Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Electromagnetically Induced Transport In Water For Geoenvironmental Applications, Arvin Farid, Atena Najafi, Mahsa Azad, Jim Browning, Elisa Barney Smith

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Air sparging is a popular soil remediation technique that enables the removal of contaminants through diffusing air into soil. The removal process is, however, slow. The goal of this work is to study the effect of electromagnetic (EM) waves —with minimal heat generation— on transport mechanisms such as diffusion, in order to improve airflow or contaminant transport in order to expedite the cleanup process using air sparging or similar technologies. This effect is studied through an experimental setup that examines the diffusion of a nonreactive dye in water under EM waves at a range of frequencies (50-200 MHz). The electric …

Study Of Mechanisms Governing Electromagnetic Alteration Of Hydraulic Conductivity Of Soils, Atena Najafi, Sahba Azad, Arvin Farid, Jim Browning, Elisa Barney Smith

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hydraulic conductivity is a measure of the rate at which water flows through porous media. Because of the dipole properties of water molecules, electric field can affect hydraulic conductivity. In this study, the effect of radio-frequency (RF) waves on hydraulic conductivity is investigated. This is important both for the geophysical measurement of hydraulic conductivity as well as remediation using electromagnetic waves. Bentonite clay and sandy samples are tested in rigid-wall, cylindrical permeameters and stimulated using a CPVC-cased monopole antenna vertically centered in the permeameters. The permeameters are encased within RF cavities constructed of aluminum mesh in order to prevent interference …

Virgin River Multi-Objective Optimization: Maximizing Endangered Fish Habitat And Minimizing Costs, L. Basdekas, L. A. Bastidas, T. B. Hardy, Arthur J. Caplan, Mac Mckee

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper discusses a comparative analysis of hypothetical operational scenarios by the use of dynamic temperature and fish habitat modelling in a multi-objective framework in the Virgin River Basin, Utah. Results were compared on the basis of quantified fish habitat, operational costs, and hydropower revenue. The modelling framework, the Virgin River Operation Optimization Model, is considered as a basin-level planning model. The optimization objectives were to minimize net river system operational cost of the Washington County Water Conservation District and maximize endangered fish habitat. Considerations included infrastructure alternatives to increase flow and cold water discharges as well as demand reductions. …

Condition Assessment Of Concrete Bridge Decks: Sampling And Testing Of Decommissioned Bridges On Interstate 15 In Utah, W. Spencer Guthrie, Brian A. Mazzeo

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The objectives of this research were to obtain samples of four decommissioned concrete bridge decks that were replaced as part of the Interstate 15 (I-15) CORE project in Utah County and evaluate their condition using both non-destructive and destructive testing techniques. Because the decks were not returned to trafficking, extensive destructive testing could be performed. The testing was important for providing information about long-term deterioration mechanisms that occur in Utah bridge decks. Furthermore, because each of the sampled decks had been surfaced with an asphalt membrane-overlay system, testing the decks provided useful information about the efficacy of this rehabilitation approach …

Integrated Composite Reinforcement And Passive Damping Of Plywood Panels, Keith Steurer, Dr. Fernando Fonseca

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Composite reinforced plywood can be used in lightweight structures as well as high performance sporting equipment such as skis, skateboards and snowboards. Composite skins are adhered to the wood core to increase the stiffness of the plywood with very little addition in weight. The possibility exists to use a viscoelastic damping layer as the adhesive to increase adhesion strength between the composite skins and the plywood and create passive constrained layer damping in the composite reinforced plywood. This research investigated the damping performance of composite reinforced plywood using a viscoelastic adhesive.

Isotruss™ -Reinforced Concrete Beams, Justin Marshall, David Jensen, Fernando Fonseca

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When a reinforced concrete beam is loaded it tends to sag or deflect. Because of this deflection, the bottom fibers of the beam are in tension while the top is compressed. Reinforcement (rebar) is placed in beams to resist tensile forces which concrete cannot support. Rebar can have adverse effects under certain conditions. If the concrete cracks, the steel will rust and expand causing increased cracking and strength loss. Other potential problems stem from steel’s density, magnetic properties and conductance. Currently, much research is being done in the area of composite reinforcement to solve these problems. Recent thesis research done …

Manufacturing And Testing A Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Beam-To- Column Connector, Patrick J. Sedivy, Dr. Fernando S. Fonseca

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Pultruded Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) structures are an attractive alternative to steel which is corrosive and heavy. However, FRP beams and columns cannot be connected using conventional methods such as bolting or welding. Anthony G. Cockbain demonstrated the potential of a monolithic sleeve connector.1 Although Cockbain’s research showed much promise for the sleeve connector, there were still several problems. The manufacturing process was extremely labor intensive and the connector needed to be stronger.

Deep Dynamic Compaction Of Collapsible Soils, Ryan J. Olsen, Dr. Kyle Rollins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Collapsible soils, in their natural state, are stiff and strong. However, when they become wet these soils lose their strength and settle significantly. This settlement can damage highways and structures built over these collapsible soils. Deep dynamic compaction (DDC) is a method used for improving soil conditions by repeatedly dropping a very large tamper onto the ground from heights typically ranging from 50 to 100 ft. DDC has been shown to significantly increase the strength and stiffness of collapsible soils. However, vibrations caused by dynamic compaction may affect surrounding buildings.

Torsion Testing Of The Isotruss, Jeff Brimhall, Dr. David W. Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The IsoTruss is an innovative structural member made up of a unique geometric configuration and composite material that has tremendous potential for use in civil infrastructure, aerospace and other applications. This unique geometric configuration, which uses minimal material, yet maintains a very high strength. This greatly reduces the weight of the structure and causes the strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios to skyrocket.

Evaporation Losses In The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Krey H. Price

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge has long been an important haven for migrating waterfowl in North America. During the wet years of 1983-84, however, the refuge was inundated and closed. The refuge has since reopened, but reconstruction of water control structures continues. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has requested an evaporation study as a part of the refuge’s water budget to enable more accurate calibration of inflows to and outflows from the individual ponds in the refuge. This study applied computer modeling to estimate evaporation losses from the refuge’s ponds and marshes.

Limitations Of One-Dimensional Surface Water Models, Todd J. Strong, Dr. Alan K. Zundel

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Using the Surface Water Modeling System (SMS), models were generated to reflect the situation of bridge abutments being placed in the flow path of a river. Two types of models were generated, a one-dimensional (1D) model and a two-dimensional (2D) mesh. To analyze the models, the 1D program WSPRO and the 2D program FESWMS were used. The 2D models contain more properties of the system, allowing them to be much more characteristic of the actual river, and provide more accurate results. However, 2D models take much more time to generate, edit and analyze. In our tests, the average time to …

The Stochastic Capacity Of A Roadway: Is It The Answer For Better “Real-Time” Management Of Freeway Operations?, Mandar Khanal

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rapid growth in vehicles has been observed in many developing countries in recent years. The number of vehicles has grown but non-motorized vehicles have not disappeared. The presence of dissimilar modes of travel results in unsafe roads. Additional factors that exacerbate the traffic problem in these countries are the tendency of users to not observe traffic rules and the lax enforcement of traffic rules by law enforcement agencies. The combination of these factors can be deadly for road users. For example in India, a total of 134,513 people lost their lives to road accidents in 2010 compared to 32,885 road …

Plant Translocation Of Organic Compounds: Molecular And Physicochemical Predictors, Matt A. Limmer, Joel Gerard Burken

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Root-Soil Boundary Represents One of the Largest Global Biotic-Abiotic Mass-Transfer Interfaces and is a Primary Pollutant Entry Point to the Food Chain. This Interface is Also Critically Important in Phytoremediation Efforts and Herbicide Design. Experimental Data and Single-Parameter Models Have Resulted in the Current Understanding that Moderately Hydrophobic Organic Compounds Are Most Likely to Be Translocated by Plants, Although Recent Evidence Indicates Plants Can Also Translocate Some Hydrophilic Compounds. Molecular Descriptors Initially Applied for Drug Discovery and for Transmembrane Migration in Mammalian Systems Were Applied Here to Determine the Physicochemical Domains and Weighted Desirability Functions to Identify Compounds Amenable …

Identification Of Wheat Varieties With A Parallel-Plate Capacitance Sensor Using Fisher’S Linear Discriminant Analysis, C. V. K. Kandala, George Meyer, N. Puppala, V. Settaluri, R. S. Reddy

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Fisher’s linear discriminant (FLD) models for wheat variety classification were developed and validated. The inputs to the FLD models were the capacitance (𝐶), impedance (𝑍), and phase angle (𝜃), measured at two frequencies. Classification of wheat varieties was obtained as output of the FLDmodels.𝑍and 𝜃of a parallel-plate capacitance system,holding thewheat samples, weremeasured using an impedance meter, and the 𝐶 value was computed.The best model developed classified the wheat varieties, with accuracy of 95.4%, over the six wheat varieties tested.This method is simple, rapid, and nondestructive and would be useful for the breeders and the peanut industry.

Bias Correction Can Modify Climate Model Simulated Precipitation Changes Without Adverse Effect On The Ensemble Mean, Edwin P. Maurer, David W. Pierce

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

When applied to remove climate model biases in precipitation, quantile mapping can in some settings modify the simulated difference in mean precipitation between two eras. This has important implications when the precipitation is used to drive an impacts model that is sensitive to changes in precipitation. The tendency of quantile mapping to alter model-predicted changes is demonstrated using synthetic precipitation distributions and elucidated with a simple theoretical analysis, which shows that the alteration of model-predicted changes can be controlled by the ratio of model to observed variance. To further evaluate the effects of quantile mapping in a more realistic setting, …

More Urban Form, Fewer Auto Trips, Kelly J. Clifton

TREC Project Briefs

Trip generation refers to the number of vehicle trips that are predicted to originate in a given zone. The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) publishes standard trip generation rates for various land use types, but these rates are primarily measured in low-density suburban areas. There is national interest in building data that expands upon the existing ITE trip generation rates to include sites located in a multi-modal context.

In areas that have a more compact urban form, better access to transit and a greater mix of land uses, fewer vehicle trips may be generated there than ITE rates indicate. However, …

Improving The Hydraulics Of Drinking Water Contact Tanks Using Random Packing Material, Taylor C. Barnett, Justin J. Kattnig, Subhas K. Venayagamoorthy, Gordon Whittaker

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study investigated the use of industrial packing material for increasing the hydraulic efficiency of small-scale, chlorine contact tanks used in drinking water treatment. The packing material used in the study was spherical, with porosities between 0.9 and 0.95 and a density less than that of water. A total of 67 tracer studies, conducted on laboratory-scale chlorine contact tank systems, investigated three sizes of packing material, two tank sizes, and two flow rates. Sodium chloride solution was injected as a continuous tracer and was monitored in the tank outflow through electrical conductivity. Several studies were validated with the use and …

Intercounty Commuter Public Transit Services And Opportunities In The Central Bluegrass, Ted H. Grossardt, Benjamin L. Blandford, Mei Chen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report reviews the current state of available public transportation services in central Kentucky, with a focus on the Lexington-Fayette County commutershed. Within the region, this report identifies the major public transportation providers, describes the transit services available through them, and examines the potential opportunities of intercounty commuter public transportation services. Using intercounty commuting data obtained from the 2006-2008 Census Transportation Planning Products (CTPP), this report estimates the potential need and opportunity for additional transit services. Lastly, this report argues for the viability of vanpools as an efficient and cost-effective strategy for addressing the shortage of intercounty commuter transit services.

Safety Performance Evaluation Of Weak-Post, W-Beam Guardrail Attached To Culvert, Scott K. Rosenbaugh, Ronald K. Faller, Dean L. Sicking, Karla A. Lechtenberg, Allison J. Schneider, John D. Reid

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Comprehensive Evaluation Of Fracture Critical Bridges, Aaron Jon Yakel, Atorod Azizinamini, Huy Pham, Saeed Doust

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

The Bridge Newsletter Spring 2014, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

The Bridge Newsletter

-Reusing scrap tires
-Renaissance man
-Energy research published
-Follow your passion

Proposal Of Vibrionimonas Magnilacihabitans Gen. Nov., Sp. Nov., A Curved Gram Negative Bacterium Isolated From Lake Michigan Water, Richard A. Albert, Daniel Zitomer, Michael Dollhopf, Anne Schauer-Gimenez, Craig Struble, Michael King, Sona Son, Stefan Langer, Hans-Jürgen Busse

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

A mesophilic bacterium appearing as curved rod-shaped cells was isolated from Lake Michigan water. It exhibited highest similarities with Sediminibacterium ginsengisoli DCY13^T (94.4 %); Sediminibacterium salmoneum NJ-44^T (93.6 %) and Hydrotalea flava CCUG 51397 ^T (93.1 %) while similarities with other recognized species were sym-homospermidine was the primary polyamine. The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C_15 : 1G, iso-C_15 : 0, iso-C_16 : 0 3-OH and iso-C_17 : 0 3-OH, with moderate amounts of iso-C_16 : 0. The presence of glycolipids differentiated the novel strains from related genera. The DNA …

Berm Method For Quantification Of Infiltration At The Plot Scale In High Conductivity Soils, Derek M. Heeren, Garey A. Fox, Daniel E. Storm

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Measuring infiltration at the plot scale is difficult, especially for high hydraulic conductivity soils. At the plot scale, the infiltration rate is usually calculated by comparing surface runoff to rainfall. Direct measurement of infiltration beyond the point scale is typically limited to locations where land forming (e.g., infiltration pond) has been performed or fields with basin irrigation systems. The standard method for field measurement of point-scale infiltration is the double ring infiltrometer, which is limited in size (typically 30 cm diameter). In this research, a new method is proposed that uses a temporary berm constructed of a water-filled 15-cm diameter …

Time-Variable Refraction Of The Internal Tide At The Hawaiian Ridge, Edward D. Zaron, Gary D. Egbert

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The interaction of the dominant semidiurnal M₂ internal tide with the large-scale subtidal flow is examined in an ocean model by propagating the tide through an ensemble of background fields in a domain centered on the Hawaiian Ridge. The background fields are taken from the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) ocean analysis, at 2-month intervals from 1992 through 2001. Tides are computed with the Primitive Equation Z-coordinate Harmonic Analysis of Tides (PEZ-HAT) model by 14-day integrations using SODA initial conditions and M2 tidal forcing. Variability of the tide is found to occur primarily as the result of propagation through …

Reliability-Based Progressive Collapse And Redundancy Analysis Of Bridge Systems, Feng Miao

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Highway bridges like most structural systems are usually designed on a member by member basis and little consideration is provided to the effect of a local failure on system safety. There are concerns that some systems optimized to meet code-specified member design criteria may not provide sufficient levels of structural redundancy to withstand a possible local failure. In fact, a local failure of one structural element may result in the failure of another element creating a chain reaction that might progress throughout the whole structure or a major portion of it leading to a catastrophic collapse. Several recent catastrophic structural …

Analyses Of Groundwater Contribution To A Riverine Wetland, Farzad Mahmoodinobar

Dissertations

Rainfall, runoff, overbank flow and groundwater, all contribute water to wetlands. Each transport element is associated with unique modeling approaches and uncertainties. Transpiration is perhaps the hardest to quantify as it is subject to all the variability of plant growth. Transpiration causes land area to lose moisture and the loss amount depends on precipitation incidence, the temperature and type and extent of vegetation. Plants can intercept virtually all recharge during the growing season and almost none from late fall to early spring in northeastern United States. Thus, an improvement in the transpiration element can contribute considerably to an improved groundwater …

Influence Of Beach Hydrodynamics On Saltwater Transport And Oil Persistence In Beaches, Ali Abdollahi-Nasab

Dissertations

The exchange of water and solutes across the aquifer-ocean interface plays an important ecological role in both aquifer and the open water. Saltwater intrusion could prevent utilization of groundwater for either drinking water or irrigation. In addition, the flux of solutes, such as nutrients, from inland groundwater sources plays an important role in shoreline ecology, especially in embayments. This research relies on a three-pronged approach, involving a laboratory beach experiment, field scale experiments and numerical analyses. The laboratory beach experiment is designed to investigate the fundamental processes occurring in beach aquifers. It explores the effects of buoyancy (or lack thereof) …

Influence Of Grass Hedges On The Transport Of Antimicrobials, Antimicrobial Resistance Genes, And Antimicrobial Resistant Pathogens After Land Application Of Swine Manure, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of narrow grass hedges on the fate and transport of antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in runoff and in soil following the land application of swine manure slurry. Swine manure slurry was land applied to 0.75m wide by 4.0m long plots established on an Aksarben silty clay loam soil located in southeast Nebraska. Swine manure was applied at a rate to meet the 3-year nitrogen (N) requirements for corn. Swine manure was applied to plots with and without a narrow grass hedge to evaluate the effect of the hedge …

Public Private Partnership In Transit Projects, Rashmita Daschaudhuri

Theses

The government is cutting down government impediments and entering into the market. One of the outcomes has been the rise of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). There have been a lot of information and transaction cost problems in government institutions. These issues can be sorted and mitigated if the risk is shared with the private sector.

Until 1990, there had been a monopoly of the public sector developing transit projects. Now with the PPP concept, the transit projects are slowly moving into public private partnership agreements. This study tries to identify the various approaches of public private partnership delivery system. A few …

Impacts Of Beaver Dams On Channel Hydraulics And Characteristics On Curtis Creek Near Hardware Ranch, Ut: Stream Restoration Implications, Trinity Stout

Research on the Hill (Salt Lake City)

Beaver dams have significant impacts on the hydrology, temperature, biogeochemical processes, and geomorphology of streams and riparian areas. They have also been used as a viable tool in restoring impaired riverine systems. Due to the dynamic nature of beaver dams, these impacts vary and are difficult to quantify. To begin understanding the impacts of dam complexes on riverine systems, we developed a 1-D hydraulic model to compare hydraulic responses for a reach that includes seven dams and a reach with no dams present. We also compared observations of substrate sizes, gradients, and geomorphic/habitat units for each reach. Results indicated an …