Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Investigating A Natural Organic Binder As A Bitumen Substitute In Flexible Pavements, Karim Ahmed Abdel Warith

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Modeling The Performance Of Point-Of-Use Activated Carbon Unit For The Removal Of Disinfection By-Products From Drinking Water, Malak Sami Naguib

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Ambient Velocity Shear On Nonlinear Internal Wave Associated Mixing At The Columbia River Plume Front, Jiayi Pan, David A. Jay

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Large-amplitude nonlinear internal waves (NLIWs) are frequently observed propagating away from Columbia River tidal plume fronts. They are generated because of the deceleration of the frontal bulge. During the River Influences on Shelf Ecosystems project cruises, the velocity, density structure and acoustic backscatter of the plume fronts and frontal NLIWs were observed using a towed vehicle, vessel-mounted instrumentation, and a vessel X band radar. These observations indicate that in the presence of strong ambient velocity shear, the NLIWs with maximum amplitudes occur well below the density interface and at a depth deeper than in the absence of shear. This deepening …

2007 Portland Metropolitan Region Transportation System Performance Report, Robert Bertini

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Our transportation system is a key ingredient in the economy, quality of life and urban fabric of the Portland metropolitan area. It has been stated in the past that it is not possible to manage our transportation system tomorrow unless we understand how it is performing today. In this spirit, the Portland State University Center for Transportation Studies has been working with regional and statewide partners to develop new capabilities to measure, monitor and track the performance of the transportation system in real time and using archived data sources. We believe that it is possible to leverage these disparate data …

Contributions To Foundation Engineering In Geotechnique, Rodrigo Salgado, G. T. Houlsby, D. N. Cathie

Lyles School of Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Many of the important developments in the field of foundation engineering have been addressed in Géotechnique papers over the past 60 years. This paper briefly reviews some of these developments and related articles, particularly with respect to shallow and deep foundations. In the early days of Géotechnique, the power to perform sophisticated numerical analyses did not exist. Papers tended to focus on the solution of problems using simple models in which soil was modelled either as linear elastic or as perfectly plastic. Engineers sought simple closed-form analytical solutions for boundary-value problems. With the development of more powerful analytical, computational …

Evaluation Of Median Barrier Safety Issues, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Brifen TL-4 and Trinity CASS median cable barrier systems in preventing cross-median collisions on sections of I-64, I-71, and I-265 (Brifen system) and I-265 (Trinity system) in Jefferson County and on KY 4 (Brifen system) in Fayette County. An effort was made to identify crashes which involved a vehicle crossing a median. Using specific logic to identify this type of crash, 392 crashes were identified for the five-year period of 2001 through 2005. Using crash and mileage data resulted in an average of 0.28 crossover crashes per mile …

Experimental Concrete Coating Application On The Median Barrier Of I-65 In Louisville, Rick Younce, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objectives of this research were to evaluate the experimental protective coating that was applied to approximately 1,200 linear feet of concrete median barrier along the paving project on a section of I 65 between mile points 131.289 and 136.421 in downtown Louisville.

The project was completed generally in accordance with the specifications and special notes. This experimental project is the first trial of concrete coatings identified under KYSPR 05-271 Coatings, Sealants and Fillers to Address Bridge Concrete Deterioration and Aesthetics-Phase 1. The coatings systems identified under that study were intended to provide improved protection and aesthetics for reinforced concrete. …

Optimal Allocation Of Blood Products, Godson A. Tetteh

Dissertations

The high cost of collection and the short shelf life of apheresis platelets demand efficient inventory management to reduce outdates and shortages. Apheresis platelets are licensed for seven days, and blood centers are keen on knowing the consequences of various product collection and distribution strategies. To reduce outdates, inventory managers typically distribute the older units first, thereby following first-in first-out (FIFO) policy; however, hospital blood banks would prefer that the blood center issues out the freshest units first, equivalent to a last-in first-out (LIFO) policy. This study addresses the optimal distribution policy to achieve a desired outdate, shortage and average …

A Laboratory Study On The Effects Of Submerged Vertical And Semicircular Breakwaters On Near-Field Hydrodynamics And Morphodynamics, David Young

All Theses

A laboratory study is presented herein that investigates the effects of submerged vertical and semicircular breakwaters on near-field hydrodynamics and morphodynamics. Breakwaters are employed worldwide in order to reduce destructive wave forces often imparted on vulnerable shorelines; a task partially completed by reflecting incident wave energy back out to sea. However, two common side-effects of their function are the occurrence of scour at the breakwater, which can lead to structural problems; and offshore ripple formations, which are influential in scour protection failure and sediment transport patterns. This study aims to determine a relationship between breakwaters and the wave reflection coefficient …

Development Of A Colorimetric Test For Quantification Of Uranium In Drinking Water, Amy Ratliff

All Theses

A new method was developed for the determination of uranium in groundwater above 30µg/L (30ppb). This concentration is the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for uranium in drinking water, which was set in December 2003 by the US EPA under the provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The method is rapid and requires little technical training to conduct, allowing it to be used by consumers, in the laboratory, or in the field. The two-step technique involves preconcentrating uranium using a U/TEVA-2 extraction chromatographic resin followed by complexation with a pyridylazo indicator dye, Br-PADAP. At neutral pH, a counter ion is …

Evaluation Of Laboratory Durability Tests For Stabilized Subgrade Soils, John Wesley Parker

Theses and Dissertations

The Portland Cement Association commissioned a research project at Brigham Young University to compare selected laboratory durability tests available for assessing stabilized subgrade materials. Improved understanding of these tests is needed to enable more objective selection of durability tests by design engineers and to facilitate more meaningful comparisons of data obtained for different stabilizer treatments using different evaluation procedures. The laboratory research associated with this project involved two subgrade materials, four stabilizers at three concentrations each, and three durability tests in a full-factorial experimental design. The two subgrade soils used were a silty sand and a lean clay, while the …

Chemisorption Of Oxygen Onto Activated Carbon Can Enhance The Stability Of Biological Perchlorate Reduction In Fixed Bed Biofilm Reactors, Young Chul Choi, Xu Li, Lutgarde Raskin, Eberhard Morgenroth

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Fixed bed biofilm reactors with granular activated carbon (GAC) or glass beads as support media were used to evaluate the influence of short-term (12 h) and long-term (23 days) increases of influent dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations on biological perchlorate removal. The goal was to evaluate the extent by which chemisorption of oxygen to GAC can enhance the stability of biological perchlorate reduction. Baseline influent concentrations were 50 μg/L of perchlorate, 2 mg/L of acetate as C, and 1 mg/L of DO. Perchlorate removal in the glass bead reactor seized immediately after increasing influent DO concentrations from 1 to 4 mg/L …

Analysis And Calibration Of Rdii And Design Of Sewer Collection Systems, Misgana K. Muleta, Paul F. Boulos

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Excessive wet weather flow resulting from rainfall-derived inflow and infiltration (RDII) is a major source of sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). SSOs pose serious problem to the public and the environment by causing back up into basements and sewer overflows to streets and rivers. Control of sewer overflows is, therefore, vital to reducing risks to public health and protecting the environment from water pollution. Computer modeling of sewer collection systems plays an important role in determining sound and economical remedial solutions that reduce RDII, improve system integrity, reliability and performance, and avoid overflows. This paper presents a rigorous and efficient three-step …

Geotechnical Investigations At Three Sites In The South Carolina Coastal Plain That Did Not Liquefy During The 1886 Charleston Earthquake, Ronald Boller

All Theses

Geotechnical investigations were performed at three sites in the South Carolina Coastal Plain where liquefaction is believed to not have occurred in 1886 or during other Holocene earthquakes. The three sites are the Coastal Research and Education Center (CREC) located near Charleston, and the Borrow Pit and Marsh Road sites at Hobcaw Barony near Georgetown. The investigations consisted of nine seismic cone penetration test (SCPT) soundings, three non-seismic cone penetration test (CPT) soundings, one standard penetration test (SPT) boring, and two dilatometer test (DMT) soundings. Shear wave velocities (Vs) were calculated from the SCPTs using pseudo interval measurements at the …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Spring 2008, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

The senior design competition helps to focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects …

A Relational Model For Environmental And Water Resources Data, Jeffery S. Horsburgh, David G. Tarboton, David R. Maidment, Ilya Zaslavsky

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Environmental observations are fundamental to hydrology and water resources, and the way these data are organized and manipulated either enables or inhibits the analyses that can be performed. The Observations Data Model presented here provides a new and consistent format for the storage and retrieval of point environmental observations in a relational database designed to facilitate integrated analysis of large data sets collected by multiple investigators. Within this data model, observations are stored with sufficient ancillary information (metadata) about the observations to allow them to be unambiguously interpreted and to provide traceable heritage from raw measurements to useable information. The …

Particle Composition And Size Distributions In And Around A Deep Pit Swine Operation, Randy S. Martin, P. J. Silva, Kori D. Moore, M. Erupe, V. S. Doshi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The contribution of emissions from agricultural facilities is rapidly becoming a major concern for local and regional air quality. Characterization of particle properties such as physical size distribution and chemical composition can be valuable in understanding the processes contributing to emissions and ultimate fate of particulate matter from agricultural facilities. A measurement campaign was conducted at an Iowa, deep-pit, three-barn swine finishing facility to characterize near-source ambient particulate matter. Size-specific mass concentrations were determined using minivol samplers, with additional size distribution information obtain using optical particle counters. Particulate composition was determined via ion chromatographic analysis of the collected filters. A …

Developing Subgrade Inputs For Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design, Meagan Berlau

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Resilient Modulus (MR) of a subgrade soil is an essential input into the flexible pavement design models contained in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Official’s new pavement design guide, the MechanisticEmpirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG). For most inputs required for pavement design, there are three levels of input that can be used within the MEPDG system. Level One requires the engineer to enter a value for subgrade Resilient Modulus based on the results of Resilient Modulus tests conducted in the laboratory. Level Two allows the user to input values for other soil property tests including California …

New Orleans And Hurricane Katrina. Iii: The 17th Street Drainage Canal, R. B. Seed, R. G. Bea, A. Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, G. P. Boutwell, J. D. Bray, C. Cheung, D. Cobos-Roa, L. F. Harder, Jr., Robb E.S. Moss, J. M. Pestana, M. F. Riemer, J. D. Rogers, R. Storesund, X. Vera-Grunauer, J. Wartman

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The failure of the levee and floodwall section on the east bank of the 17th Street drainage canal was one of the most catastrophic breaches that occurred during Hurricane Katrina. It produced a breach that rapidly scoured a flow pathway below sea level, so that after the storm surge had largely subsided, floodwaters still continued to stream in through this breach for the next two and a half days. This particular failure contributed massively to the overall flooding of the Metropolitan Orleans East Bank protected basin. Slightly more than half of the loss of life, and a similar fraction of …

Freeway Work-Zone Crash Analysis And Risk Identification Using Multiple And Conditional Logistic Regression, Rami Harb, Essam Radwan, Xuedong Yan, Anurag Pande, Mohamed Abdel-Aty

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Work-zone safety continues to be a priority and a concern for the Federal Highway Association as well as most state departments of transportation. The main objective of this study is to uncover work-zone freeway crash characteristics to help develop countermeasures that limit work-zones’ hazards. The Florida Crash Records Database for years 2002, 2003, and 2004 was utilized for this study. Conditional logistic regression along with stratified sampling and multiple logistic regression models were estimated to unveil work-zone freeway crash traits. According to the models’ results, roadway geometry, weather condition, age, gender, lighting condition, residence code, and driving under the influence …

Exploration Of Crash Prone Traffic Conditions On Freeways In The Netherlands Using Random Forests, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Anurag Pande, Abhishek Das, Wiilem Jan Knibbe

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Underground loop detectors are one of the most common traffic surveillance apparatus on freeways. Traffic data obtained from these detectors are used for various ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) applications such as travel time estimation and incident detection. In the recent past, however, researchers have been interested in proactive applications of these data. These proactive applications primarily involve real-time crash risk assessment based on analysis of traffic surveillance data observed prior to historical crashes. In this study, we have analyzed the crash data from five freeway sections in the Utrecht region of the Netherlands to identify the traffic conditions significantly associated …

Evaluating Route Diversion As A Strategy For Reduction Of Real-Time Crash Risk On Freeways Using Microscopic Simulation, Vikash V. Gayah, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Anurag Pande

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The objective of this study is to evaluate route diversion as a strategy for reducing crash risk on freeways using Microsimulation. Traffic simulation environment provides the 'loop detector data' which in turn are the inputs to the models used for real-time crash risk estimation. It has been found that rear-end crashes are more accurately described as occurring within one of two distinct traffic regimes. Hence, the crash risk estimates for rear-end crashes belonging to Regime 1 and Regime 2 are output posterior probabilities from two different models which are not directly comparable. A method was proposed to transform the output …

Hypoelastic Modeling Of Reinforced Concrete Walls, Mohsen A. Shayanfar, Amir Safiey

Publications

This paper presents a new hypoelasticity model which was implemented in a nonlinear finite element formulation to analyze reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The model includes a new hypoelasticity constitutive relationship utilizing the rotation of material axis through successive iterations. The model can account for high nonlinearity of the stress-strain behavior of the concrete in the pre-peak regime, the softening behavior of the concrete in the post-peak regime and the irrecoverable volume dilatation at high levels of compressive load. This research introduces the modified version of the common application orthotropic stress-strain relation developed by Darwin and Pecknold. It is endeavored not …

Brunswick Me: De-Militarizing The Bnas, Anne Holland, Brett Richardson, Richard Barringer

Planning

Closure of the Brunswick Naval Air Station in 2011 will have profound economic impacts on the entire mid-coast Maine region of Maine, with an estimated loss of 6,500 jobs and $330 million annual income. Throughout the Base Realignment and Closure process, Brunswick, the region, and the State of Maine followed federal rules and developed the federally-funded Brunswick Local Redevelopment Authority (BLRA) to plan for reuse of the 3300 acre base. In its planning process, the BLRA adhered to a number of well thought-out Guiding Principles, including the use of extensive public participation and the consideration of “smart growth” principles and …

Storm Water Export Of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, And Carbon From Developing Catchments In The Upper Piedmont Physiographic Province, Laura Reid

All Theses

Impacts on water quality caused by land use change from forests and pastures to housing subdivisions were evaluated in catchments undergoing active development in the upper Piedmont physiographic province of South Carolina. Specific attention was focused on the export of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon from these catchments during storm events. Three catchments with varying stages of development were compared to categorize the effects of land disturbance. Storm events occurring within a four year period of 2004 through 2007 were studied for changes in water quality within catchment streams. Due to the potential large input of surface runoff to streams following …

Operational And Safety Efficiency Of Traffic Signal Installations, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Chris Jones, Nithin Agarwal

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The basic principle of signalization is the provision of a safe and effective means for time and space allocation at an intersection for both vehicular and pedestrian needs. The safety community concurs on the fact that there is the potential for safety improvements after signalization of an intersection, but there is a great disagreement on their magnitude as well as their potential negative operational impacts. This research reviewed the safety and operational efficiency after the installation of traffic signals at several locations throughout Kentucky. The report presented here mainly addresses the operational impacts from signal installation, since the safety aspects …

A Study Of Craft Worker Length Of Employment At Select Missouri Construction Companies, Richard D. Bruce

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Craft worker retention is a constant concern of construction firms who selfperform portions of projects. These companies must maintain an understanding oftheir work force. A methodology is presented in this study for studying information in readily available employee databases to gain such an understanding. Using a sample of 10 of Missouri's 17 largest contractors, that employ 5,277 craft workers; this study examined the employee databases to identify differences in mean length of employment based on hire age, craft, union affiliation, and company size. The analysis of variance statistical technique was utilized to test four null hypotheses. Based on the test …

Traffic Forecasting Report – 2007, David Hamilton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This is the sixth edition of the Traffic Forecasting Report (TFR). This edition of the TFR contains the latest (predominantly 2007) forecasting/modeling data as follows:

• Functional class average traffic volume growth rates and trends
• Vehicle miles traveled statewide total by functional class
• ATR locations, K-factors, and ADTs
• Functional class average K-factors and D-factors
• Functional class average truck volumes, truck percentages, ESAL calculation factors, and vehicle types
• Kentucky Statewide Model Summary
• List of MPO (urbanized) and county-level models
• Socioeconomic data sources for models and summary of MUG (model users group) meetings
• ADT and DHV Count Factors
• Hourly Volume Percentage by Functional …

Access Management Implementation In Kentucky – Technical Support Document And Status Report, Barry House

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report describes the efforts of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Access Management Implementation Task Force. The task force was established in May 2004 and was charged with the responsibility of reviewing and refining the recommendations in the Access Management for Kentucky research study for the purpose of implementing a comprehensive access management program for the state of Kentucky. The Kentucky Transportation Center provided technical and administrative support to the task force. This report provides documentation of the information considered by the task force, the deliberations over that information, and the decisions and recommendations made by the task force. Although a …