Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Adsorption Of Heavy Metal Ions By Oil Palm Decanter Cake Activated Carbon, Mohd. Ezreeza Mohamed Yusoff, Juferi Idris, Nahrul Hayawin Zainal, Mohamad Faizal Ibrahim, Suraini Abd-Aziz

Makara Journal of Technology

Adsorption processes are widely used for the removal of heavy metals from waste streams. Oil palm decanter cake (OPDC) is used as a bioadsorbent because of its compositional properties for activated carbon production; moreover, it is a readily available raw material produced in palm oil mills and is thus abundant and cheap. In this study, the OPDC was carbonized at 700 °C and activated using steam at 700 °C to produce oil palm decanter cake activated carbon (AC-OPDC). Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to compare the adsorption capacities of the raw OPDC and the AC-OPDC for heavy metals removal. …

Experimental Evaluation Of Three Different Humidity Conditions To Physical And Mechanical Properties Of Three Different Mixtures Of Unfired Soil Bricks, Heru Purnomo, Srikandi Wahyu Arini

Makara Journal of Technology

Unfired brick is considered as a more environmentally friendly material than fired brick. It has lower mechanical properties than that of fired brick where humidity influences both bricks. Physical and mechanical properties of unfired bricks made of three kinds of mixtures were studied experimentally under three humidity conditions. The first kind of unfired brick was made only with soil and water while the second type was made of a mixture of soil, water and lime, and the third type was a mixture of soil, water, lime and uniform treated coir where 4% of lime mass was substituted with coir mass. …

Component Analysis And Antiangiogenic Activity Of Thailand Stingless Bee Propolis, Eriko Ishizu, Sari Honda, Tosihro Ohta, Boonyadist Vongsak, Shigenori Kumazawa

Makara Journal of Technology

Propolis is a natural resin produced by honey bees from certain plants, has gained popularity as a food and alternative medicine. However, to the best of our knowledge, few studies on native Thailand stingless bee propolis are available. Information on the chemical composition and biological activities of propolis is needed to investigate its potential utility. Recently we have reported the possible plant origin of Thailand stingless bee propolis, Garcinia mangostana. In this study, further component analysis, functional evaluation, and identification of the plant origin of Thailand stingless bee propolis are conducted. Nine xanthones, including α-mangostin, garcinone C, γ-mangostin, cochinchinone T, …

3d Fdtd Method For Modeling Of Seismo-Electromagnetics Disturbance On Crustal Earth, Nabila Husna Shabrina, Yasuhide Hobara, Achmad Munir

Makara Journal of Technology

The paper deals with the modelling of seismo-electromagnetics disturbance on the crustal earth by use of threedimensional (3D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The model is built up by discretizing the frontier geographical region between Java Island and Sumatra Island in a cylindrical coordinate system-based 3D object. The proposed method is applied to compute and analyze electromagnetics (EM) fields of the observed very low frequency (VLF) wave used for the investigation. Boundary condition of uniaxial perfectly matched layer (UPML) are applied surrounding the area of computation for truncating the object of simulation. The investigation are focused on the propagation time of …

Toward Car Free Key West, Mary Bishop

Journal of Transportation Demand Management Research

This paper explores the transportation problems created by the large volume of tourist arrivals to the island of Key West, Florida. A survey of visitors to the island was conducted to uncover their perspectives related to the barriers and benefits of various transportation modes in hopes to inform City staff on the development of transportation options that will meet the needs and desires of tourists. The results from 398 respondents revealed a variety of trends, including varying travel choices depending on the number of visits, where visitors were from, and arrival types. From these trends, priority groups for behavior change …

Investigating The Removal Of Stormwater Pollutants In Small-Scale, Constructed Treatment Wetlands, Katlyn Edwards

Rose-Hulman Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships

Eutrophication of US surface waters is a growing problem due to nitrogen and phosphorus runoff in stormwater. In natural ecosystems, wetlands can absorb and remove a variety of water pollutants, including nutrients. Wetlands also provide flood control and wildlife habitat. Mimicking natural systems, constructed treatment wetlands can remove stormwater pollutants, are economic to build and maintain, provide a bionetwork for a wide range of plants and animals, and can be used for educational purposes.

While constructed treatment wetlands can remove stormwater pollutants such as total suspended solids, organic carbon, and nitrates, a significant reduction in phosphate concentrations has not been …

Towards A Theoretical Explanation Of How Pavement Condition Index Deteriorates Over Time, Edgar Daniel Rodriguez Velasquez, Carlos M. Chang Albitres, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

To predict how the Pavement Condition Index will change over time, practitioners use a complex empirical formula derived in the 1980s. In this paper, we provide a possible theoretical explanation for this formula, an explanation based on general ideas of invariance. In general, the existence of a theoretical explanation makes a formula more reliable; thus, we hope that our explanation will make predictions of road quality more reliable.

Dynamic Identification Of Soil-Structure System Designed By Direct Displacement-Based Method For Different Site Conditions, Vahidreza Mahmoudabadi, Omid Bahar, Mohammad Kazem Jafari, Amir Safiey

Publications

This study mainly aims to assess the performance of soil-structure systems designed by direct displacement-based method coupled with strong column-weak beam design concept through various system identification techniques under strong ground motions. To this end, various system identification methods are employed to evaluate the dynamic characteristics of a structure (i.e., modal frequency, system damping, mode shapes, and plastic hinge formation pattern) under a strong seismic excitation considering soil-structure interaction for different site conditions as specified by ASCE 7-10. The scope of the study narrowed down to the code-complying low- to high-rise steel moment resisting frames with various heights (4, 8, …

Development Of A Multimode Instrument For Remote Measurements Of Unsaturated Soil Properties, Sean Elliott Salazar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The hydromechanical behavior of soil is governed by parameters that include the moisture content, soil matric potential, texture, and the mineralogical composition of the soil. Remote characterization of these and other key properties of the soil offers advantages over conventional in situ or laboratory-based measurements: information may be acquired rapidly over large, or inaccessible areas; samples do not need to be collected; and the measurements are non-destructive. A field-deployable, ground-based remote sensor, designated the Soil Observation Laser Absorption Spectrometer (SOLAS), was developed to infer parameters of bare soils and other natural surfaces over intermediate (100 m) and long (1,000 m) …

The Development Of Initial Asphalt Mixture Acceptance Criteria Using The Scb Test And The I-Fit Test, Nathan Delman Parnell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cracking has become the primary asphalt pavement distress in Arkansas. Arkansas along with other states have implemented a test to measure rutting resistance. This paper presents research to implement a cracking resistance test to further modify the Superpave volumetric asphalt mixture design method in Arkansas. The Illinois Flexibility Index Test (I-FIT) was the test chosen to analyze for this research. Two aging methods were tested, a short term oven aging (AASHTO R30 ST) and a long term oven aging (NCAT) method. Six asphalt mixtures were selected to be tested. The mixtures testes were recreated from Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) …

Optimized Rehabilitation Of Water Pipe Networks Subjected To Earthquakes, Binaya Pudasaini

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Earthquakes in the past and in the recent times have demonstrated the extreme vulnerability of the water pipe networks. The impacts of such earthquakes on the water supply network can lead to significant direct and indirect losses. These losses highlight the critical need for seismic rehabilitation of water pipe network. Despite such criticality, water supply network managers are often constrained in what they can do with the limited rehabilitation budget that they have access to. Majority of current models dealing with seismic vulnerability assessment of water pipes do not provide actionable insights to the utility managers for the seismic rehabilitation …

Evaluation And Prediction Of Energy Potential Of Landfill Mined Solid Waste, Rakib Ahmed

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Landfilling is the most popular waste disposal system worldwide; however, with increasing scarcity of materials, increases in land values, and the presence of non-engineered landfill sites in both the developing and developed world, landfill mining has been the recipient of special interest in today’s waste management practices. Therefore, the motivation of the current study was to evaluate the energy potential of mined landfill waste and develop a statistically significant mathematical model to predict its energy potential (calorific value). The current study was conducted by using the municipal solid waste (MSW) samples collected from the City of Denton landfill and the …

Development Of Condition Prediction Models For Sanitary Sewer Pipes, Mohammadreza Malek Mohammadi

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Utility managers and owners have challenges when addressing appropriate intervals for inspection of gravity sanitary sewer pipelines and other underground pipeline systems. Frequent inspection of sewer network is not cost-effective due to large inventory of pipes and high cost of inspections, such as using closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveys. Therefore, it would be more beneficial to first predict critical sewers most likely needing maintenance and then perform inspections to optimize use of their limited budgets and target pipelines most in need of repairs, rehabilitation or renewal. Development of sewer condition prediction models is extremely vital for utilities to evaluate the short-term …

Laboratory Testing And Finite Element Modeling Of Invert Removed Corrugated Metal Culvert Buried Under Shallow Cover, Hiramani Raj Chimauriya

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Ever since their advent in the 1800s, corrugated metal pipes (CMPs) have played a vital role in this nation’s infrastructure. The wide range of options on diameter and span have made these culverts more preferable over traditional concrete culverts. However, compared to concrete culverts, CMPs have a shorter design life and are only expected to last 10 to 30 years even under ideal conditions. Over the course of years, different open-cut and trenchless methods have been used to rehabilitate existing old and damaged culverts. In recent years, trenchless methods like sliplining, CIPP, spray-applied pipe linings, etc. have been gaining popularity …

Development Of Protocol For 100-Year Service Life Of Synthetic Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Pipes, Maziar Mahdavi

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Among different components of US highways and roads, concrete pipes are one of the most important parts of these infrastructures. Currently, most of the concrete pipes that are produced in the United States are made from steel reinforced concrete composite, and this system is prone to deterioration and steel corrosion during the service life of these pipelines. In this study, a newly developed composite at the Center for Structural Engineering Research/Simulation and Pipeline Inspection was studied for service life assessment with accelerated aging methods. This composite doesn’t contain any steel reinforcement, and it is reinforced by Polypropylene fibers. At the …

Agricultural Drought Assessment Based On Multiple Soil Moisture Products, Jongjin Baik, Muhammad Zohaib, Ungtae Kim, Muhammad Aadil, Minha Choi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

In this study, we evaluated three soil moisture (SM) products (Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-2 [AMSR2], Advanced SCATterometer [ASCAT], and European Reanalysis Interim [ERA-interim]) across Australia in four climate zones by comparing against the Australian Water Resources Assessment-Landscape (AWRA-L) SM products from July 2012 to June 2017. The ASCAT SM indicated better performance than other SM products over Australia. To evaluate the applicability and reliability for monitoring agricultural drought, an agricultural drought index, the Soil Water Deficit Index, was estimated from three SM products and compared with three commonly-used drought indices (atmospheric water deficit [AWD], Evaporative Stress Index, and Reconnaissance …

A New Design Methodology Of Reinforced Concrete Squat Shear Walls For Ductile Seismic Behavior And Predictable Shear Strength, Ghassan S. Almasabha

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Reinforced concrete (RC) squat walls (with a height-to-length ratio of 2.0 or less) have high strength and stiffness which makes them a popular seismic force-resistant system for buildings and nuclear power plants. However, extensive studies on squat shear walls showed that squat walls have limited drift ductility because a flexural yielding mechanism is difficult to achieve, thereby undermining the role of squat walls as structural fuse members in earthquake-resisting structures. This research proposes a new design methodology of squat walls for ductile seismic behavior. While ACI 318-19 requires a mesh of steel bars to reinforce squat walls, the proposed design …

Remaining Service Life Estimation And Probabilistic Analysis Of Reinforced Concrete Sewer Pipeline Systems, Pardis Moamaei

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The serviceability and structural performance of reinforced concrete pipes could deteriorate for many reasons. The loss in structural capacity and other structural operations may drastically affect the surrounding environment, public health and the economy. This research is directed towards the estimation of remaining service life, and to evaluate the level of risk of failure of reinforced concrete sewer pipes (RCSP) that are subjected to continuing corrosion due to sulfide attack that in turn leads to loss of pipe thickness caused by excessive deterioration along the pipe’s interior wall. In order to estimate the remaining service life, reliability theory is used …

Improving Post Processing Of Ensemble Streamflow Forecast For Short-To-Long Ranges: A Multiscale Approach, Babak Alizadeh

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

A novel multi-scale post-processor for ensemble streamflow prediction, MS-EnsPost, and a multiscale probability matching (MS-PM) technique for bias correction in streamflow simulation are developed and evaluated. The MS-PM successively applies probability matching (PM) across multiple time scales of aggregation to reduce scale-dependent biases in streamflow simulation. For evaluation of MS-PM, 34 basins in four National Weather Service (NWS) River Forecast Centers (RFC) in the US were used. The results indicate that MS-PM improves over PM for streamflow prediction at a daily time step, and that averaging the empirical cumulative distribution functions to reduce sampling uncertainty marginally improves performance. The performance …

Analytical And Numerical Modeling Of Externally Heated Geothermal Bridge Deck, Mandakini Chowdhury

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Bridge icing is a severe safety concern for travel during winter months in the United States. Ice on bridges form quicker than roads, as the bridge is exposed to wind on all its surfaces. The underlying problem of bridge icing is loss of friction between the vehicle wheel and the pavement surface due to slippery nature of ice. Hence, the solution is to increase the friction between the above-mentioned surfaces. The most commonly adopted solution is application of sand, salt or other granular materials on the roadway. However, due to corrosive nature of the salts, the durability of the infrastructure …

User Syndication Using Speech Rhythm, Faisal Z H Alnahhas

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

In recent years we have seen a variety of approaches to increase security on computers and mobile devices including fingerprint, and facial recognition. Such techniques while effective are very expensive. Voice biometrics, specifically speech rhythm, is a method that has been drawing attention and growing in recent years. Unlike other methods, it requires little to no additional hardware installed on a device for it to work accurately. Speech rhythm utilizes the device's built-in microphone, and analyzes speakers based on features of their speech. In this work we leverage the existing hardware and simply add an efficient layer of software to …

Migration And Electropolymerization Of Methyl Methacrylate In Hardened Cement Paste Via Electrokinetic Treatment, Xi Xie

Doctoral Dissertations

Porous concrete structures are susceptible to the intrusion of chemical species, such as sulfates, chlorides, and carbon dioxide. Many technologies have been developed to repair or rehabilitate damaged concrete. These include cathodic protection, corrosion inhibitor addition, or the use of coatings and sealers. In recent years, a developing technology, electrokinetic nanoparticle treatment, has been shown to reduce concrete porosity, increase strength, promote corrosion resistance, and extend durability. This dissertation was conducted to explore a novel treatment to reduce the porosity of concrete via the application of electrokinetic transportation and electro-initiated polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA).

Potassium persulfate (PSP) was used …

Effect Of Modified Moisture Barriers On Slopes Stabilized With Recycled Plastic Pins, Anuja Sapkota

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

High plasticity expansive clayey soils are prone to repeated swelling and shrinkage due to cyclic climatic variations. These variations lead to desiccation cracks that act as pathways for rainfall intrusion into the slope, and lead to increased moisture content. The increase in the moisture content of the soil generates considerable hydrostatic pressure, which can cause pavement distress and shallow slope failure. Previously, failed slopes in North Texas were repaired by the UTA research team using only recycled plastic pins, which increase the stability of the slope but do not improve the performance of the pavement shoulder or limit the intrusion …

Chemical Stabilization Of Expansive Soils Using Liquid Ionic Soil Stabilizers (Liss), Shi He

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Traditional soil stabilizers such as lime and cement are widely used to reduce swell and shrinkage behavior and enhance strength properties of expansive soils through the formation of cementitious products. However, the manufacturing process of these calcium-based stabilizers, such as lime and cement, need large amounts of water and emit gases such as CO, CO2, NOx, and SO2 that are harmful to the environment. Hence, environmentally-friendly techniques are often sought out by the civil infrastructure industry (Puppala et al. 2018a, 2019b, George et al. 2019a, Congress and Puppala 2019). In this research, an alternative stabilizer termed as liquid ionic soil …

Performance Of Precast Concrete Bridge Girders With Externally Bonded Anchored Cfrp, Tariq Tariq Al Jaafreh

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Repair with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) has become a topic of great interest to engineers in the last two decades. Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) is considered as one of the most popular and practical solutions for strengthening and retrofitting civil structures, including bridge girders. Several past studies indicated that a significant increase in strength and stiffness can be achieved by using this technology; however, the major drawback of this repairing method is debonding. This research investigated the flexural behavior of simulated lateral damaged pre-stressed concrete bridge girders. Five Tx28 girders were tested up to failure, where 4 of them …

Evaluation Of Model Uncertainties In Lrfd Calibration Process Of Drilled Shaft Axial Design, Mohammad Rakib Hasan

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released a policy in 2000 that required all new federally funded bridges to be designed using the AASHTO LRFD specifications by October 2007. The transition from ASD to LRFD posed a challenge due to the lack of area specific resistance factors. Though several studies were performed to calibrate area specific resistance factors, they did not improve from the resistance factors suggested in AASHTO 2012. The objective of this study is to analyze the uncertainties in LRFD calibration and to calibrate more accurate and improved resistance factors. A drilled shaft load test database from Mississippi and …

Parametric Study Of Mixture Component Contributions To Compressive Strength And Impact Energy Absorption Capacity Of A High Strength Cementitious Mix With No Coarse Aggregate, Md. Abdullah Al Sarfin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research project has been undertaken to produce and characterize the behavior of High Strength Cementitious Mix (HSCM), which has considerably higher compressive strength compared to conventional concrete. Components of HSCM are cement, silica fume, sand, water, and high range water reducer. The material is tested for compressive strength and impact energy absorption capacity while the amount of above mentioned components are varied parametrically. The effect of these parameters are extensively studied and trends are reported. Finally, this research projects attempts to find correlations among compressive strength, compressive toughness, and impact toughness. Limitations of the experimental program are discussed and …

Use Of Rice Husk Ash (Rha) In Flowable Fill Concrete Mix Material, Zahid Hossain, Kazi Tamzidul Islam

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18CASU03. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"In the way of finding sustainable development, the flowable fill is a relatively new construction technology. Flowable fill is a self-compacting material, which has been developed in recent years. Flowable fill has been used for different applications such as backfilling walls, sewer trenches, bridge abutments, conduit trenches, pile excavations, and retaining walls. This study examines the potential uses of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) as a sustainable cementitious material (SCM) in the preparation of flowable fill concrete. (RHA is an agricultural by-product of …

Self-Healing Concrete Using Encapsulated Bacterial Spores In A Simulated Hot Subtropical Climate, Marwa Hassan, Jose Milla, Tyson Rupnow, Ahsennur Soysal

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18CLSU02. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Bacterial concrete has become one of the most promising self-healing alternatives due to its capability to seal crack widths through microbial induced calcite precipitation (MICP). In this study, two bacterial strains were embedded at varying dosages (by weight of cement) in concrete. Beam specimens were used to identify the maximum crack-sealing efficiency, while cylinder samples were used to determine their effects on the intrinsic mechanical properties, as well as its stiffness recovery over time after inducing damage. The concrete specimens were cured …

Use Of Bagasse Ash As A Concrete Additive For Road Pavement Application, Gabriel Arce, Marwa Hassan, Maria Gutierrez-Wing, Michele Barbato

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18CLSU03. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) as a partial replacement of cement in concrete for road pavement application. The study explored the pozzolanic activity of SCBA produced from three different processing methodologies (i.e., raw SCBA, controlled SCBA and post-processed SCBA). The experimental results revealed that SCBA produced by the controlled burning of sugarcane bagasse fiber (SBF) at 650°C and grinding (C-650), presented the maximum pozzolanic activity. However, this SCBA production process was deemed …