Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Continuous, Low-Intensity Ultraviolet Irradiation For Biofilm Prevention, Stephanie Conrad

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Biofilms occur when planktonic bacteria attach to a surface, forming a sticky, extracellular matrix that makes them difficult to remove. Biofilms are especially troublesome in water filtration membrane systems due to their strong adhesive properties. Once attached, biofilms cause a decrease in water production (biofouling) and an increase in membrane degradation. Traditional cleaning methods use harsh chemicals and require modules being taken offline, which reduces water production rates. Moreover, despite current cleaning efforts, irreversible biofouling inevitably leads to membrane module replacement. The implementation of low-intensity UV irradiation for biofilm prevention could decrease waste and increase production. However, while much is …

Tncs & Congestion, Joe Castiglione, Drew Cooper, Bhargava Sana, Dan Tischler, Tilly Chang, Gregory D. Erhardt, Sneha Roy, Mei Chen, Alex Mucci

Civil Engineering Reports

From the executive summary:

This document:

• Identifies common measures of roadway congestion;
• Discusses factors that contribute to roadway to congestion; and
• Quantifies the relative contributions of different factors, including population, employment, road network changes and TNCs, to observed changes in congestion in San Francisco between 2010 and 2016, by location and time of day.

The report utilizes a unique TNC trip dataset provided to the Transportation Authority by researchers from Northeastern University in late 2016, as well as INRIX data, a commercial dataset which combines several real-time GPS monitoring sources with data from highway performance monitoring systems. These data are …

Modeling The Impact Of Traffic Conditions And Bicycle Facilities On Cyclists' On-Road Stress Levels, Àlvaro Caviedes, Miguel A. Figliozzi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Past research efforts have shown that cyclists’ safety, stress, and comfort levels greatly affect the routes chosen by cyclists and cycling frequency. Some researchers have tried to categorize cyclists’ levels of traffic stress utilizing data that can be directly measured in the field, such as the number of motorized travel lanes, motorized vehicle travel speeds, and type of bicycle infrastructure. This research effort presents a novel approach: real-world, on-road measurements of physiological stress as cyclists travel across different types of bicycle facilities at peak and off-peak traffic times. By matching videos with stressful events, it was possible to observe the …

Flexural Rigidity Estimation Using Noisy Static Influence Lines, Yasha Hajizeinalibiouki

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Society depends on critical infrastructure to support everyday activities. Even as critical components of civil infrastructure approach and exceed their design lives, demand on these structures continues to increase. In light of the need for managing aging infrastructure, several opportunities exist for research that can aid infrastructure managers in significant the challenge of detecting, classifying, and mitigating structural impairments. This dissertation presents a novel framework for impairment detection through the capture and utilization of deformation influence lines for flexural rigidity estimation on Euler-Bernoulli beams. In this research study, mechanical theory, a computer-vision algorithm, and multiple numerical methods are integrated to …

Treatment Of Disperse Blue 14 Wastewater And Sugar Wastewater By Low Cost Adsorbents, Saisantosh Vamshi Harsha Madiraju, Yung-Tse Hung, Howard H. Paul

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Orange peel and Peanut hull are used in this research to treat the combined binary mixture of Disperse Blue 14and sugar wastewater. The combined wastewater is treated with adsorption followed by micro-filtration. The dosages, sizes and concentrations used in this research are based on trail and error method. Whatman-41 is used in the micro-filtration treatment process. This research is mainly based on color removal. The color removal is estimated and compared from the measured transmittance and absorbance values. The same treatment tests are performed on the activated carbon and taken as datum and compared with the low-cost adsorbents. NPOC values …

Prediction And Rehabilitation Of Highway Embankment Slope Failures In Changing Climate, Navid Jafari, Anand Puppala

Publications

Highway slopes constructed with clayey soil are prone to desiccation cracks due to wetting and drying weather cycle, which allows greater moisture infiltration into the embankment from precipitation. Fissures formed due to extended wetting and drying cycles allow water to seep deeper into the soil than surficial wetting and increase the water content. This increases the moisture content in the soil and results in reduction in shear strength to the fully softened strength. On the other hand, development of desiccation cracks and reduction of the soil matric suction ultimately result in higher hydraulic conductivity value which causes development of higher …

Comparison Of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks And Edge Detectors For Image-Based Crack Detection In Concrete, Sattar Dorafshan, Robert J. Thomas, Marc Maguire

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper compares the performance of common edge detectors and deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) for image-based crack detection in concrete structures. A dataset of 19 high definition images (3420 sub-images, 319 with cracks and 3101 without) of concrete is analyzed using six common edge detection schemes (Roberts, Prewitt, Sobel, Laplacian of Gaussian, Butterworth, and Gaussian) and using the AlexNet DCNN architecture in fully trained, transfer learning, and classifier modes. The relative performance of each crack detection method is compared here for the first time on a single dataset. Edge detection methods accurately detected 53–79% of cracked pixels, but they …

Sh-Mode Seismic-Reflection Imaging Of Earthfill Dams, Edward W. Woolery

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Assessing subsurface characteristics and imaging geologic features (e.g., faults, cavities, low-velocity layers, etc.) are typical problems in near-surface geophysics. These questions often have adverse geotechnical engineering implications, and can be especially acute when associated with high-hazard structures such as large earthen flood-control dams. Dam-related issues are becoming more frequent in the United States, because a large part of this major infrastructure was designed and constructed in the early- to mid-twentieth century; these dams are thus passing into the latter stages of their design life, where minute flaws that were overlooked or thought to be insignificant in design/construction are now …

Sensor-Enhanced Analysis And Behavior Of Steel Beams In Fire, Genda Chen

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Traditionally, strain data are difficult, if not impossible, to obtain from steel structures in fire due to their harsh environment and temperature measurements are limited to the locations of thermocouples. This paper presents high-temperature measurements using a Brillouin scattering based (distributed) fiber optic sensor and the application of the measured temperatures and material parameters recommended in building codes into the enhanced thermo-mechanical analysis of simply-supported steel beams subjected to combined thermal and loading effects. The distributed temperature sensor captures detailed, non-uniform temperature distributions that are compared locally with thermocouple measurements by less than 5% at a 95% confidence level. The …

Development Of A Uav-Based System To Monitor Air Quality Over An Oil Field, Siwen Liu

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The growth of hydraulic fracturing has pushed the whole petroleum industries forward. As a result, gas (mainly methane [CH4]) emissions have significantly increased over the past decades (Macey et al., 2014). Gas leaks can occur at almost all stages of a petroleum production process, such as drilling, fracking, and refining. For years, ground-based air quality monitoring has been conducted around production sites. An improved understanding of air quality would be enabled by supplementing ground-based with airborne monitoring. The latter would involve the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to carry a compact, portable air monitoring system. The purpose of this …

Thermal Bridging In Concrete Sandwich Walls, Taylor J. Sorensen, Robert J. Thomas, Sattar Dorafshan, Marc Maguire

Faculty Publications

Energy efficiency requires continuity of the insulation system in structural and architectural details.

The Bridge Newsletter Winter 2018, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

The Bridge Newsletter

-Pouring the cornerstone for the ACML
-Showalter selected as Kiewit Faculty Scholar
-Ma tests a low-cost method of strengthening concrete

Metagenomics Reveal Triclosan-Induced Changes In The Antibiotic Resistome Of Anaerobic Digesters, M. Fujimoto, Daniel Elliott Carey, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Triclosan (TCS) is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial used in a variety of consumer products. While it was recently banned from hand soaps in the US, it is still a key ingredient in a top-selling toothpaste. TCS is a hydrophobic micropollutant that is recalcitrant under anaerobic digestion thereby resulting in high TCS concentrations in biosolids. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of TCS on the antibiotic resistome and potential cross-protection in lab-scale anaerobic digesters using shotgun metagenomics. It was hypothesized that metagenomics would reveal selection for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) not previously found in pure culture studies or …

An Environmental Science And Engineering Framework For Combating Antimicrobial Resistance, Amy Pruden, Reinaldo E. Alcalde, Pedro J.J. Alvarez, Nicholas Ashbolt, Heather Bischel, Natalie L. Capiro, Emily Crossette, Dominic Frigon, Kassandra Grimes, Charles N. Haas, Kaoru Ikuma, Anthony D. Kappell, Timothy M. Lapara, Lee K. Kimbell, Mengyan Li, Xu Li, Patrick J. Mcnamara, Youngwoo Seo, Mark D. Sobsey, Emanuele Sozzi, Tala Navab-Daneshmand, Lutgarde Raskin, Maria Virginia Riquelme, Peter Vikesland, Krista Wigginton, Zhi Zhou

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

On June 20, 2017, members of the environmental engineering and science (EES) community convened at the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) Biennial Conference for a workshop on antimicrobial resistance. With over 80 registered participants, discussion groups focused on the following topics: risk assessment, monitoring, wastewater treatment, agricultural systems, and synergies. In this study, we summarize the consensus among the workshop participants regarding the role of the EES community in understanding and mitigating the spread of antibiotic resistance via environmental pathways. Environmental scientists and engineers offer a unique and interdisciplinary perspective and expertise needed for engaging with other …

Accounting For Landscape Heterogeneity Improves Spatial Predictions Of Tree Vulnerability To Drought, Amanda M. Schwantes, Anthony J. Parolari, Jennifer J. Swenson, Daniel M. Johnson, Jean-Christopher Domec, Robert B. Jackson, Norman F. Pelak, Amilcare Porporato

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

As climate change continues, forest vulnerability to droughts and heatwaves is increasing, but vulnerability varies regionally and locally through landscape position. Also, most models used in forecasting forest responses to heat and drought do not incorporate relevant spatial processes.

In order to improve spatial predictions of tree vulnerability, we employed a nonlinear stochastic model of soil moisture dynamics accounting for landscape differences in aspect, topography and soils. Across a watershed in central Texas we modeled dynamic water stress for a dominant tree species, Juniperus ashei, and projected future dynamic water stress through the 21^st century.

Modeled dynamic water …

Strain And Damage Self-Sensing Of Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer Laminates Fabricated With Carbon Nanofibers/Epoxy Composites Under Tension, Yanlei Wang, Yongshuai Wang, Baolin Wan, Baoguo Han, Gaochuang Cai, Ruijuan Chang

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This study investigated the strain and damage self-sensing capabilities of basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) laminates fabricated with carbon nanofibers (CNFs)/epoxy composites subjected to tensile loadings. The conduction mechanisms based on the tunnel conduction and percolation conduction theories as well as the damage evolution were also explored. A compensation circuit with a half-bridge configuration was proposed. The results indicated the resistivity of the CNFs/BFRP laminates and CNFs/epoxy composites exhibited similar change rule, indicating that the conductive networks of CNFs/BFRP laminates were governed by CNFs/epoxy composites. With the increase of strain under monotonic tensile loading, the electrical resistance response could be …

Enhancing The Durability And The Service Life Of Asphalt Pavements Through Innovative Light-Induced Self-Healing Materials, Marwa Hassan

Publications

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of a new generation of Ultraviolet (UV) light-induced selfhealing polymers in enhancing the durability and self-healing properties of asphalt mixtures. Self-healing polymers were successfully synthesized in the laboratory and were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) results showed that the synthesized polymers achieved the required thermal stability to resist asphalt mixture production processes. Viscosity results showed that addition of 5% Recycled Asphalt Shingle (RAS) and/or 20% Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) caused an increase in the viscosity of the binder blends. However, a reduction in …

Evaluation Of The Performance And Cost-Effectiveness Of Engineered Cementitious Composites (Ecc) Produced From Region 6 Local Materials, Gabriel Andres Arce Amador, Tyson Rupnow, Marwa Hassan

Publications

The project objective is to develop cost-effective Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) with locally available ingredients in Region 6 to address the deficiencies observed in ordinary concrete materials. The study explored the utilization of two types of river sands (coarse and fine), two types of PVA fibers (long and short), four levels of cement replacement with Class F fly ash, and the implementation of recycled crumb rubber in the performance of ECC materials. A total of 24 mix designs were prepared and evaluated in compression, tension, and bending to assess its mechanical properties. Furthermore, the cracking characteristics of the materials produced …

Modeling Sulfate Attack In Modern Concrete For Building Sustainable And Resilient Infrastructure, Zachary Grasley

Publications

External sulfate attack is a complex phenomenon and is manifested in the form of large expansion, cracking, and spalling depending on the exposure solution and material constituent properties. Several models were developed in the past to demonstrate sulfate attack mechanisms that account for the diffusion of sulfate ions into the porous concrete and the successive deformation triggered by the chemical reaction and precipitation of expansive agents. However, none of these models accounts for the effect of the migration of solvent water from the low solute concentration solution to high solute concentration solution driven by the osmotic pressure. Osmotic pressure is …

In-Situ Mechanical Characterization For Compacted Aggregates, Douglas Cortes, Paola Bandini

Publications

The evaluation of compacted unbound aggregate layers is perhaps the most common undertaking in transportation-related projects. The assessment of compaction compliance in engineered fills, subgrades, subbases, and bases in roadways and railways is central to ensure longevity of ground transportation infrastructure. In many cases, premature failures in roadways that originate in the unbound aggregate layers can be traced back to inadequate compaction. These failures are preventable, provided the problem areas can be identified by a suitable field test during construction. The most widely used method for compaction assessment during construction is the nuclear density gauge (NDG) test. While the device …

Bridge Inspecting With Unmanned Aerial Vehicles R&D, Paul Darby, Vijaya Gopu

Publications

The project achieves through research including literature, on site interviews, and experimentation: 1) a recommendation for a UAV-based system to practically assist in routine bridge inspection work in the State of Louisiana, 2) the identification and description of advantages, disadvantages, and limitations in the use of UAVs for routing bridge inspection work in Louisiana, and 3) provided recommendations for future work. The Yuneec H520 aircraft and its E90 camera are recommended, as is the need for a boat to be included as part of the system. The recommended system has advantages in reaching portions of the bridge that are difficult …

Use Of Rice Hull Ash (Rha) As A Sustainable Source Of Construction Material, Zahid Hossain, Ashraf Elsayed

Publications

With the imminent shortage of natural resources, the need to find sustainable development is the highest in recent history. Therefore, this study examines the potential uses of Rice Hull Ash (RHA) as a sustainable cementitious material (SCM) in preparation of concrete. This study also assesses the use of RHA as an alternative of commonly used polymers in preparing high-grade asphalt binders. RHA is a potential sustainable solution because it is currently being treated as an agricultural waste material, yet its high silica content makes it a potential construction material. Three different sizes of RHA (600 µm, 150 µm, and 44 …

Development Of A Self-Healing And Rejuvenating Mechanisms For Asphalt Mixtures Containing Recycled Asphalt Shingle, Marwa Hassan

Publications

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that hollow-fibers encapsulating a rejuvenator product could improve both self-healing, rejuvenation, and mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures. Hollow-fibers containing a rejuvenating product were synthesized via a wet spinning procedure with sodium-alginate polymer as the encapsulating material. An optimization of the production parameters for the synthesis of fibers was performed to develop fibers suitable for high-temperature and shear stress environment typical of asphalt mixture production. A self-healing experiment was conducted to evaluate the healing/rejuvenation capabilities of sodium-alginate fibers in asphalt mixtures with varying types of binders and recycled materials. Based on …

Development Of Environmentally-Friendly Stabilization Methods For Transportation Infrastructure Based On Geopolymers, Miladin Radovic, Anand Puppala

Publications

Geopolymers (GPs) have received much attention as an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to conventional chemical additives, since they can be processed at room temperatures from aqueous solutions by utilizing waste materials (e.g. fly ash) or abundant natural sources (e.g. clay). A collaborative research study is carried out by teams from Texas A&M University (TAMU) and University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) to investigate the effectiveness of GPs for stabilizing base and subgrade materials by considering the strength and shrink-swell characteristics. Two types of clay, obtained from the North Dallas area, were mixed with a potassium-based GP synthesized from metakaolin and …

Sustainable And Equitable Financing For Pedestrian Infrastructure Maintenance, Gregory Rowangould

Publications

In many communities, pedestrian infrastructure is discontinuous, inaccessible to those with physical disabilities, and poorly maintained. Correcting these problems would be a first step in providing infrastructure to achieve the active travel and related transportation goals of many communities. One nearly universal challenge to maintaining sidewalks in a state of good repair and addressing environmental justice concerns is an adequate, sustainable, and equitable source of funding. Municipal governments across the country maintain and repair their streets and roadways; however, most require residents to maintain and repair public sidewalks adjacent to their property. These policies are difficult to enforce and may …

Bridge Deck Overlays Using Ultra-High Performance Concrete, Craig Newtson, Brad Weldon

Publications

This study investigated the use of a locally produced ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) as an alternative to typical overlay materials. Several bond strength tests including slant-shear, splitting tension, and direct tension tests were performed to assess the bond strength between UHPC and normal strength concrete (NSC) substrate with varying surface textures. Tests were also conducted to assess the early-age and longer-term shrinkage behavior and coefficient of thermal expansion of the UHPC as well as rapid chloride permeability testing. Good bond between UHPC and NSC substrate was observed even with inadequate surface texture. Combined shrinkage and thermal effects were investigated for …

The Professional Constructor, Full Issue, Volume 43, Number 02

The Professional Constructor

No abstract provided.

Numerical Modeling Of Submarine Minibasin Flow And Morphodynamics, Elena Bastianon

Theses and Dissertations

Intraslope basins, or minibasins, are important morphological features of the continental slope in both modern and ancient sedimentary systems. Minibasins have an elliptical or spherical shape with a steep inlet or proximal zone followed by an almost horizontal basin floor, and an overflow zone near the downstream basin lip. These basins are filled with sediment transported by successive events of turbidity currents and other types of submarine flows. The work presented here focuses on turbidity current sedimentation in intraslope minibasins, which is often described in terms of the ‘fill-and- spill’ conceptual model. The ‘fill-and-spill’ model has been used previously to …

Characterization Of The Spatial And Temporal Changes In River Geometry And Sand Load With Field Data Analysis And 1d Numerical Modeling, Zeyad Ayoob Sulaiman

Theses and Dissertations

The quantification of the changes in channel geometry and sand load that have occurred on the Missouri River after engineering works and that characterize the Altamaha River in the fluvial-tidal transition zone is the main objective of this research. Dam construction and channelization on the Missouri River resulted in flow regulation, sediment shortage by dam reservoir trapping, channel straightening and narrowing. Quantifying the morphodynamic response of the Lower Missouri River to these engineering projects at short and long-time scales is a difficult problem that we approach with the analysis of the available field data and with the aid of a …

The Restoration Of The Nile River And Its Delta, Egypt. Numerical Modeling, Basim Mohammed Naseef Al-Zaidi

Theses and Dissertations

The construction of the High Aswan Dam significantly reduced the flood flows and the sediment supply to the Egyptian portion of the Nile River. Consequences of this changes in river hydrology are diffuse channel bed erosion in the upstream part of the river, in- channel sedimentation in the downstream part of the system, delta recession, habitat deterioration, wetlands loss, water pollution, and environmental problems. The feasibility of a Nile River-Delta restoration project with controlled flow releases and sediment augmentations at Aswan is here investigated with the aid of site-specific one-dimensional morphodynamic models. The water source for the restoration project, based …