Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Fishing With Geographic Information Systems, James L. Freeman

Scholars Week

Title: Fishing With Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Author: Lance Freeman

Mentor: Dr. Haluk Cetin

This study was conducted to utilize multiple geographic information systems (GIS) applications for specific parts of Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. Using Lowrance Insight Genesis, along with topographical maps to help utilize time on the water keeping fisherman in the areas they want to target for specific types of cover and structure to help catch what they are after. Most of this information had to come from typical seasonal patterns and research into a lakes history as to how it was made, along with what is …

Improved 2d And 3d Resistivity Surveys Using Buried Electrodes And Optimized Arrays: The Multi-Electrode Resistivity Implant Technique (Merit), Henok Gidey Kiflu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a novel resistivity method called Multi-Electrode resistivity technique (MERIT) that is used for high resolution imaging of complex geologic features at depth and near the edges of survey lines. The MERIT electrodes are especially shaped and designed to be self-driven using a robust-direct push technique. Measurements are taken using optimized arrays that are generated using a modified version of the “Compare-R” optimization algorithm. This work focused on both two-dimensional (MERIT2D) and three-dimensional (MERIT3D) applications of the buried array and show the relevance of the additional information gained by the addition of deep electrodes especially in sites with …

The Pathway To Net Zero Energy Buildings: A Practical Practitioner Guide, Celine Manoosingh, Bonnie Mcmakin, Debalina Ghosh

Civil Engineering & Construction: Faculty Publications

Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) are being constructed throughout the United States, promoting construction practices that achieve more than the minimum energy performance required to meet current codes and demonstrating their financial feasibility. The practicality of these technologies have been proven, in many cases, to improve energy efficiencies, and to provide buildings with capabilities to produce the energy levels necessary to sustain the building operation systems while maintaining comfort and minimizing the financial payback period of the investment. Broadly, these strategies include changes in site selection, water efficiencies, reducing energy consumption, and utilizing environmentally benign materials. This paper presents a …

Advancements In Thermal Integrity Profiling Data Analysis, Kevin Russell Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Thermal Integrity Profiling (TIP) is a relatively new non-destructive test method for evaluating the post-construction quality of drilled shafts. Therein anomalies in a shaft are indicated by variations in its thermal profile when measured during the curing stages of the concrete. A considerable benefit with this method is in the ability to detect anomalies both inside and outside the reinforcement cage, as well as provide a measure of lateral cage alignment. Similarly remarkable, early developments showed that the shape of a temperature profile (with depth) matched closely with the shape of the shaft, thus allowing for a straightforward interpretation of …

Benchmark Levels For The Consumptive Water Footprint Of Crop Production For Different Environmental Conditions: A Case Study For Winter Wheat In China, La Zhuo, Mesfin Mekonnen, Arjen Y. Hoekstra

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Meeting growing food demands while simultaneously shrinking the water footprint (WF) of agricultural production is one of the greatest societal challenges. Benchmarks for the WF of crop production can serve as a reference and be helpful in setting WF reduction targets. The consumptive WF of crops, the consumption of rainwater stored in the soil (green WF), and the consumption of irrigation water (blue WF) over the crop growing period varies spatially and temporally depending on environmental factors like climate and soil. The study explores which environmental factors should be distinguished when determining benchmark levels for the consumptive WF of crops. …

14-05 Development Of Decision Support Tools To Assess Pedestrian And Bicycle Safety: Development Of Safety Performance Functions, Valerian Kwigizile, Jun-Seok Oh, Ron Van Houten, Keneth Morgan Kwayu

Transportation Research Center Reports

While a number of studies have developed Safety Performance Functions (SPFs) for motorized traffic, there has been a very limited focus on developing SPFs for non-motorized traffic. Lack of exposure measures for pedestrians and bicyclists has been cited often as the obstacle to developing reliable SPFs. This project aimed at developing statewide SPFs for bicyclists and pedestrians at urban intersections. The SPFs developed can be used as a decision supporting tool for planners and practitioners in prioritizing areas for safety improvements. In order to capture crash patterns despite, a carefully designed sampling approach was implemented and improvements on other aspects …

Investigation Of Self-Organizing Traffic Signal Control With Graphical Signal Performance Measures, Christopher M. Day, Darcy M. Bullock

Lyles School of Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Adaptive signal control is the subject of an increasing amount of research, as well as development and implementation. Most existing adaptive control systems achieve coordination by applying system control as a constraining layer on top of local control. Some researchers have suggested that, with the right local-control logic, coordination might be achieved as an dynamically emergent phenomenon without the need for a management layer. This paper explores the potential of a self-organizing signal control algorithm using a variety of performance measures. First, the initially reported algorithm performance is reproduced in an idealized environment; next, the algorithm is applied in a …

Development Of An Anaerobic-Phototrophic Bioreactor System For Wastewater Treatment, Onur Yilmaz Ozcan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For decades, mainstream domestic wastewater treatment has relied on activated sludge processes to remove organic matter, and on biological nutrient removal systems like the A²/O process to remove nutrients. Recently, membrane filtration was also added to the realm of possible technologies for domestic wastewater treatment, with aerobic membrane bioreactors (MBRs) becoming increasingly popular, especially for decentralized, and small to medium scale applications. However, the aerobic activated sludge and MBR processes, which are often combined with biological nutrient removal processes, have high energy costs associated with supplying oxygen to the process, and end up converting the organic matter into …

Teaching Consolidation: Case Study Of Preloading With Vertical Drains, Robb Moss, Judd King, Gregg Fiegel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This paper describes a ground improvement case study where preloading and prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) were used to accelerate foundation settlements. The case study is used in a classroom setting with the learning objective of introducing engineering students to methods for estimating settlement of shallow foundations on compressible soils. The project site was developed for a corporate retail chain planning to open a new facility in San Luis Obispo, California. Up to 2.5 meters of fill were needed across much of the site to raise foundations and improvements above the flood elevation. Loads from the fill and the structure were …

Characteristics And Products Of The Reductive Degradation Of 3-Nitro-1,2,4-Triazol-5-One (Nto) And 2,4-Dinitroanisole (Dnan) In A Fe-Cu Bimetal System, Elsie Kitcher, Washington Braida, Agamemnon Koutsospyros, Julius Pavlov, Tsang-Liang Su

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

It has been shown previously that, under acidic conditions, 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) and 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN) degrade in the presence of iron/copper bimetal particles; the reactions can be modeled by pseudo-first-order kinetics. This study investigates the reaction mechanisms of the degradation processes under different conditions. Batch studies were conducted using laboratory-prepared solutions and an industrial insensitive munition-laden (IMX) wastewater. The influence of parameters such as initial pH of the solution, copper/iron (Fe-Cu) contact, and solid/liquid ratio were systematically investigated to assess their impact on the reaction kinetics. These parameters were subsequently incorporated into pseudo-first-order decomposition models for NTO and DNAN. The activation …

Scalable Dashboard For Identifying Split Failures And Heuristic For Reallocating Split Times, Howell Li, Lucy Richardson, Christopher M. Day, James Howard, Darcy M. Bullock

Lyles School of Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The three fundamental parameters of a traffic signal system are split, cycle, and offset. This paper describes the use of high-resolution data (a) to identify time periods during which split parameters may be insufficient and (b) to help practitioners identify opportunities for reallocating split time. A case study of seven corridors with 47 intersections is presented. A drill-down approach was developed to identify movements that could be improved by a reallocation of split times. A heuristic that can reallocate up to 5 seconds of underutilized green time on a competing phase was applied to those corridors. …

Detector-Free Optimization Of Traffic Signal Offsets With Connected Vehicle Data, Cristopher Day, Howell Li, Lucy Richardson, James Howard, Tom Platte, Jim Sturdevant, Darcy M. Bullock

Lyles School of Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

It has recently been shown that signal offset optimization is feasible using vehicle trajectory data at low levels of market penetration. This study performs offset optimization on two corridors using this type ofdata. Six weeks oftrajectory splines were processed for two corridors including 25 signalized intersections, in order to create vehicle arrival profiles, using a proposed procedure called "virtual detection." After processing and filtering the data, penetration rates between 0.09-0.80% were observed, varying by approach. The arrival profiles were statistically compared against those measured with physical detectors, with the majority of the approaches showing statistically significant goodness-of-fit at a 90% …

Industrial Cold-Formed Steel Rack Column Base Fixity And Strength, Francesc Roure, Teoman Peköz, M. Rosa Somalo, Jordi Bonada, M. Magdalena Pastor, Miquel Casafont, James Crews

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

This paper summarizes the testing done at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain and the possible use of the results in design for column base stiffness and strength. The test setup and procedure are adopted in the European rack design standards.

Reduced Order Models For Profiled Steel Diaphragm Panels, G. Bian, S. Torabian, B. W. Schafer

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

The objective of this paper is to provide progress on development and validation of reduced order models for the in plane strength and stiffness of profiled steel panels appropriate for use in structural models of an entire building. Profiled steel panels, i.e, metal deck, often serve as a key distribution element in building lateral force resisting systems. Acting largely as an in-plane shear diaphragm, metal deck as employed in walls, roofs, and floors plays a key role in creating and driving three-dimensional building response. As structural modeling evolves from two-dimensional frameworks to fully three-dimensional buildings, accurate and computationally efficient models …

Shear Resistance Of Cold-Formed Steel Framing Wall With X-Strap Bracing, Chi-Ling Pan, Chang-Chan Huang, Meng-Hsiu Tsao

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

This research is concentrated on the study of structural strength and behavior of cold-formed steel frame with strap bracing subjected to horizontal loads. The wall specimens with and without calcium silicate board sheathing were tested to compare the differences of shear resistance. Based on the test data, the ultimate strength, stiffness, ductility ratio, and failure behavior were studied for each specimen, and the wall’s movements were also discussed in this paper. The cold-formed steel framing wall without bracing from previous study was introduced for the comparison purpose. As expected, the ultimate strength was increased for the cold-formed steel wall sheathed …

An Archetype Mid-Rise Building For Novel Complete Cold-Formed Steel Buildings, S. Torabian, Z. Saneei Nia, B. W. Schafer

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

This paper introduces an archetype mid-rise cold-formed steel (CFS) building that aids in assessing the limits of current structural solutions, particularly lateral force resisting systems, and also in the development of new CFS technologies. A unified archetype building provides a platform for comparing the performance of new lateral force resisting systems to existing ones. The study herein provides quantitative evaluation of the design limitations of a typical “complete” cold-formed steel building (i.e. only cold-formed steel based elements are used for all gravity and lateral force resisting systems) at different heights (4 through 20 stories) located in a high seismic zone. …

Seismic Modeling And Incremental Dynamic Analysis Of The Cold-Formed Steel Framed Cfs-Nees Building, J. Leng, S. G. Buonopane, B. W. Schafer

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

The objective of this paper is to present seismic modeling of a two-story cold-formed steel (CFS) framed building. The selected building, known as the CFSNEES building, was designed to current U.S. standards and then subjected to full-scale shake table tests under the U.S. National Science Foundation Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) program. Test results showed that the building’s stiffness and capacity was considerably higher than expected and the building suffered only non-structural damage and no permanent drift, even at maximum considered earthquake (per ASCE 7 and the selected California site) level. Past modeling, including that of the authors, largely …

Experimental Investigation Of The Effect Of Screw Fastener Spacing On The Local And Distortional Buckling Behavior Of Built-Up Cold-Formed Steel Columns, David C. Fratamico, Shahabeddin Torabian, Kim J. R. Rasmussen, Benjamin W. Schafer

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

This paper addresses an ongoing experimental and computational effort on the buckling and strength of built-up cold-formed steel (CFS) columns. Specifically, two 6 in. (152 mm) deep lipped channel sections (i.e. the 600S137-54 and 600S162-54 using AISI S200-12 nomenclature) are studied here in a back-to-back, screw-connected form and were chosen for their local and distortional slenderness to study the effect of fastener spacing and layout on local and distortional buckling and collapse behavior. Thirty column tests are completed with concentric loading. The screw spacing is varied from L to L/6, where L is the column length, with and without varying …

Experimental Investigation Into Steel Storage Rack Beam-To-Upright Bolted Connections, Liusi Dai, Xianzhong Zhao, Chong Ren

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

For unbraced steel storage racks, the down-aisle stability depends largely on the performance of beam-to-upright connections and column bases. Boltless connections are generally used in order to make rack structures easy to assemble and feasible to adjust the storey height. Recently, storage racks are designed to carry large amounts of goods and they are therefore raise a considerable height, which makes the improvement of the structural stability to be sufficiently important. Under the circumstances, tab-connected beam-to-upright connections with bolts are gradually used in steel storage racks. Compared with boltless connections, the stiffness, strength and ductility of the bolted connections are …

Behaviour Of Cold-Formed Steel Trusses With Concentric And Eccentric Joint Arrangements Using The Howick Rivet Connector, Amin Ahmadi, Colin K. L. Yee, Harry J. S. Shepherd, G. Charles Clifton, Raj Das, James B. P. Lim

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

This paper considers the behaviour of a cold-formed steel truss system that uses a novel pinned connector for the joints, to be referred to as the Howick Rivet connector (HRC). Use of the HRC allows a pinned concentric joint arrangement to be formed, as well as the more usual eccentric joint arrangement used in tests described in the literature. However, with the concentric joint arrangement, it is necessary to remove part of the lips of the channel-sections being connected, thus creating a discontinuity in the lips. This paper assesses the effect of this discontinuity. Full-scale truss tests are first described. …

Design Of New Cold Rolled Purlins By Experimental Testing And Direct Strength Method, V. B. Nguyen, B. Cartwright, M. A. English

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

New cold roll formed channel and zed sections for purlins, namely UltraBEAMTM2 and UltraZEDTM2, have been developed by Hadley Industries plc using a combined approach of experimental testing, finite element modelling and optimisation techniques. The new sections have improved strength to weight ratio by increasing the section’s strength by using stiffeners in the section webs. The European standards, Eurocode 3, use a traditional Effective Width Method to determine the strength of a cold formed steel member. However, the design of the new sections UltraBEAMTM2 and UltraZEDTM2 using this method is very complicated in calculating the effective section properties as these …

Seismic Performance Investigation Of Cold-Formed Steel Framed Shear Walls With Steel Sheathing, Feng Ruo-Qiang, Xu Peng-Hui

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

Cold-formed steel (CFS) framed shear walls with steel sheet sheathing can achieve higher shear resistance compared to conventional CFS framed shear walls. Experimental and numerical investigation of seismic behavior was present on two CFS shear walls sheathed with steel sheet for the base layer combined with gypsum wallboards for the face layer on both sides. Monotonic shear and cyclic loading tests were conducted on wall specimens. The failure mechanism, bearing capacity, stiffness and ductility of specimens were obtained. On the basis of rational simplification of CFS framed shear walls, the finite element software ABAQUS was used to simulate the monotonic …

An Improved Two-Stage Seismic Analysis Procedure For Mid-Rise Buildings With Vertical Combination Of Cold-Formed Steel And Concrete Framing, X. Yuan, L. Xu

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

Presented in this paper is an improved two-stage analysis procedure for evaluating the seismic load of the mid-rise buildings with vertical combination of cold-formed steel and concrete framing. By comparing the improved procedure to the one prescribed in ASCE 7, it is found the stiffness requirement of the two-stage analysis procedure stated in ASCE 7 may be over-relaxed, which may consequently result in the underestimation of the base shear of the upper structure in certain cases. Furthermore, the lateral load at the top storey of the upper structure evaluated by ASCE 7 two-stage analysis procedure may also be considerably underestimated. …

Resistance Of Arc Spot Welds – Update To Provisions, B. Paige Blackburn, Thomas Sputo

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

The AISI S100-12 provisions for arc spot welds have not be reviewed since 1999. This study performs a comprehensive analysis of the entire arc spot weld data base including data from four new research studies and reconsiders AISI S100-12 resistance equations with data from 450 specimens. Most AISI S100-12 equations were found to be conservative, particularly for sheet tearing failure modes. However, the equation for arc spot weld fracture under tensile load was found to poorly predict the data base test results. AISI S100-12 provision improvements are recommended not only for the resistance equations and factors, but also for the …

Tilt Bearing Capacity Of Single-Shear Bolted Connections Without Washers, Mehmet E. Uz, Lip H. Teh

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

This paper examines the accuracy of design equations specified in the North American and European codes for cold-formed steel structures in determining the ultimate tilt bearing capacity of single-shear single-row bolted connections without washers in flat steel sheets. It points out that the code equations do not properly distinguish the tilt bearing failure mode from the conventional bearing failure mode, which is typical of double-shear connections and single-shear connections with washers. The tilt bearing capacity is affected by the width of the connected sheet, and its capacity does not vary linearly with either the sheet thickness or the bolt diameter. …

Behaviour Of Cold-Formed Steel Semi Rigid Connections, Ruby Freya, R. Senthil, W. Jeoffray Merin, R. Saravanakumar, Krishna Kuber, M. Gowtham

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

Ductility and inelastic performance are important considerations in aseismic design of buildings. The dissipation of energy due to inelastic deformation is predominantly required in the connections like beam column joints. It is necessary to design these joints as semi rigid for its economic and structural benefits. Semi-rigid connections have highly nonlinear behaviour that makes the analysis and design of frames difficult and complicated. Steel structures are highly regarded for their seismic performance. It is required to understand and study the inelastic behavior of steel connections which would help in an economical and simpler design. This paper involves the modeling of …

Shear Behavior Of Screw Connection Between Cold-Formed Steel And Gypsum Sheathing At Elevated Temperatures, Wei Chen, Yihong Ye

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

The screw connections between cold-formed steel (CFS) and gypsum sheathing play an important role in the axial and lateral performance of CFS wall panels. Previous researches were mainly focus on the shear behavior of such screw connections at room temperature. This paper carried out a preliminary experimental investigation on the mechanical performance of screw connections with single layer gypsum sheathing at elevated temperatures. Limited to the cavity dimension of the furnace, the single-lap test of CFS coupon -fastener-sheathing connection was adopted and compared with the previous test results of sheathing-to-profile screw connections at room temperature. The failure of screw connections …

Monotonic And Cyclic Backbone Response Of Single Shear Sheathing-To- Cold-Formed Steel Screw-Fastened Connections, F. Tao, R. Cole, C. D. Moen

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

Monotonic and cyclic backbone load-deformation response models for single shear plywood, oriented-strand board, and gypsum board sheathing to cold-formed steel screw-fastened connections are developed with support from an experimental program. Connection strength, stiffness, and the probability of screw shear failure are correlated to fastener bearing strength of the two connected plies. Cyclic strength and stiffness degradation was negligible. Cyclic excursions resulted in increased connection stiffness from the screw bearing hardening the ply material and locking in the plies.

Characterizing The Load Deformation Behaviour Of Steel Deck Diaphragms, P. O'Brien, S. Florig, C. D. Moen, M. R. Eatherton

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

Lateral loads flow through a building’s horizontal roof and floor diaphragms before being transferred to the vertical lateral force resisting system (e.g. braced frames, moment frames or shear walls). These diaphragms are therefore a critical structural component in the resistance of lateral loads. A review of the literature shows that a large number of experimental programs have been performed to obtain the in-plane load-deformation behavior of steel deck and concrete on steel deck diaphragms. The tested diaphragm behavior was found to be dependent on a set of factors including loading protocol, fastener type, fastener size and spacing, and more. There …

Experiments On Column Base Stiffness Of Long-Span Cold-Formed Steel Portal Frames Composed Of Double Channels, H. B. Blum, K. J. R. Rasmussen

CCFSS Proceedings of International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures (1971 - 2018)

Cold-formed steel haunched portal frames are popular structures in industrial and housing applications. They are mostly used as sheds, garages, and shelters, and are common in rural areas. Cold-formed steel portal frames with spans of up to 30m (100 ft) are now being constructed in Australia. As these large structures are fairly new to the market, there is limited data on their feasibility and design recommendations. An experimental program was carried out on a series of portal frame systems composed of back-to-back channels for the columns, rafters, and knee braces. The system consisted of three frames connected in parallel with …