Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Variability Of Extreme Precipitation In Coastal River Basins Of The Southern Mexican Pacific Region, Nancy Perez-Morga, Thomas Kretzschmar, Tereza Cavazos, Stephen V. Smith, Francisco Munoz-Arriola

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Extreme wet and dry years (± 1 standard deviation, respectively), as well as the top 95 percentile (P95) of daily precipitation events, derived from tropical cyclone (TC) and nontropical cyclone (NTC) rainfall, were analyzed in coastal river basins in Southern Oaxaca, Mexico (Río Verde, Río Tehuantepec, and the Southern Coast). The study is based on daily precipitation records from 47 quality-controlled stations for the 1961 to 1990 period and TC data for the Eastern Tropical Pacific (EPAC). The aim of this study was to evaluate extreme (dry and wet) trends in the annual contribution of daily P95 precipitation events and …

A Note On The Occurrence Of Yttrium And Rare Earth Elements In Coal Combustion Products, James C. Hower, Shifeng Dai, Vladimir V. Seredin, Lei Zhao, Irena J. Kostova, Luis F.O. Silva, Sarah M. Mardon, Gulbin Gurdal

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

There is an international need for a variety of lanthanide elements (rare earth elements, or REEs) in modern electronic and related components. This has led to a desire to broaden production from both previously productive locations and to expand production to new sources, possibly including coal-derived fly ash. The concentration of lanthanides in coal-combustion fly ash depends on a number of factors, one of the most important being the concentration of the elements in the feed coal. Unlike some elements, such as Zn and As, the REE concentration is largely not a function of element volatility. In this study, we …

Fouling Intensity Of Three Indian Coals, S. Balakrishnan, R. Nagarajan

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Ash particles can arrive at heat-transfer surfaces either in solid (solidified) state or in molten state, depending on the factors such as location inside the boiler, temperature, and residence time. In this study, arrival of ash particles in solid state, which can occur in the convective section of the boiler, was considered. Apart from the inertial force that drives particles .10 mmto the surface, the low-melting inorganic alkali vapors play a vital role in deposit formation by promoting sticking. Chemical equilibrium calculations were performed to calculate the equilibrium composition of flue gas, as well as the amount of condensable inorganic …

Reliability-Based Fatigue Assessment Of Mast-Arm Sign Support Structures, Joseph A. Diekfuss

Dissertations (1934 -)

Over the past few decades, there have been issues of poor fatigue performance (the main failure mechanism) of the welded, tube-to-transverse plate connections within sign support structures. Review of the literature has indicated that a considerable amount of research has been devoted to identifying the structural response characteristics of these signs. Others have tried to identify how these connections may be repaired, retrofitted or simply better designed to sustain longer fatigue lives. However, little attention has been given to using a systematic reliability-based approach to assess the risk of fatigue-induced fracture in these structures.

Using a reliability-based approach to solve …

A Comparative Evaluation Of Fdsa,Ga, And Sa Non-Linear Programming Algorithms And Development Of System-Optimal Methodology For Dynamic Pricing On I-95 Express, Don Graham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As urban population across the globe increases, the demand for adequate transportation grows. Several strategies have been suggested as a solution to the congestion which results from this high demand outpacing the existing supply of transportation facilities. High –Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes have become increasingly more popular as a feature on today’s highway system. The I-95 Express HOT lane in Miami Florida, which is currently being expanded from a single Phase (Phase I) into two Phases, is one such HOT facility. With the growing abundance of such facilities comes the need for indepth study of demand patterns and development of …

Swcc And Clay Mineralogy Based Models For Realistic Simulation Of Swell Behavior Of Expansive Soils, Aravind Pedarla

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Predicting the volume change behavior of expansive soils has been a major challenge to the engineers in the past few years, due to the intricate couple effects caused by different soil composition parameters toward swelling. Hence, the behavior of an expansive soil is better understood with its inherent composition parameters. For this research, eight natural expansive clays have been sampled from different active swell zones across The United States. Basic soil classification was performed on these soil to identify the high plasticity and low plasticity clays. The swell behavior of these clays are studied using different testing methods and initial …

Non-Linear Finite Element-Based Material Constitutive Law For Zero Slump Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Pipe Structures, Alena Mikhaylova

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This study presents a comprehensive investigation of performance and behavior of steel-fiber reinforced concrete pipes (SFRCP). The main goal of this study is to develop the material constitutive model for steel fiber reinforced concrete used in dry-cast application. To accomplish this goal a range of pipe sizes varying from 15 in. (400 mm) to 48 in. (1200 mm) in diameter and fiber content of 0.17%, 0.25%, 0.33%, 0.5%, 0.67% and 83% by volume were produced. The pipes were tested in three-edge bearing condition to obtain the load-deformation response and overall performance of the pipe. The pipes were also subjected to …

Motor Carrier Tax Consolidation Study, Andrew Martin, Mark Bell, Jennifer Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This study analyzed the tax and fee structure for Kentucky motor carriers and details a possible policy scenario for eliminating the weight-distance tax. The report starts out analyzing detailed revenue and rate information for the motor fuel tax, motor fuel surtax, weight distance tax, IRP registration fees, and intrastate registration fees. Consolidation policies in Idaho and Ohio were reviewed, as well as a previous consolidation proposal in Kentucky. A new consolidation framework was developed, where IRP and intrastate plate fees were increased by 129 percent and the weight-distance tax was eliminated. Projections for weight-distance tax and IRP fees (both current …

The Behaviour Of Connections In Segmental Precast Concrete Pile Systems, Evan Causer

Theses

Driven precast concrete segmental piles are a popular foundation solution. Segmental pile systems incorporate connections into the pile, therefore it is important to be confident that the strength of the pile joints is comparable to that of the pile cross-section.

The primary objective of the research was to examine the behaviour of connections in segmental precast concrete pile systems. This was achieved by undertaking a literature review, laboratory testing and Finite Element Analysis (FEA).

The uses of segmental concrete pile systems are described and a review of the available pile joints is given. A review of the relevant design codes …

An Investigation Of Transverse Load Distribution In Masonry Arch Bridges, Helen Dunne

Theses

Masonry arch bridges comprise a significant proportion of the bridge stock both nationally and internationally. They have proven to be enduring structures, far surpassing their design lives and with relatively low life-cycle costs, are environmentally friendly (Sustainable Bridges, 2007).

New masonry arch bridges are not generally constructed. However, their ageing materials paired with ever increasing traffic loads have led to the necessity for their periodic re-assessment. Masonry arch bridge design was predominantly by rule of thumb and their re-assessment has been subject to a number of simplified assumptions. One such simplification, the bridge “effective width” is studied in this thesis. …

An Investigation Into The Potential Of Increasing The Span Of Solid Slab Deck Bridges, Eamonn Kiernan

Theses

Solid slab deck bridges are a common type of structure employed for short to medium span bridges. They may be of rapid build nature if they are made up of prestressed precast sections with concrete infill deck.

The aim of this research was to investigate the potential to increase the span of solid slab deck bridges by the employment of high strength concrete (HSC), lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) and the use of a voided deck.

The analysis undertaken in the research was based on a bridge, which was recently constructed in Cork; the bridge was constructed using MY beam sections, …

Structural Behaviour Of Semi-Continuous Steel End Plate Connections, Niall Scollard

Theses

This report focuses on determining the joint stiffness and moment capacity values for semi-continuous (semi-rigid) connections in steel framed structures. When designing a beam to column connection, the assumption that the Joint is either fully continuous or fully pinned may not be entirely valid; it may be more realistic to classify the connection as intermediate between fully pinned and fully continuous.

The development of “the component method”, which is utilised in IS EN 1993-1-8 (EC3) to determine design values of the joint properties is described. A software solution was created using Microsoft Excel to carry out calculations in accordance with …

Investigation Into The Measure, Correlate And Predict Methodologies Used In Wind Farm Design Software, Brendan O'Sullivan

Theses

This paper is focused on the Measure Correlate and Predict (MCP) methodologies used to estimate long term wind resource at a prospective site. The first common step in all MCP methodologies is a successful wind measurement campaign at the prospective site. This campaign involves the erection of a wind measurement mast (ideally to the hub height of the proposed turbine) and careful selection of booms, mountings and anemometers. The wind measurement campaign is a vital part of the process as the correlation and prediction analysis is only as accurate as the measured wind data. Correlation is a measure of the …

Effect Of Fly Ash On Growth Of Mustard And Corn, Cailie Carlile, Snehalata Nadiger, Joel Gerard Burken

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Fly Ash is Generated as a By-Product of Coal Combustion and Contains Many Nutrients, Such as Ca, K, Na, Mg, and S, as Well as Toxic Metals Such as As, B, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb. for This Project, the Goal is to Optimize a Phytoremediation Technique to Stabilize the Toxic Metals and Produce Biomass Which Could Have Benefit for Example as Biofuel. the Hypothesis Was that Different Amendments Would Improve the Water Holding Properties of the Ash and Reduce Metals Availability and Toxicity. Flyash Was Combined with Leaf Mulch (1%, 3%, 5%, 10%, 20%), Wood Mulch (1%, 3%, 5%, …

Hydro-Nexrad-2: Real-Time Access To Customized Radar-Rainfall For Hydrologic Applications, Witold F. Krajewski, Anton Kruger, Satpreet Singh, Bong Chul Seo, James A. Smith

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Hydro-NEXRAD-2 (HNX2) is a prototype system that allows hydrologic users real-time access to NEXRAD radar data in support of a wide range of research. The system processes basic radar data (Level II) and delivers radar-rainfall products based on the user's custom selection of features such as spatial domain, rainfall product space and time resolution, and rainfall estimation algorithms. HNX2 collects real-time, unprocessed data from multiple NEXRAD radars as they become available, processes them through a user-configurable pipeline of data-processing modules, and publishes the processed data-products at regular intervals. Modules in the data-processing pipeline encapsulate algorithms such as non-meteorological echo detection, …

Performance Enhancement Of Crumb Rubber-Modified Asphalts Through Control Of The Developed Internal Network Structure, Mohyeldin Ragab, Magdy Abdelrahman, Amir Ghavibzaoo

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Control of the internal network structure of crumb rubber-modified asphalt (CRMA) was investigated for its effect on property development in the study presented in this paper. The investigation included evaluation by rheological and interrupted shear tests. Rheological testing involved the monitoring of the changes of the produced complex modulus (G*) and phase angle (δ) for CRMA. In the interrupted shear tests, the shear stress profile for the produced CRMA was investigated. It was found that triggering the critical conditions of the combined interaction of speed, temperature, and time was essential to inducing the formation of the three-dimensional network …

Scale Of Fluctuation Of Geotechnical Parameters Estimated From Cptu And Laboratory Test Data, Site Onyejekwe, Louis Ge

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

For a complete probabilistic characterization of a geotechnical parameter, its mean, variance, and the scale of fluctuation have to be known. While the mean and variance can be easily determined, determination of the scale of fluctuation is a little more complex. Knowledge of the scale of fluctuation is important in reliability-based design as it is used in implementing spatial averaging and computing the variance-reduction factor. Published values of scale of fluctuation of geotechnical parameters are based on widely sourced data and hence may not be most appropriate for local situations. Based on 11 CPTu soundings and laboratory test results of …

Product Characterization And Headspace Analysis Of Solar Irradiated Aqueous C60 Clusters, Dan Su

Open Access Theses

Buckminsterfullerene (C60) is an important fullerene material that has drawn much attention and is currently being applied in many different fields. It was discovered in 1985. As its production has largely increased to meet these industrial needs, it is obvious that its environmental occurrence, especially in aqueous systems, will occur. To further provide information for environmental toxicity studies and for its risk assessment, this thesis focuses on the photo transformation processes of aqueous C60 clusters (Aqu/nC60), with a particular interest in measuring any mineralization that occurs under different irradiation conditions. Two sets of experiments were conducted to test for CO2 …

The Effect Of Sensor Mass, Sensor Location, And Delamination Location Of Different Composite Structures Under Dynamic Loading, Albert Darien Liu

Master's Theses

This study investigated the effect of sensor mass, sensor location, and delamination location of different composite structures under dynamic loading. The study pertains to research of the use of accelerometers and dynamic response as a cost-effective and reliable method of structural health monitoring in composite structures. The composite structures in this research included carbon fiber plates, carbon fiber-foam sandwich panels, and carbon-fiber honeycomb sandwich panels. The composite structures were manufactured with the use of a Tetrahedron MTP-8 heat press. All work was conducted in the Cal Poly Aerospace Structures/Composites Laboratory. Initial delaminations were placed at several locations along the specimen, …

Degradable Plastics And Solid Waste Management Systems, David J. Tonjes, Krista L. Thyberg

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

Plastics, which are woven into the fabric of modern life, have consequential impacts on the environment. Many of these are associated with end-of-lifetime processes, and include chemical contamination of the environment and effects from litter. Plastics also complicate waste management processes, causing contamination in composting operations, and having poor recovery rates through recycling. Plastics that are not as biologically recalcitrant, that decompose when use is done, have been perceived as solutions to at least some of these problems. The first generation of degradable plastics did not meet marketing claims; some of the more recent formulations, partly as a consequence of …

Municipal Waste Management: Suffolk County Municipal Systems, Services And Infrastructure, Krista L. Greene, Susan Lienau, David J. Tonjes

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

This report describes the municipal waste management systems used by local governments to manage solid waste in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. There are ten Towns that serve as the primary planners for waste systems in Suffolk County. Many of the 33 villages in Suffolk County have established their own waste management programs and policies. All programs tend to follow the same general plan of the approaches used by their respective Towns, however. All programs provide some degree of recycling services, although the scope of the services varies tremendously.

A Classification Methodology For Landfill Leachates, David J. Tonjes

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

A characterization scheme based on landfill leachate chemical signatures could support studies of leachate evolution over time, liner performance, and help confirm or disprove potential leachate contamination of groundwater. Wide variations in single constituents across time, sites, and site practices, and inconsistencies related to common bivariate measures suggest a robust, multivariate analysis could be useful. A variant Stiff diagram approach (a subjective analytical comparison of soluble salts) has been developed, and supports graphical depictions of multiple samples. The hypothesis is that leachates with similar chemistry form clusters, and this was tested using a data set of 652 samples from 26 …

Pencel Pressuremeter Testing To Determining P-Y Curves For Laterally Loaded Deep Foundations, Messaoud Farid, Nouaouria Md Salah, Paul J. Cosentino

Mechanical and Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The pressuremeter used was essentially the PENCEL pressuremeter (PPMT), manufactured by ROCTEST, Inc. This paper offers a description of the equipment, testing procedure, theory to obtain parameters of the ground and to develop the p-y curves for laterally loaded piles. From PPMT data reduced to graphs of pressure versus volume, soil parameters including the lift-off pressure, the initial elastic and reload moduli, and the limit pressure were determined. Methods developed to determine p-y curves from pressuremeter and dilatometer (DMT) test. P-y curves are used in the analysis to represent lateral soil-pile interaction. The pressuremeter offers an almost ideal in-situ modelling …

Measurements Of Three-Dimensional Velocity Fields Under Breaking Waves, Matthew Auch

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

The three-dimensional (3D) velocity fields under breaking waves were measured using a Volumetric Three-Component Velocimetry (V3V) system. The V3V instrumentation determines the 3D positions and velocities of seed particles within a 3D measurement volume by using a synchronized laser-camera system and image processing algorithms. Measured velocity fields showed 3D vortex structures descending to the bottom and quickly dissipating as breaking waves propagated onshore.

Probability Of Failure For Slopes With Sensitivity Analysis, Michelle Deng, Ronaldo Luna

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The significance of random variables on the probability of failure of slopes is generally evaluated by changing a different set of values for each variable and repeating the approach several times to conclude a trend. This method is very straightforward but requires time and computational resources; and it is inefficient especially when the number of random variables is large. This paper presents an analysis approach in which the sensitivity analysis is introduced to quantify the influence of the random variables on the probability of failure for slopes. In this study, the factor of safety of the slope was determined using …

Appropriate Viscous Damping For Nonlinear Time-History Analysis Of Base-Isolated Reinforced Concrete Buildings, Deepak R. Pant, Anil C. Wijeyewickrema, Mohamed A. Elgawady

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

SUMMARY: There is no consensus at the present time regarding an appropriate approach to model viscous damping in nonlinear time-history analysis of base-isolated buildings because of uncertainties associated with quantification of energy dissipation. Therefore, in this study, the effects of modeling viscous damping on the response of base-isolated reinforced concrete buildings subjected to earthquake ground motions are investigated. The test results of a reduced-scale three-story building previously tested on a shaking table are compared with three-dimensional finite element simulation results. The study is primarily focused on nonlinear direct-integration time-history analysis, where many different approaches of modeling viscous damping, developed within …

The Guayule Plant: A Renewable, Domestic Source Of Binder Materials For Flexible Pavement Mixtures, David Newton Richardson, Steven Michael Lusher

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Due to the rising price of crude oil, flexible pavement costs have increased significantly. This price pressure has resulted in the increased use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and/or reclaimed asphalt roofing shingles (RAS) because of the binder (asphalt cement) they contain. This has increased demand for recycling (rejuvenating) agents which return the RAP/RAS binders to their original state by 1) restoring maltenes (petroleum oils and resins) that have been depleted due to age-hardening/oxidation, and 2) reducing their viscosity. The project concept was to design a flexible pavement mixture (FPM) produced with little-to-no virgin petroleumbased binder which implied the use …

Quality Modeling And Improvement Of University Facilities Services Using Six-Sigma - A Case Study On Wayne State University Fpm Services, Mohsen F. Mohamed Isa

Wayne State University Dissertations

Literature survey shows that there is no published information concerning the investigation and/or evaluation (by the customer) of the services provided by universities facilities management units, and no previous research was done to measure and evaluate such services to address, identify, and model the critical factors affecting quality.

This research work proposed a service quality model relating factors affecting quality of services provided by facility management units at higher educational institutions to the customer perception of service quality. It also examined the use of the Six-Sigma DMAIC methodology as an improvement strategy for services provided by facility management units at …

Microsimulation Evaluation Of Eurocode Load Model For American Long-Span Bridges, Bernard Enright, Colm Carey, Colin Caprani

Articles

The ability to accurately predict traffic loading is essential for cost-effective bridge maintenance and repair programs. The traffic load model currently used in the United States for the design of long-span bridges was developed over three decades ago. In the meantime vehicle characteristics and traffic patterns have changed. The Eurocode for traffic loading is more recent, but was calibrated only for bridges up to 200 m long. In this work, Weigh-In-Motion traffic records from 11 different sites across Alabama are used to establish congested traffic loading. Traffic microsimulation is used to generate the congestion, based on the real traffic data. …

Derivation Of A Fuzzy National Phosphorus Export Model Using 84 Irish Catchments, Ahmed Nasr, Michael Bruen

Articles

Implementation of appropriate management strategies to mitigate diffuse phosphorus (P) pollution at the catchment scale is vitally important for the sustainable development of water resources in Ireland. An important element in the process of implementing such strategies is the prediction of their impacts on P concentrations in a catchment using a reliable mathematical model. In this study, a state-of-the-art adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) has been used to develop a new national P model capable of estimating average annual ortho-P concentrations at un-gauged catchments. Data from 84 catchments dominated by diffuse P pollution were used in developing and testing the …