Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

The Cost Of Green Infrastructure: Worth The Investment?, Martha Sheils

Green Infrastructure

Is GI worth the investment?

• LID techniques often lead to cost savings when we look at WHOLE PROJECT COSTS

• Natural Infrastructure investments for flood control, drinking water protection and wildlife habitat can yield SIGNIFICANT AVOIDED COSTS and additional co-benefits to communitites

Updating The Kentucky Contract Time Determination System, Timothy R. B. Taylor, Paul M. Goodrum, Michael Brockman, Barry Bishop, Yongwei Shan, Roy E. Sturgill, Kevin Hout

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Federal Highway Administration requires State Transportation Agencies to have a formal method to estimate contract time for highway construction projects. To meet this requirement many states use an integrated scheduling system to estimate project durations based on assumed productivity rates and generic job logic. The current work investigated the accuracy of two of these systems found that both systems accuracy in predicting the duration of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet projects was greater than +200%. In response to this poor accuracy, a parametric project duration estimating tool was developed based on a multivariate regression analysis of bid item quantities and engineering …

Establishing Key Performance Indicators To Measure The Benefit Of Introducing The Facilities Manager At An Early Stage In The Building Information Modelling Process - Presentation, Barry Mcauley

Conference papers

No abstract provided.

Postcyclic Behavior Of Low-Plasticity Silt With Limited Excess Pore Pressures, Shuying Wang, Ronaldo Luna, Junsheng Yang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper investigates the post cyclic behavior of low-plasticity silt with excess pore pressure ratio (Ru) less than 1. The testing specimens were prepared from Mississippi River Valley (MRV) silt. Full and no reconsolidation were allowed after specimens were subjected to various excess pore pressure ratios due to cyclic loading in a cyclic triaxial cell, and then monotonic shear tests were conducted. The effect of the Ru on shear strength and stiffness at small and large deformation was investigated. It was found that a Ru greater than 0.70 is a prerequisite of large increase in volumetric strain and undrained shear …

A Comparison Of Bituminous Coal-Based And Coconut Shell-Based Activated Carbon For Removal Of Trace Hazardous Air Pollutants In Landfill Gas, Annaprabha Athappan, Melanie L. Sattler

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications - Archive

This study explored adsorption as a method of controlling hazardous air pollutant emissions from landfill gas (LFG). In particular, the study compared bituminous coal-based (BPL) and coconut shell-based (OVC) activated carbons as adsorbents for the hazardous landfill gas constituents para-, ortho-, and meta-xylene; ethylbenzene; and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). Experiments were designed to replicate typical field usage conditions, using ambient temperature and relative humidity values, and testing the carbon as is, without pretreatment to remove moisture. BPL and OVC carbons from Calgon Carbon were tested in vials, with initial headspace concentrations ranging from 2130 to 5020 ppmv (86 to 120 …

Assessing The Performance Of A Northern Gulf Of Mexico Tidal Model Using Satellite Imagery, Stephen C. Medeiros, Scott C. Hagen, Naira Chaouch, Jesse Feyen, Marouane Temimi, John F. Weishampel, Yuji Funakoshi, Reza Khanbilvardi

Publications and Research

Tidal harmonic analysis simulations along with simulations spanning four specific historical time periods in 2003 and 2004 were conducted to test the performance of a northern Gulf of Mexico tidal model. A recently developed method for detecting inundated areas based on integrated remotely sensed data (i.e., Radarsat-1, aerial imagery, LiDAR, Landsat 7 ETM+) was applied to assess the performance of the tidal model. The analysis demonstrates the applicability of the method and its agreement with traditional performance assessment techniques such as harmonic resynthesis and water level time series analysis. Based on the flooded/non-flooded coastal areas estimated by the integrated remotely …

Bs News November/December

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Timoshenko Beam Effects In Lateral-Mode Microcantilever-Based Sensors In Liquids, Joshua A. Schultz, Stephen M. Heinrich, Fabien Josse, Nicholas J. Nigro, Isabelle Dufour, Luke A. Beardslee, Oliver Brand

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Recent experimental and analytical research has shown that higher in-fluid quality factors (Q) are achieved by actuating microcantilevers in the lateral flexural mode, especially for microcantilevers having larger width-to-length ratios. However, experimental results show that for these geometries the resonant characteristics predicted by the existing analytical models differ from the measurements. A recently developed analytical model to more accurately predict the resonant behaviour of these devices in viscous fluids is described. The model incorporates viscous fluid effects via a Stokes-type fluid resistance assumption and `Timoshenko beam' effects (shear deformation and rotatory inertia). Unlike predictions based on Euler-Bernoulli beam …

Approximating The Seismic Amplification Effects Experienced By Solar Towers Mounted On The Rooftops Of Low-Rise Industrial Buildings, Peter Luiz Balla

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the acceleration amplification experienced by solar towers mounted on the rooftops of low-rise industrial buildings during a seismic event. Specifically, this thesis looks to assess the validity of using amplification factors adopted by the ASCE 7-05Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures to approximate seismic acceleration amplification for roof-mounted solar towers. To investigate the validity of the ASCE 7-05 amplification factors, this thesis conducts timehistory analyses of three theoretical solar towers mounted on the roof of a case study building. The time history analyses are conducted in the finite element computer modeling program SAP 2000 using …

Educational Campaign For Improving Pedestrian Safety: A University Campus Study, Yu Zhang, Makarand Gawade, Pei-Sung Lin, Trenda Mcpherson

CUTR Faculty Journal Publications

Florida is the state with the highest pedestrian fatality rate per unit population in the U.S. In addition to engineering countermeasures, educational efforts directed to pedestrians and other road users are equally important for improving pedestrian safety. To explore educational formats and identify effective educational methods, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) sponsored a pilot program called “Bulls Walk and Bike Week Campaign” on the Tampa campus of the University of South Florida (USF). A before-and-after comparison study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of this campaign. In the study, observational surveys and a questionnaire survey were conducted to compare …

Creating Interactive Facilities Management Capabilities Through Building Information Modelling As A Tool For Managing The Irish Public Sector Estates - Presentation, Barry Mcauley

Conference papers

No abstract provided.

Soil Mercury And Its Response To Atmospheric Mercury Deposition Across The Northeastern United States, Xue Yu, Charles T. Driscoll, Richard A. F. Warby, Mario Montesdeoca, Chris E. Johnson

Civil and Environmental Engineering - All Scholarship

Terrestrial soil is a large reservoir of atmospherically deposited mercury (Hg). However, few studies have evaluated the accumulation of Hg in terrestrial ecosystems in the northeastern United States, a region which is sensitive to atmospheric Hg deposition. We characterized Hg and organic matter in soil profiles from 139 sampling sites for five subregions across the northeastern United States and estimated atmospheric Hg deposition to these sites by combining numerical modeling with experimental data from the literature. We did not observe any significant relationships between current net atmospheric Hg deposition and soil Hg concentrations or pools, even though soils are a …

Global Change Factors On Ecosystem Invasibility, Raj Lal, Jeffrey Dukes, Michael J. Schuster, Nick G. Smith

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Current climate and human-induced changes are projected to alter many regimes of ecosystem functioning. It is projected that invasive species, nonnative species that can be of great detriment to an ecosystem, will benefit under these conditions. The Prairie Invasion and Climate Experiment (PRICLE) studies the effects of two global change factors – N addition and altered precipitation – on invasive species success and the traits that are selected for in a mixed-grass prairie ecosystem. PRICLE is a two by two factorial design over three replications in a restored mixed-grass prairie ecosystem. The major findings from the community traits examination of …

Improving Data Quality For A Dairy Pollutant Emissions Study, Ian K. Hahus, Albert J. Heber

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS) was sanctioned by the EPA to determine the characteristics of airborne pollutant emissions from confined broiler, egg, pork, and dairy housing. Fifteen representative monitoring sites were selected around the U.S., at which influent and effluent pollutant concentrations were measured in conjunction with airflow and climatic data. Due to the monumental nature of this study and the potential ramifications of its findings, it is of vital importance that the data collected by the researchers and utilized by the EPA be as complete and accurate as possible. To improve the validity of the data collected …

Crystalline Cellulose – Atomistic Modeling Toolkit, Mateo Gomez, Pablo Zavattieri Dr.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Nature has created efficient strategies to make materials with hierarchical internal structure that often exhibit exceptional mechanical properties. One such example is found in cellulose, in fact it is eight times stronger than stainless steel and advantage is that cellulose incredibly cheap, because processing is obtained from purified wood pulp (it is environmental friendly). The most prevalent modeling technique to study the fundamental mechanical behavior of the crystalline cellulose has been Molecular Dynamics (MD). As a predictive tool, MD allows us to study the behavior of crystalline cellulose at the atomic level, and as such, it accurately predicts the crystalline …

Absorption Simulation ( Absim ) Software Development, Vipul Vishnu Bhat, Ming Qu

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Researchers working on air conditioning systems currently use a software called ABSIM ( Absorption Simulation ) to evaluate current absorption systems or simulate new system designs. ABSIM was developed at Oak Ridge National Labs in the 1980s and the latest platform it is compatible with is Windows XP. ABSIM is not compatible on newer platforms and is not very user friendly. A lot of the actions involved in using ABSIM aren’t very intuitive. The goal is to develop a more user friendly simulation program that is based off of ABSIM and see to it that the program can be deployed …

Semi-Active Structural Control Of A 2-Story Shear Building, Alana K. Wilbee, Shirley Dyke

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

With continuing urban development across the world, it is becoming ever more important to provide increased structural safety against events such as earthquakes and strong winds. The field of structural control has recently been growing to meet these challenges through the use of semi-active control methods, such as the Magnetorheological (MR) Damper. However, due to the non-linearity of the device, the knowledge base surrounding the MR Damper and its various control algorithms still needs to be strengthened before large-scale implementation of this control method can occur. To address these issues, this study will examine a two story benchmark structure using …

Compression Testing And Failure Modes Of Steel-Concrete Composite (Sc) Structures For Nuclear Containment, Patrick Michael Wanamaker, Amit H. Varma

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Although being able to provide much cleaner power than burning coal and other fossil fuels, nuclear power plants are still a tough sell to the general public due to their history of being spontaneously dangerous. The containment structures surrounding these nuclear plants, however, can play a huge role in reducing the risks associated with them. Relatively new designs for these containment assemblies, known as SC (steel-concrete composite) structures, aim to increase the strength and durability of the containment facilities while keeping costs down. By varying the spacing between shear studs, the ratio of concrete to steel, and the ratio of …

Modeling Target Disinfection By-Product Dynamics In Indoor Swimming Pools, Barnard S. Mondal, Cary Troy, Mehrnaz Afifi, Shih-Chi Weng, Ernest R. Blatchley Iii

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Chlorination is the primary disinfection method for swimming pools in the United States; however, chlorine also reacts with pollutants (e.g., sweat, urine and anthropogenic compounds) to form disinfection by-products (DBPs). Some DBPs are asthma causing (e.g. nitrogen-trichloride) and even carcinogens (e.g., trihalomethanes and nitrosamines). Consequently, exposure to DBPs poses health risks to patrons and staff in pool environments. Furthermore, volatilization of DBPs is enhanced by bather activity, but the relationship between activity and volatilization has yet been quantified such that the dynamic behavior of DBPs can be predicted. Therefore, the objective of this research is to …

Real-Time-Hybrid-Simulation Of Multi-Degree-Of-Freedom Systems With Multiple Time Steps, Lanxi Liu, Arun Prakash

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Computational simulation and physical experiments are both widely used in testing the response of a structure under earthquake loadings, but physical experiments can be expensive for large problems and numerical may result in the loss of important structural behavior caused by a large amount of assumptions. Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) is a combination of these two approaches, which uses both a numerical and physical substructures that interact in real time to simulate structural behavior. The numerical and physical substructures are connected using a transfer system that enforces compatibility between them. The physical substructure needs to be run at a very …

Insights Into The Effect Of Geometrical Parameters In The Mechanical Properties Of The Radular Teeth Of The Cryptochiton Stelleri – A 3d Print Approach, Chan Jeong, Enrique Escobar, Pablo Zavattieri Dr.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The Cryptochiton Stelleri is known to have ultra-hard radular teeth that have one of the largest hardness (9-12GPa) and stiffness (90-125GPa) among other biological materials such as Enamel and Abalone shell. The ultrastructure of the teeth is formed by a bundle of highly mineralized rods composed of iron oxides and organic material. The main method to measure the material properties has been through nanoindentation. However there are limitations to nanoindentation of the Chiton’s teeth such as limited equipment, costly and time consuming preparation of the samples, and observation of nanoscale features being difficult. In this work, the rod-like microstructure of …

Deep-Water Near-Bottom Turbulence In Lake Michigan: An Underwater Investigation, David J. Cannon, Cary Troy

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Motivated by a need to characterize near-bottom deep-water turbulence for an understanding of the filtration capabilities of invasive quagga mussels, an instrument tripod was deployed in Lake Michigan for six months in 60m of water to measure current velocities, with specific interest being paid to near-bottom (0.10 to 0.95 meters above bottom) velocities during the deployment. The deployment period (September 2012-April 2013) was characterized by very little stratification and a median temperature of about throughout the water column. A mean horizontal velocity of 3.6 cm/s with a standard deviation of 2 cm/s was also measured at 1 meter above the …

Environmental Monitoring In Preparation For The Installation Of A Green Roof, Andrew N. Martin, Ming Qu

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Green roofs are becoming an increasingly popular way to improve the environmental, economic, and aesthetic performance of both new and existing buildings. Along with the green roofs themselves, it is also common to install sensors to measure various environmental parameters that are affected by or important to the operation of the roof such as precipitation, temperature, and runoff. However, for most of these systems, the sensors are installed at the same time or even after the green roof. Therefore, no before-and-after comparisons can be made for those roofs. To account for this missing data, monitoring equipment was installed on a …

Recursive Multi-Time-Step Coupling Of Multiple Subdomains, Yukun An, Payton Lindsay, Xiaowo Wang, Arun Prakash

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The need for efficient computation methods for modeling of large-scale structures has become critically important over the past few years. Efficient means of analysis often involve coupling in space through domain decomposition and multi scale methods in time. The multi-time-step coupling method is a coupling method in time which allows for efficient analysis of large-scale problems for structural dynamics where a large structural model is decomposed into smaller subdomains that are solved independently and then coupled back together to obtain the global solution. For coupling of more than two subdomains that are solved at different timesteps, we employ recursive methods. …

Estimation Of Two-Stage Ditch Excavation Volume Using Lidar Data Full Paper, Kirsten E. Paff, Jane Frankenberger, Naime Celik

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Drainage ditches are a major pathway for sediment, nutrients, and pesticides to enter stream systems, which threaten environmental and human health. Unlike trapezoidal ditches, two-stage ditches have a vegetated bench that acts as a floodplain, which helps to prevent erosion and to increase the processing of nutrients to improve water quality. Converting a trapezoidal ditch to a two-stage ditch is expensive, due to the large volumes of soil that need to be excavated. Since ditch geometries vary significantly and surveying each potential site by hand would be time consuming and expensive, a tool based upon online Light Detection and Ranging …

Workforce Assessment Of The Inland Waterways Industry: A Survey Of Current And Future Training And Personnel Needs, Lenahan O'Connell, Timothy J. Brock

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report describes the findings of a preliminary review of the workforce needs of the inland waterways industry, which currently confronts a human resources crisis and must recruit more people who can work their way up to the skilled positions on towboats. The looming surge in retirements will present a significant hurdle—especially as its large cohort of baby boom river pilots and captains reach retirement age. The industry will need to recruit, train, and retain competent personnel for a very demanding and important set of jobs. While many people can handle the tasks of a deckhand, only a minority will …

Civil Engineering And Construction News, Georgia Southern University

Civil Engineering & Construction: News & Publications (2011-2022)

• Dr. Junan Shen Presenting at the First International Recycled Rubber Products Technology Conference
• New Faculty Being Recognized

The Integration Of Small Diameter Isotrussô Structures To A Bicycle Frame, Rodney B. Boynton, Dr. David W. Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In order to fully explore the capabilities of the IsoTrussÔ Structure in a light weight application it was decided to replace not only the main tubes of a bicycle frame, but the rear tubing as well. Several of the initially proposed steps to this process have been completed and show good sign of meeting the performance requirements necessary of a high end, light weight mountain bike frame.

The Graftsweep Tool: A Multi-Axis Multi-Sweep Tool For Creating An All-Hexahedral Finite Element Mesh, Matthew Earp, Dr. Stephen E. Benzley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a method of performing mathematical analysis on complex geometry used extensively by both scientists and engineers. An important step in performing the analysis is the mesh generation process. This is the process of dividing a volume into small individual elements (finite elements). Currently there are two common shapes for these elements: tetrahedrons and hexahedrons. Due to the fact that tetrahedrons are a much simpler geometric shape, many robust tetrahedral meshing algorithms have been produced and find a wide range of uses. For solid modeling problems however, hexahedrons are the element of choice. Unfortunately there has …

Conditional Spectrum-Based Ground Motion Selection. Part Ii: Intensity-Based Assessments And Evaluation Of Alternative Target Spectra, Ting Lin, Curt B. Haselton, Jack W. Baker

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

In a companion paper, an overview and problem definition was presented for ground motion selection on the basis of the conditional spectrum (CS), to perform risk-based assessments (which estimate the annual rate of exceeding a specified structural response amplitude) for a 20-story reinforced concrete frame structure. Here, the methodology is repeated for intensity-based assessments (which estimate structural response for ground motions with a specified intensity level) to determine the effect of conditioning period. Additionally, intensity-based and risk-based assessments are evaluated for two other possible target spectra, specifically the uniform hazard spectrum (UHS) and the conditional mean spectrum (CMS, without variability).It …