Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (Frp) Strengthening For Deteriorated Bridge Bent Caps, Yazan Almomani

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Deterioration of aging highway bridges has been a serious concern in the U. S. A. Almost 39% percent of all bridges in the country have passed their 50-year design life, and approximately 9% of these bridges are structurally deficient due to concrete deterioration and truck weight increases on highways. Compared to superstructures, the deterioration of bridge substructures and associated repair/strengthening/evaluation has received much less attention in previous studies. A reinforced concrete bridge built in 1940 and located in Dallas, Texas, exhibited moderate to severe corrosion related concrete deterioration in the bent caps. Eight such bent caps were selected herein for …

A New Approach For Performance Evaluation Of Bridge Infrastructure Using Terrestrial Lidar And Advanced Mathematical Modeling, Ali Shafikhani

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

High plastic expansive clays when subjected to different climatic conditions undergo large ground movements causing distress to infrastructures including bridges, pavements, buildings, retaining structures, and others. Performance assessment of these structures built on problematic soils such as expansive clays is important to reduce maintenance and extending the design life of infrastructure. Rapid developments in remote sensing technologies with precise evaluation have influenced the monitoring techniques for assessing the health condition of civil infrastructure projects. While these technologies have considerably aided in performance evaluation, cogent procedures for evaluating the ground movements are still required that integrates technologies, climatic factors, soil behavior …

Highway Cross Slope Measurement Using Airborne And Mobile Lidar, Alireza Shams Esfandabadi

All Dissertations

Ensuring adequate pavement cross slope on highways can improve driver safety by reducing the potential for water sheeting and ponding. Collecting cross slope data is typically only based on small sample because efficient technology and means to collect accurate cross slope data has been evasive. The advent of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanning technology has proven to be a valuable tool in the creation of 3D terrain models. Combined with other technologies such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Inertial Measurement Unit devices (IMU) it is now possible to collect accurate 3D coordinate data in the form of a …

Advancing Methods To Quantify Actual Evapotranspiration In Stony Soil Ecosystems, Kshitij Parajuli

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Water is undeniably among the most important natural resources and the most critical in semi-arid regions like the Intermountain West of the United States. Such regions are characterized by low precipitation, the majority of which is transferred to the atmosphere from the soil and vegetation as evapotranspiration (ET). Quantification of ET is thus crucial for understanding the balance of water within the region, which is important for efficiently planning the available water resources. This study was motivated towards advancing the estimation of actual ET (ET_A) in mountain ecosystems, where the variation in different types of vegetation and non-uniformity …

Design And Analysis Of A Parabolic Trough Solar Concentrator, George N. Skouras

Master's Theses

A prototype solar desalination system (SODESAL) with a parabolic-trough solar concentrator (PTSC) and evacuated tube was designed and analyzed to determine the solar thermal capabilities for small-scale distillation and energy generation. A proof-of-concept study verified that distillation is possible with the system as designed, however a rupture occurred in the copper heat-pipe heat exchanger due to overheating. The internal temperatures of an aluminum heat transfer fin were measured inside an evacuated tube typically used in solar water heater systems to understand the lateral heat distribution and identify possible causes of the rupture. Solar radiation was measured for both the summer …

Evaluation Of Roadway Lighting Practices, Brian K. Howell, William Nicholas Staats, Austin William Obenauf, Jerry G. Pigman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Adequate roadway lighting allows better driver visibility during nighttime conditions. Research studies show that lighted roadways on average experience 28 percent fewer vehicles crashes on all roadway types. Most state DOTs have historically used High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights for their roadside lighting programs due to their wide availability and relatively low purchase costs. However, the short lifespan of HPS results in frequent replacement, leading to high life cycle costs. Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lights consume less energy, demonstrate improved performance, and require less overall maintenance due to their longer lifespans. Over time, this translates into maintenance cost savings for stateDOTs. In …

Cover Crops Have Negligible Impact On Soil Water In Nebraska Maize–Soybean Rotation, J. Burdette Barker, Derek M. Heeren, Katja Koehler-Cole, Charles Shapiro, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Roger W. Elmore, Christopher A. Proctor, Suat Irmak, Charles A. Francis, Tim M. Shaver, Ali T. Mohammed

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

One perceived cost of integrating winter cover cropping in maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation systems is the potential negative impact on soil water storage available for primary crop production. The objective of this 3-year study was to evaluate the effects of winter cover crops on soil water storage and cover crop biomass production following no-till maize and soybean rotations. Locations were near Brule (west-central), Clay Center (south-central), Concord (northeast), and Mead (east-central), Nebraska, United States. Treatments included crop residue only (no cover crop) and a multi-species cover crop mix, both broadcast-seeded before …

Maintaining Deck Profile In Steel I-Girder Bridges During Deck Placement, Ali Naif Inceefe

Masters Theses

Conventional steel I-girder highway bridges utilize cast-in-place concrete deck. Maintaining the deck profile as per project specifications might be a challenging task. Deformation of girders and formwork used for deck placement need to be controlled during deck placement. Differential deflection between girders, exterior girder web out-of-plane deformation, exterior girder warping, or a combination thereof could impact the deck profile. These deformations challenge maintaining deck profile and need to be considered as a part of constructability evaluation. Determining deck profile due to potential girder deformations is necessary before deck placement so that the remedial actions can be implemented when deck finish …

Comparison Of A Modified And Traditional Rapid Infiltration Basin For Treatment And Control Of Nutrients In Wastewater Effluent, Jessica Cormier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rapid infiltration basins (RIB) have been historically used in Florida for groundwater recharge, effluent disposal, or a combination of both. However, this technique has proven ineffective in providing nitrogen control unless the RIB is modified in some manner. In this study, a traditional RIB was compared to a modified RIB constructed with manufactured biosorption activated media (BAM) to evaluate nitrate removal from reclaimed water. The RIBs are used for reclaimed and excess storm water disposal. Few, if any, studies have been published where BAM-modified RIBs have been used for this purpose. In this work, a mixture of clay, tire crumb, …

Feasibility Of Aerial Tramway At Boise State University, Majed Alsaqyani

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The use of aerial tramways is becoming common in cities as a way to provide reliable, safe, sustainable, and cost-effective mass transportation. The aerial tramway is especially effective in the most congested areas of major cities. The growth of Boise State University (BSU) and downtown Boise makes this location especially attractive for a tramway. Moreover, based on data collected for this analysis, it is clear that the BSU community is open to using the tramway instead of more traditional modes of transportation.

The viability of the tramway is further enhanced because the computer science department has moved to City Center …

A Comprehensive Seismic Response And Slope Stability Analysis Framework For Evaluating The Stability Of Hydraulic-Fill Dams, Sayantan Chakraborty

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The stability and serviceability of earthen embankment structures such as dams and levees are extremely crucial to avoid the catastrophic consequences of the failure of these structures. Such man-made geo-structures are usually stable under normal working conditions; however, the stability and subsequent functionality may be affected during earthquake events. Hence, the evaluation of seismic response and structural stability of earthen dams is an important facet in the field of geotechnical earthquake engineering. Dams and levees built in earthquake-prone regions are usually designed to withstand expected seismic events, and in-depth time-history-based dynamic analyses are typically performed to assess the behavior of …

Algorithm Development For Sewer Pipe System Condition Assessment Using Multi-Sensor (Msi) Technology, Mohammed Al Asadi

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This study investigates the performance of all the current large-diameter pipeline system of The City of Arlington (COA) sewer lines of 48 miles (24-inch inner diameter and above for rigid and flexible pipes). Proper inspection and rehabilitation plan for the city sewer pipeline system are better choice for the municipality and tax payers in terms of cost than dealing with pipe damage and collapsing problems when they happen. The City of Arlington (COA), University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and RedZone Robotics have established a Technology Partnership Program (TPP) to perform a condition assessment on the all COA large diameter …

Validation Of 16 Degree Arced Labyrinth Weir Coefficients, Megan Gordon Montgomery

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Labyrinth weirs are frequently used to control flow in spillways. Arced labyrinth weirs have been developed and researched in an effort to pass additional flow. Arced labyrinth weirs are more efficient than labyrinth weirs due to their increased length and improved approach flow conditions. In the past research has been done to develop discharge coefficients, Cd, values for arced labyrinth weirs with varying sidewalls angles (a=6°, 12°, and 20°). The Cd data that has been developed can only be used for those specific geometries tested. The purpose of this study was to develop Cd data for an arced labyrinth weir …

Barge Prioritization, Assignment, And Scheduling During Inland Waterway Disruption Responses, Liliana Delgado-Hidalgo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Inland waterways face natural and man-made disruptions that may affect navigation and infrastructure operations leading to barge traffic disruptions and economic losses. This dissertation investigates inland waterway disruption responses to intelligently redirect disrupted barges to inland terminals and prioritize offloading while minimizing total cargo value loss. This problem is known in the literature as the cargo prioritization and terminal allocation problem (CPTAP). A previous study formulated the CPTAP as a non-linear integer programming (NLIP) model solved with a genetic algorithm (GA) approach. This dissertation contributes three new and improved approaches to solve the CPTAP.

The first approach is a decomposition …

Dynamic Cone Penetration Tests For Liquefaction Evaluation Of Gravelly Soils, Michael H. Talbot

Theses and Dissertations

Dynamic Cone Penetration Tests for LiquefactionEvaluation of Gravelly SoilsMichael H. TalbotDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, BYUDoctor of PhilosophyIn North American practice, the Becker Penetration Test (BPT) has become the primary field test used to measure penetration resistance of gravelly soils. However, this test is expensive and uncertainties exist regarding correlations and corrections for rod friction. As an alternative, the dynamic penetration test (DPT) developed in China has recently been correlated with liquefaction resistance in gravelly soils. The DPT equipment consists of a 74 mm diameter cone tip driven by a 120 kg hammer with a free fall height of …

Using Finite Element Output To Detect Damage In A Steel Frame Model, Ai D. Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many structural collapses, all over the world, are related to inspection errors. The U.S. I- 35 Bridge in Minneapolis and the Canterbury Television building in New Zealand are a few examples. U.S. infrastructure conditions are poor, scoring a D+ according to ASCE report 2017. When the structures are inspected, the cost is high and service is lost. Inspectors use their trained but subjective judgment, which can lead to errors. Improved inspection techniques are required to reduce the cost, time, and subjectivity.

SHETM (Structural Health EvaluationTM) is an in-house software that has the ability to employ data to improve damage detection …

A Framework For Assessing Sustainability Impacts Of Truck Routing Strategies, Haluk Laman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The impact of freight on our transportation system is further accentuated by the fact that trucks consume greater roadway capacity and therefore cause more significant problems including traffic congestion, delay, crashes, air pollution, fuel consumption, and pavement damage. Assessing the actual effects of truck traffic is a growing need to support the ability to safely and efficiently move goods and people in areas where roadway expansion is not the best option. On one hand, trucks need to efficiently serve commerce and industry, while at the same time their activities need not contribute to a decline in the quality or public …

Nanofiltration Of Perfluorinated Compounds As A Function Of Water Matrix Properties, Hadi Toure

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have been manufactured and used in various industries including food packaging, paintings, and coating industries. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) are the most commonly investigated PFCs that have bioaccumulative properties and a strong persistence in environment. Despite the growing interest in using membrane technology to remove PFOA and PFOS from water, little information is available on the impact of natural water matrices on the removal of PFOA and PFOS when using nanofiltration (NF). The presence of natural organic matter (NOM) and cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) in water matrices and their interactions with the PFCs …

Experimental And Numerical Investigation On The Bond Strength Of Self-Sensing Composite Joints, Shafique Ahmed, Thomas Schumacher, Jennifer Mcconnell, Erik T. Thostenson

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Laboratory experiments demonstrate that a novel carbon nanotube (CNT)-based sensing layer embedded in the bondline of an adhesively bonded structural joint can detect and monitor deformation and damage progression of the adhesive layer. In this study, experimental and numerical investigations were performed to identify any effect of an embedded CNT-based sensing layer on the bond strength of that joint. To evaluate the mechanical behavior of such a bondline configuration, two sets of single-lap specimens, with and without sensing layer, were prepared and tested to determine the bond strengths of the respective types. Two-dimensional digital image correlation (2D DIC) was utilized …

Selecting The Most Effective Energy Modeling Tool Based On A Project Requirement, Sodiq Akande

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Building energy usage can be derived and controlled by performing building energy modeling. BEM can be performed using numerous software tools such as DesignBuilder, OpenStudio, EnergyPlus etc. These modeling tools can be sorted into three different modeling categories: Black-box, Gray-box and White-box. It is important for a modeler to be able to quickly select the proper tool from the proper category to meet the need of the project. To validate the method of categorizing tools, the three models generated using tools from each category and the modeling outputs required were compared. Each model was designed to estimate the amount of …

Coupled Hydrological-Geotechnical Model For Determinine Bearing Capacity And Elastic Settlement Of Foundations, Vahidreza Mahmoudabadi Arani

All Dissertations

This dissertation presents a coupled hydrological-geotechnical framework to investigate the performance of shallow and deep foundations under hydrological events such as heavy rainfall and drought. The variation in performance of foundation, interface between the structure and ground surface, is caused by the uncertainties associated with not only the geotechnical parameters but also the hydrological parameters that include intensity and duration of hydrological events and water table depth. The impact of such hydrological events significantly alters the performance of foundations by changing the soil strength and stiffness parameters of subsurface soil which may lead to foundation failures. Such failures can cause …

Demonstrating The Pollutant Loading From Stormwater Discharge To The Lower Jordan River Using High-Frequency Data, Ryan Dupont, Jacob Richardson, D. Willey, Rosa A. Fernández Valasquez

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Evaluate Stormwater Loading Above & Below Liberty Lake

Evaluation And Development Of Cpt Based Pile Design In Nebraska Soils, Alex Silvey

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

Cone penetration testing (CPT) is a well established geotechnical subsurface investigation technique commonly used for site characterization and soil classification. The CPT gives real time end resistance, side friction, and pore pressure readings. Axially loaded piles also share these two resistance mechanisms, suggesting the cone can be considered similar to a miniature pile. This study focused on evaluating eight CPT methods prediction of pile bearing capacity. The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) conducts dynamic load tests (PDA) of driven pile to verify pile capacity for bridge foundations. 91 comparisons of CPT logs and PDA data were evaluated. CPT prediction methods …

Studying The Applicability Of Biostimulated Calcite Precipitation In Stabilizing Expansive Soils, Md Touhidul Islam

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Of the four types of soils, clays are often associated with issues related to low bearing capacity, high compressibility, swelling and shrinking nature. For example, expansive soils swell and shrink with moisture ingress and digress and are prevalent in several parts of the world causing billions of dollars in damages annually to various civil infrastructures. Several ground improvement techniques such as chemical stabilization, deep soil mixing, moisture barriers, and others were employed to counteract these soils. However, these methods are impractical in certain situations and unsustainable in others due to their economic and environmental impacts. Microbiological treatment of soils could …

Quantifying Dominant Heat Fluxes In An Arctic Alaskan River With Mechanistic River Temperature Modeling, Tyler V. King

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Temperatures strongly affect physical, chemical, and biological processes in rivers and streams. The processes that influence river temperatures are known across most geographic regions, but the relative importance varies significantly. Little is known about what controls water temperature Arctic rivers, limiting our ability to understand the impacts of climate change. This dissertation addresses this knowledge gap by incorporating field measurements with river temperature modeling to estimate the relative importance of key factors that affect Arctic river temperatures. Results indicate that shortwave radiation (e.g., sunlight) and net longwave radiation are significant throughout an Arctic watershed in all flow conditions. In areas …

On Thermal Bowing Of Concrete Sandwich Wall Panels With Flexible Shear Connectors, Fray Pozo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Thermal bowing, often referred as bulging or out-of-plane wall deflection, is a common issue on sandwich panel walls caused by a temperature differential between a building interior temperature and the environment. The stresses caused by temperature changes in concrete members are widely known in the practice of bridge design, but not on sandwich wall panels. For sandwich wall panel applications, it is common to have non-composite panels when the designer expects a high temperature gradient, what yields a less economical design, but reduces the bowing.

This project aimed to validate current assumptions regarding the heat flow in sandwich wall panels …

Human-Centered Design Of An Air Quality Feedback System To Promote Healthy Cooking, Chantal Iribagiza

Dissertations and Theses

Household air pollution (HAP) is responsible for almost 4 million premature deaths every year, a burden that is primarily carried by women and children in developing countries. The mortality and morbidity impact of HAP can be significantly alleviated through clean cookstove interventions. However, for these interventions to be effective, the new intervention stove must be a substantially cleaner technology and adoption should be high and sustained over time.

Woody biomass is the fuel of choice in many developing communities, and contributes substantially to HAP. Several organizations have launched clean cooking interventions to address this issue. However, the majority of those …

Understanding Asphalt Concrete Aging Using Nanoindentation, Hasan M. Faisal

Civil Engineering ETDs

Asphalt concrete (AC) is created by mixing liquid asphalt binder with solid aggregates. When asphalt binder is mixed with aggregates, it creates a thin film (about 7-16 microns thick) around the aggregate surface. Fine aggregate (smaller than 0.075 mm size) get entrapped within the binder film or mixed with the binder, and create a phase called mastic. Both asphalt film and mastic play significant roles in aging of asphalt pavement. To this day, tests were performed mainly on the bulk liquid asphalt, but not on the film or mastic. In this study, for the first time, nanoindentation tests were done …

Decision-Making Framework For The Selection Of Sustainable Alternatives For Energy-Retrofits, Amirhosein Jafari

Civil Engineering ETDs

Buildings are major consumers of energy worldwide. On the other hand, over 60% of the US housing inventory is over 30 years old and a large number of these homes are energy inefficient. Therefore, it is essential to target the existing building stock for energy efficient interventions as a key to substantially reduce the adverse impacts of buildings on the environment and economy.

Building energy retrofitting has emerged as a primary strategy for reducing energy use and carbon emissions in existing buildings. An energy retrofit can be defined as a physical or operational change in a building, its energy-consuming equipment, …

Automated Merging Control Algorithm: A Cooperative Approach For Connected Automated Vehicles In Platoons, Sogand Karbalaieali

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Transportation systems are being transformed by advanced vehicular connectivity and automation. Human-driven vehicles are being replaced by Connected Automated Vehicles (CAV). The US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) promotes automated vehicle research which encourages the development and deployment of automated vehicles by infrastructure-based solutions. Advancements in traffic design and operation can offer solutions to the challenges that CAVs face. An example of these challenges is merging on highways where traffic operation could be enhanced by the use of Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) communication between the onramp and the mainline vehicles and roadside units …