined factors that may impact the production of runoff from Utah watersheds, focusing on factors related to land and watershed management. Specifically we are interested in how land use changes, such as afforestation, deforestation, agricultural, urban, industrial and mining development, impact runoff. The scale of interest is regional subbasins at the USGS cataloging unit 8 digit Hydrologic …

Reliability Analysis Of Plank Decks, Andrzej S. Nowak, Christopher D. Eamon

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research Publications

The objective of this study is to summarize the load and resistance criteria for highway bridge plank decks, and to estimate the reliability of plank decks designed by AASHTO Code. Both transverse and longitudinal planks for a variety of typical stringer spacings and plank sizes are considered. Truck traffic load data is based on the model used to calibrate the 1994 AASHTO LRFD Code. However, for plank decks, wheel load rather than whole vehicle weight is most important, and these statistics are developed for this study. For wood planks, dead load and dynamic load are not significant. The limit state …

Cryptosporidium Outbreak (Water Treatment Failure): North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Spring 2001, Patrick B. Jameson, Yung-Tse Hung, Chin Y. Kuo, Paul A. Bosela

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

An outbreak of cryptosporidiosis occurred in the town of North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada in the spring of 2001. The outbreak left thousands of people sick including about 50 people hospitalized. The source of the outbreak was from the city's surface water treatment plant. The Sedimentation Contact Unit did not satisfactorily remove suspended solids from the source water, resulting in filter breakthrough. Contaminated water was released into the distribution system causing the outbreak. Communication breakdown and confusion exacerbated the situation, extending the duration of the outbreak. The outbreak prompted the province to change the way it regulated municipal utilities of water …

Section Properties For Cellular Decks Subjected To Negative Bending, Gregory L. Snow, W. Samuel Easterling

CCFSS Library (1939 - present)

Cellular decks are formed by attaching cold-formed “hat-shaped” deck sections on top of cold-formed steel sheets. The attachment is typically made using resistance spot welds spaced at a specific interval. The void left underneath the deck flutes and above the steel sheet provides a convenient means for the distribution of wiring and data cables throughout building systems. The section properties of cellular decks subjected to positive bending can be determined using the provisions of Chapter B of the 2001 AISI Specification (AISI, 2001). However, the provisions of Chapter B do not apply to cellular decks subjected to negative bending unless …

A Method For Processing Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler Velocity Data From Towed, Undulating Vehicles, David A. Jay, Jiayi Pan

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The utility of the acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) for sampling small time and space scales of coastal environments can be enhanced by mounting a high-frequency (1200 kHz) ADCP on an oscillating towed body. This approach requires both an external reference to convert the measured shears to velocities in the earth coordinates and a method to determine the towed body velocities. During the River Influence on the Shelf Ecosystems (RISE) project cruise, a high-frequency (1200 kHz) and narrowbeam ADCP with mode 12 sampling was mounted on a TRIAXUS oscillating towfish, which steers a 3D path behind the ship. This deployment …

A Comparative Analysis Of Greenroof Designs Including Depth Of Media, Drainage Layer Materials, And Pollution Control Mediaa, Martin Wanielista, Michael Hardin

BMP Trains Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Barriers To Innovation In Public-Private Partnership (Ppp), Louis Gunnigan, David Eaton

Conference papers

This paper sets out to identify barriers to greater use of innovation in PPP projects. Using a series of in-depth interviews with participants on two closely related PPP projects, data were gathered and analysed to compare the success of the projects in relation to innovation. The views of the participants relating to the approach to innovation were recorded and were examined relative to the views on innovation expressed in published documentation relating to these projects. The research showed that two different types of innovation could be identified – namely cost reducing innovation and product enhancing innovation. It also showed that, …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

The Inverse Ocean Modeling System. Part Ii: Applications, J. C. Muccino, H. G. Arango, Andrew F. Bennett, B. S. Chua, Julia Muccino Cornuelle, E. Di Lorenzo, Gary D. Egbert, D. Haidvogel, J. C. Levin, H. Luo, A. J. Miller, A. M. Moore, Edward D. Zaron

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Inverse Ocean Modeling (IOM) System is a modular system for constructing and running weak-constraint four-dimensional variational data assimilation (W4DVAR) for any linear or nonlinear functionally smooth dynamical model and observing array. The IOM has been applied to four ocean models with widely varying characteristics. The Primitive Equations Z-coordinate-Harmonic Analysis of Tides (PEZ-HAT) and the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) are three-dimensional, primitive equations models while the Advanced Circulation model in 2D (ADCIRC-2D) and Spectral Element Ocean Model in 2D (SEOM-2D) are shallow-water models belonging to the general finite-element family. These models, in conjunction with the IOM, have been used …

The Development Research On Chinese Railway Logistics, Yuanyuan Zhang

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Hines, James Richard, 1903-1995 (Sc 1706), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1706. Statement of James Richard Hines, Bowling Green, Kentucky, related to expanded navigation of the Green and Barren Rivers and the potential for regional economic growth.

Framework For The Fully Probabilistic Analysis Of Excavation-Induced Serviceability Damage To Buildings In Soft Clays, Matt Schuster

All Dissertations

In this dissertation, a framework for a fully-probabilistic analysis of the potential for building serviceability damage induced by an excavation in soft clays is established. This analysis framework is established based on the concept of a serviceability limit state where the resistance is represented by the capacity of a building to resist serviceability damage, and the loading is represented by the demand on a building due to excavation-induced ground movements. In this study, both the resistance and the loading are treated as a random variable; the resistance is characterized empirically based on a database of the observed building performance while …

Evaluation Of Warm Asphalt Additives On Performance Properties Of Crm Binders And Mixtures, Chandra Akisetty

All Dissertations

The Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) technologies have gained increasing popularity in recent years because of its unique property to allow the reduction in mixing and compaction temperatures of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) mixtures without compromising the quality of the mix. On the other hand, one of the reasons for utilizing the Crumb Rubber Modified (CRM) asphalt mixtures is that it increases the durability of the pavement by reducing the cracking and rutting potential of the pavement. However the CRM mixtures require a high mixing and compaction temperatures compared to the conventional HMA. Since the temperature requirements for CRM mixtures are …

The Effects Of Crumb Rubber Particles On Highway Noise Reduction - A Laboratory Study, Khaldoun Shatanawi

All Dissertations

Traffic noise is a major setback to the life quality of residents living in the vicinity of highways. Over the past 40 years, much legislation has been passed to regulate sound levels to which residents are exposed. Among the many approaches adopted to alleviate the problem, crumb rubber modified asphalt has been proposed as a measure to reduce highway traffic noise.
The use of crumb rubber modified asphalt to reduce traffic noise on pavements had not been evaluated in great detail prior to this study. This research investigates the effects of crumb rubber particles on asphalt pavement noise absorption ability. …

Framework For Probabilistic Analysis Of Recurrent Landslides: A Case Study Of El Berrinche, Raul Flores

All Dissertations

Assessment of slope stability or landslide is a complex geotechnical problem that involves much uncertainty. To consider combined effects of the uncertainties in soil parameters and changes in pore water pressure, reliability theory may be employed. In this dissertation study, a reliability-based framework for the probabilistic analysis of recurrent landslides is developed.
Generally, the stability of a slope is analyzed deterministically with methods of limit equilibrium and a factor of safety is computed. This approach is referred to as the deterministic approach. However, a deterministic analysis alone may not be sufficient in assessing the risk level of a landslide in …

Moore, Mary (Taylor) Leiper, 1885-1973 (Sc 1714), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1714. Letter from Mary Leiper Moore, Bowling Green, Kentucky to Ben Johnson, Bardstown, Kentucky, 27 September 1938, related to covered bridges at Bowling Green and Bardstown. Includes copy of an act passed by the Kentucky General Assembly authorizing reconstruction of bridges destroyed by Confederate guerrilla Billy Magruder.

A Real-Time Traffic Condition Assessment And Prediction Framework Using Vehicle-Infrastructure Integration (Vii) With Computational Intelligence, Yongchang Ma

All Dissertations

This research developed a real-time traffic condition assessment and prediction framework using Vehicle-Infrastructure Integration (VII) with computational intelligence to improve the existing traffic surveillance system. Due to the prohibited expenses and complexity involved for the field experiment of such a system, this study adopted state-of-the-art simulation tools as an efficient alternative.
This work developed an integrated traffic and communication simulation platform to facilitate the design and evaluation of a wide range of online traffic surveillance and management system in both traffic and communication domain. Using the integrated simulator, the author evaluated the performance of different combination of communication medium and …

Flexural Behavior And Design Of The New Built-Up Litesteel Beams, Sivapathasunderam Jeyaragan, Mahen Mahendran

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

A new cold-formed steel beam, known as the LiteSteel Beam (LSB), has the potential to transform the low-rise building industry. The new beam is effectively a channel section with two rectangular hollow flanges and a slender web, and is manufactured using a simultaneous cold-forming and electric resistance welding process. Built-up LSB sections are expected to improve their flexural capacity and to increase their applications. They are also likely to mitigate the detrimental effects of lateral distortional buckling observed with single LSB members of intermediate spans. However, the behaviour of built-up beams is not well understood. Currently available design rules based …

Innovative Composite Cold Formed Steel Floor Joist System, D. M. Fox, R. M. Schuster, M. Strickland

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

Presented in this paper is a new, unique and innovative composite cold formed steel floor system developed by iSPAN Technologies, called the “iSPAN Composite Floor System”. The joist sections are fabricated by fastening two cold-rolled flange chord elements with cold-driven rivets to a flat web element. This makes it possible to create a section where the flange chord elements can be of a different steel thickness with respect to the web element, resulting in a most efficient structural cross section and numerous design alternatives. The joist sections have lip-reinforced web openings spaced at 4 ft o.c. along the joist length …

Experimental And Numerical Studies Of The Shear Behaviour Of Litesteel Beams, P. Keerthan, M. Mahendran

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

No abstract provided.

Vibration Performance Of Lightweight Floor Systems Supported By Cold-Formed Steel Joists, B. W. Davis, L. Xu

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

A study investigating dynamic characteristics of full-scale floor systems was performed for several laboratory-constructed and in situ floors. Floors were constructed with cold-formed steel joists and designed for residential mid-rise applications. Typical construction details including span, subfloor, topping, strongback and framing condition were varied, and their influence on fundamental frequency, damping ratio and deflection at mid-span compared. Changes in construction details which significantly increased floor mass, regardless of added stiffness, were found to lower the fundamental frequency. Adding a strongback with restrained ends provided a significant increase in fundamental frequency, stiffness and damping ratio. Laboratory tested floor systems were generally …

Analysis And Stabilization Of A Failed Cut Slope In Schist, S. B. Manolopoulou, T. T. Papaliangas, T. C. Dimopoulos

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

This paper focuses on the description, analysis and stabilization of a failed cut slope in schist. The slope is located near the top of a hill and was cut for the needs of a new industrial building. A few weeks after the excavation, a slide occurred along the schistosity plane of the slope. The slide was attributed to the effect of water which flooded the slope following an overflow of a water tank located a few meters above the slope crest. For the analysis both the deterministic and probabilistic approaches were carried out, with the input parameters determined from simple …

Case History And Numerical Analysis Of Trench Collapse In Japan, Sahaphol Timpong, Kazuya Itoh, Yasuo Toyosawa

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

This paper presents a case history of trench collapse occurred during trench excavation in soft ground. The development of settlement and horizontal displacement, the generation of pore water pressure during the construction and mechanism of trench collapse are investigated by means of centrifuge modeling and numerical analysis. It is found that the combination of centrifuge modeling and in-flight sand hopper can provide dramatic result for simulation of the trench collapse. Based on the results, it is verified that the occurrence of trench collapse is mainly caused by the excessive surcharge load of excavated material stockpiled on top of the trench.

Slope Stability Study Of External Dump Of Sonepur-Bazari Opencast Coal Mine, India — A Case Study, Indrajit Roy

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

India has reached the forefront of the world coal scene, ranking third in the total coal production, largely due to rapid increase in production from its opencast coal mines. But with a very high density of population, India is in a very disadvantageous position in acquiring large tracts of land for open cast coal mining which involves handling of large volume of waste rock overburden, a portion of which is to be dumped outside the quarry in a convenient place considering the safety, environment and economical aspects. This waste material dumped outside the quarry is termed as external dump. This …

The Importance Of Mineralogy And Grain Compressibility In Understanding Field Behavior Of Failures, Abouzar Sadrekarimi, Scott M. Olson

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

In this paper, we examine the role of grain mineralogy and compressibility, sample preparation, and shear strain/displacement levels on the shearing behavior of sands using undrained triaxial and constant volume ring shear tests in an attempt to explain some discrepancies observed between field and laboratory behavior. As expected, preparation by moist tamping can produce specimens that are contractive throughout shear, while counterparts prepared using pluviation exhibit dilative behavior at intermediate shear strain/displacement levels (i.e., after initial yield). However, both triaxial and ring shear tests illustrate that some sands consisting of more compressible minerals can exhibit entirely contractive behavior regardless of …