Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Scope Management Strategies For Engineering Leaders To Improve Project Success Rates, Kevin Lee Ramage

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Civil engineering projects undertaken without successful implementation of scope management strategies by project leaders are approximately 10% more likely to fail than projects undertaken with scope management strategies. Using scope management theory, the purpose of this single case study was to explore scope management strategies used by some project leaders in the engineering field to improve project success rates. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with 3 purposefully selected project leaders in Georgia, and a review of project completion reports, budget reports, government proposals, and scope management documents. Data analysis occurred using Yin's 5-step process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, …

Detection Of Buried Non-Metallic (Plastic And Frp Composite) Pipes Using Gpr And Irt, Jonas Kavi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research investigated alternative strategies for making buried non-metallic pipes (CFRP, GFRP, and PVC) easily locatable using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). Pipe diameters up to 12" and buried with up to 4 ft. of soil cover were investigated. The findings of this study will help address the detection problem of non-metallic pipelines and speed the adoption of composite pipes by the petroleum and natural gas industry. The research also investigated the possibility of locating buried pipes transporting hot fluids using Infrared Thermography (IRT).

Results from the study have shown that, using carbon fabric and aluminum tape overlay on non‑metallic pipes …

Ethical Decision-Making In Construction Engineering Projects, Monique Sidaross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Problems exist with ethical decision-making in U.S. construction engineering projects.

The purpose of this study was to explore factors that affect ethical decision-making in engineering construction in the United States. The general concepts of marketing ethics, Kohlberg's discussion of ethical and moral reasoning development, and Gillian's discussion of ethical care served as the basis of the conceptual framework. Factors that inhibit ethical decision making were addressed in the research questions. The resulting narrative framework included implementable initiatives based on these factors that could improve the quality of ethical decision-making and the impact of these initiatives on the cost and quality …

A Model To Predict Concentrations And Uncertainty For Mercury Species In Lakes, Ashley Hendricks

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

To increase understanding of mercury cycling, a seasonal mass balance model was developed to predict mercury concentrations in lakes and fish. Results indicate that seasonality in mercury cycling is significant and is important for a northern latitude lake. Models, when validated, have the potential to be used as an alternative to measurements; models are relatively inexpensive and are not as time intensive. Previously published mercury models have neglected to perform a thorough validation. Model validation allows for regulators to be able to make more informed, confident decisions when using models in water quality management. It is critical to quantify uncertainty; …

Factors Contributing To Elevated Concentrations Of Mercury And Pcbs In Fish In The Inland Lakes Of Michigan's Upper Peninsula And Lake Superior, Mugdha Priyadarshini

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Mercury (Hg) pollution adversely affects ecosystems and human health. Mercury in the form of methylmercury (MeHg) bioaccumulates in aquatic ecosystems, thereby affecting fish, fish-eating wildlife and humans. The goal of this research was to clarify the effects of environmental factors on MeHg concentrations in fish in the inland lakes of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Of the 74 lakes for which data were available, 56 had fish mercury concentrations above the water quality guideline. Multivariate statistical analyses indicated different factors affect fish Hg concentrations in large and small lakes.

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds are a class of persistent, bioaccumulative and …

การพัฒนาคอนกรีตมวลเบาระบบเซลลูล่าผสมเส้นใยปาล์มน้ำมันและถ่านชีวภาพ, ปาณิศา แสงแก้ว

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้ได้ทำการพัฒนาคอนกรีตมวลเบาระบบเซลลูล่า (Cellular Lightweight Concrete; CLC) โดยใช้วัสดุเหลือใช้ทางการเกษตร 2 ชนิด ได้แก่ เส้นใยปาล์มน้ำมันและถ่านชีวภาพ กลุ่มตัวอย่างทดสอบแบ่งออกเป็น 4 กลุ่ม ได้แก่ คอนกรีต CLC แบบปกติ, คอนกรีต CLC ผสมเส้นใยปาล์ม, คอนกรีต CLC ผสมถ่านชีวภาพ, คอนกรีต CLC ผสมเส้นในปาล์มและถ่านชีวภาพ จากผลการศึกษาพบว่า สัดส่วนเส้นใยปาล์มที่เพิ่มขึ้นส่งผลให้ความหนาแน่น กำลังอัด กำลังดึง การถ่ายเทความร้อนของคอนกรีต CLC สูงขึ้น แต่อัตราส่วนการดูดซึมน้ำลดลง สัดส่วนของถ่านชีวภาพที่เพิ่มขึ้นส่งผลให้ความหนาแน่นเปลี่ยนแปลงเล็กน้อย กำลังอัด กำลังดึง สูงขึ้น อัตราการดูดซึมน้ำและการถ่ายเทความร้อนลดลง งานวิจัยนี้ยังศึกษาความเป็นไปได้ในการใช้งานด้านคุณสมบัติและเศรษฐศาสตร์เบื้องต้น พบว่า กลุ่มตัวอย่างที่เหมาะสมในการนำไปใช้งานมี 2 กลุ่ม ได้แก่ คอนกรีต CLC (โฟมร้อยละ 50) ผสมถ่านชีวภาพร้อยละ 15 และคอนกรีต CLC (โฟมร้อยละ 60) ผสมเส้นใยปาล์มและถ่านชีวภาพร้อยละ 1.5 และ 10 กลุ่มตัวอย่างทั้งสองกลุ่มมีคุณสมบัติผ่านเกณฑ์มาตรฐาน มีความสามารถถ่ายเทความร้อนได้ต่ำ ซึ่งช่วยประหยัดการใช้พลังงานเครื่องปรับอากาศภายในอาคารได้ ในด้านเศรษฐศาสตร์เบื้องต้นสามารถลดต้นทุนในการผลิตได้และมีประโยชน์ในการลดค่าใช้จ่ายในการกำจัดของเสียต่อปี ดังนั้นการนำวัสดุเหลือใช้ทางการเกษตรมาเป็นส่วนผสมในคอนกรีต CLC นั้น จึงช่วยพัฒนาคุณสมบัติบางประการหากใส่ในปริมาณที่เหมาะสม เป็นแนวทางในการกำจัดของเสียและสามารถพัฒนาต่อยอดการผลิตคอนกรีต CLC ได้ในอนาคต

Influence Of Mix Design Parameters On Performance Of Balanced Asphalt Mixtures, Luiza Helena Barros

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With the popularity of the Balanced Mix Design (BMD) concept, the need for performance tests that can reliably evaluate the cracking and rutting potentials of asphalt concrete (AC) mixes has become more critical. A great deal of effort has been focused on incorporating test methods that can potentially improve the current AC mix-design processes and consequently screen underperforming AC mixes. However, the influence of mix design parameters on the performanceof BMD mixes that provide pavement engineers and designers with thorough guidelines and a reliable and consistent test protocol has not been extensively documented.

This Thesis presents an experimental evaluation of …

Optimization For The Allocation Of Funds For Pavement Maintenance In Pavement Management Systems, Armando Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Pavement maintenance and rehabilitation are critical and costly elements for highway agencies. A challenge for transportation agencies is to preserve roadways in an appropriate condition and extend the pavement service life while maintaining the safety and satisfaction of its users, and maximize the benefits obtained by the repair investments. Pavement maintenance programming is increasing in complexity due to limited resources and increments in traffic and population. Management decisions are usually based on personal judgment by pavement managers and sometimes those decisions are not even supported by previous experience. Research shows that optimization methods can produce significant benefits when transportation agencies …

A Comparative Study Characterizing Traffic Related Air Pollutant Concentrations At Near-Road Communities In El Paso, Texas, Adan Rangel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated the influence of traffic related air pollution at near-road communities and the associated health risks for these populations. This study uses on-site air quality monitors to characterize air pollutants at near-road schools in El Paso, TX to understand children's exposure to traffic-related air pollutants. Ambient air monitoring stations were installed at Coldwell Elementary, Bliss Elementary, and a residential house located in close proximity to major inter-state roadways. In this study, air quality data for PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and O3 was collected over a period of nine weeks in Fall 2018. The spatial and temporal variability …

Experimental Study Of Hydraulic Conductivity Of A Soil-Bentonite Cutoff Wall, Landon Crawford Barlow

Master’s Theses

Soil-bentonite (SB) cutoff walls are commonly employed in the US to control groundwater flow and subsurface contaminant migration. In these applications, both the short-term (as built) integrity of the barrier and the potential for degradation in the integrity of the barrier over time are of critical importance. Although many laboratory studies have been conducted to investigate the performance of SB cutoff walls as hydraulic barriers and the various factors affecting this performance, field investigations are scarce. With support from the National Science Foundation, a 200 m long, 7 m deep, and 0.9 m wide SB cutoff wall has been designed, …

Multi-State Multi-Objective Reliability Analysis Of Renewable Energy Systems, Luis Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This work presents a new multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA), capable of obtaining a system's reliability while considering other objectives that concurrently need to be optimized. The algorithm is applied in two different case studies. One of the problems considers a multi-state, multi-objective renewable energy system which tries to find a configuration between solar panels and wind turbines that maximizes the system's reliability of achieving specific energy demand, while also minimizes the purchasing cost of the system. The second case study analyzes a flexible manufacturing system that contains different machines that can perform different functions. The primary objective is to obtain …

A Quality Control Performance-Based Methodology For Pavement Management Systems, Edgar Daniel Rodriguez Velasquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Transportation Asset Management is a decision-making process, which allocates available resources for operating, maintaining, enhancing, and expanding transportation infrastructure while considering its entire life cycle. Transportation infrastructure includes different types of assets and pavements are one of the main assets due to its social, economic, and environmental impacts to society. Transportation agencies implement Pavement Management Systems to support the pavement management process. While implementing and operating a Pavement Management System, one of the costliest procedures is collecting pavement condition data from the field. Good quality for pavement condition data is required to select the right preservation treatments, estimate the associated …

Understanding The Consequences And Costs Of Climate Change On Texas Pavements, Megha Sharma

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over the several centuries, the global temperatures have been rising, and the rate of rising in temperature has increased significantly in the last century. The increase in temperature and precipitation can substantially influence performance life of pavements because of their continuous exposure to climate. The climate parameters like temperature and precipitation are considered in the pavement design to reflect the influence of climate factors on the performance of the pavements. Currently, designers use the historical weather patterns while designing pavements. Since the climate is changing, the estimated service life of the pavement will be reduced significantly if the historical data …

Evaluation Of Orthophosphate Based Corrosion Inhibitors In Treated Water For El Paso Region, Francisco Solis Jr

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Corrosion is an electrochemical phenomenon that involves the deterioration of a metal by the reaction of itself with its surrounding environment. One of the greatest issues for water utilities around the country is to keep the water quality safe. Corrosion can affect the quality of the water that we use on a daily basis by adding a bad taste, increasing the concentration of heavy metals, and allowing outside contaminants to enter the distribution system. The use of phosphate based corrosion inhibitors was tested in two different metals: iron and copper. The phosphate in the inhibitors react with the calcium in …

Investigating Early Age Behavior Of Portland Cement Concrete In Arid Regions, Evan Wolf

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The early-age behavior and properties of portland cement concrete change rapidly over time as a result of the hydration process. Comprised of a series of chemical reactions, this process accelerates nonlinearly with the curing temperature. Gaining knowledge and understanding of the phases of the hydration process (i.e., dormant, setting, and hardening) plays an important role in the timely opening of roads, resuming of construction, and achieving long-term performance. Standard tests such as ASTM C403 arbitrarily define the time of initial and final setting of concrete. Despite decades of studies concerning setting times, actual predictions still span hours, while the quality …

Effects Of Gradation And Moisture Content On Resistivity Of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall Backfill Materials, Jose Luis Arciniega

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The service life of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls depends on the corrosion rate of the metallic reinforcement used in their construction. The resistivity of the backfill aggregates needs to be measured accurately in order to estimate realistically the corrosion rate of the reinforcement. Resistivity testing is usually performed using the traditional soil box on the portion of the aggregates that passes a No. 10 or No. 8 sieve to either select or reject the backfill. For a more reasonable characterization of the corrosivity of coarse backfills, it is desirable to use their actual gradations. To that end, several resistivity …

Back Calculation Of Intelligent Compaction Data For Mechanical Properties Of Soil System, Afshin Gholamy

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

For national economy, it is very important to have a reliable infrastructure. Because of this, all over the world, new roads are constantly being built and old roads are being maintained and, if necessary, expanded and/or repaired. Building a good quality road is very expensive, it costs several million dollars per kilometer. It is therefore crucial to make sure that the newly built and newly repaired roads are sufficiently stiff - so that they can withstand the predicted volume of traffic for a sufficient number of years. Current methods of estimating the stiffness are time-consuming and labor-consuming. The most accurate …

Technical Project Management: Union Of Systems Engineering Processes With Project Management Processes, Deyaaldeen M. Abusal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Today, most projects in technical fields utilize project management to complete projects as planned, and some of the projects utilize system engineering to cover the project in both technically and commercially. This Thesis investigates the relationship between Project Management (PM) and Systems Engineering (SE) to determine if a suitably professional level of management and level of quality can be achieved. When studying PM and SE separately and make a comparison between both, there is much overlap between these two mature fields. The project could be planned and completed solely by either process. This study combines both fields of Project Management …

Utilization Of Digital Image Correlation Technique In Asphalt Testing, Alejandra Escajeda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over 90% of the roads in the United States are paved with hot mix asphalt (HMA). These asphalt pavements include many mix types, such as permeable friction course (PFC), stone mastic asphalt (SMA) and conventional dense graded mixes. The performance of the HMA is an important factor in pavement design programs used by many departments of transportation. The type of HMA selected not only influences the performance of the pavement structure, but also the pavement's life cycle cost. The performance life of an HMA mix is to be studied further with experimental data in order to contribute and expand on …

Onshore-Offshore Velocity Models North Of The Mendocino Triple Junction In Northern California, Alan Jacquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Mendocino Triple Junction (MTJ) marks the boundary where the Gorda plate, North American Plate, and Pacific Plate meet, separating the Cascadia subduction zone to the North from transform tectonics of the San Andreas plate boundary. This actively deforming region experiences high seismic activity and young geological features. Here we examine offshore and onshore seismic wide-angle reflection and refraction data north of the MTJ crossing the Cascadia subduction zone from offshore northern California to the Western edge of the Sierra Nevada. We image subsurface structures in this region by creating P-wave velocity models using datasets collected in 1993 to 1994 …

Geospatial Relationship Of Intelligent Compaction Measurement Values With In-Situ Testing For Quality Assessment Of Geomaterials, Luis Alberto Lemus

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The implementation of Intelligent Compaction (IC) in the construction of transportation infrastructure as a tool for quality control of compacted geomaterials has attracted the attention of a number of highway agencies. Compaction quality has been conventionally assessed using density, and to a less extent, modulus-based spot measurements at selected locations along the roadway section. While spot measurements do not provide a thorough rendition of the level of compaction of the roadway, IC technology is effective in meeting full coverage requirements. IC roller measurements are accelerometer-based measurements recording machine-ground interaction assumed to be indicative of the stiffness of the compacted geomaterial. …

Evaluation Of Recycled Gypsum Application Dosages To Enhance The Water Infiltration Rate At Water Retention Ponds, Jorge Luis Navarrete

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The retention ponds play central role for efficient collection, removal, and drainage of rainfall runoff from surrounding streets to minimize flooding and damage. However, low percolating retention ponds may result in an extended ponding of water, abundance bacteria accumulations, mosquito breeding, environmental hazards, among others. The presence of clayey soils and soil sodicity reduces infiltration rates of retention ponds. To enhance the infiltration rate of ponds, it is proposed to use recycled gypsum (RG), as a soil amendment in retention ponds consisting of clayey soils to enhance low infiltration rates.

To evaluate the influence of RG in clayey soils as …

Evaluation Of Commercial Pervaporation Membranes For Desalination Of Saline And Brackish Waters, Andres F. Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Pervaporation is a solution separation method that occurs by vapor transport through a selective membrane. As the need to provide drinking water to the growing population increases, pervaporation has potential merit as an alternative desalination technology, especially for water with very high salinity.

To our knowledge, there are no commercially available pervaporation membranes made specifically for desalination applications. Thus, the membranes PERVAP 4100 and PERVAP 4101 manufactured by DeltaMemAG were tested to evaluate their performance in desalination. Because the driving force in pervaporation is the difference in vapor pressure between the feed side and the permeate side of the membrane, …

Impact Of Highway Work Zones On Traffic Crashes: A Case Study In Michigan, Qadri Hafez Shaheen

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Infrastructure in the US is severely aged and outdated. This presents a seemingly paradoxical problem in the field of construction management: In order to fix and make roads and highways more safe, construction zones must become inherently less safe in the process. There is a high cost to taxpayers and drivers, as work zones experience a significant amount of crashes and fatalities each year. To mitigate some of the factors that contribute to these crashes, this paper attempts to deliver guidelines on how to update relevant crash data, identify relevant factors, and create recommendations accordingly. The research focused particularly on …

Noise Induced Hearing Loss Accountability On Jobsites Within The Construction Industry, Joseph O. Lamphere

Construction Management

Noise induced hearing loss is a major issue on jobsites within the construction industry. Every day workers are exposed to hazardous levels of noise, but they are not being properly managed to mitigate this issue. Workers have misconceptions about the topic, but more surprisingly are sometimes indifferent to the effects; believing hearing loss is inevitable, or it can be cured with a hearing aide. Construction has inherent dangers that workers have to deal with every day. Hearing loss might not be on the top of their lists, but the effects are permanent, and they cannot be cured with a hearing …

Multi-Hazard Vulnerability Assessment Of Monopile Foundation Offshore Wind Turbines, Jharna Pokhrel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Offshore Wind Turbines (OWTs) have increased in popularity because of numerous technological advancements in the sector of renewable energy. With such an increase in the number of installments, there is a need for multi-hazard vulnerability assessment of the OWT at a given site. Because of hurricane and tsunami loads pertaining to the offshore site, structural failure analysis with respect to wind and wave loads at the critical section of the OWT is required. The existing simulation methods for the failure assessment are computationally expensive and require many simulations to estimate the multi-hazard behavior. The goal of this thesis was to …

Building Entry Flood Barrier, Richard Esker, Shannon Mccall, Andrew Udovich, Brian Foust

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this project is to develop a flood barrier that would resist flood water from entering through the doorways of a building. The goal is to mitigate extensive flooding within a structure. After the disastrous weather events that impacted American citizens late in the year of 2017, the team was inspired to develop a project to help disaster victims. Through extensive preliminary and market research, it was discovered that flooding is a serious issue that affects people all over the world. A product to stop flooding could benefit people in developed countries, but it could also help citizens …

Integrity Assessment Of Earthen Dams And Levees Using Cross-Plot Analysis Of Seismic Refraction And Electrical Resistivity Tomograms, Leti Teklu Wodajo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Geophysical methods provide a rapid, economical, non-invasive, and spatial coverage of the subsurface in terms of geophysical properties. On the other hand, geophysical methods can generate multiple geophysical anomalies. An anomaly on a seismic refraction or an electrical resistivity tomogram is an area that has different values compared to its surrounding. Geophysical anomalies in dams and levees can be due to the overall heterogeneity of the subsurface, structures such as principal spillways, artifacts of inversion software, or to a true compromised location, such as an air void due to internal erosion or seepage. Therefore, there is uncertainty involved with using …

An Assessment Of Trihalomethanes And Haloacetic Acids On The Cancer Exposure Risk Of Ohio Drinking Water Systems, Stephen Sykes

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The cancer exposure risk from drinking chlorine-based disinfection by-products (DBPs) such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) has been established as a major concern to public health as 98% of the United States drinking water systems in operation use chlorinated systems to disinfect the water they provide [2]. Using data collected from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency from January 2014 to September 2017 in the cites of Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Canton, and Akron this study attempts to look at the risk of cancer caused by the DBPs. To show the relative risk of several different systems in operation from …

Dynamic Hotspot Identification For Limited Access Facilities Using Temporal Traffic Data, Samer Al Amili

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Crash frequency analysis is the most critical tool to investigate traffic safety problems. Therefore, an accurate crash analysis must be conducted. Since traffic continually fluctuates over time and this effects potential of crash occurrence, shorter time periods and less aggregated traffic factors (shorter intervals than AADT) need to be used. In this dissertation, several methodologies have been conducted to elevate the accuracy of crash prediction. The performance of using less aggregated traffic data in modeling crash frequency was explored for weekdays and weekends. Four-time periods for weekdays and two time periods for weekends, with four intervals (5, 15, 30, and …