Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Lifelong Housing Design: User Feedback Evaluation Of Smart Objects And Accessible Houses For Healthy Ageing, Matteo Zallio, Niccolò Casiddu

Conference Papers

According to the latest research by the European Community and ISTAT (Italian National Institute of Statistics) surveys, Europe has the highest average age for its population. According to those data, in the near future, it could be necessary to move from a welfare model based on the centralization of care systems, to a system based on the distribution of certain healthcare facilities [1]. This means that the ageing population is ever increasing, thanks to better lifestyles, innovative medical care and wider access to different services. This work seeks to observe and analyse key implications of architectural and interior design features …

Use Of Recycled Crushed Concrete (Rcc) Fines For Potential Soil Stabilization, Lindeman Mark, Varilek Brandon, Lieska Halsey, Rick Gloe, Maria Olomi

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This study evaluated the use of Recycled Crushed Concrete (RCC) Fines for potential soil stabilization. Soil stabilization is the enhancement of subgrade stability to improve the constructability of successive pavement layers. Use of RCC fines may not only provide less costly alternatives for subgrade stabilization, but their use may also alleviate landfill disposal challenges.

Experimental And Numerical Evaluation Of A New Composite Pressure Pipe For A Trenchless Rehabilitation Technology, Xuanchen Yen

Doctoral Dissertations

The information presented in this dissertation is based on research work conducted at Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) at Louisiana Tech University. This work was performed through a contract with China University of Geoscience (CUG) for a gas company. China's gas pipelines need replacement or rehabilitation after 15 to 30 years of service. China's gas industry is looking for suitable techniques to transfer into their market.

When compared to conventional excavation pipeline renewal or replacement methods, there are obvious advantages of TRT for gas pipelines that can impact the triple bottom-line of economic, social and environmental benefits. An introduction of TRT …

Development Of An Improved Method For Determining Advisory Speeds On Horizontal Curves, Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent, Erin Lammers-Staats

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Horizontal curves are an integral part of the highway alignment. However, a disproportionately high number of severe crashes occur on them. One method transportation agencies use to reduce the number crashes at horizontal curves is the installation of curve warning signs which post an appropriate advisory speed. Appropriate curve advisory speeds can be determined using several methods. Some of these methods are time-consuming to perform and are error-prone. The purpose of this research was to find the most efficient and accurate data collection method for determining curve advisory speeds. Several processes were developed and tested. They were then validated against …

Estimation Of Average Daily Traffic On Local Roads In Kentucky, Reginald R. Souleyrette, Brian K. Howell, Eric R. Green, William Nicholas Staats

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) officials use annual average daily traffic (AADT) to estimate intersection performance across the state maintained highway system. KYTC currently collects AADTs for state maintained roads but frequently lacks this information on local roads. A method is needed to estimate local road AADTs in a cost-effective and reasonable manner. Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) researchers conducted a literature review on U.S. AADT models but found that none of them were suitable to Kentucky. Therefore, KTC developed an AADT model using non-linear regression to estimate AADTs on approaches to those intersections.

KTC developed a Poisson distributed, non-linear regression model …

Nitrogen Rate And Landscape Impacts On Life Cycle Energy Use And Emissions From Switchgrass-Derived Ethanol, Eric G. Mbonimpa, Sandeep Kumar, Vance N. Owens, Rajesh Chintala, Heidi L. Sieverding, James J. Stone

Faculty Publications

Switchgrass-derived ethanol has been proposed as an alternative to fossil fuels to improve sustainability of the US energy sector. In this study, life cycle analysis (LCA) was used to estimate the environmental benefits of this fuel. To better define the LCA environmental impacts associated with fertilization rates and farm-landscape topography, results from a controlled experiment were analyzed. Data from switchgrass plots planted in 2008, consistently managed with three nitrogen rates (0, 56, and 112 kg N ha−1), two landscape positions (shoulder and footslope), and harvested annually (starting in 2009, the year after planting) through 2014 were used as input into …

The Experiment And Analysis Of Active Mechanisms For Enhancing Heat And Mass Transfer In Sorption Fluids, Ziqi Shen

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This project was funded by American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE RP-1462). It is a three years’ research, including the literature review, labs construction, experiments and data analysis.

In this thesis, first of all, we conducted literature review of mechanism motion influence on heat and mass transfer and additive effect in absorption chiller. This part helps us understand the basic idea of how mechanism motion affects the heat and mass transfer of sorption fluids and gives us reference on how to select the experiment instrument and the experiment operation range.

In the second part, the instrument selection …

Correlating Interlaminar Fatigue Fracture Behavior To Nde Parameters In Carbon/Epoxy Composites Containing Voids And Delamination, Issa Hakim, Norbert Meyendorf, Steven L. Donaldson, René Laquai, David Walter, Bernd Müller, Paul Graja

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

Carbon fiber composites have been increasingly used in aerospace, military, sports, automotive and other fields due to their excellent properties, including high specific strength, high specific modulus, corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance, and low thermal expansion coefficient. Delamination, or interlaminar fracture, is a serious failure mode leading to a loss in composite stiffness and strength. Manufacturing process defects such as voids degrade the fatigue life and delamination resistance of the composite. This study investigates the effect of voids on fatigue interlaminar fracture behavior of carbon fiber composites. Samples with different vacuum levels: 0%, 50% and 100% were fabricated by varying the …

Phytovolatilization Of Organic Contaminants, Matt Limmer, Joel Gerard Burken

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Plants can interact with a variety of organic compounds, and thereby affect the fate and transport of many environmental contaminants. Volatile organic compounds may be volatilized from stems or leaves (direct phytovolatilization) or from soil due to plant root activities (indirect phytovolatilization). Fluxes of contaminants volatilizing from plants are important across scales ranging from local contaminant spills to global fluxes of methane emanating from ecosystems biochemically reducing organic carbon. In this article past studies are reviewed to clearly differentiate between direct- and indirect-phytovolatilization and we discuss the plant physiology driving phytovolatilization in different ecosystems. Current measurement techniques are also described, …

Experimental Modal Analysis And Seismic Mitigation Of Statue-Pedestal Systems, Christine E. Wittich, Tara C. Hutchinson

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

The seismic protection of cultural heritage, particularly statues, is a critical issue due to its high cultural significance, difficulty to repair or replace artifacts, and observed poor behavior during past earthquakes. Recent research has explored analysis techniques and methodologies for predicting the seismic response of statues; however, these studies typically assume the statue to be either freestanding or rigidly attached. The seismic response of statues with these different boundary conditions varies widely and therefore accurate characterization is critical. While modern mounting techniques aim to rigidly attach a statue to the floor or to a pedestal, the degree of rigidity of …

Bs News July/August

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

High-Throughput Screening Of Clinically Approved Drugs That Prime Polyethylenimine Transfection Reveals Modulation Of Mitochondria Dysfunction Response Improves Gene Transfer Efficiencies, Albert Nguyen, Jared P. Beyersdorf, Jean-Jack Riethoven, Angela K. Pannier

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Nonviral gene delivery methods are advantageous over viral vectors in terms of safety, cost, and flexibility in design and application, but suffer from lower gene transfer efficiency. In addition to modifications to nucleic acid design and nonviral carriers, new tools are sought to enhance transfection. Priming is the pharmacological modulation of transfection efficiency and transgene expression, and has demonstrated transfection increase in several compounds, for example, chloroquine and glucocorticoids. To develop a library of transfection priming compounds, a highthroughput screen was performed of the NIH Clinical Collection (NCC) to identify clinical compounds that prime polyethylenimine (PEI) transfection. HEK293T cells were …

A Tool For Downscaling Weather Data From Large-Grid Reanalysis Products To Finer Spatial Scales For Distributed Hydrological Applications, Avirup Sen Gupta, David G. Tarboton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

A downscaling tool was developed to provide sub-daily high spatial resolution surfaces of weather variables for distributed hydrologic modeling from NASA Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications reanalysis products. The tool uses spatial interpolation and physically based relationships between the weather variables and elevation to provide inputs at the scale of a gridded hydrologic model, typically smaller (∼100 m) than the scale of weather reanalysis data (∼20–200 km). Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) measures greater than 0.70 were obtained for direct tests of downscaled daily temperature and monthly precipitation at 173 SNOTEL sites. In an integrated test driving the Utah Energy …

Use Of Cycling Paths Along The Morogoro Brt Line, Ford Sanger

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the urban population continues to increase rapidly in Dar es Salaam it will become increasingly important to find sustainable means of urban transportation. With planned infrastructure improvements in the city to help alleviate traffic congestion, bicycles, which represent a largely underutilized form of urban transportation, have the potential to play a large role in the future of the city. Through background research, direct observations, community surveys, and interviews, both formal and informal, this study sought to understand the impact of the recent addition of bike lanes along the first phase of the Dar Bus Rapid Transit line. It was …

Cfd Study Of Decay Function Of Wall Shear Stress With Scour Around Complex-Shape Bridge Pier, Chen Li

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Pier scour problem is close related to the safety of bridges. The Federal Highway Administration of the United State also has a great interest in studying the relation between hydraulic loadings and scour depth. The current technological problem of directly measuring hydraulic loadings on a dynamic bed using physical experiments and the weak capacity to simulate the real scour processes with CFD methods inspired the development of a hybrid approach by combining them to study pier scour.

This research specifically focuses on the CFD part of the hybrid method. A series of three-dimensional (3-D) CFD models were developed with unsteady …

Methodologies For Estimating Traffic Flow On Freeways Using Probe Vehicle Trajectory Data, Khairul Azfi Anuar

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Probe vehicle data are increasingly becoming the primary source of traffic data. As probe vehicle data become more widespread, it is imperative that methods are developed so that traffic state estimators such as flow, density, and speed can be derived from such data. In this dissertation three different methodologies are proposed for predicting traffic flow or volume on a freeway. All of the proposed methodologies exploit several different traffic flow theories in conjunction with probe vehicle data to predict traffic flow. The first methodology takes advantage of the fundamental diagram or speed-flow relationship. The relationship states that flow can be …

Possible Sources And Impacts Of Biochar Water Extractable Organic Compounds On Aquatic Microorganisms, Cameron Russell Smith

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Smokeless biomass pyrolysis with application of biochar as a soil amendment could be a significant approach for carbon sequestration to possibly control climate change for energy and environmental sustainability. If biochar were to be utilized as a soil amendment and a carbon sequestration agent at Gt C scales, the release of potentially toxic compounds into soils and associated hydrological systems, through soil rainwater runoff and leaching, might have negative consequences, in both agro-ecosystems and aquatic environmental systems. Therefore, the main focus of this dissertation was to study the sources and chemical composition of biochar water extractable (soluble) organic compounds and …

Global Sensitivity Analysis Of Mat Foundation Behavior By Using Finite Element Modeling, Yang Zhao

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Mat foundation is used mostly for high-rise buildings and, since the demand for high- rise buildings is growing, having extensive understanding of mat foundation behavior leads us into more efficient structural design. Mat foundation behaviors are affected mostly by soil’s materials properties, foundation size, and thickness and loading conditions. In this study, the sensitivity of mat foundation structural responses to some of the design parameters are evaluated. Sobol decomposition, which is a variance-based technique, is used to perform the global sensitivity analysis. In this study, Patran, a finite element-based software, is used for modeling and simulations.

Approximate flexible method is …

Development Of Visualization-Animation Software For Learning Transportation Algorithms, Ivan P. Makohon

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Recognizing the steady decline in US Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) interests and enrollments, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the White House have developed national strategies and provided significant budget resources to STEM education research [1-2] in the past years, with the ultimate goals being to improve both the quality and number of highly trained US educators, student workforce in STEM topics, in today’s highly competitive global markets. With the explosion of the internet’s capability and availability, it is even more critical to effectively train this future USA-STEM work-force and/or to develop effective STEM related teaching tools to reach …

Simplified Performance-Based Analysis For Seismic Slope Displacements, Marlem Lucia Astorga Mejia

Theses and Dissertations

Millions of lives have been lost over the years as a result of the effects of earthquakes. One of these devastating effects is slope failure, more commonly known as landslide. Over the years, seismologists and engineers have teamed up to better record data during an earthquake. As technology has advanced, the data obtained have become more refined, allowing engineers to use the data in their efforts to estimate earthquakes where they have not yet occurred. Several methods have been proposed over time to utilize the earthquake data and estimate slope displacements. A pioneer in the development of methods to estimate …

Automated Device To Measure Slurry Properties In Drilled Shafts, Miles Patrick Mullins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Slurry is the fluid within a drilled excavation that is introduced when an excavation is deeper than the water table or where additional stability is needed for loose sandy dry soils. Although construction practices vary greatly throughout the country and the world, slurry levels should be maintained above the existing ground water level by a suitable margin. The most widely used slurry type is mineral slurry formed by mixing dry clay powder with water; either bentonite or attapulgite powder may be used (attapulgite being used in saline water conditions). Regardless of whether the slurry material is mineral, polymer or natural, …

Bioaugmentation And Correlating Anaerobic Digester Microbial Community To Process Function, Kaushik Venkiteshwaran

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation describes two research projects on anaerobic digestion (AD) that investigated the relationship between microbial community structure and digester function. Both archaeal and bacterial communities were characterized using high-throughput (Illumina) sequencing technology with universal 16S rRNA gene primers. In the first project, bioaugmentation using a methanogenic, aerotolerant propionate enrichment culture was investigated as a possible method to increase digester methane production. Nine anaerobic digesters, seeded with different biomass, were operated identically and their quasi steady state function was compared. Before bioaugmentation, different seed biomass resulted in different quasi steady state function, with digesters clustering into high, medium or low …

Wartime Construction Project Outcomes As A Function Of Contract Type, Ryan M. Hoff, Gregory D. Hammond, Peter P. Feng, Edward D. White

Faculty Publications

The United States has spent more than $23 billion on construction in Afghanistan since 2001. The dynamic security situation created substantial project uncertainty, and many construction projects used cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts (CPFF) instead of the firm-fixed-price (FFP) norm. Using a dataset of 25 wartime construction projects managed by the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, the authors sought to confirm that both contract types yield project outcomes consistent with the established literature. As expected, they found CPFF contracts had greater cost and schedule growth than FFP. However, they did not find differences regarding as-built quality. Additionally, the authors sought to determine whether …

15-12 Analysis Of Walking Facility Performance Guidelines For Individuals With Disabilities, Keith Christensen, Anthony Chen, Mohammad Sadra Sharifi

Transportation Research Center Reports

It is necessary to design and evaluate the effectiveness of walking facilities to accommodate the needs of all pedestrian groups, including individuals with disabilities. The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) defines walking facility performance using a qualitative measure describing operational conditions, or level of service (LOS). However, how closely pedestrian LOS thresholds correspond to actual conditions are questionable. To overcome the limitations, a controlled large-scaled walking experiment involving individuals with disabilities was conducted at Utah State University (USU). A temporary circuit with the necessary walking facilities was constructed using eight foot self-standing walls. In total, 202 (160 without and 42 with …

14-07 Development Of Decision Support Tools To Assess Pedestrian And Bicycle Safety: Focus On Population, Demographic And Socioeconomic Spectra, Deo Chimba, Abram Musinguzi

Transportation Research Center Reports

Despite the increase of these non-motorized trips, bicyclists and pedestrians remain vulnerable road users that are often over represented in traffic crashes. While the currently used methods that identify hazardous locations serve their purpose well, majority represent a reactive approach that seeks improvement after crashes happen. This research addressed these issues and proposed decision support tools to aid the implementation of bicycle and pedestrian safety strategies. This work developed an access based tool to predict the expected number of crashes at different neighborhood levels. This tool combines the traditional methods such as those provided in the Highway Safety manual to …

Engineered Earthen Masonry Structures For Extreme Wind Loads, Mabel Cristina Cuellar-Azcarate

Theses and Dissertations

Stabilized earthen masonry (SEM), which is built with compressed stabilized earthen blocks (CSEB) and mortar, is emerging as a construction system for affordable, sustainable and high-quality dwellings. Compelling features of earthen masonry are local availability of suitable soils, thermal insulation properties, humidity control within healthy ranges, and relatively low carbon footprint. SEM is also appealing for the construction of affordable houses in rural areas and farmlands, where underrepresented and underprivileged groups often live. In fact, the lack of affordable housing is an issue across the United States where low-income families are most affected, often committing more than half of their …

Modeling Human-Structure Interaction Using A Controller System, Albert Ricardo Ortiz Lasprilla

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of human loads on structures are difficult to predict because they depend on the type of activity people are performing. However, models for typical activities such as standing, sitting and jumping have been proposed in the literature. Traditional models represent the human body as a system of lumped masses, dampers and springs arranged in a system with multiple degrees of freedom. Arguably, these models might not fully represent the human body because lumped masses, dampers and springs cannot add energy to the overall system. Furthermore, people could react differently to different levels of excitation and other environmental conditions. …

Multiscale Modeling Of Water Transport And The Influence Of Water Quality Parameters On Membrane Processes, Linkel Kwabena Boateng

Theses and Dissertations

Membrane-based desalination processes have become a viable means of producing potable water to meet water resource needs in both industrialized and developing nations. Extensive experimental investigation, in conjunction with computational modeling is critical in the development of sustainable and cost-effective desalination technologies. The overall goal of this dissertation is to develop a multiscale modeling framework to elucidate water and salt transport mechanisms and the influence of water quality parameters on membrane processes. The key tasks involved in this study are: establish a criterion for estimating water flux using Bayesian inference; develop a multiscale framework to connect molecular dynamics (MD) simulations …

Repair Of Failing Spirit Lake Outlet Tunnel At Mount St. Helens, J. P. Britton, S. K. Askelson, C. M. Budai, D. H. Scofield

International Symposium on Hydraulic Structures

The 18 May 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens resulted in one of the largest debris avalanches recorded in history. The debris avalanche blocked the natural outlet of Spirit Lake. To prevent an uncontrolled and catastrophic lake break-out, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) constructed the Spirit Lake Outlet Tunnel from 1984 to 1985. Because Spirit Lake is located in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, the project was transferred to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for ownership and management. During original tunnel construction, the most difficulty occurred within the 90-m-wide Julie and Kathy L. shear zone complex. …

Optimization Of Air Entrained Grout Enriched Roller Compacted Concrete For Improving Freeze-Thaw Resistance Of Hydraulic Structures, E. S. Musselman, R. J. Flynn, G. J. Zimmer, J. R. Young Pe

International Symposium on Hydraulic Structures

Roller compacted concrete (RCC) is frequently used to construct gravity dams, stepped spillways, and to armor earthen embankments for passing extreme floods. Early experience on RCC dam applications in the 1980s showed a tendency for seepage to develop along the lift lines. Therefore, RCC dam designers started including an upstream facing system as a watertight barrier. An alternative facing material that has been used extensively overseas and is starting to gain more widespread acceptance in the United States is Grout Enriched RCC (GERCC). The grout enriched method of face construction has been shown to be less expensive than other facing …