Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Corrosion Evaluation And Durability Estimation Of Aluminized Steel Drainage Pipes, Mersedeh Akhoondan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aluminized steel pipes are expected to have a long service life, e.g. 75 years. Spiral ribbed aluminized pipes (SRAP) have been widely specified and used by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for drainage of runoff water. Confidence in the long term durability of SRAP has been challenged by recent unexpected early corrosion failures in various Florida locations. SRAP premature corrosion incidents have occurred in two modalities. Mode A has taken place in near-neutral soil environments and has often been associated with either gross manufacturing defects (i.e. helical cuts) or corrosion concentration at or near the ribs. Mode B took …

Optimization Of An Advanced Water Treatment Plant: Bromate Control And Biofiltration Improvement, Dustin William Bales

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The David L. Tippin Water Treatment Facility (DLTWTF) serving the city of Tampa, Florida is an advanced drinking water treatment facility consisting of coagulation/flocculation, ozonation, granular activated carbon biofiltration, and disinfection by chloramine. New regulations and the recent economic crisis pushed the facility to investigate methods to decrease costs and meet regulatory requirements easier.

The two major issues identified as priorities for investigation were the optimization of the biofiltration system and the use of a novel process to reduce the formation of bromate during ozonation.

Optimization of the biofiltration system is needed to remove more of the assorted particles that …

Aggregation Of Sediment And Bacteria With Mucilage From The Opuntia Ficus-Indica Cactus, Audrey Lynn Buttice

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Flocculants are commonly used in industrial settings where solid-liquid separations are desired including industrial and municipal wastewater management and potable water production facilities. Conventional flocculants include inorganic metal salts and synthetic organic polymers. The cost, availability, and harmful effects of the non-biodegradable nature of these flocculants have led to the widespread study of natural flocculants. Current natural flocculants being studied include polysaccharides cultivated from microbial extracellular matrix products and plant based materials. In this study, the mucilage of Opuntia ficus-indica cactus was evaluated as a natural flocculant for sediments and bacteria. The O. ficus-indica cactus is also known as the …

Precipitation Of Phosphate Minerals From Effluent Of Anaerobically Digested Swine Manure, Alex Y. Lin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Swine production represents approximately 40% of the world's meat production, and its wastes contain high concentrations of organic carbon, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P). Anaerobic digestion is an increasingly popular technology for treating animal wastes while simultaneously generating energy. Its propagation and ability to solubilize organic N and P make adding a struvite recovery process attractive. Recovering struvite (MgNH4PO4) from anaerobically digested swine waste can address global P shortages, meet P discharge guidelines, and produce slow-release fertilizer, which can be sold for revenue.

Anaerobic digesters were operated with at organic loading rates of 3.4-3.9 g volatile solids per liter per …

Numerical Simulation Of Sliding Friction And Wet Traction Force On A Smooth Tire Sliding On A Random Rough Pavement, Janaka Vishwanath Kosgolla

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Availability of analytical and numerical tools that can provide reliable and accurate estimates of wet frictional resistance in different pavements would preclude the need for time consuming field tests. Therefore, many research efforts have been made to develop such tire-pavement friction predictive tools that are invaluable for friction management programs. However, due to the complexity of the problem, most existing tools have been developed based on several simplifying assumptions and without field verification of their predictions. The current study is focused on the evaluation of two specific prediction methods that can be used to predict friction on a smooth tire …

Development And Application Of Its Operations Evaluation Models (Itsoems), Gummadavelly Narasimha Murthy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) play an important role in supporting motorists and first responders to handle major incidents, hazmat spills, security measures and other emergency operations. Increasingly, technology advancements and applications are providing invaluable integration opportunities to interconnect safety, maintenance, ITS, traffic operations, facilities, and transportation equipment programs to maximize available resources and achieve efficiency in transportation operations.

This research focuses on one of the prominent ITS devices: Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) operations. Using real time incident management operations data and ITS operations data, an attempt is made to develop ITS Operations Evaluations Models (ITSOEMs) that are capable of quantifying …

Water's Dependence On Energy: Analysis Of Embodied Energy In Water And Wastewater Systems, Weiwei Mo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water and wastewater treatment is a critical service provided for protecting human health and the environment. Over the past decade, increasing attention has been placed on energy consumption in water and wastewater systems for the following reasons: (1) Water and energy are two interrelated resources. The nexus between water and energy can intensify the crises of fresh water and fossil fuel shortages; (2) The demand of water/wastewater treatment services is expected to continue to increase with increasing population, economic development and land use change in the foreseeable future; and (3) There is a great potential to mitigate energy use in …

Assessing The Reuse Potential Of Wastewater For Irrigation: The Removal Of Helminth Eggs From A Uasb Reactor And Stabilization Ponds In Bolivia, Matthew Eric Verbyla

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Extreme hunger, malnutrition, and the lack of access to sanitation are among the most pressing development challenges, but the world is not on track to meet the targets that have been established by the Millennium Development Goals. The integration of wastewater treatment and food production systems allows for the recovery of resources from wastewater, and can provide an important solution to meet the sanitation needs of growing urban populations and provide periurban farmers with a consistent supply of water and nutrients. Stabilization ponds have been long considered to be an appropriate technology for wastewater reuse systems in developing countries, but …

An Empirical Study Of Particulate Matter Exposure For Transit Users At Bus Stop Shelters, Adam Moore

Dissertations and Theses

Congested traffic corridors in dense urban areas are key contributors to the degradation of urban air quality. While waiting at bus stops, transit patrons may be exposed to greater amounts of vehicle-based pollution, including particulate matter, due to their proximity to the roadway. Current guidelines for the location and design of bus stops do not take into account air quality or exposure considerations. This thesis provides a unique contribution to roadside air quality studies and presents an innovative method for the consideration of bus shelter placement. Exposure to roadside pollutants is estimated for transit riders waiting at three-sided bus stop …

Bacterial Dehalogenation Of Mixtures Of 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,2-Dichloropropane, And 1,1,2-Trichloroethane By Dehalogenimonas, Jacob Laddye Dillehay

LSU Master's Theses

The goal of the research presented here was to assess the ability of two bacterial strains, Dehalogenimonas lykanthroporepellens BL-DC-9T and Dehalogenimonas strain IP3-3, to reductively dehalogenate four contaminant mixtures comprised of combinations of the chlorinated solvents 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA), 1,2-dichloropropane (1,2-DCP), and 1,1,2-trichloroethane (1,1,2-TCA). Both of these bacteria were first isolated from contaminated groundwater at the PetroProcessors of Louisiana, Inc. Superfund site located near Baton Rouge, LA and are of interest because of their novel abilities to transform halogenated alkanes. In previous work (Yan et al., 2009, Bowman et al., 2012), it was demonstrated that both strain IP3-3 and D. lykanthroporepellens …

Numerical Study Of Laterally Loaded Batter Pile Groups With The Application Of Anisotropic Modified Cam-Clay Model, Yida Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

This study presents a series of numerical studies of laterally loaded batter pile groups based on data of the full-scale lateral load test on M19 eastbound pier foundation of the new I-10 Twin Span Bridge, Louisiana. The numerical studies include several continuum-based 3D finite element analyses on batter/vertical pile/pile groups and a FB-MultiPier analysis of the pile foundation. The Anisotropic Modified Cam Clay Model, has been implemented into UMAT and applied for describing clay behavior in all FE models. The explicit substepping scheme with modified Euler algorithm is selected to implement the model in ABAQUS software. The resultant UMAT shows …

Frp Stiffener Efficiency Coefficient For Sbs Shear Strengthening Applications, Hamed Babaizadehroshanfekr

LSU Master's Theses

The use of composite materials such as Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) to strengthen concrete structures has surged during the past two decades as an alternative for conventional methods of structural strengthening and repair. FRP materials are light and relatively easy to install. They are noncorrosive, durable and less vulnerable to environmental conditions in comparison to other construction and retrofitting materials. The knowledge and applications of composites for strengthening steel structures are relatively smaller when compared to concrete strengthening applications. Strengthening-By-Stiffening (SBS) is a new strengthening alternative that was developed at Louisiana State University. SBS has proven to be a practical …

The Effects Of Lean Intervention (5s) On Perceived Musculoskeletal Workload And Perceived Hazardous Working Conditions In A Health Center Pharmacy, Jastinder Singh Dhindsa

LSU Master's Theses

The healthcare industry involves a significant level of health and safety risks in various work processes, and healthcare professionals are at risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders and other health problems. In recent years, Lean has been introduced in healthcare with the goal of eliminating waste and improving efficiency. Lean is also believed to affect the health and safety of workers. The present research studies the effects of Lean (5S) implementation in an acute care pharmacy of a health center. A version of the Dutch Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (DMQ) was used to record the perceived musculoskeletal workload and perceived hazardous working conditions. …

Optimal Production And Delivery Scheduling Models For A Supply Chain System Of Deteriorating Items, Bingqing Wu

LSU Master's Theses

The market is varying from minute to minute nowadays. Increase cooperation and pursue the optimal interest of the integrated supply chain become a more effective way than act alone in the competition. In this research, an integrated inventory policy between singleproducer and multi-buyer is developed and two inventory models are built. The first model extends the research of Lin and Lin (2007) by changing the single-buyer system to the multibuyers one. Both backorder of buyers and deteriorating items of each party (producer’s level, buyers’ level, and during transport) are considered herein. The second model is based on the research of …

Determining The Performance Of Breakwaters During High Energy Events: A Case Study Of The Holly Beach Breakwater System, Andrew Keane Woodroof

LSU Master's Theses

Breakwaters have been constructed in many areas along Louisiana’s coastline to protect the shoreline from wave energy and erosion. During normal conditions, these breakwaters can typically be analyzed using traditional empirical methods for emergent breakwaters. However, Louisiana’s coastline is under constant threat from tropical storms and hurricanes, during which breakwaters can frequently become overtopped or submerged systems. Recent studies show that the type of shoreline response to a breakwater system may vary depending on the crest height of the breakwater in relation to the mean water level. Though emergent breakwaters typically induce sediment accretion along the shoreline, studies using laboratory …

The Use Of A Mixed Chlorella Cyanobacteria Culture As A Protein Source For Aquaculture, Marjan Sadat Mohtashamian

LSU Master's Theses

The increase in the global demand for fish feed in the last decades has resulted in the over exploitation of natural resources to produce more fishmeal supplies for aquaculture industry. The supply issues and high prices of fishmeal products have raised the incentives to seek for suitable alternatives to replace fishmeal protein. As a by-product of biofuel production process, residual microalgal biomass may be a low cost feed ingredient to the aquaculture diet. The potential of the use of a post lipid extraction Chlorella vulgaris/Leptolyngbya sp. Co-Culture (Louisiana co-culture) as a protein source in aquaculture feeds could help offset fishmeal. …

Factors Controlling Macondo Oil Biodegraqdation On A Rapidly Eroding Coastal Headlands Beach, Marilany G. Urbano

LSU Master's Theses

Fourchon Beach, located along the southeast Louisiana coast, was affected by the oil leaking from the British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon Oil rig explosion in 2010. The oil, labeled MC252 oil, came ashore in a stable emulsion form, contaminating the sand, salt pan, marsh and mangroves along the beach. A unique oil form, labeled SSRB (small surface residue ball) was formed from the MC252 oil and a combination of environmental factors. The SSRB is an aggregate of sand and emulsified oil, and forms a large portion of the oil still present on the supratidal zone of Fourchon Beach. SSRBs have not …

The Simulation Of Material Types In A Western Australian Iron Deposit, Jacqueline Ferreira

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Geostatistical methods are currently used by mining companies to determine a resource model of the tonnage and head grade that may be obtained from a potential orebody, making it one of the first and most vital operational stages in any mining project. Currently long term mine planning is based on the estimated head grades model, which provides vital information on the quality of the ore. The risks associated with mining a particular ore may be reduced if geometallurgical information, such as material types, is incorporated into the operational flow model. Material type proportions are obtained from evaluated reverse circulation (RC) …

Behavior Of Advanced Innovative Materials For Improved Long-Term Bridge Performance, Wei Zheng

Doctoral Dissertations

"The dissertation is to present the investigation results and comprehensive understanding of the long-term performance and behavior of innovative construction materials. The materials are applied in bridge engineering in order to either enhance the conventional materials or replace them. The dissertation consists of two major parts: structural steel coatings for corrosion mitigation and thermal behavior of concrete bridge.

In First Part, evaluation of advanced structural steel coatings was carried out through laboratory weathering tests (salt-fog resistance test and QUV weathering test), adhesion test, and electrochemical techniques. Fifteen coating systems were evaluated in this part, which covered both coating and recoating …

Discrete Fiber-Reinforced Polyurea Systems For Infrastructure Strengthening And Blast Mitigation, Natalia L. Carey

Doctoral Dissertations

"The research presented in this dissertation focused on evaluating the effectiveness of various blast mitigation materials and coating technologies to be used for enhancing blast resistance of structural members. Mechanical properties and blast mitigation performance of different discrete fiber-reinforced polyurea (DFRP) systems were investigated through experimental and analytical work. Four technical papers discuss the research efforts conducted within this dissertation.

The first paper examined the development and characterization of different DFRP systems for infrastructure strengthening and blast retrofit. The behavior of various systems which consisted of chopped E-glass fibers discretely integrated in with the polyurea matrix was evaluated through coupon …

Global And Local Performance Of Prestressed Girder Bridges With Positive Moment Continuity Detail, Tanvir Hossain

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Global as well as local behavior of prestressed girder bridges made continuous by adding continuity diaphragms with a recently proposed positive moment continuity detail were investigated in this study. The focus of the investigation is on the positive moment caused by temperature gradients, time dependent effects such as creep and shrinkage, and some live load positions, and on the force transfer mechanisms through the diaphragm. The study utilized different approaches including analytical models for temperature evaluations and finite element models for structural assessments. Field data from a bridge using the new detail were used to validate the developed models. The …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Geopolymers For Infrastructural Applications, Jian He

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, the synthesis process, composition, and microstructure as well as mechanical properties of geopolymers generated by 3 different kinds of raw materials (i.e., metakaolin, mixture of red mud and fly ash, mixture of red mud and rice husk ash) was explored. For geopolymers from identical raw materials, variable parameters involved in the synthesis were examined to investigate the extent and degree of geopolymerization. Uniaxial compression testing was used to examine the mechanical properties (i.e. compressive strength, stiffness, and failure strain). Then the composition and microstructure were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well …

Continuum And Crystal Strain Gradient Plasticity With Energetic And Dissipative Length Scales, Danial Faghihi Shahrestani

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This work, standing as an attempt to understand and mathematically model the small scale materials thermal and mechanical responses by the aid of Materials Science fundamentals, Continuum Solid Mechanics, Misro-scale experimental observations, and Numerical methods. Since conventional continuum plasticity and heat transfer theories, based on the local thermodynamic equilibrium, do not account for the microstructural characteristics of materials, they cannot be used to adequately address the observed mechanical and thermal response of the micro-scale metallic structures. Some of these cases, which are considered in this dissertation, include the dependency of thin films strength on the width of the sample and …

Dynamic Route Choice In Hurricane Evacuation, Meisam Akbarzadeh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this research a framework is developed for modeling route choice in hurricane evacuation. Two behavioral hypotheses are evaluated which together with the route choice model, constitute the contributions of the research. The first hypothesis states that beside congestion, other variables such as familiarity with the route, availability of fuel and shelter, facility class, and length of route have an effect on an evacuees' route choice. The second hypothesis states that as time passes and storm conditions change, the impact each variable has on route choice changes. The logit structure was used for modeling the choice process and stated choice …

Blast And Impact Resistance Of "Long" Carbon Fiber Reinforced Concrete, Darwin Ishmael Keener

Masters Theses

"Traditional reinforced concrete is one of the most commonly used materials for protective structures. However, conventional reinforced concrete (RC) is susceptible to significant spalling (small to medium sized chunks of concrete detaching from the original member) during blast events. The force of the blast turns spalled concrete into projectiles, resulting in secondary fragmentation. Furthermore, the concrete debris makes for difficult and uncertain footing. Both phenomena endanger personnel and complicate post-blast recovery efforts. Changes need to be made to conventional reinforced concrete structures to improve their blast and impact survivability and fragmentation resistance in order to protect personnel and facilitate post-blast …

Development Of Hydrograph-Based Approach To Modeling Fate And Transport Of Sediment-Borne Bacteria In Lowland Rivers, Bhuban Ghimire

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Fecal pollution is one of the major factors responsible for water quality impairments of rivers and streams, particularly organic-rich fine-grained lowland streams. While predicting fecal pollution is generally required in the development of water quality restoration plans like Total Maximum Daily Loads, no single model has been widely recognized as an efficient and effective tool for estimating fecal pollution. This dissertation develops a simple yet effective modeling approach, called Hydrograph-based Approach, to bacterial fate and transport modeling in lowland rivers. The new hydrograph-based approach is simple and efficient in terms of its less data requirements as compared with other models. …

Thermal Field Investigations And Applications To Integral Abutment Bridges With Frp Panels, Bo Kong

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Expansion joints are often considered as one of the most vulnerable elements affecting the sustainability of traditional jointed bridges. Over the past several decades, a new type of integral abutment bridge (IAB) has been proposed, where the joints are eliminated at the abutments and/or along the length of the bridges. Although with wide acceptances, the IABs have not been largely applied in practice. Many arguments are unsettled and there are no national design guidelines currently. Among all, the thermal behavior is one of the most concerned issues, and that, to a large extent, limits the maximum length of IABs that …

Thermal Stress Analysis Of Jointed Plain Concrete Pavements Containing Fly Ash And Slag, Yoonseok Chung

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With the current demand for Portland cement concrete (PCC) sustainability, supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are used in concrete mixtures. The SCMs positively impact the environmental and economic aspects of concrete mixtures and improve the mixture properties in both fresh and hardened concrete. In this research, one control and twenty-four ternary mixtures, with various combinations of fly ashes (Class C and F), slags (Grade 100 and 120), and Portland cement were fabricated. The thermal properties (coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), thermal conductivity, and heat capacity) and mechanical properties of the selected ternary mixtures were measured at various ages. Temperature gradients were …

In Planta Solid Phase Sampling Devices Used In Delineating Groundwater Contaminant Plumes, Mikhil Kishore Shetty

Masters Theses

"The widespread and indiscriminate use of chlorinated volatile organic compounds as cleaning agents at dry - cleaning facilities, as metal degreasers and solvents in extraction and removal operations has been well documented in the past resulting in releases, while contaminating soil and groundwater. Current techniques to assess chlorinated solvents such as tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) in the subsurface have been time and cost intensive and more importantly invasive to the surrounding environment. New methods use trees as sources of information to access contaminant plume size and plume delineation. The major goal of these research studies has been to save …

Field Investigation Of Wave And Surge Attenuation In Salt Marsh Vegetation And Wave Climate In A Shallow Estuary, Ranjit S. Jadhav

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research investigates and quantifies the effectiveness of salt marsh vegetation in reducing storm-induced waves and surge, and the potential for wetland erosion due to wave action, using field measurements on the Louisiana coast. To quantify wave attenuation and wave energy dissipation by vegetation (Spartina alterniflora), wave data were measured along a transect using pressure transducers during two tropical storms. Measurements showed that incident waves attenuated exponentially over the vegetation. The linear spatial wave height reduction rate increased from 1.5% to 4% /m as incident wave height decreased. The bulk drag coefficient estimated from the field measurements decreased with increasing …